Ranking the 6 NFL wild card matchups from least to most exciting

If the NFL has scriptwriters, they got in their bags for the wild card round.

Week 18 decided several teams' fates, whether that meant they'd be eliminated from playoff contention or they'd clinch one of the 14 playoff spots.

Twelve teams will now battle it out in the first round, with both the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers receiving a bye week for securing their No. 1 seed in the AFC and NFC, respectively.

RELATED: NFL playoff schedule: Bracket, matchups, TV info

Let's rank the six matchups in the AFC and NFC from least to most captivating, at least on paper:

6. No. 7 Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 2 Buffalo Bills

You can just never count out Mike Tomlin. The Pittsburgh Steelers head coach guided his team to a 10-7 record despite handling a quarterback carousel that included Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky. Not many head coaches can pull that off.

They got help elsewhere to qualify, mainly with the Jacksonville Jaguars collapsing at the Tennessee Titans. They'll head to Buffalo to take on the 11-6 Bills, who secured the No. 2 seed in the regular season finale by winning at the Miami Dolphins 21-14.

These two teams have not met this season, but you'd expect Josh Allen and Co. to get the job done versus whichever quarterback lines up under center for Pittsburgh. Don't rule out Tomlin ensuring this one stays close, though.

Prediction: Bills win.

5. No. 7 Green Bay Packers at No. 2 Dallas Cowboys

Matt LaFleur has guided the youngest team in the NFL to the playoffs with a 9-8 record. It's a remarkable feat, especially considering quarterback Jordan Love is a redshirt rookie. Putting him on the slow burner has paid dividends quite quickly, though Love's composure and patience will be tested with Green Bay needing to do what no team has done yet this season: win in Dallas.

The 12-5 Cowboys have won all their home games this season, with the two close threats being the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions. They notably blew out Philadelphia 33-13.

It gets tricky for the Packers with their inexperience, and Dallas, despite not going on deep runs lately, has been at this stage before and can get it done in the wild card round.

Prediction: Cowboys win.

4. No. 5 Philadelphia Eagles at No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The thorny aspect of predicting games between two out-of-form teams is that you'll either get a surprisingly fun game or a bad one for the eyes. Philadelphia may be 11-6, but it finished the year 1-5 after starting 10-1. Between injuries on offense and the defense flat out crumbling, the vibes in the Eagles camp are quite poor. Can some of their veterans step up and create a spark?

They'll have to do so against a 9-8 Buccaneers team led by Baker Mayfield, who can be lights out or inexplicably bad on any given day. The Eagles already beat them once in Tampa Bay in Week 3, which was a 25-11 win to go 3-0. Mayfield wasn't convincing, either.

Philly has changed substantially since then, and they'll need to prevent a serious implosion if they somehow show no fight again.

Prediction: Eagles win.

3. No. 6 Miami Dolphins at No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs

Let's spice it up with this one. The main storyline is intriguing: Tyreek Hill returns to Arrowhead Stadium to potentially eliminate his old teammates with whom he won a Super Bowl. But the Dolphins have one aspect working against them -- they struggle in big games. It's the reason they fell from the No. 2 seed to the No. 6 in the first place, with Buffalo riding a late five-game winning streak to send Miami into second. Miami has won just one statement game this season against a contending team, which was a 22-20 home win over a Dallas squad that has faced similar questions.

The No. 3-seeded Chiefs already beat Miami this season, a 21-14 result in Germany. The offense hasn't been as fluid with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce still leading the way, but the defense has stepped up to give the Chiefs a chance.

If Tua Tagovailoa and Co., who have health concerns on both sides of the ball, can't get it going in what is expected to be a cold night in Kansas City, it might not be the prettiest of games.

Prediction: Chiefs win.

2. No. 5 Cleveland Browns at No. 4 Houston Texans

Who could've seen this wild card matchup coming? In a battle between two potential Coach of the Year candidates, the 11-6 Browns clinched a playoff spot led by an elite defense and a soon-to-be 39-year-old Joe Flacco turning back the clock on offense amid multiple QB injuries. Kevin Stefanski deserves a ton of plaudits for keeping Cleveland well above water.

Then there are the 10-7 Texans, who won the AFC South after Jacksonville's collapse down the stretch. Led by first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans and No. 2 overall rookie QB C.J. Stroud, the Texans have brought fresh and unique energy to the table. Their key focus will be health on the offensive side, as Stroud could struggle against the elite Cleveland defense without some top targets.

The Browns already routed the Texans 36-22 in Houston on Dec. 24, but that was with Davis Mills under center. But even with Stroud, Cleveland's defense can ride the group to another road win.

Prediction: Browns win.

1. No. 6 Los Angeles Rams at No. 3 Detroit Lions

It's rare to see a matchup between a No. 6 seed and No. 3 seed draw this much attention, and the NFL has not one but two quality showdowns in store. The NFC battle should be the better contest, though, with the streaking 10-7 Rams seeing Matthew Stafford return to Detroit to face the franchise's former, QB Jared Goff.

Goff helped the 12-5 Lions win their first ever NFC North title, and head coach Dan Campbell maximizes the energy from his squad. Expect the Ford Field crowd to be bouncing for a long-awaited home playoff game, but this is the type of matchup that could come down to the better-performing signal caller. And if history is to tell us anything, it might be worth leaning toward Stafford getting the road win than Goff delivering at home, especially because Sean McVay and Co. know their former QB very well.

Prediction: Rams win.