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The first weekend of the NFL Playoffs is now set. Here are the matchups and how to watch
Wild Card Weekend for the 2023-2024 NFL Playoffs is now set.
Following a chaotic final weekend of the 2023 NFL regular season, we finally know who is in, who is out, and who will be playing who on Wild Card Weekend. Despite getting out to an 8-3 start, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be watching along with the rest of us, as they were eliminated on the final Sunday of the regular season. Despite having two picks in the top five of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans will be playing, having not just clinched a playoff spot, but having won the AFC South.
Here is the schedule for Wild Card Weekend, along with television information, start times, the bracket, and more for each matchup.
NFL.com
Saturday, January 13, 2024
Cleveland Browns (5) at Houston Texans (4)
4:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock
If you said ahead of the season that Joe Flacco would be leading the Cleveland Browns into Houston to take on C.J. Stroud and the Texans on Wild Card Weekend, well, then your name is Biff Tannen and you traveled ahead in time to obtain a future edition of Grays Sports Almanac and are now cashing in on those bets.
Because let’s be honest: Nobody saw this coming. But it might be the most fascinating game of the entire weekend, and it gets the whole party started.
Miami Dolphins (6) at Kansas City Chiefs (3)
8:15 p.m. ET, Peacock
This game is exclusive to the Peacock streaming service. For more on Peacock and how to watch the NFL on the service, we have you covered here.
A few weeks ago the Miami Dolphins were up 14 points with two minutes left against the Tennessee Titans. Had they won that game, the Dolphins would have moved to 10-3 on the season, and been three games clear of the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East.
However, they blew that lead against the Titans, as well as the lead in the division. Instead of being at home this weekend, the Dolphins are facing a trip to Arrowhead, where early weather reports indicate temperatures in perhaps the single digits.
As for the Chiefs, it has not been pretty this season, and they might have more questions than answers at the moment. But they get at least one more home playoff game this season, and with most of their starters having rested in Week 18, they should be in good shape for this one.
Sunday, January 14, 2024
Pittsburgh Steelers (7) at Buffalo Bills (2)
1:00 p.m. ET, CBS/Paramount+
Coming down the stretch the Buffalo Bills looked like the “proverbial team nobody wants to face” in the AFC playoffs.
They just needed to get into the postseason first.
Well, the Bills accomplished dthat on Sunday, thanks to the Jaguars’ loss to the Titans. Then, with their own win over the Dolphins the Bills locked up the division for the fourth-straight season. Now they’ll get to be at home for at least their first two playoff games, provided they get past the Pittsburgh Steelers first.
As for the Steelers, despite a dismal two-game stretch where they lost to the Patriots and the Cardinals, and with third-string QB Mason Rudolph at the helm, Mike Tomlin and company are in the dance with a puncher’s chance. But in all likelihood they will be without T.J. Watt after the knee injury he suffered in the season finale.
Green Bay Packers (7) at Dallas Cowboys (2)
4:30 p.m. ET, FOX
This is another game filled with some fascinating angles. You have Mike McCarthy coaching against his old team, and you also have the Green Bay Packers, the youngest team in the field and the fifth-youngest playoff team in NFL history. Add in their playoff history and you have the makings for another fascinating game. These two teams have squared off eight times in the playoffs, with each organization having won four games.
Someone is winning a fifth next weekend.
Los Angeles Rams (6) at Detroit Lions (3)
8:15 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock
Talk about a narrative game.
Matthew Stafford versus his old team. Jared Goff against his old team. The first Detroit Lions home playoff game since 1993, and the first-ever playoff game at Ford Field. Dan Campbell versus Sean McVay. There is no shortage of storylines for this one.
Monday, January 15, 2024
Philadelphia Eagles (5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4)
8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2
It has not been the best end to the season for the Philadelphia Eagles. After getting out to a 10-1 record, Philadelphia limped down the stretch to finish 11-6, having lost five of their final six games. They opened as slight favorites over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at DraftKings, despite having to travel for that game, but with the way the Eagles are playing right now, we might see that number move.
Oh, and Baker Mayfield in a home playoff game for the first time in his career? That sounds like fun.
