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It feels like every year there’s a scheduling dud on Wild Card Weekend. If the Divisional Round is considered the premier NFL weekend, Wild Card Weekend has often gotten by on more novelty than anything. When guys like Brian Hoyer and T.J. Yates are making starts in recent years, you have the recipe for boredom.
This year, you peruse the schedule, and the NFL playoffs, at least on paper, look like they’re ready to start with a bang. Every matchup, from the Colts against the Texans, to the Eagles against the Bears, is filled with intrigue, and it’s only the beginning of what is objectively subjectively the best time of year. Factor in the Bears being involved in the postseason fun and the January ride is, indeed, better than usual.
Who is left standing when the dust settles next month? How far do the Bears take their run?
Here’s the Windy City Gridiron staff picks for the 2019 NFL Playoffs.
Robert Zeglinski
Wild Card Round
Colts at Texans: Colts
Eagles at Bears: Bears
Divisional Round
Colts at Chiefs: Chiefs
Bears at Rams: Bears
Seahawks at Saints: Saints
Chargers at Patriots: Chargers
Conference Championships
NFC Championship Game - Bears at Saints: Saints
AFC Championship Game - Chargers at Chiefs: Chargers
Super Bowl LIII
Chargers over Saints
Super Bowl MVP: Phillip Rivers
The Chargers and Saints are the two most balanced teams in the 2019 playoff field, and will be rewarded for it as such. No one in the NFC is beating the Saints in the Superdome (sorry Bears, 2019 is the year!). Meanwhile, the Chargers have essentially been road warriors all season with their limited “homefield advantage” in Los Angeles, and no one in the AFC should scare them on that note. This is Phillip Rivers’ time as the star quarterback finally gets his crowning moment in Atlanta and the Chargers finish a magical title run.
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Lester Wilftong Jr.
Wild Card Round
Colts at Texans: Texans
Seahawks at Cowboys: Seahawks
Chargers at Ravens: Chargers
Eagles at Bears: Bears
Divisional Round
Chargers at Chiefs: Chiefs
Bears at Rams: Bears
Seahawks at Saints: Saints
Texans at Patriots: Patriots
Conference Championships
NFC Championship Game - Bears at Saints: Bears
AFC Championship Game - Patriots at Chiefs: Chiefs
Super Bowl LIII
Bears over Chiefs
Super Bowl MVP: Akiem Hicks
A month ago I figured there was no way the Bears could get to the big game. But with the way they’ve played the last four weeks, I think they have the recipe for success. Chicago’s defense has been stifling against the run by allowing just 62.5 rushing yards per game in the last month. Even in a passing league, the threat to run can slow down a pass rush, and once offenses can’t run, Chicago’s pass rushers will feast. Bears narrowly win each game in this postseason led by the defense and timely plays from Mitchell Trubisky.
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Aaron Leming
Wild Card Round
Colts at Texans: Colts
Seahawks at Cowboys: Cowboys
Chargers at Ravens: Chargers
Eagles at Bears: Bears
Divisional Round
Colts at Chiefs: Colts
Bears at Rams: Bears
Cowboys at Saints: Saints
Chargers at Patriots: Chargers
Conference Championships
NFC Championship Game - Bears at Saints: Saints
AFC Championship Game - Colts at Chargers: Chargers
Super Bowl LIII
Saints over Chargers
Super Bowl MVP: Drew Brees
Some may be looking at this and wondering how both teams in the AFC Championship are Wild Card teams. I truly believe the AFC is wide open and that there are three NFC teams that are better than any AFC team. The Colts are hot and dangerous and the Chargers are better than the Chiefs, in my opinion. On the NFC side, the Saints are the best team in football and their home field advantage is huge. If the Bears had them at Soldier Field, I’d take the Bears, but alas, they don’t. The “best” team in football actually wins the Super Bowl.
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Sam Householder
Wild Card Round
Colts at Texans: Texans
Seahawks at Cowboys: Cowboys
Chargers at Ravens: Chargers
Eagles at Bears: Bears
Divisional Round
Bears at Rams: Rams
Cowboys at Saints: Saints
Texans at Patriots: Patriots
Chargers at Chiefs: Chiefs
Conference Championships
NFC Championship Game - Rams at Saints: Saints
AFC Championship Game - Patriots at Chiefs: Chiefs
Super Bowl LIII
Saints over Chiefs
Super Bowl MVP: Drew Brees
A storybook season for the Saints ends with Brees riding off into the sunset. I could be wrong on that last part, but it’s hard to resist walking away on top. Pat Mahomes falls to a superior defense and the experience of Brees. I know this is a chalk bracket, but I think the teams with home cooking have the advantage in the later rounds. The Rams best the Bears in a rematch that is slightly less defensive than the first battle.
Jacob Infante
Wild Card Round
Colts at Texans: Colts
Seahawks at Cowboys: Seahawks
Chargers at Ravens: Chargers
Eagles at Bears: Bears
Divisional Round
Colts at Chiefs: Chiefs
Chargers at Patriots: Chargers
Seahawks at Saints: Saints
Bears at Rams: Rams
Conference Championships
AFC Championship Game - Chargers at Chiefs: Chargers
NFC Championship Game - Rams at Saints: Saints
Super Bowl LIII
Saints over Chargers
Super Bowl MVP: Cameron Jordan
The Saints are arguably the best team in the NFL. Drew Brees picks up another Super Bowl win, further proving that he is one of the best quarterbacks of all-time. Cameron Jordan is the one who steals the show, though, notching two sacks in an intense February battle.
