NFL playoffs: Ranking six wild-card teams, plus keys to wins - ESPN

The NFL playoff race is completely wide open. The current Super Bowl favorite (Seahawks at +330) has the sixth-longest odds among all favorites entering the postseason over the past 50 years, according to ESPN Research. One reason for this: a strong field of wild-card teams.

The Rams lost out on the NFC West, but they have the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl (+425 at DraftKings Sportsbook). The Texans won nine straight to end the regular season, and the Bills and 49ers matched Houston's total of 12 wins. The Packers are the first No. 7 seed to be favored (-1.5) in the wild-card round since the 14-team format was introduced in 2020, and the Chargers have the second-best odds (+3.5) for any No. 7 seed in that same time span.

So, which of these wild-card teams could run the table? I ranked all six based on who I think has the best chance to go on the road and win the Super Bowl from a wild-card seeding. Then, I provided keys to victory — one offensive and one defensive — for each of those six teams to spring their playoff runs. For those winning blueprints, I focused on personnel matchups, scheme advantages, coaching tendencies and what we see on the game tape. Additionally, ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) provided odds for each team to win this weekend and hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Let's get into all of that, starting with my No. 1 wild-card team and what it needs to do to win this weekend.

Jump to a team:
BUF | GB | HOU
LAC | LAR | SF

Wild-card game: at Carolina on Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, Fox
FPI chances to defeat Carolina: 74.9%
FPI chances to win the Super Bowl: 14.8%

Offensive key to victory: Get motion/movement in the run game.

In Week 13 versus the Panthers, running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum