The NFL’s Wild Card Weekend matchups are set. They follow a handful of important games on Sunday, Jan. 5 –– the last Sunday of the regular season.
The playoffs start with a pair of AFC games. The first features the Los Angeles Chargers, who clinched three straight games down the stretch, visiting the winners of the AFC South division, the Houston Texans. The two teams haven’t met since the 2022 season. The game airs Saturday, Jan. 11, at 4:30 p.m. EST on CBS.
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The Saturday night matchup will kick off at 8 p.m. EST on Amazon Prime and features an AFC North battle between the division-winning Baltimore Ravens, with a 12-5 record, and the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, who finished 10-7. The teams split their two meetings during the regular season.
The NFL celebrates Wild Card Sunday with a triple-header beginning at 1 p.m. EST in Buffalo between the AFC East champion Bills, with a 13-4 record, and the Denver Broncos, who started the season 1-4. The Broncos made it into the playoffs after a blowout win over Kansas City on Sunday, taking advantage of the Chiefs, who were resting their starters.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was asked about the season coming down to the final game.
“It’s fun to clinch a playoff spot on the last day of the year against a divisional team,” Nix said. “It’s a great story, but now it’s playoff time and our goal wasn’t just to make the playoffs –– even though it hadn’t been done for a while –– it’s for a lot more than that.”
The middle game on Sunday is at 4:30 p.m. EST on Fox and will be played in Philadelphia, where the NFC East champion Eagles will welcome the 11-6 Green Bay Packers. The teams faced off four months ago during the first game of the season in Brazil, of all places. The Eagles won that meeting, 34-29.
The final game on Wild Card Sunday is on NBC at 8 p.m. EST. The Washington Commanders, who finished with 12 wins for the first time in 34 years, will be in Tampa to take on the NFC South champion Buccaneers.
The Bucs needed a comeback win Sunday over the New Orleans Saints to make it into the postseason. “It’s win or go on vacation, and nobody here wanted to go on vacation,” said Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. “This is a tough group, and we knew it was going to be a scrappy ballgame.”
Finally, Wild Card Weekend wraps up at 8 p.m. EST on Monday, Jan. 13, with a showdown in Los Angeles on ABC. The Minnesota Vikings were the first team to finish with 14 wins during a season without winning a division title. They’ll face off against a Rams squad that won a tiebreaker over the Seattle Seahawks to take the NFC West and make it into the playoffs.
The playoffs’ No. 1 seeds, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions, are favorites to meet in the Super Bowl. They’ll both have a week of rest to prepare for the Wild Card survivors.
Tags: Baltimore, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Denver, Detroit, Football, Green Bay Packers, Houston, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles, Minnesota, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders
WILD CARD WEEKEND IS ALL SET WITH THE FINAL TWO SPOTS AND THE TEAMS SEEDING ORDER DETERMINED AFTER A FEW VERY IMPORTANT GAMES ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE REGULAR SEASON.
LETS START ON SATURDAY WITH A PAIR OF AFC MATCHUPS. THE FIRST GAME FEATURES THE LOS ANGELES CHARGERS WHO WON THREE STRAIGHT DOWN THE STRETCH VISITING THE WINNERS OF THE AFC SOUTH, THE HOUSTON TEXANS, THAT GAME CAN BE SEEN ON CBS.
THE SATURDAY EVENING MATCHUP ON AMAZON PRIME IS AN AFC NORTH BATTLE BETWEEN THE DIVISION WINNING BALTIMORE RAVENS AT 12-5 AND THE RIVAL PITTSBURGH STEELERS WHO FINISHED 10-7.
ON SUNDAY THE AFC CONTINUES WITH A MATCHUP IN BUFFALO BETWEEN THE AFC EAST CHAMPION BILLS AT 13-4 AND THE DENVER BRONCOS WHO STARTED THE SEASON 1-4 AND MADE IT INTO THE PLAYOFFS AFTER A BLOWOUT WIN OVER KANSAS CITY ON SUNDAY.
“It’s fun to clinch a playoff spot on the last day of the year against a divisional team. It’s a great story but now it’s playoff time and our goal wasn’t just to make the playoffs even though it hadn’t been done for a while, it’s for a lot more than that so”
THE MIDDLE GAME SUNDAY IS ON FOX AND WILL BE PLAYED IN PHILADELPHIA WHERE THE NFC EAST CHAMPION EAGLES WILL WELCOME THE 11-6 GREEN BAY PACKERS. THE TWO TEAMS FACED OFF FOUR MONTHS AGO IN THE FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON IN OF ALL PLACES, BRAZIL. THE EAGLES WON THAT GAME 34-29
AND THE FINAL GAME ON WILD CARD SUNDAY IS ON NBC, THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS WHO GOT TO 12 WINS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 34 YEARS WILL BE IN TAMPA TO TAKE ON THE NFC SOUTH CHAMPION BUCCANEERS WHO NEEDED A COMEBACK WIN SUNDAY TO MAKE IT IN.
“It’s win or go on vacation and nobody here wanted to go on vacation. This is a tough group and we knew it was going to be a scrappy ballgame”
WILD CARD WEEKEND WRAPS UP ON MONDAY WITH A SHOWDOWN IN LOS ANGELES BETWEEN THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS, THE FIRST TEAM WITH 14 WINS IN A SEASON THAT DID NOT WIN THEIR DIVISION, AGAINST THE RAMS WHO WON A TIEBREAKER OVER THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS TO TAKE THE NFC WEST.
THAT GAME WILL AIR ON ABC
THE TWO NUMBER ONE SEEDS, THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AND THE DETROIT LIONS ARE THE FAVORITES TO MEET IN THE SUPER BOWL, THEY’LL BOTH HAVE A WEEK OF REST TO GET READY FOR THE WILD CARD SURVIVORS. MUCH MORE TO COME ON THE MATCHUPS AS WE GET CLOSER TO KICKOFF.
FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M CHRIS FRANCIS
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