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Josh Sunderbruch
Wild Card Round
Colts at Texans: Texans
Seahawks at Cowboys: Seahawks
Chargers at Ravens: Ravens
Eagles at Bears: Bears
Divisional Round
Ravens at Chiefs: Chiefs
Texans at Patriots: Patriots
Bears at Rams: Bears
Seahawks at Saints: Saints
Conference Championships
AFC Championship Game - Patriots at Chiefs: Chiefs
NFC Championship Game - Bears at Saints: Saints
Super Bowl LIII
Chiefs over Saints
Super Bowl MVP: It should be Travis Kelce or Tyreek Hill, but it will be Mahomes because he’s the quarterback.
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Patti Curl
Wild Card Round
Colts at Texans: Texans
Seahawks at Cowboys: Seahawks
Chargers at Ravens: Ravens
Eagles at Bears: Bears
Divisional Round
Texans at Patriots: Patriots
Ravens at Chiefs: Chiefs
Seahawks at Saints: Saints
Bears at Rams: Bears
Conference Championship Games
AFC Championship Game - Patriots at Chiefs: Chiefs
NFC Championship Game - Bears at Saints: Bears
Super Bowl LIII
Bears over Chiefs
Super Bowl MVP: Chase Daniel
Matt Nagy showed in preseason Week 4 that the formula to beat the Chiefs is to rest your starters and humiliate them with your backups. CD4 rises to the occasion.
ECD
Wild Card Round
Colts at Texans: Texans
Seahawks at Cowboys: Seahawks
Chargers at Ravens: Ravens
Eagles at Bears: Bears
Divisional Round
Texans at Patriots: Texans
Bears at Rams: Bears
Ravens at Chiefs: Ravens
Seahawks at Saints: Saints
Conference Championships
AFC Championship Game - Ravens at Texans: Ravens
NFC Championship Game- Bears at Saints: Bears
Super Bowl LIII
Bears over Ravens
Super Bowl MVP: Mitchell Trubisky
This should go down as an all-time great Super Bowl matchup. The NFL’s two top defenses will square up. In the end, the Bears’ multifaceted offense and opportunistic defense will clinch their first Super Bowl in over 30 years.
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WhiskeyRanger
Wild Card Round
Colts at Texans: Colts
Seahawks at Cowboys: Seahawks
Chargers at Ravens: Chargers
Eagles at Bears: Bears
Divisional Round
Colts at Chiefs: Colts
Bears at Rams: Bears
Seahawks at Saints: Saints
Chargers at Patriots: Chargers
Conference Championship Games
NFC Championship Game - Bears at Saints: Bears
AFC Championship Game - Colts at Chargers: Chargers
Super Bowl LIII
Bears over Chargers
Super Bowl MVP: Eddie Jackson
The Chargers are a very good football team, but Rivers has had a bit of a turnover problem of late, notching two interceptions in each of the last three weeks. After sneaking past a stingy Baltimore defensive that destroyed him in week 16, and pulling out a shootout with the Patriots, Rivers eventually runs into a Bears defense that not only causes turnovers, but turns them into points. Rivers is strip-sacked once, and picked off three times, twice by Jackson who takes one to the house: earning him Super Bowl MVP honors.
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Robert Schmitz
Wild Card Round
Colts at Texans: Colts
Seahawks at Cowboys: Seahawks
Chargers at Ravens: Ravens
Eagles at Bears: Bears
Divisional Round
Colts at Chiefs: Chiefs
Bears at Rams: Bears
Seahawks at Saints: Saints
Ravens at Patriots: Ravens
Conference Championships
NFC Championship Game - Bears at Saints: Saints
AFC Championship Game - Ravens at Chiefs: Ravens
Super Bowl LIII
Saints over Ravens
Super Bowl MVP: The defensive back who pick-sixes Lamar Jackson late (yes I’m aware this is cheating).
With the Ravens offense operating almost entirely on the ground, the Saints proficiency in stopping the run decides the Super Bowl as Lamar Jackson fails to beat the Saints through the air.
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Ken Mitchell
Wild Card Round
Colts at Texans: Colts
Seahawks at Cowboys: Cowboys
Chargers at Ravens: Chargers
Eagles at Bears: Bears
Divisional Round
Colts at Chiefs: Chiefs
Bears at Rams: Bears
Cowboys at Saints: Cowboys
Chargers at Patriots: Chargers
Conference Championship Games
NFC Championship Game - Cowboys at Bears: Bears
AFC Championship Game - Chargers at Chiefs: Chargers
Super Bowl LIII
Bears over Chargers
Super Bowl MVP: Leonard Floyd
The Super Bowl will be Floyd’s breakout game with four sacks on the statue that is Phillip Rivers.
WCG Contributors: Jeff Berckes; Patti Curl; Eric Christopher Duerrwaechter; Kev H; Sam Householder; Jacob Infante; Aaron Lemming; Ken Mitchell; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; EJ Snyder; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; Whiskey Ranger; Robert Zeglinski; Like us on Facebook.