NFL Playoffs 2018: Schedule and Predictions for Wild Card Weekend

This Saturday we'll kick off the NFL playoffs with the Tennessee Titans at the Kansas City Chiefs.

For both Saturday and Sunday, the AFC games will start the respective day off, followed by the NFC.

We have four games that all have a bevy of interesting storylines and angle to them that are worth exploring.

Well, that's what we're going to do here—examine each game and offer a prediction.

How does your favorite team fare?

Let's get into it. 

NFL Wild-Card Schedule

Game: Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs 

Date and Time: Saturday, January 6 at 4:35 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Game: Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams

Date and Time: Saturday, January 6 at 8:15 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

Game: Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars

Date and Time: Sunday, January 7 at 1:05 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Game: Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints

Date and Time: Sunday, January 7 at 4:40 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Tennessee at Kansas City

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

Of all the four games this Wild Card Weekend, this one seems the easiest to predict. 

At home, the Chiefs are a touchdown favorite and rightfully so—they're going to win this game.

The Titans backed into the playoffs. They're not exactly playoff material, but the bottom of the AFC was weak this season.

In 2017, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota was not the same guy we had seen in years past. Is he still dealing with injuries? Maybe, though Jason Wolf of USA Today said that's not the case. 

Either way, regardless of the Chiefs' DVOA ranking of dead-last against the pass, Mariota hasn't proved to be a decent enough passer, only throwing two touchdowns in three games and finishing with a quarterback rating under 80. 

The Titans will need to rely on running back Derrick Henry, too. According to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN, fellow running back DeMarco Murray is out for this game.

Either way, the Titans are done for. The Chiefs have too much firepower offensively for this defense to handle, too.

Chiefs win (moderately) big.

Prediction: Chiefs 27, Titans 14

Atlanta at Los Angeles

Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images

This is going to be a battle of two high-impact offenses, and it should be a ton of fun, entertainment-wise.

The Rams rank 22nd in DVOA against the run, but they rank third against the pass.

For the Falcons, they have a fantastic running game in Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, so that could create an issue.

The other weapon the Falcons have is wide receiver Julio Jones. However, the Falcons don't seem to be force-feeding him as much as they should. Going up against Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, it's possible we even see a bit less.

The Falcons have a below-average pass defense, while the Rams have arguably the best offense in the NFL, equipped with wide receivers Sammy Watkins, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, but also running back Todd Gurley who has been on an absolute tear as of late.

This should be a high-scoring affair, but the Falcons won't be able to keep up in the end.

The Rams will be on the road against the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional round, but not without a valiant fight from the Falcons.

Prediction: Rams 30, Falcons 24.

Buffalo at Jacksonville

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Circle the wagons, the Bills are winning this game.

This is a highly unpopular opinion, but hear me out.

Currently, the Bills are just under a touchdown underdog, getting 6.5 at the Jags.

The key to beating the Jaguars is to get an early lead and force quarterback Blake Bortles to throw the ball. When that happens, good things tend to happen for the other team.

Don't believe me? Well, in games that he's trailing, Bortles has thrown just five touchdowns and nine interceptions, with a completion percentage under 60. Also, in the fourth quarter, Bortles disappears, too, throwing two touchdowns to seven interceptions and a completion percentage near 55. 

Not good.

The Jaguars have an incredible pass defense, but their run defense ranks near the bottom of the DVOA charts at 26.

If Bills running back LeSean McCoy plays, coupled with Tyrod Taylor, the Bills should be able to run their way to a quick score.

The Bills defense is good enough to contain Bortles and slow down Leonard Fournette and his 3.9 yards per carry.

Buffalo wins a low scoring affair and gets a one-way ticket to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots.

Prediction: Bills 16, Jaguars 13

Carolina at New Orleans

Brian Blanco/Getty Images

In their third meeting this season, the Panthers will look to get a win—albeit the most important win—against their NFC South foe.

That's right, the Panthers have dropped both games this season to the Saints, allowing over 30 points in each of them to the Saints.

The Panthers have the X-factor in quarterback Cam Newton, but their aerial attack may be too weak to take on a great Saints defense, especially with Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

With Lattimore blanketing Panthers wide receiver Devin Funchess, the Panthers will look to running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end Greg Olsen next, with Newton's scrambling ability.

Conversely, the Saints have one of the most prolific backfields in recent memory with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara and one of the best young receivers in the game today in Michael Thomas.

The Panthers pose a tough challenge defensively, though the Saints have put up 30 points in each of their meetings, ranking 10th in DVOA against the pass and sixth against the run, but Kamara and Thomas cannot be stopped—they just can't.

The Saints finish the season 3-0 against the Panthers and will move on to take on the weakened Philadelphia Eagles at their place.

Prediction: Saints 24, Panthers 16

Statistics courtesy of Football Outsiders, NFL.com and Pro Football Reference. All odds courtesy of OddsShark.