NFC Super Wild Card Weekend predictions: a drama in Detroit, the Cowboys and Eagles going in different routes

Is it too late for the Eagles to get back to how they were in 2022? Are we in for another heartbreaking postseason for the Lions? Will Mike McCarthy’s tenure as the Cowboys’ head coach end on Sunday?

Just a handful of the queries we have going into Super Wild Card Weekend are listed above. These are our picks for the NFC games this weekend.

No. 2 Dallas Cowboys (12-5) vs. No. 7 Green Bay Packers (9-8) 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday
As the Cowboys begin their postseason run, McCarthy faces his old team and may be coaching for his job. The key to this game will be Dallas’s ability to pressure Packers quarterback Jordan Love. According to ESPN’s pass-rush win-rate rankings, the Cowboys are top, and the Packers rank second.

Dak Prescott, the quarterback for the Cowboys, had a fantastic season. He finished third in passing yards (4,516) and led the league in pass completions (410) and passing touchdowns (36). Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb led the league in receptions (135) for 1,749 yards in his finest season as a professional. Jaire Alexander, a standout cornerback for the Packers, had limited practice time on Wednesday due to an ankle injury and was not present on Thursday. Prescott will probably be able to exploit Green Bay’s defense in the absence of a healthy Alexander.

GUESSWORK: Cowboys, 31–23

No. 3 Detroit Lions (12-5) vs. No. 6 Los Angeles Rams (10-7) on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET
With Los Angeles being perhaps the hottest team in the NFC over the last two months—going 7-1 since Week 1—quarterback Matthew Stafford of the Rams returns to Detroit.

PFF reports that cornerback Cameron Sutton and Jerry Jacobs, who have combined to allow 107 receptions, 1,491 yards, and 12 touchdowns with only four interceptions this season, present a good matchup for rookie wide out Puka Nacua and seasoned Cooper Kupp. The Rams veterans will be making the big plays in the closing minutes of what looks to be the highest-scoring game of wild-card weekend. Lions quarterback Jared Goff should have success targeting wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

GUESSWORK: Rams, 34–31

No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8) vs. No. 5 Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) on Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET
The Eagles appear to be under the mistaken impression that if the club that finished the season with a 10-1 record rather than the 1-5 squad that started the season

Regarding the supporters’ pessimistic view of the team’s prospects of making the playoffs, Eagles edge Brandon Graham stated earlier this week, “I understand y’all frustration, but y’all ain’t in that building.” Access to the Eagles’ practice facilities is not necessary to determine that they are not a title contender. This season, the Eagles have been skating on thin ice; on Monday night, it breaks.

GUMMAY: Buccaneers, 23–20