Sam Farmer makes his picks and predictions for NFL wild-card weekend, with the Rams defeating the Panthers and the Packers beating the Bears.

The wild-card round features two coin-flip matchups, five of six games with spreads smaller than five points and the biggest possible upset has already happened once this season. The field has first-timers,

The 2026 NFL playoffs have arrived, and the action kicks off with a two-game slate on Saturday as Wild Card Weekend begins. The first kick Rams vs. Panthers (+10.5, 46.5) at 4:30 p.m. ET, with the rubber match between the Bears and Packers (-1.

The 2026 NFL coaching cycle got a jolt when the Baltimore Ravens parted ways with John Harbaugh after 18 years on Tuesday. Immediately, Harbaugh is the best candidate available, and Baltimore is the best opening.

Maye and Vrabel have turned the Patriots into Super Bowl contenders, while McCaffrey helped keep a heavily-injured 49ers team afloat.

Los Angeles opened as a 10-point favorite in Carolina at BetMGM, and the line has moved to -10.5 (and even up to -11 at some books). If that line holds, it would make the Rams the biggest playoff road favorite in the Super Bowl era, according to Sports Odds History — which goes all the way back to 1966.

We don’t really deserve a big pat on the back here. McCaffrey is the runaway favorite to win the award this year after the 49ers made the playoffs. This could have been a closer race with Aidan Hutchinson if the Lions performed as well.