The NFL's Wild Card Weekend is finally here! We ring in the beginning of 2025 with the opening round of the postseason, which means some of the league's best are ready to go head to head. 

That also means some rare events could took place, so here are five bold predictions for the exciting weekend of football to come. 

1. The 2018 draft class will be first to have 4 QBs win game in a single postseason

Lamar Jackson
BAL • QB • #8
CMP%66.7
YDs4172
TD41
INT4
YD/Att8.8
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Josh Allen
BUF • QB • #17
CMP%63.6
YDs3731
TD28
INT6
YD/Att7.72
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Baker Mayfield
TB • QB • #6
CMP%71.4
YDs4500
TD41
INT16
YD/Att7.89
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Sam Darnold
MIN • QB • #14
CMP%66.2
YDs4319
TD35
INT12
YD/Att7.92
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The 2018 NFL Draft class is the fourth in league history to produce four starting quarterbacks in a single postseason along with the 2003, 1999 and 1971 classes, and remarkably enough, it's the second straight postseason that class has achieved the feat. However, no draft class has ever had all four of its quarterbacks win a game in the same postseason. That changes in these playoffs. 

SeasonFour QBs from single draft class starting in same postseasonDraft Class

2024 

Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold

2018

2023

Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Mason Rudolph

2018

2005

Carson Palmer, Byron Leftwich, Rex Grossman, Chris Simms

2003

2000

Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper, Shaun King, Aaron Brooks

1999

1982

Jim Plunkett, Lynn Dickey, Ken Anderson, Joe Theismann 

1971

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson leads a surging squad (winners of four in a row) against a Pittsburgh Steelers unit spiraling to its doom (losers of four in a row). Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen powers a team that is undefeated at home against a Denver Broncos unit that eked into the postseason in the last week of the regular season with rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has the benefit of the NFL's fourth-ranked rushing offense (149.2 rushing yards per game) powered by Bucky Irving and Rachaad White, and they get to face a Washington Commanders unit that has the NFL's third-worst run defense (137.5 rushing yards per game allowed). Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold faces a Los Angeles Rams squad that is the only team in the postseason this year with a negative point differential (-19) in the regular season. 

Correctly picking any combination of four teams to all win, especially in the NFL, is tricky, which is why this is a bold prediction. However, all of this could come together for league history to be made. 

2. Ravens will drop 30 points on Steelers for second time this season in rout

Ravens-Steelers games had been decided by one score nine times in a row ... until the Ravens obliterated their AFC North rival by a score of 34-17 in Week 16. 

Even with that victory, reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson still has overall struggles with the Steelers in his career. This season, two of his four interceptions came against Pittsburgh, and he has eight total touchdowns to 12 turnovers in six career games against the Steelers, four of which are losses. Steelers All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt's 17.0 career sacks are the second-most ever against Baltimore, trailing only former Steelers star James Harrison's 19.0. 

That's why it's bold to suggest Jackson and the Ravens will destroy Pittsburgh once again and drop 30 on them in the wild-card round matchup on Saturday night. Why will it happen? Because Jackson is having one of the best seasons in NFL history. He enters the postseason with 4,172 passing yards, a 41-4 passing touchdown to interception ratio, 915 rushing yards and a 119.6 passer rating. That means Jackson finished the 2024 regular season with the following firsts, per CBS Sports Research:

  • The first season ever with 4,000 or more passing yards and 800 or more rushing yards
  • The first season ever with 40 or more passing touchdowns and 800 or more rushing yards
  • The first season ever with 40 or more passing touchdowns and fewer than five interceptions

Surprisingly enough, Pittsburgh has surrendered at least 30 points in each of their last five playoff games -- all losses. That's the longest streak of allowing 30 points in NFL postseason history, so it would be historic for that trend to also continue. It will as Jackson, Derrick Henry and Co. smash the Steelers on Saturday and light up the scoreboard with at least 30 points once again. 

3. Broncos pass rush will sack Josh Allen multiple times

The Denver Broncos (10-7) enter the postseason with the NFL's No. 3 scoring defense (18.3 points per game allowed) on the strength of their pass rush. Denver's defense had an NFL-high and franchise-record 63 sacks led by edge rushers Nik Bonitto (13.5 sacks, third most in the NFL) and Jonathan Cooper (10.5 sacks, tied for 12th most in the NFL)  plus interior defensive lineman Zach Allen (8.5 sacks, tied for 22nd in the NFL). 

