The NFL regular season concluded with an exciting game between the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins, who lost their Divisional lead and will now face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wildcard round. The playoffs begin on Saturday the 13th, on the road to Super Bowl LVIII. Despite the absence of favorites, the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC and the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC, the Wildcard phase promises attractive games and classic NFC duels, such as the Cowboys hosting the Packers.
The first Wildcard round of the playoffs will feature the Browns at Texans on Saturday, January 13 at 4:30 p.m. (ET). This even matchup will see two surprise teams of the season competing for a ticket to the Divisional Round. The Texans, who were the worst team in the NFL in 2022, arrive as the AFC South champions and will rely on CJ Stroud to lead their offense against the spectacular Browns’ defense.
The Dolphins will face the Chiefs on Saturday, January 13 at 8:00 p.m. (ET). The Chiefs, who had a shaky season, will try to defend their championship and return to the Super Bowl. However, they barely qualified as third in the seeding and face the challenge of winning on the road, possibly in Baltimore. The Dolphins, who struggle against teams with winning records and in cold weather, will be a tough opponent for the Chiefs.
On Sunday, January 14 at 1 p.m. (ET), the Steelers will face the Bills. The Bills closed the playoffs with a great victory and took the AFC East from the Dolphins, becoming a tough opponent in the Conference. The Steelers arrive with serious doubts on offense and without their defensive leader, TJ Watt.
One of the great playoff classics, the Packers at Cowboys, will be the most attractive game of the Wildcard weekend on Sunday, January 14 at 2:30 p.m. (ET). The Cowboys seek revenge against the Packers, who eliminated them in the 2014 Divisional round and left them on the ground in Dak Prescott’s introductory season. This will be the first time the Packers play without Aaron Rodgers in almost two decades.
The Rams will face the Lions on Sunday, January 14 at 8:00 p.m. (ET). Matthew Stafford returns to Detroit, but now as a rival. The Rams had a great second half of the season, while the Lions were one of the pleasant surprises of the season, winning their first divisional title in three decades. Lions passer Jared Goff will be looking for professional revenge against the team that snubbed him after drafting him as an overall Pick 1 in 2016.
Finally, on Monday, January 15 at 8:00 p.m. (ET), the defending NFC champions, the Buccaneers, will face the Eagles on Monday Night Football during the playoffs. The Buccaneers had a better close to winning the NFC South, while the Eagles lost their quarterback, Jalen Hurts, with a dislocated finger and their leading receiver, AJ Brown, with a knee injury in their last game of the season against the Giants.
