NFC playoff bracket 2018: Wild card matchups
The NFL playoffs are finally here and the NFC Wild card weekend is shaping up to be a good one.
After 17 weeks of hard-fought action, the road to the Super Bowl starts this week for four NFC teams. The Los Angeles Rams are hosting the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night and the New Orleans Saints look to improve to 3-0 versus the Carolina Panthers on the season Sunday afternoon.
Both of these games should be a lot of fun to watch as they have some of the best players in the NFL. There are some really great matchups to unpack from both games.
Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams
The Rams boast the highest scoring offense in the NFL and it’s been the smart play of quarterback Jared Goff and the emergence of running back Todd Gurley as one of the premier backs in the league that has made it happen.Coach Sean McVay is already being hailed as one of the better offensive coaches in the NFL and he’s earned his praise this season.
The receiving corps of Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, and Cooper Kupp is difficult to guard as well. Gurley is a legitimate MVP candidate for the NFL and the Falcons are going to have their hands full stopping this powerful offense. The Rams defense has possibly the best defensive payer in the NFL, lineman Aaron Donald. He can wreck any opposing game plan.
One of the factors working for the Falcons is how little experience the Rams have in the playoffs. The majority of the Atlanta team made a Super Bowl appearance just last season. It’s a seasoned group that knows what it takes to win in crunch time. The regular season didn’t go as well as the Falcons had hoped since their offense saw regression across the board.
Still, quarterback Matt Ryan leads a dangerous group that includes receivers Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu along with running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. The offense is plenty capable of going to LA and trading scores with the Rams. This could be the highest scoring game of the weekend.
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
If the Rams game doesn’t end up with the most points, the Saints and Panthers could be it. Both of these teams have explosive offenses and the Saints have gotten it done with the running back tandem of Mark Ingram and rookie sensation Alvin Kamara. Both of these players racked up over 1,500 scrimmage yards this season.
It’s odd to say that quarterback Drew Brees is in the backseat in the offense. That doesn’t mean he can’t still sling it, it just means he’s not being asked to throw the ball 50 times a game. When he does throw, the ball goes to receiver Michael Thomas fairly often. The Saints could end up making a run at the Super Bowl on the strength of their balanced attack.
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For the Panthers, much of their success lives and dies with the play of quarterback Cam Newton. When he plays well, the Panthers offense is borderline unstoppable. When he’s a little off, it can be a major struggle. Newton has very nice weapons around him in tight end Greg Olsen, running back Christian McCaffrey and receiver Devin Funchess.
Newton is still the primary focus of the offense and can take over a game at a moments notice. This is now the third time these two teams have played each other, with the Saints winning the previous two games. It’s typically very difficult to beat the same team three times in one season.
However, Newton and the offense had better be at the top of their game to pull off the upset in New Orleans.