NFL Wild Card Playoffs talking points: Niners try to dethrone Eagles, Bears host rival Packers

The NFL Wild Card Playoffs are upon us with one action-packed matchup after another.

The San Francisco 49ers have a chance to knock Jalen Hurts and the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles out of the playoffs, while division rivals the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers do battle on Soldier Field.

All that and more as DAZN News' Mark Lelinwalla tackles five talking points entering Wild Card weekend.

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Can the Panthers upset the Rams when it counts most?

Back in Week 13, the Carolina Panthers edged the Los Angeles Rams, 31-28, behind a three-touchdown performance from Bryce Young.

On Saturday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, the fourth-seeded Panthers (8-9) will look for the win against the No. 5 Rams (12-5) when it counts most.

While Young has the confidence he could light up the Rams’ defense, Matthew Stafford led the league in passing yards (4,707) and touchdowns (46) this season and should be a force for the Panthers’ defense to handle.

Plus, the same can be said about his big target in third-year wideout Puka Nacua, who was second in receiving yards this season with 1,715.

NFC North division rivals Packers, Bears clash at Soldier Field

John Fisher/Getty Images

These two split their regular-season series, with the teams playing twice in the span of three weeks last month. The home team won each game, including Week 16, when Caleb Williams and the Bears needed overtime to defeat the Packers. That said, Jordan Love was out of that game with a concussion.

When the rivals met in Week 14 in Green Bay, Love shredded the Bears’ secondary for 234 yards passing and three touchdowns in the Packers’ win.

What will give this time around as the No. 2 Bears (11-6) meet with the seventh-seeded Packers (9-7) at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday night? Well, the Bears are aided by leading the league in takeaways (33) this year, while turning over the ball the least (11).

Josh Allen, Bills try to stop red-hot Jaguars

The No. 6 Buffalo Bills (12-5) and No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) enter the postseason as two of the hottest teams in the NFL with two of the best quarterbacks in the sport.

The Jaguars enter Sunday’s Wild Card playoff game at home, riding an eight-game win streak with Trevor Lawrence’s combined passing and rushing touchdowns (38), third to Josh Allen’s 39 for the season. The Bills also enter the matchup hot, having won five of their last six games of the regular season.

The Bills made it all the way to the AFC Championship game last postseason and will be looking to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LX.

Can the Niners dethrone the Super Bowl champion Eagles?

The San Francisco 49ers (12-5) finished the regular season with a better record than the Philadelphia Eagles (11-6), but because the NFC West was so competitive, they enter the postseason as the conference’s sixth seed.

Advancing in the playoffs will mean defeating the defending champion and third-seeded Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday.

They will likely have to deal with a heavy dose from dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Super Bowl LIX MVP and only man in league history with 10 touchdown passes and 10 rushing TDs in the playoffs.

However, the same dual threat label can be attached to Niners’ running back Christian McCaffrey, who rushed for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns, while racking up 924 yards and seven TDs out of the backfield receiving.

Super Bowl LX being contested on their home field February 8 should give the Niners all the incentive needed this postseason.

Aaron Rodgers tries to carve openings through Texans’ vaunted defense

Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Aaron Rodgers led the Pittsburgh Steelers to securing the AFC North division and final playoff spot with a Week 18 win over rival Baltimore Ravens.

Their prize is hosting the Houston Texans (12-5), who are riding a nine-game win streak as the hottest team entering the postseason, in a special Monday night Wild Card matchup.

The Texans are powered by an ultra-stingy defense which kept opponents to a league-best average of 277.2 yards per game. The unit also ranked second in scoring defense (behind the Seattle Seahawks), only allowing 17.4 points per game. They also have two defensive ends who finished the season in the Top 10 in sacks with Danielle Hunter (15) and Will Anderson Jr. (12).

That is the force Rodgers will be up against at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, where the No. 4 Steelers (10-7) face the fifth-seeded Texans.