NFL Playoffs 2018: Wild-Card Schedule and Predictions for Divisional Bracket

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Andre Reed caught eight passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns to help lead his team to a thrilling 41-38 comeback win over the Houston Oilers on January 3 1993 in the wild-card round.

Although the Bills needed a team effort to climb back from a 35-3 deficit, Reed's individual performance put his team over the top, and Buffalo would have gone to its third straight Super Bowl without it.

Below you'll find the schedule and picks for each wild-card game this season, in addition to a look at some players who could have solid performances. It's unlikely they'll be as good as Reed, but they could still register big games.

Wild-Card Schedule

Saturday, 4:35 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC: No. 5 Tennessee Titans at No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs

Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC: No. 6 Atlanta Falcons at No. 3 Los Angeles Rams

Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET on CBS: No. 6 Buffalo Bills at No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars

Sunday, 4:40 p.m. ET on Fox: No. 5 Carolina Panthers at No. 4 New Orleans Saints

Divisional-Round Bracket Prediction

No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs at No. 1 New England Patriots

No. 3 Los Angeles Rams at No. 2 Minnesota Vikings

No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 2 Pittsburgh Steelers

No. 4 New Orleans Saints at No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles 

Wild-Card Game-By-Game Predictions

Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs

Over his past three full games, Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt has accrued 450 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. In Week 17, the rookie took his only carry 35 yards for another score.

It's clear the Chiefs are planning to make Hunt the focal point of their offense heading into the playoffs based on his late-season usage. From Weeks 14 through 16, the former University of Toledo star amassed 92 touches, or close to 31 per game.

Although the Tennessee Titans have been stout against the run this year (3.6 yards per carry, which ranks fourth-best in the NFL), they have struggled against pass-catching backs. Notably, Football Outsiders placed the Tennessee defense last against them.

The Chiefs should give Hunt the ball early and often en route to a win.

Pick: Chiefs 27, Titans 13

Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams

Per Kelsey Conway of the official Atlanta Falcons website, running back Devonta Freeman did not practice on Tuesday due to a knee injury. Wideout Julio Jones also did not practice because of ankle and rib injuries, although it has been commonplace for Jones to sit practices this season.

According to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, "the initial word is [Freeman's] knee is just fine."

The guess here is that Freeman is good to go for Sunday, which is important because he and backup running back Tevin Coleman will be the key to Atlanta's success. The Los Angeles Rams allow 4.7 yards per carry for the season, which ranks joint-second-last in the NFL.

On the flip side, L.A. is fifth-best in quarterback rating allowed, so the Falcons passing game could face some challenges on Saturday.

Therefore, it's up to Freeman and Coleman to lead the way. If they find success, they can help the Falcons control the time of possession and keep the high-powered Rams offense (a league-best 29.9 points per game) off the field.

The guess here is that they do well, but in the end, Rams running back Todd Gurley will continue his torrid pace and lead L.A. to victory.

Pick: Rams 27, Falcons 24

Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars

Every so often, a less-heralded player introduces himself to a national television audience with a monster performance on wild-card weekend. For example, Indianapolis Colts running back Dan Herron amassed 141 yards and a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2014 playoffs.

This year, the pick is Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Dede Westbrook. The former University of Oklahoma star was on injured reserve for the better part of the regular season, but he dominated the preseason thanks to 13 catches, 288 yards and two touchdowns in just three games.

The regular season hasn't gone as well (in fairness, it's quite hard to beat that production), but Westbrook has still caught 27 passes for 339 yards and a touchdown in seven games. Notably, quarterback Blake Bortles has looked his way often, targeting the rookie 51 times.

Eventually, those targets are going to result in better production, and the pick is that it happens this week.

Another factor to note is that Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy's status up in the air (Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that McCoy is a "game-time decision"). Therefore, the Jags could find themselves with the ball more often than usual if the Bills can't sustain drives, which could lead to a big offensive day.

Pick: Jaguars 31, Bills 10 (if no McCoy)

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints

No. 1 wide receivers have not been kind to the Carolina Panthers in the second half of the season.

Since its bye week (Week 11), Carolina has allowed 146 yards and two touchdowns to Robby Anderson of the New York Jets, 70 yards and a score to Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints, 105 yards and a touchdown to Adam Thielen of the Minnesota Vikings, 57 yards and a touchdown to Davante Adams of the Green Bay Packers (Adams suffered a concussion and was forced to leave the field in the third quarter), 107 yards to Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 80 yards to Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons.

Although the Panthers defense on the whole has been solid (11th-best in scoring defense, seventh in yards allowed per game), their troubles against top wideouts might be an issue against Thomas, who they face again this Sunday.

Ultimately, Carolina is facing an uphill battle, especially considering the Saints have been a dominant home team this year (7-1). New Orleans should hold serve and win.

Pick: Saints 24, Panthers 16