NFL playoff preview: One key question for each wild-card team

After 18 weeks of football, it’s time to turn up the drama with a full weekend of must-win matchups.

And we as look ahead to all the action coming up on Wild Card Weekend, we have questions.

The Kansas City Chiefs have the weekend off thanks to their No. 1 seed-clinching win over the Raiders on Saturday, while the Philadelphia Eagles officially (and finally) clinched the NFC’s top spot a day later when they defeated the Giants. How much will the bye week help those teams better prepare for a run to Super Bowl LVII? We’ll have to wait and see.

As we ponder that, here’s one question for every wild-card team hitting the field this weekend.

SEAHAWKS (7) @ 49ERS (2) | Saturday 4:30 p.m. ET

How much does Seattle’s future hinge on Geno’s performance?

Geno Smith closed out the regular season setting a Seahawks franchise record for passing yards in a single campaign, breaking a record previously held by Russell Wilson. Smith took over as the starter, had a career year, hit all his contract bonuses, was selected to the Pro Bowl, and led Seattle to the playoffs as a pending free agent. He’ll get a nice new contract later this year, but will it be with Seattle, owners of the No. 5 pick in the draft thanks to the Wilson trade? The team could potentially use it to select a top QB prospect or they could re-sign Smith and use the pick to address another area. Would either an upset win or an embarrassing loss against the 49ers possibly change the way the team and/or player approaches this off-season? (MJ)

Can San Francisco’s Brock Purdy continue his incredible run?

The 49ers’ season could’ve been a nightmare of missed opportunities after the loss of both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, but instead it’s been a fairytale thanks to the surprise emergence of rookie Brock Purdy. Mr. Irrelevant 2022 has yet to lose a game since taking over as the starter to open December, and his 13 touchdown passes in six games since are tops in the league during that stretch. Considering the strength of San Francisco’s elite defence and the power coming out of the backfield led by Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers are not a team whose record has hinged solely on the play of the QB – and yet, so captivating is this story of a third-stringer-turned-superstar, he’s the one we’re watching as the 49ers hit the field this Saturday. (ES)

CHARGERS (5) @ JAGUARS (4) | Saturday 8:15 p.m. ET

Will Brandon Staley’s Week 18 decision to play starters come back to haunt him?

The Bengals’ victory over Baltimore in Sunday’s early window locked the Chargers into the fifth seed, ruling their Week 18 result against Denver meaningless. And yet, instead of altering his lineup in light of this DIY bye week gifted to the Chargers – a team that’s dealt with more than its fair share of injuries and could surely use a little rest – head coach Brandon Staley trotted out his starters… and kept them there.

Watching star wide receiver Mike Williams, who’s already missed time this year, limp off the field after suffering a back injury only added more question marks to Staley’s mystifying decision. His status for wild card weekend could be the difference between Justin Herbert’s playoff debut ending in victory or heartbreak. 

Bonus question: We can’t help but notice we’ve got an elite QB-hair matchup on our hands… so, who’s got the best flow? These are the important questions we’re asking. (ES)

Which Trevor Lawrence will we see in Jacksonville?

Trevor Lawrence closed out his sophomore season playing like one of the top young quarterbacks in football, which wasn’t the case during an ugly rookie year sullied by a coach no longer in the league. Lawrence’s 2022 campaign was up and down… or, more accurately, down and then up. The team started 2-6 and Lawrence had 10 touchdown passes to six interceptions before things began clicking – notably his best game in the first half of the season was a Week 3 blowout over the Chargers. Lawrence reignited his Clemson chemistry with Travis Etienne who had a breakout second half of the season. Lawrence threw 15 TDs, only two INTs, completed just under 70 per cent of his pass attempts and closed out the schedule on a 7-2 run with massive momentum heading into the playoffs. (MJ)

DOLPHINS (7) @ BILLS (2) | Sunday 1 p.m. ET

Will (and should) the Dolphins start Tua on Sunday?

There are, of course, two questions woven into one here, and neither has a simple answer. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel made it clear Sunday he’s not speculating on Tua Tagovailoa’s recovery time and status, but it’s hard not to look at the quarterback’s season and recent concussion history and wonder whether the starter should be on the field any time soon even if he’s medically cleared to do so. There’s no debating he gives the Dolphins the best chance to win when healthy, but how the team approaches this decision – and his health – must factor in far more than the final score. (ES)

Can the Bills right the Week 3 wrong versus the Dolphins?

