For Week 18 of the NFL season, Mile High Report’s Christopher Hart picked 12 of 16 games correctly. Here are his straight up picks for the NFL’s Wild Card Playoff round.
The NFL’s 2024 regular season is over. It is now officially playoff time.
For last week’s slate of picks, I picked 12 of 16 games correctly. There was an error on my behalf picking the New England Patriots. However, the supporting text implied I was choosing the Bills. I chalked that up as a loss.
For the entire season, I had 190 correct picks with 82 incorrect picks. That’s 70-percent accuracy. I’d consider that a pretty good achievement. I’ll continue this series for the playoffs for fun.
Without further ado, here are my picks for Wild Card Weekend!
It’s officially that time of year again
The bracket for the NFL playoffs is set! pic.twitter.com/oBKxjUMnvC
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 6, 2025
Saturday Football (Afternoon Game) – Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans
The Chargers finished off their regular season strong with three wins in a row to get to 11 on the season. It was a successful first season for Jim Harbaugh and there is no doubt in my mind the AFC West is going to be a competitive division for years to come.
The Texans struggled a bit in the latter portion of the year but wound up winning the AFC South with a 10-7 record. I’m picking the Chargers because of their strong defense which I believe will pose problems for C.J. Stroud, who definitely had a bit of a sophomore slump in ‘24.
Winner: Chargers
Saturday Football (Evening Game) – Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
The Steelers backed into the playoffs with four losses in a row. It’s the exact opposite tale for the Ravens, who secured the AFC North champion title after winning four consecutive games to finish their regular season efforts.
Unfortunately, the Ravens will be without Pro-Bowl receiver Zay Flowers in this matchup. However, I’m not sure the Steelers will be able to outscore the Ravens on the road. Russell Wilson has looked terrible over the past few games. Can he do enough to help them win on the road? Can the Steelers stop Lamar Jackson and their high-powered offense? I have my doubts. I’m taking the home team in this one.
Winner: Ravens
Sunday Football (Early Game) – Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills
The Broncos secured their first playoff berth since 2015. They look like a team on the rise that should be a legitimate Super Bowl contender in a season or two. However, going up against the AFC East champion Bills is a tough draw in the first round.
The Broncos did beat the Bills on the road in Buffalo last year. Stranger things have happened, and an upset here wouldn’t be too crazy to imagine. All things considered; I think it will be a close game. If Denver wants to win, they will need to force turnovers. Unfortunately, the Bills don’t give up the ball much at all. It’s hard to bet against Josh Allen in this one. I’m taking Buffalo.
Winner: Bills
Sunday Football (Afternoon Game) – Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles
I’m really looking forward to this game. Both teams are good. However, the big difference that gives the Eagles the upper hand is health. And I think it will play a significant factor in how this one turns out.
The Packers lost wide receiver Christian Watson to a knee injury last week and have a roster with some of the most players on injured reserve in the entire league. Couple that with the Eagles’ ability to run with Saquon Barkley and having a top defense and the Packers are fighting an uphill battle. I’m taking the Eagles at home.
Winner: Eagles
Sunday Football (Evening Game) — Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This should be a really fun game. Both teams are quite evenly matched on offense and defense and ranked very similar in most metrics for their regular season efforts. I’m expecting this one to be a high scoring affair with Jayden Daniels and Baker Mayfield lighting it up through the air.
It may just come down to turnovers or who has the ball last. A lot of their games during the regular season certainly did. When the rubber meets the road, I’m taking the rookie quarterback to continue his impactful season and deliver a win on the road for Washington.
Winner: Commanders
Monday Football (Evening Game) — Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams
This is probably the hardest game for me to predict. The Vikings didn’t look good at all against the Detroit Lions last weekend. It’s a tough break being a 14-win team as the fifth seed in the playoffs having to play on the road.
The Rams really came together at the end of the year and fought valiantly to win the NFC West. This game got moved to Arizona due to the wildfires in California, so the element of homefield advantage is out of the picture for Los Angeles. With that in mind, I’m thinking the Vikings can get back to playing good football and win this one.
Winner: Vikings