Passing Matchups: Wildcard

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Top 3 Passing Matchups

Philadelphia vs San Francisco

The Eagles’ passing offense has been inconsistent at best and completely inept at times under first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. While Jalen Hurts threw for 3,224 yards and 25 touchdowns, it has been the inconsistency that has been most frustrating for Philadelphia. A.J. Brown has five 100-yard performances this season, yet he has only 1,003 yards, as 57% of his yards have come in just 33% of his games. Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley set a career low in receiving yards per game, averaging just 17. The Eagles’ backbone remains their elite offensive line, which ranks first in Matt Bitonti’s rankings. The big news for the Eagles is that they look likely to get right tackle Lane Johnson back, which would be an even further upgrade, as the weak spot had been Fred Johnson at right tackle, as Lane has not played since Week 11. When this offensive line is 100%, it’s almost impenetrable for defensive lines to consistently get pressure on Hurts.

While most playoff teams’ secondaries are peaking at this time of year, San Francisco’s is going in the opposite direction. While they looked impressive against Seattle in Week 18, in Weeks 16 and 17, the 49ers allowed 277 yards to Philip Rivers and 330 yards to Caleb Williams, with both players throwing two touchdowns. This is a unit that has been extremely volatile, as they’ve allowed four 300+ yard performances, but have held eight quarterbacks under 200 yards as they’ve been able to overwhelm some of their easier matchups (Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Bryce Young, Jaxson Dart, Kyler Murray, and somehow Sam Darnold twice). The team’s weakness is at corner, as they no longer have the elite players that they once had. This is a very young group as they rely heavily on 2024 second-round draft pick Renardo Green and 2025 third-round slot corner Upton Stout. Neither player has developed to nearly the level the 49ers had hoped. At safety, they’re inexperienced as well, as they’re relying on 2023 third-round pick Ji’Ayir Brown and 2024 fourth-round pick Malik Mustapha. Where the 49ers have done a good job is in preventing one single receiver from dominating the game. This is a unit that requires you to distribute the ball, as only three receivers have topped 100 yards all season.

Carolina vs LA Rams

When Carolina is performing optimally, they want to be a run-first team that uses play-action to set up Bryce Young. The variance between the team’s wins and losses has been stark. In wins, Young is averaging 7.3 yards per attempt with a 14:3 interception-to-touchdown ratio. However, this team does not throw the ball well when forced to. In their nine losses, Carolina is averaging just 5.5 yards per attempt and a 9:8 touchdown to interception ratio. Young has also struggled in fourth quarters of close games, completing just 53% of passes for 5.6 yards per attempt. With limited receiving options outside of Tetairoa McMillan, the Panthers really need to scheme players open, and running the ball is the way that they’ve been able to do it when having success this season. Jalen Coker has developed as a much-needed secondary option for the Panthers, as he has averaged 48.8 yards per game over his last five games. The Panthers got some good news as right guard Robert Hunt should return this week after not playing since Week 2. Hunt has been a reliable starter since joining the Panthers, leading to a Pro Bowl nomination in 2024.

In terms of total talent, the Rams may be the most complete team in the playoffs. However, if there is one weakness of this team, it is their corners, as Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Cobie Durant leave a lot to be desired. A lot of this is covered up by their elite pass rush, as the Rams have the seventh-most sacks in the NFL despite blitzing the second-fewest this year; they’ve blitzed just 18% of plays. This is a middle-of-the-road secondary, but when facing an offensive line that keeps its quarterback upright, we’ve seen issues: they’ve allowed three 300+ yard performances this year, with three more quarterbacks topping 270. In the team’s first meeting against the Panthers, Bryce Young threw for only 206 yards but was able to throw for three touchdowns. Since Week 14, they’ve allowed five receivers to top 90 yards. The key to this game will be whether Jared Verse and Byron Young, who are the best edge rushing duo in the NFL, are able to get pressure on Bryce Young. They were only able to sack Young twice in their Week 14 loss to the Panthers.

Green Bay at Chicago

Green Bay gets Jordan Love back this week after he has missed the last two games with a concussion. Expectations and pressure are high for Love, who is now in his fifth season with Green Bay and has struggled in each of his last two playoff performances. After a somewhat disappointing season that many hoped would be a breakout year for Love, a win on the road in Chicago would go a long way for the future confidence in the Green Bay quarterback, after some are still questioning whether Malik Willis gives the Packers the best chance to win this game. This offense has not looked the same since losing Tucker Kraft back in Week 9. Before that, they were scoring 25.75 points per game and were 5-2-1. Since Kraft was lost, the Packers have scored just 20.5 points per game and are 4-5, including a four-game losing streak to end the season. Consistency at the wide receiver position has been a challenge, as they have not been able to get much from their tight ends or running backs in the passing game. Matthew Golden, the team’s first-round draft pick, had a disappointing rookie season, and Romeo Doubs is a better complementary piece than a number one receiver despite leading the team in yards. No Packers receiver had more than 750 yards, but the one player who should give them hope is Christian Watson, as he averaged 61 yards per game since returning from injury. He’s the prototypical number one receiver if the Packers have one on this roster, and they will need him to step up this week to have any chance at making a playoff run.

Chicago has some big questions heading into the playoffs, but none more than their secondary. Coming off back-to-back 300+ yard games from Jared Goff and Brock Purdy, they’re going to need to rebound in this matchup against the Packers this week. The biggest problem for the Bears is that since Jaylon Johnson has returned, he has surprisingly been a weakness when, historically, he has been one of the best corners in football. Johnson returned in Week 13 after suffering a core muscle injury, and since then, the Bears have allowed 246 yards per game, which is the 10th-most in the NFL. The Bears likely will get Kyler Gordon back this week as he is returning from IR, but he’s played in just three games all season, so how game-ready is he going to be to step right into the slot? Gordon has struggled in the three games that he has played, but the Bears don’t have much of a choice, as C.J. Gardner-Johnson has been abysmal in the slot this season. The Bears are tied for 25th in sacks this season, as they have not been able to get much pressure outside of Montez Sweat, who has 10 sacks.