NFL Wild-Card Weekend Picks From the MMQB Staff: Vikings Road Favorites Against Rams

Our writers and editors pick winners in the first six playoff games, including an AFC North rivalry game and a rematch of Eagles-Packers from Brazil in Week 1.

The Vikings will look to avenge an October loss to Puka Nacua and the Rams. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

It’s wild-card weekend! You may want to check out our full playoff predictions, where we had The MMQB’s writers and editors fill out brackets for all four rounds and defend their Super Bowl picks. But we’ve been tracking staff picks each week of the season, so we’ve compiled our wild-card picks in one handy spot here as well.

Six big games are on tap this weekend, which spills over into Monday night. Our staff is unanimous in picking chalk for the three AFC games, so apologies if you came here hoping to see bracket-busting chaos. Over in the NFC, Gilberto Manzano is thinking upset with the Washington Commanders against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs did beat the Commanders 37–20 in Jayden Daniels’s NFL debut, way back in Week 1. Albert Breer has the Green Bay Packers winning as a No. 7 seed for the second year in a row, this time in Philadelphia. And the Los Angeles Rams were a popular pick as a home underdog against the Minnesota Vikings. That game is a rematch of Thursday night in Week 8, when the Rams won 30–20.

Here’s who we have making picks this season:

Albert Breer, senior NFL reporter (X/Twitter)
Conor Orr, senior writer (X/Twitter, BlueSky)
Gilberto Manzano, staff writer (X/Twitter, BlueSky)
Matt Verderame, staff writer (X/Twitter)
John Pluym, managing editor (X/Twitter)
Mitch Goldich, senior editor (X/Twitter, BlueSky)

All picks are straight up. Visit SI Betting for picks against the spread and much more gambling content. 

SI graphic

Green squares denote upsets.