Just like that, it's all done.
We’ve had 18 weeks pass us by. The regular season is over and it’s time for teams to really show their worth as the NFL play-offs start this weekend with the Wild Card matchups.
The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks are the top seeds in their respective conferences and they can sit back and watch the other 12 remaining outfits do battle, knowing that a home game awaits next weekend.
Here’s a look ahead to some of the key discussion points.
An NFC North classic?
Green Bay Packers v Chicago Bears [Sunday, 1am Irish time)
Each and every time the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers have the opportunity to face each other is special. When it’s in the post-season for the third time this year, it is even better.
The Chicago Bears have had a renaissance with Ben Johnson at the helm and they enter the playoffs as the second seed in the NFC, with the Green Bay Packers ranked as the lowest of the remaining teams on this side of the draw.
The Bears will want to make a statement in primetime in the early hours of Sunday morning to the masses watching and they have a serious opportunity to do so. The Packers have been decimated by injuries this season, with stars such as Micah Parsons ruled out weeks back. Now with defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt out for the remainder of the year, it won’t be easy for them.
In the past three weeks, the Packers are last in rushing defence in the league, with 198 yards allowed on average. Green Bay are also giving up an average of nearly four yards per carry in the previous three outings.
Bears fans will hope and expect that their quarterback Caleb Williams can come up big in this matchup. The reality is, they have the pieces on the offence to make a real challenge in the playoffs. With stars like Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, D’Andre Swift and Cole Kmet, this offence could be lethal down the stretch.
A genuine factor in this game could be Ireland’s Daniel Whelan (above). The Wicklow man finished the regular season as the highest ranked punter in average yards per punt. Add in potential poor weather - and Whelan could be a massive factor if he can continue his good form.
The more that Whelan and the Packers can make it difficult for the Bears, the more of a chance they have in this game.
Fun in Florida
Buffalo Bills v Jacksonville Jaguars (Sunday, 6pm Irish time)
If you believe in destiny, surely this is the year where Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills finally get over the hump and win it all, especially with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs watching the post-season from home.
Right?
Well, they have to go on the road to even make it to Super Bowl LX, folks - and it’s going to be a huge challenge against a Jacksonville Jaguars team that has been flying in recent weeks. Jacksonville enters the play-offs on the back of eight wins in a row, with six of those matchups being victories by more than 14 points.
The Jaguars have been superb this season and Liam Coen (pictured) in his first year has proved many doubters wrong. While they need to be more efficient on the run game, there is no argument that Trevor Lawrence is playing some of the best football of his career and the Jaguars are a legitimate threat to any team they could face over the next month with the stars that they have on either side of the ball.
This is an absolute banger of a game and while the Bills struggled to finish the game against the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago - and while they have given up their AFC East crown for now, they will be reeling and ready to go.
There is an argument that the game will solely come down to how both Josh Allen and Trevor Lawrence play on Sunday, outside of other elements. In such a wide open AFC, it almost feels like the seeding for these teams is borderline irrelevant.
It could simply come down to who is better on the day under centre.
No doubt about it, Josh Allen is the standout quarterback remaining as we enter the play-offs and he knows this is the opportunity of his career over the next four weeks.
Play-offs return to New England
Los Angeles Chargers v New England Patriots (Monday, 1am Irish time)
The New England Patriots are back in the NFL play-offs.
The question is, how far can they go?
What a first season it has been for Mike Vrabel back in Foxborough. He has found a way to turn New England’s direction around in such a quick manner - and with a ton of cap space coming up, it is only going to get better for the Patriots and their fans going forward.
That being said, is it too early in the career of both Vrabel in New England and Drake Maye to make a legitimate deep run in the play-offs?
Maye is a bonafide shot to win the Most Valuable Player in the NFL at the end of the season. He may just lose out to Matthew Stafford of the LA Rams (who face the Carolina Panthers at 9:30pm on Saturday), but he has been formidable in his second full season. Just last week, Maye became the youngest player to lead the NFL in completion percentage (72%) in the modern Super Bowl era.
The kid is special - and he has one almighty supporting cast this season. If Maye can find a way to continue to get the ball to Stefon Diggs and the Patriots can manage the run game effectively with Henderson and Stevenson along with the defence stepping up against the Chargers, they will have a huge chance.
If Maye is special, Justin Herbert is no different. His ability to make plays under pressure is superb and this is a legitimate matchup where you could see a path for the Chargers to get what would be a stunning win on the road, which would frankly turn the AFC playoff race upside down.
Will the Patriots defence have enough to stop Justin Herbert? With players like Robert Spillane and Harold Landry having injury issues, there is a huge chance for Herbert to make a statement to the league in the early hours of Monday morning in Ireland.
Here we go
Houston Texans v Pittsburgh Steelers (Tuesday, 1.15am Irish time)
What a difference a play can make, eh?
If the Ravens made the field goal at the end of the game on Sunday night in Pittsburgh, so much would have changed, namely John Harbaugh would not be out of a job - at least for this week anyway.
That being said, it’s the Steelers who enter the NFL play-offs as the AFC North Champions and Aaron Rodgers potentially enters the final weeks of his storied career with a chance to win a second Lombardi Trophy.
Home advantage could be the deciding factor in this game. It was a huge factor in week 18 in what was frankly an early play-off game.
What the Steelers seem to have found is the camaraderie in the locker room between both the younger and veteran players. That was evident not only after the game against the Baltimore Ravens, but on the final offensive drive of the game.
It’s simple for Rodgers. With star wide receiver DK Metcalf back in action after suspension, he needs to find a way to click quickly on all corners of the offence and ensure that defensive leaders in TJ Watt and Cam Heyward can limit what the Texans can do on the offence to stand a chance.
Many favour Houston going into this matchup because of what they have been able to achieve over the course of the regular season. Since returning from injury, quarterback CJ Stroud has played smartly, leaning on Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz.
The key for Houston will be keeping the ball as much as they can in the game on the offence - while trying to get the ball to as many different players as they can. If they can play a safe, strong defensive game and rely on Collins ability, they have a real opportunity to win this game - and potentially end Aaron Rodgers' career.
AOB
You know this is one of the most open play-off races in years when we have reached the end of this piece and we haven't mentioned a huge game on Sunday night (9.30pm Irish time) between the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles.
The 49ers missed their chance to lock up the number one seed in the NFC last weekend and they now must go on the road to try and make it back to what would be a home Super Bowl in Santa Clara early next month.
The Eagles are expected to find a new gear in the post-season. Offensively, they have not been at the level that many expected and seen from the Super Bowl champions last season. Expect a tight, hard hitting game from both teams, with Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey going up against each other in a box office matchup.
It’s that good, we could talk about it until the game starts - enjoy the action, folks.
McQuaid’s Wild Card Picks
Rams over Panthers
Bears over Packers
Bills over Jaguars
Eagles over 49ers
Chargers over Patriots
Steelers over Texans
