NFL Super Wild Card Weekend 2023 Game Picks

Story posted January 13, 2023 in CommRadio, Sports by CommRadio Sports Staff

The 2022 NFL Playoffs have arrived, bringing exciting matchups after a season that took nearly all 18 weeks to decide crucial seedings.

With the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles earning the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences, Super Wild Card weekend features a few exciting rematches of divisional foes.

Meanwhile, a stellar second-half performance from Trevor Lawrence has earned the Jacksonville Jaguars an AFC South title, leading his squad to the playoffs for the first time since reaching the AFC Championship game in 2017.

With the thrill of staying alive and defeated heartbreak looming, Super Wild Card Weekend will kick off this Saturday afternoon.

Here, members of the CommRadio sports staff supply their picks for Super Wild Card Weekend:

Connor’s Picks

(7) Miami Dolphins @ (2) Buffalo Bills, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.

After speculation regarding whether Tua Tagovailoa will make his triumphant playoff return, the Miami Dolphins announced Wednesday afternoon that the quarterback will be ruled out for the best-of-three rematch after the two teams split during the regular season.

That leaves rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson at the helm after he helped the Dolphins claw their way into the playoffs following an odd 11-6 victory over the Jets last weekend.

As for the Bills, it’s Super Bowl-or-bust following the horrific situation regarding second-year safety Damar Hamlin. It’s also safe to say the Bills will march on into the playoffs in Hamlin’s honor, and a Super Bowl win would be the icing on the cake for both Hamlin’s recovery and the City.

I would have hoped for a Tua return to make this game a little more high-leverage, but Skylar Thompson and the Dolphins will be in search of a miracle.

The Bills have it all — the home field advantage, the support, the healthier team and the feeling of vengeance after we all know what happened last year in Kansas City.

My Pick: Bills 27, Dolphins 10

(6) Baltimore Ravens @ (3) Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday @ 8:15 p.m.

I’m not expecting much of a different outcome this weekend after these two squads met in the Week 18 finale last Sunday.

After a slow start, many had wondered which direction the Bengals were heading in this season and wondered if they had fallen victim to having a Super Bowl hangover.

This was not the case, as we’ve seen the Bengals edge their way past opponents once again to climb to the top and secure the AFC North crown.

While the odds are extremely low that Lamar Jackson returns, the odds of the Bengals moving on to the Divisional Round continues to increase.

Joe Burrow has remained cool as ice, and Ja’Marr Chase continues to toast defenders as the captain of this high-octane offense.

It’s been the Bengals’ chemistry that has helped them find an identity to win games and has been their mantra for the last two seasons.

The Bengals have a lot of motivation and momentum heading into the postseason, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them run the table and earn another shot at the big game.

My Pick: Bengals 31, Ravens 17

Jameson’s Picks

(5) Dallas Cowboys @ (4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Monday @ 8:15 p.m.

America will have to decide which team they hate less in this matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Tom Brady.

Much is made about Brady’s 7-0 mark against the Cowboys, and just this season back in Week 1 the Bucs came into Jerry World and largely dominated the Cowboys in a game that saw Dak Prescott injure his throwing hand, an injury that many predicted would do the Cowboys in for the season.

That wasn’t quite the case in Dallas. After Prescott’s injury, the squad went 12-4 down the stretch and fell just short of a division crown.

The Bucs on the other hand have gone downhill since that Week 1 matchup, going 7-9 since and narrowly escaping with the NFC South crown to earn a home playoff game.

With that being said, momentum the last few weeks has shifted in Tampa Bay’s favor. This is a terrible matchup for the Cowboys for a couple of reasons. They are down their second and third best corner, and the Bucs have one of if not the best trio of wide receivers in the league.

On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys love to run on early downs despite repeated failure doing so, and the Bucs strength lies in their front seven.

For these reasons coupled with the fact that Tom Brady is the best playoff performer of all time, give me the Buccaneers in this one.

My Pick: Buccaneers 31, Cowboys 23

Ethan’s Picks

(6) New York Giants @ (3) Minnesota Vikings, Sunday @ 4:30 p.m.

