The sprint to Super Bowl 59 starts now.
With the NFL regular season wrapping up, 14 teams have punched their ticket to the playoffs and have their sights set on a run. Twelve of them will have to win four games to achieve their ultimate goal, and the journey starts on wild-card weekend.
Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson will be among the stars fighting for their playoff lives just a week after the end of the regular season, while a pair of 14-win teams in the NFC are also at risk of seeing their seasons end if they don’t perform in the wild-card round.
Only two teams are fortunate enough to avoid the opening round of the playoffs, and both will patiently await their divisional-round opponent
Here’s a complete look at the NFL playoff bracket and the wild-card weekend schedule.
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Buffalo Bills (2) vs. Denver Broncos (7)
The Bills quickly dismantled an overmatched Steelers team in the wild-card round last season. Can the Broncos give Buffalo more of a challenge? Playing on the road in Buffalo with everything on the line is a monumental task for a rookie quarterback, but the same can be said about getting to the playoffs at all. Bo Nix powered Denver to a surprise playoff appearance with the help of a powerful pass rush, but the Bills have their sights on finally making a trip back to the Super Bowl and are hoping to make quick work of the Broncos. The good news for both teams: snow isn’t in the forecast, at least for now.
Baltimore Ravens (3) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (6)
If momentum matters, the Steelers are not set up well in the playoffs. Not only has Pittsburgh lost four consecutive games, but the Ravens have also won four in a row and are 12-3 since starting the season 0-2. If the Steelers want to erase the ugliness of the past four weeks, however, there might be no better way than an upset of their bitter AFC North rivals. Pittsburgh has found ways to rein in Lamar Jackson before, but that’s proving to be tougher than ever this season. The Ravens are hoping a win over the Steelers would just serve as a kickstart for the reigning MVP’s long-awaited Super Bowl run.
Houston Texans (4) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (5)
The Chargers made their intentions clear in Week 18: they wanted the No. 5 seed, and they planned to play their starters to get it. It paid off, and Jim Harbaugh’s team will face the reeling Texans in the wild-card round. Houston, down both Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell, finished with the same record as last season but didn’t close out the year nearly as well. Just 4-5 in their last nine games, the Texans are hoping to take the momentum from a Week 18 win over the Titans and protect their home field against a Chargers team with a high-level QB in Justin Herbert and a resurgent defense.
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Philadelphia Eagles (2) vs. Green Bay Packers (7)
Someone’s season will end the same way it began. The Packers and Eagles opened their schedule against each other in Brazil in September, and they meet again in the wild-card round in what will undoubtedly be a chilly Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles cruised through the NFC with 14 wins, but it still wasn’t enough for a bye. Instead, Philadelphia will have to defend home turf and push memories of last season’s collapse out of mind against Jordan Love and a Packers team that knows what it takes to upset a No. 2 seed after last year’s road win over the Cowboys.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3) vs. Washington Commanders (6)
The Buccaneers secured the No. 3 seed with a win and a Rams loss on Sunday, ensuring they will host the Commanders on Wild Card Weekend. Tampa Bay earned a 37-20 win over Washington in Week 1, but Jayden Daniels has come a long way since his NFL debut. The rookie led the Commanders to 12 wins and hasn’t slowed down, proving at multiple points that he is capable of delivering when the lights shine the brightest. Baker Mayfield is 2-0 in the wild-card round, however, and enters the playoffs confident after a hot finish to the season.
Los Angeles Rams (4) vs. Minnesota Vikings (5)
The Rams are the only team other than the Lions to defeat the Vikings this season, winning a game that effectively ended on a controversial non-call of a potential facemask penalty. Still, L.A. played well on both sides of the ball in that game and can lean on that experience against a Vikings team that will have to bounce back from a brutal offensive effort against the Lions in Week 18. Sam Darnold is looking to extend his dream season beyond wild-card weekend, while the Rams are seeking their first trip to the divisional round since their Super Bowl run three years ago.
Here is the complete schedule for Wild Card Weekend, which includes a “Monday Night Football” matchup:
Saturday, January 11
Matchup | Location | Time (ET) | Channel |
Chargers @ Texans | Houston | 4:30 p.m. | CBS |
Steelers @ Ravens | Baltimore | 8 p.m. | Prime |
Sunday, January 12
Matchup | Location | Time (ET) | Channel |
Broncos @ Bills | Buffalo | 1 p.m. | CBS |
Packers @ Eagles | Philadelphia | 4:30 p.m. | FOX |
Commanders @ Buccaneers | Tampa Bay | 8:15 p.m. | NBC, Peacock |
Monday, January 13
Matchup | Location | Time (ET) | Channel |
Vikings @ Rams | Los Angeles | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN, ABC |
Saturday, January 18
Matchup | Location | Time (ET) | Channel |
TBD vs. TBD | TBD | 4:30 p.m. | TBA |
TBD vs. TBD | TBD | 8:15 p.m. | TBA |
Sunday, January 19
Matchup | Location | Time (ET) | Channel |
TBD vs. TBD | TBD | 3 p.m. | TBA |
TBD vs. TBD | TBD | 6 p.m. | TBA |
Sunday, January 26
Matchup | Location | Time (ET) | Channel |
TBD vs. TBD | TBD | 3 p.m. | FOX |
TBD vs. TBD | TBD | 6:30 p.m. | CBS |
Sunday, February 9
Matchup | Location | Time (ET) | Channel |
TBD vs. TBD | Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA | 6:30 p.m. | FOX |
Seed | Team | Record | Clinched |
1. | Kansas City Chiefs | 15-2 | AFC West |
2. | Buffalo Bills | 13-4 | AFC East |
3. | Baltimore Ravens | 12-5 | AFC North |
4. | Houston Texans | 10-7 | AFC South |
5. | Los Angeles Chargers | 11-6 | Wild card |
6. | Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-7 | Wild card |
7. | Denver Broncos | 10-7 | Wild card |
Seed | Team | Record | Clinched |
1. | Detroit Lions | 15-2 | NFC North |
2. | Philadelphia Eagles | 14-3 | NFC East |
3. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 10-7 | NFC South |
4. | Los Angeles Rams | 10-7 | NFC West |
5. | Minnesota Vikings | 14-3 | Wild card |
6. | Washington Commanders | 12-5 | Wild card |
7. | Green Bay Packers | 11-6 | Wild card |
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