NFL playoff picks: Score predictions and matchup analysis for every Wild Card Round game

NFL.com editors Ali Bhanpuri, Tom Blair, Brooke Cersosimo, Gennaro Filice and Dan Parr will predict the winner of every game in the 2025 NFL season, using the unbeatable combo of football analysis and excessive punctuation. Check out their Wild Card Round picks below.

Watch every playoff game live on mobile, get NFL RedZone during the regular season, stream game replays and more with NFL+ Premium. And for a limited time, get 40 percent off an NFL+ annual plan. Offer ends 2/16/26. Sign up today.

The lines provided by DraftKings are locked as of 1:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 8.

MONDAY, JAN. 12

Why Dan picked the Texans: DeMeco Ryans' team is on a run rarely seen in the NFL. Houston has lost one time since the week before Halloween. Scary stuff. At least it should be for Steelers fans, who might still be basking in their team bringing the John Harbaugh era in Baltimore to a close.

The Texans are the hottest team in the league, winning nine straight to close out the season. Their only losses after a Week 6 bye were to the two teams that clinched No. 1 seeds (Broncos and Seahawks). A suffocating defense has been their calling card, with DE Will Anderson Jr. and CB Derek Stingley Jr. leading the way. I know Ryans didn't play his starters for the full game last week, but it was a bit disconcerting to see Houston give up a season-high 30 points when the opposition was starting a sixth-round rookie QB for the first time.

It still feels like a game there for Houston's taking, but I'm not going to predict a lopsided outcome. Not when C.J. Stroud and Co. rank 30th in red-zone scoring percentage. The Texans have won one-possession games in seven of their nine straight victories. So, I don't expect the Steelers' veteran-led defense to be intimidated, and the return of DK Metcalf from suspension will certainly be welcomed by Aaron Rodgers.

A turnover or special-teams miscue could flip this game in either direction, and the Steelers' 23-game home winning streak in Monday night tilts -- dating back to 1992 -- is a compelling stat. I just view the Texans as the team with more players who can win their individual matchups and secure a hard-fought ticket to the Divisional Round.

ALREADY COMPLETED

Why Dan picked the Rams: No matter what you might have heard, lightning can strike in the same place twice. I'm not sure the same thing applies to the Panthers when hosting the Rams this season, though.

Carolina stunned Sean McVay's squad in Week 13, ending Los Angeles' six-game winning streak with a 31-28 upset at Bank of America Stadium. At the time, the Rams were considered Super Bowl favorites. Six weeks later, it feels like no one is giving Bryce Young and Co. much of a chance in the Wild Card Weekend opener. It probably has something to do with the Panthers backing their way into the playoffs, dropping three of the last four games, and lagging way behind the Rams in some key metrics. Your 2025 NFC South champions are the fifth team in league history (excluding strike-shortened seasons) to make the postseason with a losing record.

I'm not overlooking that Los Angeles dropped consecutive games before recovering against a woeful Cardinals team last week, and L.A. went just 5-4 on the road this season. I just don't think Carolina has the offensive firepower to keep up with the Rams, who should be getting Davante Adams back from injury. However, if Matthew Stafford fails to take care of the ball again (three turnovers in the Week 13 loss), anything is possible. I'm expecting steely focus from a team that had multiple wake-up calls in the final month of the season.

Why Ali picked the Bears: Despite being part of the oldest rivalry in NFL history, the Bears and Packers have only faced each other in the playoffs once during the Super Bowl era. That lone matchup -- an NFC title bout at Soldier Field 15 years ago -- turned on a fourth-quarter pick-six by 330-pound Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji and ended in an excruciating seven-point loss for the home team.

A lot has changed in this rivalry since that crushing defeat. Hell, a lot has changed in this rivalry over the past month. But this year, more than most, there's an unusual sense of familiarity between these two squads, having faced each other twice in just the last five weekends. The scouting report on the Bears is fairly straightforward: They want to play bully ball up front with their wildly productive two-headed ground attack, which is supported by timely throws (and runs) from their young, clutch quarterback. And while their defense is liable to give up a lot of yards and points, it can also force a momentum-changing turnover at a moment's notice (NFL-best 33 takeaways). That unit is also expected to get a key piece back in DB Kyler Gordon, whose versatility should allow defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to open up his playbook.

The skinny on Green Bay is a bit more complicated. The Bears know Jordan Love has had their number since he took over the Packers' QB1 job in 2023 (116.6 passer rating and 9.2 yards per attempt vs. Chicago), but Saturday will be his first start since suffering a concussion at Soldier Field in Week 16. In the 5.5 quarters he has played against the Bears this season, he's been able to rip off more than a few chunk plays, showing real efficiency on slants and crossers (7-of-7 passing for 133 yards and two TDs). So, if he's at all himself, he's probably going to get his. As far as the Packers' defense goes, that unit has some unknowns of its own -- none more pressing than whether it can return to form without Micah Parsons in the lineup. Packers fans may want to shield their eyes before looking at these defensive stats pre/post Parsons' season-ending injury:

• Before: Record: 9-3-1 | 19.0 ppg | 287.2 ypg | 101.4 rush ypg | sacks/game: 2.5
• After: Record: 0-4 | 28.3 ppg | 392.0 total ypg | 170.8 rush ypg | sacks/game: 0.8

To me, Round 3 will come down to whether the Bears can tap into their strengths -- the run game, gotta-have-it downs, generating turnovers -- for a full 60 minutes and not just in the final 15. If so, and if Green Bay's defense continues to underperform, then I think it's possible Chicago actually wins this one convincingly. But even if the Bears can check two of the three boxes, they have the resilience and confidence, especially in front of the home crowd, to secure a narrow upset.

