The NFL playoffs are finally here, and the road to New Orleans begins with Wild Card Weekend. The Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions will get a well-deserved bye week to scout their future opponents, while the No. 7-No. 2 seeds will do battle on the field.
To some, this is the best weekend of the year, as we get a total of six playoff games to watch on Saturday and Sunday. Which games are you looking forward to the most? Below we will rank the six Wild Card Weekend matchups coming this week.
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
Jim Harbaugh begins his playoff journey in H-Town, and it’s safe to say he’s found immediate success with the Chargers. Brandon Staley’s defense ranked No. 24 in scoring last year. Harbaugh’s unit ranks No. 1 exiting the regular season (17.7 points allowed per game). The Chargers went 8-1 vs. teams .500 or worse this year. Unfortunately for Justin Herbert and Co., you won’t find those in the postseason.
With that being said, the Texans have struggled as of late. Houston lost by eight points to the Chiefs in Week 16, and then were blown out by the Baltimore Ravens on their home field on Christmas, 31-2. C.J. Stroud is down two of his top receivers in Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell, so can a rested Diontae Johnson potentially be a difference-maker for this offense down the stretch?
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
Congrats to the Broncos, who drafted a franchise quarterback in Bo Nix, and made the playoffs for the first time since their Super Bowl 50 victory. Their reward? A trip to Buffalo to take on the likely NFL MVP, who captains a team that is undefeated at home this season.
The Broncos defense will be key in this matchup. Denver’s ‘D’ led the NFL with 63 sacks this year, but has been allowing plenty of points as of late. Ignoring the win over the Chiefs’ backups on Sunday, the Broncos have allowed 27.3 points per game in their last four outings, compared to 16.8 points allowed per game in the first 12 games. This defense has difference-makers at all three levels with guys like Zach Allen, Cody Barton and Patrick Surtain II, but containing Josh Allen on his home turf will be tough.
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
An AFC North rematch. This is the first playoff game ever between a team on a four-game winning streak and a team on a four-game losing streak. Trending in opposite directions. The Steelers and Ravens split their meetings in the regular season, with Pittsburgh pulling out an 18-16 defensive win at home in Week 11, and then the Ravens got revenge in the form of a 34-17 beatdown in Week 16.
We could talk about Russell Wilson’s struggling unit taking on an improved Ravens defense, but this game is really about the Ravens offense vs. the Steelers defense. The Ravens are the first team in NFL history to rack up 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in a single season, and set an NFL-record for yards per rush with 5.76! Can the Steelers defense contain Lamar Jackson and this red-hot attack?
Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET (Fox and fubo, try for free)
A rematch from the Week 1 Friday night game in Brazil, when we thought Jordan Love suffered a serious knee injury that would threaten his 2024 campaign. The Packers were a popular preseason Super Bowl pick. They haven’t lived up to the hype, going 1-5 in division play, but Green Bay is 11-6 overall, and has made the big dance.
The Packers didn’t end the regular season on a high note, allowing the Chicago Bears to defeat them for the first time in 12 meetings. Love left the game with a right elbow injury in the second quarter, while Christian Watson was carted off with a knee injury. Speaking of injuries, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts missed the last two starts due to a concussion, but he will likely be back in the lineup along with the rest of his well-rested playmakers such as Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The Packers entered Week 18 with the No. 7 rush defense in the NFL, and containing Barkley will be key. When Green Bay played Philly in Week 1, Barkley scored three total touchdowns.
The last time the Eagles won 14 games, they went to the Super Bowl. What can they do this time around?
Sunday, 8 p.m. ET (Fox and fubo, try for free)
Maybe this matchup doesn’t immediately jump off the page to you, but it has the potential to be the game of the week. The last time these two teams faced off was in the season opener in Tampa Bay. Jayden Daniels looked super raw in a 37-20 loss, but he did rush for two touchdowns. It’s fair to say he looks like a completely different player these days. The LSU product is one of just two rookies all-time to win 10 games, throw for 4,000 yards and account for 30 total touchdowns. The other is Bo Nix.
The Commanders are seeking their first playoff win since 2005, which is the third-longest active drought in the NFL. A key matchup to watch is Marshon Lattimore vs. Mike Evans. The former New Orleans Saints cornerback was dealt to Washington at the trade deadline, but has played in just two games for his new team due to a lingering hamstring injury. I probably don’t have to remind you about the Lattimore-Evans rivalry.
Fans of both teams should be worried about their defenses. Washington allowed the Dallas Cowboys to rack up 378 yards of total offense and forced zero turnovers from the inexperienced Trey Lance, while the Buccaneers faced a double-digit deficit at halftime to the lowly Saints on Sunday.
There won’t be much money thrown on the Commanders or Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl this year, but this wild-card matchup has the potential to be one of the best of the week. It’s a historically good rookie quarterback in Daniels vs. Baker Mayfield, who just became the fourth player in NFL history to throw 40 touchdowns while completing 70% of his passes in a season.
Monday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN and fubo, try for free)
This game has fireworks potential as well. Matthew Stafford’s offense can be one of the most dangerous in the league when it’s clicking, and that offense gets to face off against Brian Flores’ aggressive group. Beautiful.
Kyren Williams scored a whopping 31 touchdowns this season, Puka Nacua’s 88.4 career receiving yards per game ranks second in NFL history and then there’s old reliable, Cooper Kupp. While the Rams no longer have Aaron Donald, this young defensive front is fun to watch. Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske registered eight sacks apiece this season, Byron Young was right behind them with seven and then likely Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse picked up 4.5 sacks. The Vikings offensive line allowed plenty of pressure on Sam Darnold in Week 18. This group can wreak havoc if you let them.
The Vikings laid an egg in Detroit on Sunday night, which is definitely worrisome, but we’ve seen this offense dice up defenses before. Darnold had a career year in Kevin O’Connell’s scheme, and he has some pretty incredible weapons to utilize in Aaron Jones, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. Take the Over in this one.
