- - NFL wild-card preview: Which 6 teams have the most juice heading into their Round 1 matchup?

Charles RobinsonJanuary 5, 2026 at 8:26 AM

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The NFL postseason is upon us.

While the No. 1 seeded Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos each get to kick back and relax this coming weekend, 12 other teams will battle in the wild-card round.

Here’s a look at the six games, which includes: a team that backslid into the postseason despite not hitting the .500 mark; a hot NFC North rivalry; the emergence of a former No. 1 NFL Draft pick; the defending Super Bowl champion showing vulnerability; an MVP candidate in only his second season and jaw-dropping magic from Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers.

(5) Los Angeles Rams at (4) Carolina PanthersWhy the Panthers can win

Week 13 of the regular season, the Panthers beat this Rams team 31-28 in Charlotte. So why not again? The key will be getting Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford off his game again, which is what Carolina did in the first match. In that one, Stafford uncharacteristically turned the ball over three times, including a first-quarter pick 6 that was ultimately the difference in the loss. Carolina quarterback Bryce Young was also efficient and opportunistic, and hit the big fourth-quarter pass when it mattered on a game-deciding, 43-yard touchdown to rookie Tetairoa McMillan.

Why the Rams can win

Wideout Davante Adams could be back in the lineup and that would make the Rams an extremely difficult team to boat race between Adams, receiver Puka Nacua, the very effective two-headed running back rotation of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, and Stafford coming off a nice four-touchdown pass game in the regular-season finale win over the Arizona Cardinals. Safety Quentin Lake returning to the lineup for the playoffs is also a massive development. L.A.’s defense was playing some of its best football into mid-November when he went down, and he was sorely missed in multiple big games down the stretch. He missed the first matchup with the Panthers and will absolutely make a difference in this one.

Who has the juice going in

Without question, the Rams are feeling much better after getting their offense on track in the season-ending win over the Cardinals and a defensive performance that produced six sacks of Jacoby Brissett from five different players. Yes, it was against the Cardinals, but the Rams had something to play for and they showed it. They also know their defense is getting Lake back this week. There are a lot of positive feelings in Los Angeles. The Panthers backed into the playoffs, falling in their regular-season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then needed help from the Atlanta Falcons to get in. Carolina is also 8-9 and its offense has been a roller coaster. The Panthers are at home, but it’s hard to know what Panthers team you’re going to get.

(7) Green Bay Packers at (2) Chicago BearsWhy the Packers can win

Quarterback Jordan Love will be back from a concussion and was playing some of his best football of the season before the Packers’ loss to Denver on Dec. 14. Green Bay is also facing a feast-or-famine Chicago defense that has been too reliant on turnovers over the course of the season and is struggling to get to the quarterback over the past month while giving up massive amounts of yardage.

Why the Bears can win

Despite losing the season finale to the Detroit Lions, Chicago’s offense has some intriguing young talent that is blossoming at the right time. Tight end Colston Loveland is a significant matchup problem and wideout Luther Burden III is versatile and more comfortable than ever in his role. The Bears also may get wideout Rome Odunze back from lingering foot issues.

Who has the juice going in

The Bears, only because the Packers have absolutely fallen flat on their face over the past month. They’ve lost four straight games to end the season, lost Micah Parsons to a season-ending injury and have Love banged up to close the season. Chicago has lost three of its past five, but the Bears’ offense has shown signs of life and the ability to be balanced. Chicago also gets the benefit of playing in front of a home crowd that hasn’t been this excited about its team since the 2018 season.

(6) Buffalo Bills at (3) Jacksonville JaguarsWhy the Jaguars can win

Trevor Lawrence is on an absolute heater over his past six games. He has 19 total touchdowns in a corner-turning run inside head coach Liam Coen’s offense. Granted, a lot of the sparks have come against some bad teams, but it also included one of the biggest regular-season wins of Lawrence’s career in a 34-20 road victory over the Denver Broncos on Dec. 21. It feels like an arrival of sorts for Lawrence — including a bit of playing with some arrogance (in a good way) — although there is still going to be suspicion about whether it can be replicated in the postseason. If the Bronco buster Lawrence is the real Trevor, the Jaguars can play with anyone in the postseason.

Why the Bills can win

In Josh Allen, the Bills have got the best veteran quarterback in the AFC playoff field and he’s in his prime. He’s also a pain to bring down and is going against a Jaguars defense that can pressure quarterbacks but is in the league’s bottom five in sacks. And now Allen has a legitimate partner in the backfield to carry the playoff load in James Cook, who put up some big games against three AFC playoff teams (the Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots) since November. The 13-12 clunker defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17 wasn’t inspiring, but it’s better that Buffalo got that wakeup call in late December than January.

Who has the juice going in

The Jaguars have it, winning eight straight and nine of 10 games since their bye week. And the lone loss came on the road against a Houston Texans team that rounded into a high-end defense and playoff team down the stretch. Lawrence hitting another level as a quarterback might have the fan base as excited as it has ever been, and that will show up in the home-field advantage. On the other side of the ledger, it’s hard for the Bills since their last full-strength impression was that loss to the Eagles where Allen was sacked five times. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott being 0-5 in playoff road games is also concerning.

(6) San Francisco 49ers at (3) Philadelphia EaglesWhy the 49ers can win

If San Francisco — and this is an overwhelming “if” — has its full suit of offensive players for this game, the Niners can challenge the Eagles’ defense. But after seeing the 49ers’ struggles against a similarly talented (and well-coached) Seattle Seahawks defense in the 13-3 loss in Week 18, it’s clear offensive tackle Trent Williams and wideout Ricky Pearsall really need to be back up and running for this game. Running back Christian McCaffrey missed that tandem in the Seahawks’ loss. While we won’t know the update on that pair until midweek, that seems like a stretch right now.

Why the Eagles can win

Their offense is inconsistent and frustrating and there’s no certainty that the running game will show up consistently in the postseason, but this defense has the elite talent to drag out wins. When defensive coordinator Vic Fangio put together a game plan that battered Josh Allen and held the Buffalo Bills to 12 points in Week 17, it showcased at least half of a Super Bowl-worthy team. Conversely, the 49ers’ pass rush has had issues getting to quarterbacks, which should make life for Jalen Hurts — and the performance of his uncharacteristically unpredictable offensive line — a bit easier.

Who has the juice going in

Oddly, even banged up and losing the regular-season finale to Seattle and getting sent on the road in the wild card, the 49ers had their chances against the Seahawks … and both quarterback Brock Purdy and the offense were smoking hot going into that game. Meanwhile, the Eagles rested their starters and lost out on the No. 2 seed in the NFC in the process, which was deflating and left the lasting memory of their offense being a putrid second half against the Bills. And frankly, between head coaches Kyle Shanahan and Nick Sirainni, it’s Shanahan who has put together a masterpiece this season despite playing in a brutal NFC West.

(7) Los Angeles Chargers at (2) New England PatriotsWhy the Patriots can win

Quarterback Drake Maye turned a runaway MVP race into an absolute photo finish — and he did it by stressing defenses with his accuracy, deep-ball wizardry, ability to scramble and a poise that made him look like a 10-year veteran this season. He’s going to give the Chargers problems. And now he has a very potent two-headed running attack backing him up with TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson really coming together over the past month of the season. Defensive tackle Milton Williams and offensive tackle Will Campbell are also back in the fold right when New England needs them most. That’s a lot of up arrows.

Why the Chargers can win

The New England run defense has had its issues down the stretch and the Chargers continually remixed offensive line could absolutely use the help. The return of Milton Williams will certainly help the Patriots, but you can’t count on consistent betterment in the front seven until you see it materialize. That said, QB Justin Herbert getting a running game out of Omarion Hampton — combined with Herbert’s own ability to scramble or create in designed runs — can certainly hurt New England. Especially in the rare occasions Herbert hasn’t gotten beaten up by the pass rush.

Who has the juice going in

The Patriots are flying right now and are only a terrible second half against the Buffalo Bills from going into the playoffs on a 14-game winning streak. They’ll have to settle for being 13-1 in their last 14, but they obliterated the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins in their past two games. Yes, they’ve feasted on a lot of non-playoff teams down the stretch, but good teams should beat and at times dominate bad teams, and that’s what New England did. The Chargers have lost their last two. And while Week 18 was a rest game for their starters, Herbert absorbed 16 sacks in three of his four games in December. He’s getting hit too much and still has an injured non-throwing hand. That’s concerning.

(5) Houston Texans at (4) Pittsburgh SteelersWhy the Steelers can win

If ever there was an emotional high and some magical dust sprinkled onto a team in its regular-season finale, Pittsburgh got it with its 26-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens to get into the postseason. But it wasn’t a fluke. After the Ravens took a 17-13 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the surrounding offense went blow-for-blow the rest of the way — and did it without DK Metcalf, who was in the final game of his suspension. Yes, it took a horribly missed field goal by the Ravens to win and get into the playoffs. But everything is a new lease now. The all-in gamble on making Rodgers work got the Steelers back into the postseason on an emotional high.

Why the Texans can win

Houston started 0-3 but leaned on a hellacious defense to finish the season on 12-2 run that has seen its offense show signs of life down the stretch. That includes a 9-0 run to end the season. Aside from the Indianapolis Colts putting up a fight in Week 18 against the Texans (who began sitting starters as the game went on), this defense does not give up points to opponents. Houston also throttled a very mobile Justin Herbert in Week 17 with five sacks and will be staring at Rodgers like he’s a potted plant in this one. Among the playoff quarterbacks in the AFC field, the Texans beat Herbert, Trevor Lawrence and Josh Allen during their 9-0 run. That speaks loudly.

Who has the juice going in

This might be a coin flip, but for somewhat different reasons. Houston gets the edge via a 9-0 run, but the Steelers got the gift of playoff life when it looked like the postseason had been extinguished in their regular-season finale. That gift and playing at home gives Pittsburgh plenty of juice. But the Texans get the overall edge because of the aforementioned AFC playoff quarterbacks they’ve cut down on their way into the postseason. And the Steelers’ elation to have won their finale could turn out to be more relief than confidence. We will see.

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Source: “AOL Sports”