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AFC Super Wild Card Weekend Predictions

 After breaking down the NFC yesterday, it’s time to turn the page to the AFC Super Wild Card Weekend. The conference is wide open this year, and the team I ultimately believe can emerge may surprise you, so let's get right to it. 

Bills @ Jaguars 

(image via @billsonreal on X)

In what I believe to be the game of the entire weekend, the Bills travel south to face the red-hot Jacksonville Jaguars. This is the matchup I’m most excited for, as it’s the most even across the entire slate. The Jags come in on an eight-game winning streak, having not lost since November 16th. Since then, their defense has established itself as one of the top units in the sport, specifically against the run, where they’ve allowed just 1,455 yards all year long, the fewest in the NFL. 

On the Buffalo side of things, they've been up and down all season long. When facing middle-of-the-pack defenses, they have scored with ease, but against the league's best, like Houston and Philadelphia, Buffalo has looked like a completely different team. If the Jags defense is able to maintain James Cook, all the pressure shifts to Josh Allen to make plays down the field. 

On the other side of the ball, the Bills' run defense has been flat-out bad, and I don't expect that to change with Jacksonville being able to use both Etienne and Tuten on the ground. Not to mention the fact that Trevor Lawrence is playing his best ball since his days at Clemson. 

In the end, I think this comes down to the very end, and Josh Allen is able to put on the Superman cape and get the job done. I expect the winner of this game, whoever it may be, to go on a run, maybe even to the Super Bowl, but that's for a different article. Bills 33, Jaguars 29

Chargers @ Patriots

(image via @brgridiron on X)

Going into this season, I was higher on the Chargers than most and lower on the Patriots than most, so I guess I was only half right. A lot of people foresaw the Patriots making a bit of a jump this year, but I don’t think they saw that jump being this seismic. New England went from a four-win season to a 14-win season and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

That said, the schedule of the Patriots absolutely matters, and they haven’t been truly tested yet. In this matchup specifically, I actually believe the Chargers have a chance to make it really interesting. This is an old-school battle of immovable object versus unstoppable force, as a top-five defense in the league will take on a top-five offense.

This one is going to be closer than people think, with both running backs getting a heavy load. I foresee a big game from both Treveyon Henderson and Omarion Hampton being fed early and often. That said, whichever quarterback has the ball last is going to have to make a play to win this game. And unfortunately, Herbert just hasn’t been able to do that in the playoffs. Therefore, even though Drake Maye hasn’t even been to the playoffs, I trust him on his home turf just a little more.
Patriots 17, Chargers 13

Texans @ Steelers

(image via yahoosports.com)

As much as my admiration for Aaron Rodgers might cloud my judgment at times, it’s going to be hard to ignore the reality of this game. The reality that if Houston’s defense can consistently get pressure on him, it could be the last game he ever plays. The Texans have been the league’s most dominant defense all season, allowing just 17.4 points per game. This is the type of team, much like the Eagles, that can make a deep postseason run as long as the defense continues to play this well. Expect Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson Jr., and Denico Autry to be disruptive all night long 

Offensively, we’ve started to see flashes of the Rookie of the Year version of C.J. Stroud again. When he’s decisive, confident, and pushing the ball downfield, Houston becomes a significantly scarier team, and I believe a legitimate Super Bowl contender. 

As much as I’d love to see Rodgers rattle off some playoff wins again, this just feels like too tall a task. I love the tandem of Warren and Gainwell, and I expect them to be a focal point this week as Pittsburgh tries to slow the game down and lean on the run against Houston.

The problem is sustainability. With the amount of talent the Texans have on that side of the ball, it’s hard to see that approach holding up in the second half if they fall behind. Even with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Texans 24, Steelers 16


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