Why Brooke picked the Jaguars: Don't look now, but the Jaguars are one of the hottest teams entering the postseason, with eight straight victories. On the season, they have beaten five playoff teams: Panthers, Texans, 49ers, Chargers and Broncos. Trevor Lawrence is playing the best football of his career under first-year head coach Liam Coen, finishing third in the league with 38 offensive TDs. No. 16 has gashed defenses with his arm and legs to get Jacksonville to 13 wins despite having 36 of his passes dropped this season (most for any QB in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats). He'll need his supporting cast to show up against the Bills' top-ranked pass defense, and the Jaguars' run game must rediscover its early-season form. That's where Coen's offense can have a significant edge over Sean McDermott's D, as the Bills have allowed 136.2 rush yards per game (28th in the league). Defensively, the Jags have been quite solid, forcing the second-most turnovers this season and boasting the league's best run D. That unit will have it's hands full with this year's rushing champion, James Cook, whose rush-yards-per-game and yards-per-carry figures in the playoffs steadily increased over the past three seasons: 26 rush YPG and 3.1 yds/carry in 2022; 70 and 3.9 in 2023; 90.7 and 5.1 in 2024.

Right now, the Jaguars are the better team. However, this game could completely tilt on its head because of one person: Bills quarterback Josh Allen. He's simply the best player at the most important position in this year's playoff field, with a 25:4 TD-to-INT ratio in 13 career postseason contests and an average of 311 total yards per game. It's going to take a playoff-sized effort from Anthony Campanile's defense to slow the mighty QB. Perhaps, it will be Josh Hines-Allen we're talking about at game's end. After all, he finished the season tied for the fourth-most QB pressures (80), per NGS.

There is one very big X-factor in this one: Jaguars K Cam Little. This season, he made the TWO longest field goals in NFL history, and let it be known that no player in playoff history has made a field goal of 60-plus yards. Could Little be on his way to more record-breaking moments? I, for one, expect the kicker to be a big part of any Jags success this postseason -- beginning with a game-winning boot on Sunday.

Why Tom picked the Eagles: Gennaro nailed it; this one is tough. In the end, I had to make a decision between what I want and what I think is right, which is really the dilemma at the heart of this cursed exercise every week. I wanted to pick the 49ers for a number of reasons, including Brock Purdy's renewed swagger, Kyle Shanahan's coaching acumen and, ultimately, because I just like them more. As far as defending champs go, the Eagles have been, let's say, unconvincing. They've notched some recent solid wins against competitive teams, like low-scoring squeakers over the Bills (13-12 in Week 17), Lions (16-9 in Week 11) and Packers (10-7 in Week 10), and they've handled themselves against also-rans like the Commanders and Raiders, but there is exactly one victory over a fellow playoff contender in which they broke the 20-point mark: that wild 33-26 win over the Rams back in Week 3, which was, don't forget, padded out by a freak return TD from a 336-pound nose tackle. Over the last nine games of the regular season, Philly ranked 22nd in the NFL in EPA per play on offense -- that's Panthers/Cardinals territory, folks. And much worse than the 49ers' extremely appealing placement of third in the span, with Purdy returning from injury in Week 11. I don't have much faith in the Eagles' ability to move the ball, especially compared to the significantly livelier operation coming to town.

So why don't I permit myself to enjoy life and ride with San Francisco? Well, it's that pesky other side of the EPA-per-play equation -- the defensive side. In that arena, Philadelphia has been dominant, finishing sixth in the NFL on the season, well above where the Niners sit, in 25th -- that's Giants/Cardinals territory, folks. The last time San Francisco faced an elite defensive squad with a ho-hum offense, one whole week ago, things played out just how the magical numbers whispered they would, in a narrow Seahawks victory. And that was in Santa Clara. This Sunday, on the East Coast, with the Niners' injury report including crucial names like Trent Williams and Ricky Pearsall while the Eagles get healthier, I've got to obey the math spirits again.

Why Gennaro picked the Chargers: Because New England lacks the edge rush to exploit Los Angeles' fully exposed Achilles' heel. The Chargers have suffered devastating carnage at offensive tackle this season, inherently subjecting Justin Herbert to weekly beatings and a career-high 54 sacks taken. It's the thing that keeps me from buying the Bolts as true Super Bowl contenders: Eventually, my thinking goes, they'll run into some QB hunters who'll rock Herbert and wreck an elimination game. I still suspect that ultimately will be the case, with prolific pass-rushing teams like Denver and Houston lurking in the AFC field. But in Round 1, L.A. draws New England, which finished the regular season tied for 22nd in sacks. The Patriots' best edge rusher, Harold Landry III, has missed the past two games due to a nagging knee issue. K'Lavon Chaisson was a revelation in the first half of the season, but this past Sunday's garbage-time chase-down of Miami's Quinn Ewers marked his first sack since early November. (Shoutout to the man for triggering that $500K incentive, though!) I'm just not sure this defense -- which has been dealing with additional injuries to key figures like LB Robert Spillane -- has the horses to terrorize Herbert. On the other hand, the Chargers' D appears pretty well-equipped to keep a lid on Drake Maye. The second-year pro has been wildly efficient as a deep passer, but Jesse Minter's unit typically limits downfield gains. All in all, I just don't love this matchup for the resurgent Pats. Mike Vrabel did a brilliant job in Year 1, turning a 4-13 bottom-feeder into a 14-3 division champ, but I think the magical ride comes to a screeching halt on Sunday night.

Visit ResponsiblePlay.org to learn more about responsible betting.