Trav’s 2024 Super Wild Card Weekend Predictions

Week 18 aka the final game of the regular season has come to an end. My record for the final weekend was 8-4 and my overall mark finished at 115-64. The winning percentage jumped a little from 64.1 to 64.3%. My first defeat came when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore was without several key pieces because they’ve already clinched the top seed in the AFC. My second loss came when the Houston Texans went to Indianapolis and beat the Colts. The Colts had the game in their hands, but a bad pass from Minshew on 4^th & 1 ended the game. After the Jaguars had their historical collapse, the Texans claimed the AFC South division and will host a playoff game. The question for Jacksonville now is, what does the future look like for them? Could Coach Pederson be on his way out?

The Tennessee Titans defeated Jacksonville to end their postseason dreams on what looked like Derrick Henry’s final game as a Titan. My third defeat came when the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Arizona Cardinals in the final seconds of the game. The Seahawks needed the Packers to lose to secure a playoff spot, but Green Bay defeated Chicago. The fourth and final defeat saw the Los Angeles Rams beat San Francisco 21-20. Los Angeles clinched the 6^th seed in the NFC with the win and the Niners are already the #1 seed in the NFC. We came down to the final game to determine seeding in the AFC. The Buffalo Bills finished the season on a 5-game winning streak and beat Miami to capture the AFC East. The first coach has also been fired as the Atlanta Falcons dismissed Arthur Smith.

Who will the Atlanta Falcons hire as their next head coach? Will they target a quarterback this offseason like a Justin Fields? This brings us to the Super Wild Card Weekend and the beginning of the playoffs. We will have a pair of games on Saturday and then another three on Sunday. On Monday night, we finish the weekend with the Eagles traveling to Tampa to meet the Bucs. Who will advance to the Divisional Round next weekend? Let’s see what happens in the first round of the playoffs and who goes home.

We start things off with the Cleveland Browns making the trip south to Houston to face the Texans. Cleveland has been one of the hottest teams heading into the playoffs. They won four in a row before last week when they rested their starters. In the playoffs, if you can run the ball and don’t turn the ball over you have a chance. Cleveland is good on the ground, but Flacco must limit his turnovers. Will the defense frustrate the rookie QB in this one? Houston lost to this Browns team about a month ago, but it was without C.J. Stroud. The Texans are dealing with a couple of injuries on the defensive side of the ball. If they can pressure Flacco this team has a chance to win. I’m riding with the Browns defense and run game to lead them to the victory. Cleveland Win 24-20

The Saturday night game will see the Miami Dolphins travel to Arrowhead to face the Kansas City Chiefs. The Dolphins finished the season with a 2-game losing streak after defeating Dallas. Miami has lost a lot of guys on the defensive side of the ball that can pressure the QB. On offense, they should get Raheem Mostert back for this game. If you can run the ball in the playoffs you have a shot at winning. Devon Achane and Mostert can help this team win. Kansas City has struggled all season on offense, but the defense has been great. The Chiefs will likely rely on their running game and Isiah Pacheco in this one. It will be cold in Tyreek Hill’s return to Arrowhead, and it will play a factor. I’m more trusting of the Chiefs defense than the Dolphins. Kansas City Win 23-17

The first game on Sunday will see the Pittsburgh Steelers traveling to Buffalo to face the Bills. The Steelers got into the playoffs after finishing the season on a 3-game winning streak. With Jacksonville losing, it opened the door for Pittsburgh to get into the postseason. Pittsburgh could be without their star pass rusher T.J. Watt after injuring his knee against Baltimore. Najee Harris could be the key to this team pulling off the upset in Buffalo. How will Mason Rudolph play on the road? Buffalo is riding a 5-game winning streak, and it led them to winning the AFC East division. For over a month, this Buffalo team has played every game like it was the playoffs. Josh Allen shook off a couple of INTs in their game in Miami to lead them to the win. I’m riding with the Bills in this one too. Buffalo Win 24-21

We have the Green Bay Packers traveling to Dallas to meet the Cowboys in the second Sunday game. The Packers finished the season with a 3-game winning streak to clinch the final playoff spot. Jordan Love has looked like one of the better signal callers in the second half of the season. The defense has been aggressive and has really grown over the last couple of weeks. Can the youngest team in the league pull off the upset in Dallas? Dallas hasn’t lost a game at home all season, so the Pack got a tough feat on their hands. The Cowboys will have their hands full with Jordan Love if they can pressure him. Dallas offense is top tier and will be the difference especially if they can jump on the Pack early. This will be a good game but can’t pick against the Cowboys at home. Dallas Win 31-21

The third and final game on Sunday will see the Los Angeles Rams head to Detroit to face the Lions. The Rams have been one of the hottest teams in the league over the last two months. They have won four in a row and 7 of their last 8 with their only defeat coming against Baltimore. Kyren Williams has become one of the best running backs in the league and we know about the receivers. Puka Nacua just set a rookie record for receptions and yards, and we all know about Cooper Kupp. How will the Lions react to Matthew Stafford returning? Will Goff play lights out to show the Rams they made a mistake trading him? How will the fans be seeing this is their first playoff game in a long time? In a tough one, I’m picking the Lions to win. Detroit Win 26-24

The final game of Super Wild Card weekend takes place Monday Night. The Philadelphia Eagles will head to Tampa to face the Bucs. The Eagles defeated the Bucs in Tampa earlier this season and I made the trip there. This is a different Philadelphia team, and they are banged up also. Sydney Brown is lost for the season; Hurts dislocated a finger on his throwing hand and AJ Brown hurt his knee. Will the Eagles have any fight in them unlike the past couple months? Tampa finished the season winners of 5 of their last 6 games to capture the NFC South crown. Baker Mayfield is banged up heading into this game, but this is their best matchup. Both teams are different from their early season encounter. I’m thinking the Bucs are hungrier and will beat the Eagles. Tampa Bay Win 31-20

There we are my predictions for the Super Wild Card Weekend. What games intrigue you the most for the Super Wild Card weekend? What do you think about my picks? Leave some feedback below about anything NFL related or my Super Wild Card Weekend picks.