The Buffalo Bills narrowly missed out on getting the bye week in the AFC. One of the contributing factors to why they ultimately finished second was a Week 3 loss to the Dolphins. That was the game Tua Tagovailoa sustained his infamous “back injury” as well as the game we saw Ken Dorsey take out his frustrations on anything within arm’s reach after the Bills bungled what could’ve been a game-winning/saving drive. Buffalo followed that loss up with four consecutive wins, including one over the Chiefs. Their three losses were by a combined eight points this season and they haven’t lost since mid-November. (MJ)

GIANTS (6) @ VIKINGS (3) | Sunday 4:30 p.m. ET

Can New York solve the Jefferson problem?

Vikings sensation Justin Jefferson’s presence presents a puzzle for every single opponent he lines up against. How do you cover a player who is, mostly, uncoverable? Jefferson racked up 133 yards on a season-high 16 targets against the Giants the last time they met. The Giants were without safety Xavier McKinney and cornerback Adoree Jackson for that one. While Jackson’s status is still up in the air, McKinney’s insertion into the lineup will be a big boost defensively. (ES)

Will Minnesota require another come-from-behind win?

The Vikings are a talented-yet-puzzling team that finished tied for the second most-wins in the league yet had a negative point differential, as did their upcoming opponent. Eleven of Minnesota’s 13 wins were one-score games and several required second-half comebacks, which was the case only two weeks ago when they narrowly edged out these Giants after capping off a fourth-quarter come-from-behind-win with a walk-off field goal. Can the Vikings dare tempt fate like that in the post-season? (MJ)

RAVENS (6) @ BENGALS (3) | Sunday 8:15 p.m. ET

Where’s Lamar?

Ravens star QB Lamar Jackson has been out since early December with a knee injury but is expected to return to practice this week. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported over the weekend the 2019 MVP is still experiencing swelling around the knee he injured against Denver in Week 13. If Jackson can’t go there’d still be some mystery since Baltimore backup Tyler Huntley was dealing with right shoulder and wrist injuries. Third-stringer Anthony Brown went 19 for 44 with zero touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble Week 18 versus Cincinnati. Huntley was 2-2 as a starter, while Jackson was officially 8-4 this season, however, he was credited with the Week 13 win when Huntley played most of the game and scored the team’s lone TD. (MJ)

Can Cincinnati’s injured o-line keep Joe Burrow on his feet?

Questions about the state of Burrow’s protection are all too familiar, and they come with the reminder that the QB propelled the Bengals to the Super Bowl last year despite playing behind the league’s worst o-line. Burrow himself, ever the picture of calm, cool, and confident, certainly doesn’t seem concerned…

He is, after all, entering the post-season on a hot streak that’s seen the team put up nothing but Ws since Halloween. And yet, with injuries to two of his top bodyguards in La’el Collins and Alex Kappa, it’s a question that will be front of mind this weekend against a Baltimore team that knows him well. (ES)

COWBOYS (5) @ BUCCANEERS (4) | Monday 8:15 p.m. ET

Can Dak’s Dallas Cowboys get redemption on the road?

Of all the playoff teams jockeying for position in Week 18, the Cowboys had the highest ceiling and lowest floor in terms of seeding, and now find themselves in an interesting situation as the road team against a club with four fewer wins. Statistically, and standings-wise, Dallas has the edge but their 4-4 road record casts some doubt. Of their five losses this season, four have come on the road, and three of those featured Dak Prescott as the starter. Their only home loss of the season was their nightmare of a season opener against… oh, look at that: Tampa Bay. (ES)

Can Tom Brady stay perfect against the Cowboys?

The NFC South champions in Tampa Bay play host to Dallas despite being sub-.500 and having four fewer wins than the NFC East’s second-place team. The good news for the Bucs is Tom Brady is a perfect 7-0 in his career when facing the Cowboys with one of those wins being in the 2022 season opener. The only other teams Brady has never lost to are the Vikings (6-0), Bucs (4-0) and Patriots (1-0). The 45-year-old has 15 passing touchdowns to just five interceptions and averages 278 yards through the air when playing Dallas. Brady is 35-12 all-time in the post-season (5-1 with Tampa) and has been dialled in since the second half of Week 16 versus the Cardinals. Brady has never faced Dallas in the playoffs. (MJ)