The Ringer staff writer Sheil Kapadia has released his 2024 NFL Wild Card Round expert picks and predictions for the 2023 football season. Three playoff matchups of the 2023 NFL season are featured here.
Check out The Ringer’s 2024 NFL Wild Card Round picks, predictions, and best bets below.
The Ringer’s 2024 NFL Wild Card Expert Picks and Predictions
The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia has published his expert picks and predictions for three wild card matchups of the 2023 NFL season. First off, the Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans at 4:30 p.m. ET this Saturday.
Next, the Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs at 8:10 p.m. ET on Saturday night. Lastly, the Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions at 8:10 p.m. ET on Sunday night.
Kapadia finished 115-117-8 in straight-up picks in the regular season.
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Browns (-2)
Kapadia has veteran quarterback Joe Flacco and the Cleveland Browns winning on the road against the Houston Texans on Saturday. “DeMeco Ryans did a fantastic job this season, but like most defensive coaches, he can get a little conservative with his in-game decision-making,” he wrote.
“We saw that in Week 18 against the Colts. Stefanski, on the other hand, has been excellent with that stuff all season long. It’s no fun to go against the Texans, given how well Stroud has performed, but they still waste a lot of early-down plays by being too committed to the run.
“Houston has a bright future, but Cleveland’s defense keeps the Browns in every game, and I think Flacco and Amari Cooper can do enough offensively to get them the win.”
Other 2024 NFL Wild Card Round expert picks are on the main page.
Dolphins (+4.5)
Furthermore, The Ringer NFL analyst has the Miami Dolphins topping the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday night. “There are plenty of reasons to fade the Dolphins here. They went 1-5 with a minus-91 point differential against playoff teams this season,” he wrote.
“Only the Giants and Commanders had worse point differentials against playoff teams. You have a warm-weather team built on speed going on the road and playing in frigid temperatures. As I write this, the evening forecast for Kansas City on Saturday night is minus-4 degrees with a real feel of minus-24!
“Having said that, I’m feeling a bit contrarian in this spot. I just don’t trust the Chiefs offense to play a buttoned-up game. They’ve been too mistake-prone all season. And I think the Dolphins can run the ball. In the first meeting against Kansas City, they averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 21 attempts.
“I don’t know whether the Dolphins have enough to pull off the upset, but don’t forget that they hung tough against the Bills in the wild card round last year, despite starting Skylar Thompson at quarterback. I think they will hang tough Saturday night, and we’ll get a classic game.”
Lions (-3)
For his third pick, Kapadia has the Detroit Lions winning a close game at home over the Los Angeles Rams. “Full disclosure: Earlier this week, when we had to turn in our staff predictions, I picked the Rams,” he wrote.
“Well, guess what? After thinking about it more, I’ve changed my mind. I think the Rams are going to light up this Lions defense. I hate that Detroit may be without tight end Sam LaPorta, but I think the Lions offense is still going to be able to keep pace.
“It’s going to be a close game between two evenly matched teams. Ultimately, there are two reasons I switched to Detroit. One, special teams. The Rams have the worst special teams in the NFL. It’s not even close. They are a complete disaster. This is a group that lost games for L.A. I do not trust them at all in this spot.
“And two, I like Dan Campbell’s in-game management more than McVay’s. Seriously! I know Campbell got emotional with the two-point attempts against Dallas a couple of weeks ago, but overall, I love that he doesn’t coach scared. … I don’t feel great about it, but I think Detroit will get it done; I can’t wait for this game.”
For all of The Ringer NFL Wild Card Round picks, go to the site. More NFL Wild Card expert picks and predictions are on the main page. Welcome bonuses are available right now for the best NFL betting apps.
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