NFL Wild Card weekend: Matchups and thoughts

The NFL regular season has finally come to a close. The league saw plenty of elongated playoff droughts come to an end with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles and Tennessee Titans all slated to play over the upcoming weekend.

Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcon are returning to the postseason in a return trip. Kansas City went 10-6 and won the AFC West for a second consecutive year, while the Falcons reached the playoffs with a win on Sunday at home over the Carolina Panthers.

Finally, the New Orleans Saints won the NFC South despite losing in the final seconds to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17, due to Carolina’s defeat.

Here’s how the Wild Card weekend sets up, with thoughts following on each contest:

Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs (-7)

Kansas City is clearly the better team. The Chiefs have won four straight and finally look like that team we all believed was a Super Bowl favorite in September and October. Tennessee will need to bottle up Kareem Hunt and limit Travis Kelce. It won’t be easy, with both Hunt and Kelce (along with Tyreek Hill) being some of the league’s best weapons. Marcus Mariota will also have to play the best game of his season to pull off the upset.

Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams (-4.5)

The Rams have been playing great football all year, but how much does their inexperience cause issues. The Falcons have been inconsistent, but they have incredible weapons led by Devonta Freeman and Julio Jones. If Atlanta can get pressure on Jared Goff with Vic Beasley Jr., Grady Jarrett and others, Los Angeles could be in trouble. Todd Gurley will need to keep the train moving on schedule, taking pressure off Goff.

Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars (-7)

Jacksonville and Buffalo are new to the dance, so experience shouldn’t play much of a factor. The Jaguars are the much better team, especially if LeSean McCoy can’t go due to a sprained ankle. On the flip side, Blake Bortles is the ultimately unknown, capable of making big throws and horrid turnovers. Jacksonville should win based off its excellent defense, but Bortles makes this interesting.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints (-5.5)

Carolina and New Orleans locked horns twice this season, with the Saints sweeping the season series. It’s tough to beat a team three consecutive times in a year, but New Orleans is a tough matchup for Carolina. Drew Brees should have success against an inexperienced secondary, while Cam Newton has been poor in both games against the Saints this year. If the Panthers don’t stop Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram on early downs, forcing Brees into predictable situations, it should be a long day.