They'll face a Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills attack that surrendered just 14 sacks this season, the fewest in the NFL. That makes their matchup in Buffalo on Sunday the first playoff game in NFL history between a defense with 60+ sacks and an offense with under 15 sacks allowed, per CBS Sports Research. Denver's pass rush turned it on with 28 sacks in the last seven games of the season while Allen and Buffalo's offensive line locked into to surrender just one sack in the final games of the regular season. That's the fewest sacks allowed in a seven-game span (one) since Washington in 1991 did so, and they won the Super Bowl that season.

However, the Broncos will sack Allen at least twice on Sunday. One reason will be Allen's rush after checking out of his team's Week 18 matchup after logging an official start to keep his games started streak alive, and another is Denver has two of the best defensive backs in coverage in the entire league to pair with their potent pass rush. Broncos All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II has been dominant once again as his 43.3 passer rating allowed as the primary defender in coverage is the third best in the NFL, minimum 50 passes defended, and Denver safety Brandon Jones' 47.3  passer rating allowed as the primary defender in coverage is the seventh best in the league this season. 

That will force Allen to pause an extra few seconds early, which lead to him being sacked multiple times for just the fifth time this season. 

4. Chargers' McConkey will produce 11th straight game with 50 or more receiving yards

Ladd McConkey
LAC • WR • #15
TAR112
REC82
REC YDs1149
REC TD7
FL0
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Los Angeles Chargers second-round rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey has had a historic rookie season, setting team rookie records for receptions (82) and receiving yards (1,149) in 2024. He is also on an active streak of 10 straight games with at least 50 receiving yards, which is tied for the longest streak by a rookie since at least the 1970 AFL/NFL merger, per CBS Sports Research. 

SeasonRookieConsecutive Games With 50+ Receiving Yards 

2024

Ladd McConkey (LAC)

10*

2024

Malik Nabers (NYG)

10

2014

Odell Beckham Jr. (NYG)

9

2004 

Michael Clayton (TB)

8

(Since 1970, including postseason)
* Active streak

McConkey will have a hard time keeping that streak alive on Saturday against the AFC South champion Houston Texans. Their cornerbacks -- Derek Stingley Jr. (42.7% completion percentage allowed this season) and Kamari Lassiter (44.6% completion percentage allowed this season) -- are Nos. 1 and 2 in the entire league in completion percentage allowed this season, among those who have been targeted at least 50 times. Texans third-round rookie safety Calen Bullock is also the NFL rookie leader in takeaways (six), interceptions (five) and passer rating allowed (31.5, minimum 200 snaps). 

However, McConkey will ball out and hit at least 80 receiving yards on Sunday with quarterback Justin Herbert finding him early and often. Herbert's top target may have a little less heat on him after 2023 first-round pick wideout Quentin Johnston went off for career highs in both catches (13) and receiving yards (186) in Week 18 at the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18. Despite facing arguably the best secondary in the NFL, McConkey will have at least 50 receiving yards for a historic 11th consecutive game. 

5. Evans gets the better of long-time nemesis Lattimore 

Mike Evans
TB • WR • #13
TAR110
REC74
REC YDs1004
REC TD11
FL0
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Marshon Lattimore
WAS • CB • #23
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Pull out your popcorn: Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans and his longtime NFC South rival in cornerback Marshon Lattimore are set to square off once again. Evans, a five-time Pro Bowler, and Lattimore, a four-time Pro Bowler, battled twice a year for nearly a decade when Lattimore was on the Saints, matchups that often led to on-field fights after the whistle. 

Lattimore was traded to the Commanders mid-season from the New Orleans Saints, which is how the football world is blessed with another meeting. In 13 games against Evans, here are Mr. Tampa Bay's stats when Lattimore is his primary defender in coverage, per CBS Sports Research:

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    • 16 receptions on 31 targets
    • 23.8 receiving yards per game
    • 3 receiving touchdowns

The last five meetings have gone decisively in Lattimore's favor with the corner limiting Evans to four catches for 57 yards receiving on five targets. Even though Evans (age 31) is three years Lattimore's senior (age 28), he'll finally break out of his rut to go for at least 100 yards receiving on Sunday night. Lattimore has missed seven of the last nine games while battling a hamstring injury, but he did practice fully on Wednesday and Thursday. Evans will take advantage of a rusty Lattimore and build off lighting up the Detroit Lions for a franchise-record 147 yards receiving in his last playoff game, a 2023 NFC divisional-round loss in Detroit. Evans goes for at least 100 and has the last laugh over his archnemesis for the first time in a while.