By: Joey MacDonald

Not only does the AFC have its 7 teams for the postseason, but the NFC does as well. Seven teams are now in a do-or-die situation where you win, you move one step closer; you lose, you head home. And the ultimate prize is to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, AZ, on February 8th. 

1st Round Bye: Seattle Seahawks

Los Angeles Rams vs Carolina Panthers

The first game of the postseason puts the Los Angeles Rams against the Carolina Panthers. This is a rematch from Week 13, where the Panthers upset the Los Angeles Rams by the score of 31-28. In this rematch, the Rams open up as a 10.5-point favorite over the Panthers. The Los Angeles Rams started the season out 9-2, and people felt they were the team to beat in the NFC. Then struggled in their last 6 games, going 3-3 and looking to start their path towards a 3rd Lombardi trophy. Matthew Stafford is coming in looking like the favorite for the MVP, and a win can help his cause for MVP. On the opposite side, the surprising Carolina Panthers shocked everyone and won the NFC South over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now host their 1st playoff game in Carolina since their Super Bowl run in 2015. Quarterback, Bryce Young, in his 1st playoff has a big task in front of him, going against one of the best teams in the NFL. This matchup, on paper, looks like a total mismatch. The Rams have the #1-ranked offense, where they put up close to 395 yards per game, and that’s a recipe for disaster for the Panthers. But the Panthers didn’t make it to the postseason by accident; they earned this trip to the postseason by going through Tampa Bay twice, winning and losing one in three weeks against the Bucs. The Carolina Panthers have been a surprising and exciting story this past season. But the Rams have too much firepower, and I believe they will cover the spread and at least 14 points.

Prediction: Rams 35, Panthers 20

Green Bay Packers vs Chicago Bears

When it comes to rivalries in the NFL, no rivalry ever comes close to the history between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. This will be only the 3rd time that these rivals will meet in the postseason. Splitting 1-1, now this game will only add to the history of this rivalry that dates back to 1921. The Chicago Bears went from worst to first in 2025. Thanks in large part to 1st year head coach Ben Johnson, who turned the Bears from the worst offense in 2024, all the way to the #6 ranked offense in the NFL. Caleb Williams, in his 2nd year, has been advertised as coming off his rookie year, throwing for 27 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions. Their big question mark, for the Bears, is that 29th-ranked defense, and giving up 24.4 points per game. The Green Bay Packers, for the 3rd year in a row, have to settle for being the 7th seed in the postseason. They had an up-and-down season by going 9-7-1, including a tie against the Dallas Cowboys, and struggled at the end of the season by losing their last 4 regular-season games. The only thing they will miss in this game will be the presence of Micah Parsons, who lost for the season with a torn ACL. This game, by the end, will add to the history of the Bears vs Packers rivalry. The weather could be a factor in deciding this. If it does running game is the deciding outcome in this game, and the Bears could take advantage of having the #3 rushing attack in the NFL. The Bears, with a balanced attack in passing and running, will be the reason they win this game.

Prediction: Packers 20, Bears 27

San Francisco 49ers vs Philadelphia Eagles

The 49ers and the Eagles have the potential to be the best game on the NFC side in the wild-card round. This matchup has a lot of offensive playmakers, which has the potential for this game to be very high scoring for both of these teams. The Philadelphia Eagles are coming into this postseason as the defending Super Bowl champions, looking to repeat as Super Bowl champions. They also became the back-to-back NFC East champions since they did it in 2003 and 2004. One thing that has been hurting the Eagles is the offensive play-calling that has been hurting this team all season long. They did have playmakers who could make big plays and score touchdowns, but it’s the playcalling that’s been the problem during the season. The San Francisco 49ers, after starting 6-4, ran off six straight wins, where they needed to beat the Seattle Seahawks to clinch home-field advantage in the playoffs, but got shut out of the end zone, losing 13-3. Now, the 49ers will need to pull off 3 road playoff wins to reach the Super Bowl and play in their own stadium for the big game. The defense has been hurt by the lack of getting to the quarterback and sacking the quarterback. The 49ers will need to put pressure on Jalen Hurts and get to him by rushing the quarterback and making Jalen Hurts make bad throws and questionable decisions as well. The Eagles, as the defending champs, will be in a slugfest with San Francisco. They have that championship fight in them to make sure that they will go down swinging like the champs they’ve been this past year. And, with the injuries that the 49ers have, it will be the deciding factor in which the Eagles will win this game within the last 2 minutes of the game.  

Prediction: 49ers 31, Eagles 35