The best storylines for the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend - who makes a mark?

The NFL playoffs kick off this weekend: who has the most to prove? Which team is the best Super Bowl pick?

After 18 weeks of chaotic, insane and wildly thrilling football - and whatever the Panthers were doing as well - the NFL playoffs start this week with a raft of match-ups promising to deliver more excitement than an ice cream van driving by a beach. Read on for CODE Bet and NFL Straya’s NFL Super Wild Card round betting guide for the Week 1 of the 2024 NFL playoffs.

2023-’24 NFL PLAYOFF SEEDS:

AFC

• 1-seed: Baltimore
• 2-seed: Buffalo
• 3-seed: KC
• 4-seed: Houston
• 5-seed: Cleveland
• 6-seed: Miami
• 7-seed: Pittsburgh

NFC 

• 1-seed: SF
• 2-seed: Dallas
• 3-seed: Detroit
• 4-seed: Tampa Bay
• 5-seed: Philly
• 6-seed: LA Rams
• 7-seed: Green Bay

2023-’24 NFL WEEK 1 SUPER WILD CARD PLAYOFF GAMES:

• Cleveland @ Houston
• Miami @ Kansas City
• Pittsburgh @ Buffalo
• Green Bay @ Dallas
• LA Rams @ Detroit
• Philly @ Tampa Bay

THE OBVIOUS NFL WEEK 1 PLAYOFF STORYLINES ... EVERYONE WILL GET SICK OF

The most obvious storylines that will be run into the ground like the Roadrunner nailing Wile Coyote with a steamroller:

Detroit vs LA: Matt Stafford was drafted #1 and played for the Lions for years! HANG ON! Jared Goff was drafted #1 and played for the Rams for years!

Houston vs Cleveland: The Texans traded DeShaun Watson to the Browns... which allowed them to draft CJ Stroud!

Buffalo vs Pittsburgh: Coaches Sean McDermott and Mike Tomlin were teammates back in college!

Kansas City vs Miami: Tyreek Hill won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs and now goes against his old team!

Dallas vs Green Bay: Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy? He used to be the coach of the Packers!

PASS FOR SUCCESS?

But more interestingly, heading into these playoffs it turns out that the Top 9 passers in the NFL by total yards have made the post-season. The 10th player - Trevor Lawrence - missed out because Jacksonville can’t stop Jacksonvillie-ing enough to get out of their own way, while the 11th ranked passer, Matt Stafford is also in the playoffs.

So it feels like that’s important: 10 of the top 11 passers in the NFL are in the playoffs.

C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans during Week 18. Picture: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

WILL THE PLAYOFF ROOKIE QBS SHOW UP?

Passing obviously isn’t the only metric for success for quarterbacks, but when it comes to the post-season, the stats say that experience is wildly important.

Amazingly, since 2002, QBs that are playing their first ever playoff game are 17-36 against teams starting a QB with playoff experience.

In Week 1 of this year’s playoffs that applies to four games:

• Houston (CJ Stroud) vs Cleveland (Joe Flacco)
• Miami (Tua Tagovailoa) @ Kansas City (Patrick Mahomes)
• Pittsburgh (Mason Rudolph) @ Buffalo (Josh Allen)
• Green Bay (Jordan Love) @ Dallas (Dak Prescott)

- Stroud is the only playoff rookie playing at home, but also faces the best defence in the NFL in Cleveland.

- Tua was out for last year’s Dolphins playoff loss to the Bills, but has also still played on the biggest of stages with Alabama in College National Championships.

Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter of Week 18. Picture: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

WHO GETS THE BEST EARLY RUN THROUGH THE NFL PLAYOFF BRACKET?

Dallas: The Cowboys open up at home where they’re 8-0 this season against the youngest playoff team in history in Green Bay. Then, if they beat the Packers, and the Rams upset the Lions, Dallas would host the winner of banged-up Philly and mediocre Tampa Bay. The way to the first NFC Championship game since 1995.

Kansas City: The wayward, lacklustre Chiefs offence gets a great chance to have a ‘get-right’ game against a banged up Miami defence, in the cold, at home, in Week 1, then likely would face Buffalo in the Divisional round, a team they’ve played some classic games against already. If it came down to a Bills-Chiefs game to make a sixth-straight AFC title game, it’d be hard to doubt Mahomes, Andy Reid and the Swifties.

Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17. Picture: David Eulitt/Getty Images

CAN ANYONE CHALLENGE THE RESTING NINERS OR RAVENS?

San Francisco and Baltimore are hanging out at home for Week 1 with the bye, but if the likes of Dallas, Buffalo or KC look great in the first week, then yes, it will be obvious as to who will challenge the two #1 seeds.

Especially considering the NFL’s two leaders for the 2023 MVP in Lamar Jackson (1-4) and Brock Purdy (2-1 as a rookie last year) still have playoff questions surrounding them.

BEST SUPER BOWL PICK BEFORE WEEK 1? z

The Ravens and Niners are the teams with the best balance in the NFL - the Niners are 3rd in both points scored (28.9) and allowed (17.5), while the Ravens are 1st in points allowed (16.5) and 4th in points scored (28.4) - but the Niners have more healthy weapons on both sides of the ball and the Ravens could easily fall prey to the Browns in Round 2.

Super Bowl Winners: San Francisco 49ers - CHECK OUT CODE BET’S NFL ANALYSIS HUB HERE -

Originally published as The best storylines for the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend - who makes a mark?