NFL Week 18 Overreactions
USAT’s Prince Grimes breaks down the NFL playoff picture after closing out the regular season.
Sports Seriously
Who would the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers play next in the NFL playoffs if they win their NFL playoff wild-card game on Jan. 10?
NFL coaches don’t like their teams to look ahead, but there’s nothing wrong with fans planning ahead in the NFL postseason.
When would the Rams or Panthers play in the NFL divisional round? Where could they play? Who could they play?
Here’s what to know about the potential second-round game scenarios for the Rams and Panthers, if they win their first-round game, which is being played at 2:30 p.m. MST on FOX on Saturday (stream with FUBO).
Both teams could end up playing several different opponents in the NFL playoff divisional round, depending on the results of the NFL postseason wild-card games.
NFL playoff scenarios: Rams at Panthers | Packers at Bears | Bills at Jaguars | 49ers at Eagles | Chargers at Patriots | Texans at Steelers | Broncos next game | Seahawks next game | NFL playoff bracket
Watch NFL playoff games on FUBO (free trial)
Who would Carolina Panthers vs Los Angeles Rams winner play next?
Carolina Panthers NFL playoff scenarios:
The Panthers would play either the No. 6 San Francisco 49ers, No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles, No. 2 Chicago Bears or No. 1 Seattle Seahawks in their second playoff game.
Here’s the NFL playoff scenarios for how they could face each of those teams in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs:
No. 6 49ers at No. 4 Panthers (if Packers beat Bears, 49ers beat Eagles, Panthers beat Rams)No. 4 Panthers at No. 3 Eagles (if Packers beat Bears, Eagles beat 49ers, Panthers beat Rams)No. 4 Panthers at No. 2 Bears (if Bears beat Packers, 49ers beat Eagles, Panthers beat Rams)No. 4 Panthers at No. 1 Seahawks (if Bears beat Packers, Eagles beat 49ers, Panthers beat Rams)
Los Angeles Rams NFL playoff scenarios:
The Rams would play either the No. 6 San Francisco 49ers, No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles, No. 2 Chicago Bears or No. 1 Seattle Seahawks in their second playoff game.
Here’s the NFL playoff scenarios for how they could face each of those teams in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs:
No. 6 49ers at No. 5 Rams (if Packers beat Bears, 49ers beat Eagles, Rams beat Panthers)No. 5 Rams at No. 3 Eagles (if Packers beat Bears, Eagles beat 49ers, Rams beat Panthers)No. 5 Rams at No. 2 Bears (if Bears beat Packers, 49ers beat Eagles, Rams beat Panthers)No. 5 Rams at No. 1 Seahawks (if Bears beat Packers, Eagles beat 49ers, Rams beat Panthers)
The Rams and Panthers couldn’t face the No. 7 Green Bay Packers in the next round because Green Bay would face the No. 1 Seattle Seahawks if they upset the Bears, because of seeding.
NFL playoff picks: Rams at Panthers | Packers at Bears | Bills at Jaguars | 49ers at Eagles | Chargers at Patriots | Texans at Steelers | The Republic’s score predictions | Win probabilities | Super Bowl projection
When would the Los Angeles Rams vs Carolina Panthers winner play next?
The winner of the Rams at Panthers NFL postseason wild-card game will play in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday, Jan. 17, or Sunday, Jan. 18.
NFL playoff odds: Rams at Panthers | Packers at Bears | Bills at Jaguars | 49ers at Eagles | Chargers at Patriots | Texans at Steelers | Wild-card odds | Super Bowl odds
Where would the Carolina Panthers vs Los Angeles Rams winner play next?
The Panthers are the No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs, while the Rams are the No. 5 seed, meaning that they would only play at home in the divisional round or the conference championship game if they were the higher seed.
The only chance each team would have to play at home would be if they ended up playing the No. 6 San Francisco 49ers, otherwise the winner of the Panthers-Rams game will be at either the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears or Philadelphia Eagles in the next round.
NFL playoff schedule: Rams at Panthers | Packers at Bears | Bills at Jaguars | 49ers at Eagles | Chargers at Patriots | Texans at Steelers | TV channels, streaming | NFL playoff announcers | When is Super Bowl?
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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