Happy Wednesday, everyone. We're officially three days away from the first playoff action of the NFL season. John Breech is taking the day to prepare himself (and stock up on tiger-themed decorations) for the Bengals' Sunday night showdown. So you've got me, Cody Benjamin, to deliver all the latest from around the NFL.

This is the Pick Six Newsletter. Now let's get to it. (And please, do yourself a favor and make sure you're signed up to receive this newsletter every day! You don't want to miss our daily offerings of everything you need to know around the NFL.)

We've got bold predictions, wild card picks, lots of coaching news, and more:

Ryan Wilson, Tyler Sullivan and John Breech joined Will Brinson on Wednesday's "Pick Six NFL Podcast" to preview every wild card matchup and offer bold predictions for the opening round. Some highlights:

• Sully thinks Daniel Jones is primed to go off against the Vikings, predicting the Giants quarterback will top 400 passing yards while leading an upset of Minnesota on the road: "I think the Vikings are ripe to be plucked. They're fool's gold."
• Regardless of who's at QB for the Dolphins, Wilson thinks Buffalo will roll, forecasting that Dawson Knox will top Tyreek Hill in both receiving yards and touchdowns in the AFC East rematch.
• Breech is betting on a big day for Travis Etienne Jr. in the Jaguars' matchup with the Chargers, suggesting the running back will eclipse 200 yards on the ground as Jacksonville feasts on Brandon Staley's defense.

Catch the entire episode (and subscribe for daily NFL talk) right here.

Pete Prisco is going into the postseason with his head held high, predicting a clean 6-0 sweep of wild card picks. Here's a sampling of his predictions for all of this weekend's action:

• Jaguars 34, Chargers 31: Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence  will both be playing in their first playoff game, but I don't think that will matter. The Jaguars dominated the Chargers in blowing them out in Week 3, but this will be a lot closer. Both passing games should have big days, so it should be a shootout. Look for the Jaguars to make one more big play to win it.
• Giants 30, Vikings 28: These two played on Christmas Eve, and the Vikings needed a 61-yard field goal by Greg Joseph  to win it. The Giants gained 448 yards of offense that day and probably should have won. Now it's a road playoff game, which will be a challenge. Even so, I think Brian Daboll will take advantage of a bad Minnesota defense.
• Cowboys 27, Buccaneers 21: The Cowboys looked awful in losing their finale to the Commanders, but really what were they playing for with the Giants resting players against the  Eagles? Nothing. So erase that game, even if Dak Prescott looked bad. It's easy to sit here and say Tom Brady  will turn it on in the playoffs. But I don't see it. Not against that Cowboys front.

Here's a look at the latest headlines from the coaching cycle:

• Sean McVay allowing assistants to seek other jobs: The Rams coach could be preparing to step away
• Rams OC Liam Coen returns to Kentucky: McVay's top offensive assistant is going back to college
• Commanders fire OC Scott Turner: Ron Rivera's ex-Panthers disciple is out after three seasons
• LaFleur talking to Hackett about reunion: The ex-Broncos coach could return to Green Bay
• Panthers head coach interview tracker: Frank Reich is the latest target on Carolina's radar

Baltimore has been without its star quarterback for a month, with Jackson missing five straight games due to a PCL sprain. And all indications are that Jackson will remain sidelined when the team opens the playoffs against Cincinnati. NFL Media reported Wednesday that the QB faces an "uphill battle" to suit up, because his knee just "isn't quite right," even though he's pushing to return. If Jackson is out, backup Tyler Huntley would be in line to start against Joe Burrow and the Bengals on Sunday.

Every week this season, we've ranked all 32 starting QBs from first to worst. Now, with the postseason around the corner, we've pared down the pecking order to the 14 QBs left on the NFL stage. Here's the rundown entering Super Wild Card Weekend:

1. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
2. Josh Allen (Bills)
3. Joe Burrow (Bengals)
4. Jalen Hurts (Eagles)
5. Justin Herbert (Chargers)
6. Tom Brady (Buccaneers)
7. Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
8. Brock Purdy (49ers)
9. Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)
10. Kirk Cousins (Vikings)
11. Dak Prescott (Cowboys)
12. Daniel Jones (Giants)
13. Geno Smith (Seahawks)
14. Skylar Thompson (Dolphins)

Why Mahomes up top, as opposed to Allen or Burrow, his fellow MVP candidates?

We know the Bengals can beat him, but anyone betting against this man going into the postseason needs to check themselves. All year, we've been saying the same thing: Mahomes sets the standard at QB. How else do you explain a 45-TD season registering so quietly? All four years he's been Andy Reid's starter, the Chiefs  have advanced to the AFC Championship, and the two times they didn't make the Super Bowl, they took the conference title game to overtime. He's fun. He plays free. He makes last-second adjustments few others can. And he does all of it when it matters most.  

Hungry for more headlines? Here are some bonus stories to check out:

• Ravens extend Roquan Smith with $100M deal: He's now the highest-paid LB in NFL history
• Aaron Rodgers trade rumors: Identifying nine potential destinations if the Packers QB moves on
• Cardinals say Kyler Murray will have input on coaching search: The QB has some say now that Kliff Kingsbury is gone
• 2023 QB matchmaker: Projecting landing spots for the top veteran QBs set to be available