This Week 16 rematch will be one of the most highly anticipated games of this weekend's slate as the last matchup ended in a last second field goal to give the Vikings the win. This game could go either way and will depend on a few key players.

On the Giant’s side, Xavier McKinney and Adoree’ Jackson will be two players to watch. McKinney will play on Sunday for the first time since injuring his hand during the Giant’s bye week, while Jackson is still listed as questionable with a sprained MCL.

These two will be key in shutting down not only Justin Jefferson, but also T.J. Hockenson, who had a career game against the Giants during the regular season.

The Vikings need to get all receivers involved in this game and not solely rely on Jefferson, who will likely be locked down all game. Kirk Cousins will see pressure all day in the pocket from players like Dexter Lawrence and will need to look for his check downs.

I have the Vikings winning another close game as both of these teams will be highly competitive. This will be a high scoring game and I don’t see the Giant’s offense being able to keep up.

My pick: Vikings 34, Giants 28

(5) Los Angeles Chargers @ (4) Jacksonville Jaguars, Saturday @ 8:15 p.m.

Both Teams ended a playoff drought that started in 2018 by making the playoffs this season and are looking to make a run in a difficult AFC playoff race.

The Jaguars are currently on one of the hottest streaks in the team’s history, winning five games in a row to end the season. Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson have made for a great pairing in Jacksonville as Lawrence has thrived under his coaching.

The Jaguars have been a tough team to beat at home this season as they have won their last four home games with a couple coming against playoff teams like the Cowboys and Ravens.

Justin Herbert, meanwhile, comes to Jacksonville with a solid offense led by Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler. The Chargers currently have the third-most passing yards per game in the league and this should hold true this weekend.

Expect to see Herbert maybe even take a few shots down field to players like Mike Williams. Jacksonville will undoubtedly have a hard time covering this which will be their undoing.

This game will be a highly defensive matchup as both teams have allowed less than 16 points per game in the last few games.

In the end, however, the Chargers high-powered offense will get the best of Jacksonville and give them the edge in this wild card matchup.

My Pick: Chargers 17, Jaguars 10

Matt’s Picks

(7) Seattle Seahawks @ (2) San Francisco 49ers, Saturday @ 4:30 p.m.

A highly anticipated NFC West division tilt and the first of three division rival matchups to take place during Super Wild Card weekend. A third meeting between Seattle and San Francisco, the Niners host the Seahawks in Santa Clara.

These two teams don’t like each other, and with a chance of rain coming to Levi’s Stadium should keep this game interesting.

No one could’ve possibly guessed in preseason that Geno Smith would be battling Brock Purdy in these NFL playoffs.

This Seattle Seahawks team has key players that helped them get to where they are. Rookie Kenneth Walker III had over 1,000 yards in his first year campaign, while veteran receivers D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett led the receiving core with 1,000 yards each.

The two players that have kept Seattle’s defense on its toes have been rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen and veteran safety Quandre Diggs. While Geno Smith leading this team to the playoffs is a good story, all good things must come to an end running into the best defense in the league.

The 49ers are as hot as it gets. No other team in the league has won eight games in a row…

San Fran is riding a 10 game winning streak, with six wins in a row coming with rookie and 2022 Mr. Irrelevant draft pick Brock Purdy leading the team under center.

Kyle Shanahan is an offensive wizard and he has all the tools to fool this Seattle team. Since acquiring Christian McCaffrey via trade the team is 10-1, possibly winning the deadline.

With that, the team still has Deebo Samuel who is 100% for the playoffs and George Kittle has seven touchdowns in the last four games of the season. Brandon Aiyuk is a true wide receiver two who stepped up big with Samuel out. Trent Williams and Kyle Juszczyk are key blockers up front.

Lastly, this 49ers defense is the best in the league leading in almost every key category. Nick Bosa could potentially be the Defensive Player of the Year, Fred Warner is a top-three linebacker in the league and Charvarius Ward has been lock down all year in his first year with the team.

My Pick: 49ers 31, Seahawks 20

Connor Fenix is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cjf5726@psu.edu.

Jameson Kramer is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jek5650@psu.edu.

Matt Cabram is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mwc5817@psu.edu.

Ethan Ellis is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ece5133@psu.edu