Wild Card Round Playoffs Saturday open thread

It’s 49ers-Seahawks and Chargers-Jaguars on the first day of the postseason.

The Falcons are not in the playoffs, to state the obvious. The rest of the way, we’ll be watching other teams contend, and if and when the Buccaneers are bounced, all of our most hated rivals will be out of the hunt.

That won’t happen today. Instead, three teams the Falcons played during the 2022 season and one annual preseason opponent will be squaring off today.

49ers vs. Seahawks, 4:30 p.m. EST

This one seems pretty straightforward. Seattle has impressed this year, but the 49ers are the better football team even if they’re working with their third string quarterback. I’d be astonished if the Seahawks won this one, but it is a divisional matchup, so nothing is really ever off the table.

The 49ers are, barring injury or Brock Purdy disintegrating, probably the favorite to land in the Super Bowl from the NFC. It’ll be fascinating to see if a familiar foe can upend those expectations today.

Chargers vs. Jaguars, 8:15 p.m. EST

This one feels like a legitimate toss-up. Jacksonville has been a great story this season and is loaded with talent, looking like a potential AFC juggernaut over the long haul. The Chargers are down Mike Williams—the classic “let’s play the starters in the final week” philosophy coming back to haunt them—but have one of the better young quarterbacks in football and an underrated roster in their own right.

It’s probably going to come down to who has a better day, but I do think the Jaguars will ultimately win this one.

Enjoy watching and use this as your open thread, if you would!