NFL Playoffs: Can Josh Allen deliver a Disney ending?

The Wild Card Round has come and gone and it was basically nonstop drama. Somehow, some way, the NFL always finds a way to deliver.

What is particularly exciting about this reality is that history shows that the Wild Card Round has nothing on the Divisional Round as far as theatrics are concerned. TL;DR… we are in for four incredible games this coming weekend.

Every moment feels magnified in the playoffs which is obviously the case because it is. Legacies are being written and history is unfolding before our very eyes. No pressure for anyone involved!

Here at The Skinny Post we, Michael Peterson and RJ Ochoa, have thoughts on it all.

Caleb Williams and the Bears are incredible

RJ: 

It feels pretty agreed-upon that, while the weekend had so many great games, the Bears and Packers gave us the most delightful treat. I still can’t believe the ending.

Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears are proving that they are very much for real. All of the thoughts we were having about how their 2025 season was a hope of promise in Ben Johnson’s first year to build upon in the future… nah. They are here now.

Watching the Bears feels like when you were a kid and so locked into a video game that you couldn’t avert your eyes. Sometimes in games like that you would actually experience blurry-ish vision, but you had to sort of stay in the blur because focusing your vision would make you lose the moment. The Bears are that blur. The Bears live in that blur.

I love this team.

Michael: 

Ever since my twin sister moved to Chicago several years, she’s become a huge Bears fan and absolutely loves to shoehorn “Bear Down” into any conversation. Watching her have fun while enjoying the NFL is a fairly new feeling to me and that’s obviously a warm fuzzy moment since I work in the industry.

I’m glad she’s getting to experience these highs of being a football fan because we all know just how low the lows can feel. I truly hope this hot streak continues for the Bears both for them (Ben Johnson is doing a hell of a job) and for her because…well…someone’s team in this family needs to win playoff games.

Are the Los Angeles Rams maybe not actually invincible? 

Michael: 

I’ve never thought the Rams were invincible, but they sure seemed pretty dang close to it for most of this NFL season. Sean McVay has done a heck of a job building a good offense despite having zero studs up front on the offensive line.

But, it helps to have an all-time QB with such good skill players that it makes his offense seem as close to automatic as possible.

Defensively, wow what a job to find guys like Braden Fiske and Jared Verse. They have some real no-names at linebacker but they continue to get the most out of them.

Granted, the Panthers are a good team, too. I actually do believe this. Good players on both sides of the ball, but it just seemed like there has been an overall bad aura over the team from recent years involving massive struggle.

If NFC teams were scared of the Rams entering the postseason, however, I think Carolina has done them a service in showing where their weak lines are on the roster.

RJ: 

Back when the Rams visited Seattle in the final weeks of the season, it felt like an NFC Championship Game rematch between the two was inevitable. To be clear it is still very much in play in terms of actually being possible.

I’d be lying if I said I feel just as confident in the Rams now as I did then, though. Los Angeles pulled off an incredible win to survive the Panthers, but that was nearly the second time since we all started putting Christmas decorations out that they lost in Charlotte of all places.

We should give the Panthers their due because they were really impressive in the loss, but considering that the Rams lost that Seahawks game since then and lost in Atlanta… they feel pretty gettable right now.

Maybe Matthew Stafford and Co. will keep finding a way. I don’t think so, though.

Josh Allen and the Bills are the easiest-to-root-for team left… right?

RJ: 

If Disney asked me for the best story going on right now then I think my answer would definitely be Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

Given the results across the rest of the AFC we now know that Buffalo has played their last game in their current stadium (as in they will not be able to host any playoff games). That is one element surrounding the Bills, but the Josh Allen part of it is impossible to ignore.

We all have dreams and visions of how titles are supposed to be won. I think we all think that someday our team will dominate across a season and hold serve throughout the postseason before winning it all. The Bills have done that before and come away empty. This season has looked different.

As noted the Bills left home a while ago now and won’t be back. They are in a playoff field void of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson. The kryptonite is gone, but somehow that has raised the stakes. It has to be now. And they are one step into it becoming a reality.

Sign me up.

Michael: 

Yes, absolutely. And not because I’m a big fan of his wife and her work (Sinners was great, man).

Forget all his athletic gifts, Josh Allen is the closest thing to an “every man” personality and that is an easy thing for fans to vibe with, regardless of whether or not they’re a fan of the Bills. He gives you the vibes of a guy who was blessed beyond measure physically and accidentally wound up a starting quarterback in the NFL. He’s having a blast and just enjoying the ride while it’s here.

That’s exactly who I want to root for this year.

Predict which Wild Card loser will overreact the most

RJ: 

The question/prompt here is obviously to frame this as overreacting, but I don’t know how the Eagles making a big move can be viewed as anything other than what is necessary.

I don’t know what the “big move” in question could/would be, but they were one of the most inept offenses across the entire NFL this past season. How they lost in the playoffs was completely predictable and it happened. Imagine a team living up to your worst expectations of them. That’s what the Eagles did to their fans.

It feels like simply changing offensive coordinators isn’t enough, plus they have done that every year of the Jalen Hurts era. Similarly though calling for any other sort of adjustment feels outlandish.

Something has to change, though. 

Michael:

How about I give you the Wild Card loser that WON’T overreact enough? (Does that make sense?)

It is so apparent what changes need to take place for the Chargers this offseason and there is real worry that yet another friendship between head coach and offensive coordinator will continue to waste the prime years of Justin Herbert’s career.

If the Chargers do not make sweeping changes to the offensive staff, they will once again see themselves in a similar situation in 2026, regardless of what injuries and other obstacles may arise.

Now to answer the real question, I think the Packers may overthink their recent loss and actually make too many changes on their team. The defense collapsed against Chicago and yes, that usually means a change is coming, but they also didn’t have Micah Parsons who is a literal gamechanger by himself.

On offense, I don’t think anything needs to change. They lost Tucker Kraft earlier in the year and others have needed to step up. It was a bad break, but this recipe is working. Let’s not be too hasty on any decisions now.