The NFC kicks off the action on Sunday as the Los Angeles Rams (No. 4 seed) take on the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 2 seed) at Lincoln Financial Field. This is a rematch of the Week 12 37-20 Eagles win that came in Los Angeles. 

These teams enter with different expectations. The Eagles are a powerhouse looking to get over the hump. The Rams are young across its defense but have Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay pulling the strings of a red-hot team. 

The winner will either play the Lions in Detroit, or face the Commanders at their own home field.

Our A to Z Sports writing staff has submitted their predictions for this NFC showdown. Below, you can view those predictions.

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Nick Roesch's prediction

Eagles 24, Rams 14

The decision by Rams coach Sean McVay to rest his starters in Week 18 paid off as they dominated the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round. Not counting that game, Los Angeles has won its last six. 

However, the Rams remain a tough team to get a bead on. Their offense was dominant in matchups against the Vikings and Buffalo Bills but only scored 12 and 13 points against the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals respectively.

Los Angeles will now play on a short week in Philadelphia, where there is going to be arctic-like weather conditions. The Eagles’ defense has been the best in the NFL all season long, ranking first against the pass and in total yards allowed, as well as second in points surrendered. 

Offensively, Philadelphia always leans heavily on star running back Saquon Barkley but should even more so with the weather expectations. The Rams have been subpar against the run this year, allowing the fifth-most yards per carry among all teams. The Eagles are simply a bad matchup for the Rams, and the game being played in Philadelphia is the final nail in the coffin.

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John Sheeran's prediction

Eagles 23, Rams 15

I love playoff matchups like these. The Rams have the superior head coach-quarterback tandem with Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford, and the Eagles are equal or better basically everywhere else, including home field advantage and a possible snowy field. 

It’s hard to see the Rams’ pass rush matter much if Saquon Barkley has a literal snow day behind the Eagles’ offensive line. I gotta go birds because of that, but if the weather clears, I wouldn’t want to pick against the better QB.

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Kelsey Kramer's prediction

Eagles 27, Rams 22

The Rams are not the same team that the Eagles played in Week 12. But the same can be said for the Birds. Both teams' defenses have taken a major step in perfecting how they attacked and shut down opposing offenses. 

The only difference here is that there are little to no holes in Philly's. It's cliche to say, but defense wins championships. And the Eagles' defense is overall a lot better than LA's, especially when it comes to forcing game-changing turnovers. 

 The Rams will put up a good fight but I see Nick Sirianni staying undefeated against Sean McVay and the Birds advancing to the NFC Championship.

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Ian Valentino's prediction

Eagles 27, Rams 17

This will be a game won and lost in the trenches. The Rams have the pass-rushing talent to compete and give Jalen Hurts some hell, but nothing else is consistent enough to have confidence in. The Eagles' pass-rush is a massive problem for a Rams offensive line that has been playing under its talent level for much of the year. 

Barring a sudden breakout from Cooper Kupp, this won't be an especially close game.