NFL Wild Card Round Picks and Predictions: Cowboys vs. Packers and Lions vs. Rams

NFL Wild Card round picks and predictions

Lorenzo Reyes has been covering the NFL for a decade and he’s back with his favorite picks ahead of this weekend’s Wild Card games.

NFL wild-card weekend continues to roll with two games kicking off Sunday.

The day was supposed to feature a trio of games, but the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills were moved to Monday afternoon due to dangerous weather. Which means Sunday kicks off with a clash of classic teams as the wild card Green Bay Packers march into AT&T Stadium to take on the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboyswho are undefeated at home this season.

The action concludes in prime time with Matthew Stafford and the wild card Los Angeles Rams facing the NFC North champion Detroit Lions in the quarterback’s homecoming of sorts.

Here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s NFL playoff games:

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How to watch Packers vs. Cowboys playoff game?

• The Packers and Cowboys begin at 4:30 p.m ET. The matchup will be televised on Fox and live streamed on Fox Sports.

How to watch Rams vs. Lions playoff game?

The Rams and Lions start at 8 p.m. ET. They will be televised on NBC and live streamed on Peacock.

Sunday will add another chapter to the Packers-Cowboys history book that already has several highlights. Dez Bryant’s controversial non-catch was against Green Bay in the 2014 divisional round, and Aaron Rodgers beat the Dallas with a miraculous game-winning drive during a 2017 regular-season game.

This season, the Cowboys captured the NFC East for the second time in three years, going undefeated at home and 4-5 on the road. Their season was boosted by a stalwart defense — DaRon Bland led the league with nine interceptions and Micah Parsons had 14 sacks. Along with a record campaign from wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott finished the regular season leading the league with 36 touchdown passes and recorded the third 4,000-yard season of his career.

Jordan Love led the Packers back to the playoffs as a wild-card team after Green Bay missed out on the postseason last year for the third time since 2009. The young quarterback had the job of replacing four-time MVP Rodgers and was seventh in the league with 4,159 passing yards, finishing the last eight games with 18 touchdowns and just one interception.

Sunday will feature the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff bowl in prime time at Ford Field.

The two quarterbacks swapped teams in a trade in 2021 and the game is being billed as a homecoming for Stafford.

Stafford brings the Rams back to the playoffs as a wild-card team, and their first game is in front of his former fans. Los Angeles missed the postseason last year after winning Super Bowl 56 with him at the helm.

Stafford was drafted by the Lions as the No. 1 overall pick in 2009 and spent 12 seasons in Detroit before being shipped west. He threw for 3,965 yards this season with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He’s had the help of veteran wide receiver Cooper Coup and record-setting rookie Puka Nacua.

The Lions return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 after winning the NFC North title with Goff behind center. The three-time Pro Bowl selection was drafted by the Rams with the No. 1 overall pick in 2016. He took Los Angeles to Super Bowl 53 where they lost to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

In his third year with the Lions, Goff was second in the league with 4,575 passing yards and has 30 touchdowns with 12 picks. Running back duo Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 1,960 rushing yards.

Predictions for Sunday’s NFL wild card games

Here are the USA TODAY Sports staff’s predictions for Sunday’s playoff games:

• Jarrett Bell: Cowboys, Lions
• Chris Bumbaca: Cowboys, Rams
• Nate Davis: Cowboys, Rams
• Safid Deen: Cowboys, Lions
• Tyler Dragon: Cowboys, Lions
• Victoria Hernandez: Cowboys, Lions
• Jordan Mendoza: Cowboys, Rams
• Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: Cowboys, Rams
• Lorenzo Reyes: Cowboys, Rams

Follow Victoria Hernandez on social media @LadyViii

2024-01-14 12:07:54
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