NJAM Editorial

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By Matt Lombardo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The 2018 NFL Playoffs get underway with Wild Card weekend beginning Saturday, with the road to Super Bowl LII running through Philadelphia in the NFC, and New England in the AFC.

Plenty of questions remain after a wild 2017 NFL regular season, that will begin to be answered this weekend.

Will Tom Brady hoist his sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy? Will Ben Roethlisberger and the Patriots derail the Patriots? How far will the Eagles advance after locking up home-field advantage? Can anyone stop the high-powered Saints led by quarterback Drew Brees?

Here are game-by-game predictions for every NFL Playoff game, beginning with Saturday's Wild Card doubleheader all the way through the Super Bowl:

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NFC Playoffs:

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Matt Kartozian

NFC Wild Card: Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams

Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

When: 8:15 p.m. Saturday

The Rams host the defending NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons in the first playoff game in Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Coliseum since 1978, and bring along with them the NFL's highest-scoring offense that boasts an MVP caliber running back in Todd Gurley, and top-10 quarterback Jared Goff. Quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receiver Julio Jones, and the Falcons are playing some of their best football of the season down the stretch, but the Rams are capable of winning in a multitude of ways, and they'll need to exploit just about all of them on Saturday night.

Prediction: Rams 30, Falcons 24

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Jason Behnken

NFC Wild Card: Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints

Where: Mercedes Benz Superdome

When: 4:40 p.m. Sunday

Drew Brees and the high-powered Saints offense is built to make a Super Bowl run behind rookie running back Alvin Kamara who has rushed for 728 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 81 catches for 826 yards and five more scores while being complemented by bruising veteran Mark Ingram who rushed for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns. While Cam Newton is certainly capable of single-handedly taking over a game, the Panthers 65-34 in a pair of regular season losses to the Saints. Expect more of the same Sunday afternoon.

Prediction: Saints 41, Panthers 27

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The Eagles can make a Super Bowl run with Nick Foles if ...

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

NFC Divisional Playoff: New Orleans Saints at Eagles

Where: Lincoln Financial Field

When: 4:35 on Saturday, Jan. 13

If there is any team that is built to beat the Saints, it's the Eagles defense. The Eagles finished the regular season with the league's premier rushing defense, surrendering just 79.2 yards per game. However, Drew Brees' Super Bowl pedigree and the fact that the Saints' defense features arguably the game's premier cornerback in rookie Marshon Lattimore and a cast of playmakers, it's difficult to envision quarterback Nick Foles giving the Eagles enough offensively and being able to put together enough sustained drives to keep the New Orleans offense at bay.

Prediction: Saints 23, Eagles 16

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Gregory Shamus

NFC Divisional Playoff: Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings

Where: US Bank Stadium

When: 4:40 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 14

The Vikings have the luxury of a bye week and at least one home game as well as a defense that has not allowed more than 19 points in a single game at home all season and only surrendered more than one touchdown once. Additionally, Case Keenum completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,547 yards and 22 touchdowns with just 7 interceptions this season. Goff, Gurley and the Rams show plenty of fight, but could struggle to put up enough points against the Vikings' dominant defense to make it to the NFC Championship Game.

Prediction: Vikings 17, Rams 13

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Derick E. Hingle

NFC Championship Game: New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings

Where: US Bank Stadium

When: 6:40 p.m., on Sunday Jan. 21

With a future Hall of Fame quarterback, a duo of dominant running backs, and a head coach with a Super Bowl ring on his finger, the New Orleans Saints have just enough to outlast the menacing Vikings defense with a return trip to Minneapolis two weeks later in Super Bowl LII on the line.

Prediction: Saints 26, Vikings 20

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AFC Playoffs:

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Aaron Doster

AFC Wild Card: Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs

Where: Arrowhead Stadium

When: 4:35 p.m., Saturday

The Chiefs came tumbling back to earth this season after a 5-0 start that included victories over fellow playoff teams in the New England Patriots, Eagles, and the division rival Los Angeles Chargers. However, quarterback Alex Smith did just enough to lift the Chiefs into the postseason, where they are going to be a tough out for anyone, let alone a Tennessee Titans team that backed into the postseason largely despite head coach Mike Mularkey, and not because of him.

Prediction: Chiefs 27, Titans 10

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Sam Greenwood

AFC Wild Card: Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars

Where: Everbank Stadium

When: 1:05 Sunday

Behind a menacing defense and a running game on offense build around rookie Leonard Fournette, the Jaguars won three of their final five games of the season but fell to Tennessee 15-10 in a listless effort. With the stakes much higher this week, Fournette and the Jaguars run past a Bills team that needed plenty of help last weekend just to make the playoffs.

Prediction: Jaguars 16, Bills 10

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Steven Senne

AFC Divisional Playoff: Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots

Where: Gillette Stadium

When: 8:15, Saturday, Jan. 13

As if the Patriots needed any added motivation in a quest for a sixth Super Bowl ring for the trio of Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, reports surfaced this week of a bourgeoning power struggle in Foxboro. An angry Patriots team is a dangerous Patriots team. Throw in a chance to avenge a season-opening loss to the Chiefs, and this thing could get out of hand. Quickly.

Prediction: Patriots 33, Chiefs 20

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Charles LeClaire

AFC Divisional Playoff: Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers

The launching pad for the Jaguars' success this season came with a 30-9 victory at Heinz Field back in Week 5 when Ben Roethlisberger had one of the worst performances of his NFL career. Don't think the Steelers forgot about the October drubbing.

Prediction: Steelers 24, Jaguars 19

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Winslow Townson

AFC Championship Game: Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots

Where: Gillette Stadium

When: 3:05 p.m., Sunday Jan. 21

The Patriots survived a thrilling Week 15 victory over the Steelers at Heinz Field, after a controversial ruling on a Pittsburgh TE Jesse James' incompletion at the goal line to ultimately lock up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs beating the Steelers 27-24. New England certainly has the pedigree, but the Steelers might be the most complete and dominant team in football with revenge on their minds. Look for Roethlisberger, and running back Le'Veon Bell to put on a show, and send the Patriots into an early offseason full of questions and potentially tumult.

Prediction: Steelers 37, Patriots 31

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How does Eagles' Doug Pederson stack up against NFL Playoff coaches?

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Winslow Townson

Super Bowl LII: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints

Where: U.S. Bank Stadium

When: 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 5

In a lot of ways, the Steelers and Saints are mirror-images of one another. Two quarterbacks with Super Bowl rings on their fingers, head coaches who have previously hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy, three of the game's most feared running backs. Put these two teams together, and the recipe is there for one of the classic Super Bowls of all time to follow up last year's overtime contest between the Patriots and Falcons. This time, the completeness of the Steelers' roster outlasts the firepower of Brees and the Saints' offense.

Prediction: Steelers 31, Saints 27

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HOW TO REACH ME:

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MLombardo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardoPHL.