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NFL fans will get six rematches on Wild Card Weekend
The NFL playoff field is now set, and NFL fans can look ahead to six rematches over the course of Wild Card Weekend.
The AFC rounded out the playoff field on Sunday afternoon, with the Miami Dolphins clinching the seventh seed in the conference thanks to their victory over the New York Jets, coupled with the New England Patriots’ loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The final spot in the NFC came down to the final game of the season, when the Green Bay Packers hosted the Detroit Lions. Thanks to their win earlier in the day, the Seattle Seahawks clinched the final spot in the NFC when Jared Goff and company knocked off the Packers in the final game of the regular season.
Also this weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the top spots in the AFC and the NFC, respectively, meaning those two teams will be home next weekend watching the fun along with the rest of us.
With the field set, the NFL released the schedule for Wild Card Weekend.
Here is the schedule:
Saturday, January 14
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Seattle Seahawks (#7) at San Francisco 49ers (#2): 4:30 p.m. ET, FOX
The playoffs kick off with a division rivalry game. NFC West rivals meet again, as the Seattle Seahawks travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers for the third time this season. The two teams met back in Week 2, in a game that saw Trey Lance suffer a season-ending injury, opening the door for the return of Jimmy Garoppolo. While the Seahawks won that game by a final score of 27-7, things would be much different in their next meeting. In Week 15, the 49ers came out top by a final score of 21-13, with rookie Brock Purdy at the helm.
Who will get the better of things in the rubber match?
Los Angeles Chargers (#5) at Jacksonville Jaguars (#4): 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC
As with the other AFC playoff games, this too is a rematch from the regular season. While the other two games feature division rivals squaring off for the third time this season, the meeting between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars is a rematch of a Week 3 game that saw the visiting Jaguars knock off the Chargers by a final score of 38-10.
In that meeting Trevor Lawrence got the better of Justin Herbert, completing 28 of 39 passes for 262 yards and 3 touchdowns, without an interception.
Sunday, January 15
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Miami Dolphins (#7) at Buffalo Bills (#2): 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS
This will be the third meeting of the season between these AFC East rivals. The Dolphins won the first meeting back in Week 3 by a final score of 21-19, in a game that featured the infamous “Butt Punt.” Buffalo won the rematch at home in Week 15, by a final score of 32-29. A major storyline in this game will be the health of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who missed the last two games for Miami after being placed in the concussion protocol.
New York Giants (#6) at Minnesota Vikings (#3): 4:30 p.m. ET, FOX
One of the most surprising stories of the 2022 NFL regular season was the success from the New York Giants. While new general manager Joe Schoen tried to manage expectations before the season, instead of piling up the losses as many expected, instead the Giants kept winning. Their reward is a rematch with the Minnesota Vikings, who defeated the Giants back in Week 16 on a 61-yard field goal from Greg Joseph on the final play of the game.
Baltimore Ravens (#6) at Cincinnati Bengals (#3): 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC
The Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals will meet for the third time this season, and for the second time in as many weeks. While the location of this meeting did not come down to a coin flip, thanks to the Bengals’ win over the Ravens in the season finale, it will be the rubber match between these two AFC North rivals. While Cincinnati won on Sunday, it was the Ravens who won their first meeting this season, thanks to a last-second field goal from Justin Tucker.
The health of quarterback Lamar Jackson will be a huge storyline leading up to this game. Jackson has not played since suffering a knee injury against the Denver Broncos back in Week 13.
Monday, January 16
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Dallas Cowboys (#5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (#2): 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
In what seems like years ago, Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers square off with the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas. On that night, Tom Brady and the visitors got the better of Dak Prescott and the Cowboys, with Tampa Bay winning by a final score of 19-3.
Things have changed since then. The Buccaneers managed to get into the playoffs with a losing record, while the Cowboys could have finished as high as the top seed in the NFC before their loss on Sunday to the Washington Commanders.
