NFL Playoff Picture: Wild Card Weekend set
The NFL playoff field is set.
The league announced the official schedule for this year's Wild Card Weekend on Sunday with Saturday's slate comprising two games.
AFC
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| (5) Chargers at (4) Texans | Saturday | 4:30 p.m. | CBS |
| (6) Steelers at (3) Ravens | Saturday | 8 p.m. | Prime Video |
| (7) Broncos at (2) Bills | Sunday | 1 p.m. | CBS |
The Denver Broncos will travel to Buffalo to face the Bills in the wild-card round after taking care of business at home against the Kansas City Chiefs to clinch the AFC's final playoff spot. It's Denver's first postseason appearance since its 2015 Super Bowl campaign. Buffalo, trying to get over its playoff hump and make a title run, rested its main starters in the regular-season finale with the AFC's 2-seed already locked up.
The Los Angeles Chargers took advantage of the Pittsburgh Steelers' late-season skid to set up a wild-card matchup against the Houston Texans that looks more favorable than Pittsburgh's playoff tilt versus the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers have lost four straight and dropped to the No. 6 seed after the Chargers defeated the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
Pittsburgh and Baltimore split their regular-season series, but the Ravens blew out the Steelers in their most recent meeting in December.
As the No. 1 seed, the Chiefs will rest next week and have home-field advantage.
AFC playoff standings
| Seed | Team | Division | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chiefs | West | 15-2 |
| 2 | Bills | East | 13-4 |
| 3 | Ravens | North | 12-5 |
| 4 | Texans | South | 10-7 |
| 5 | Chargers | West | 11-6 |
| 6 | Steelers | North | 10-7 |
| 7 | Broncos | West | 10-7 |
NFC
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| (7) Packers at (2) Eagles | Sunday | 4:30 p.m. | Fox |
| (6) Commanders at (3) Buccaneers | Sunday | 8 p.m. | NBC |
| (5) Vikings at (4) Rams | Monday | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
The Detroit Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings in the highly anticipated Sunday Night Football finale, securing home-field advantage and a first-round playoff bye. Meanwhile, Minnesota advances as the 5-seed to visit the Los Angeles Rams, who fell to the No. 4 seed after resting their starters in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Philadelphia Eagles will host the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round after Green Bay lost to the Chicago Bears on Sunday and finished as the 7-seed. Philly beat the New York Giants on Sunday without most of its starters. Green Bay's main players started versus Chicago, but the club saw wide receiver Christian Watson and quarterback Jordan Love sustain knee and elbow injuries, respectively.
The Washington Commanders - who beat the Dallas Cowboys to guarantee their No. 6 spot - will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round. Washington lost to Tampa Bay in the wild-card round when the NFC East team last reached the postseason during the 2020 campaign. The Bucs clinched their playoff berth Sunday by defeating the New Orleans Saints and winning the South for a fourth straight season.
The Eagles took down the Packers 34-29 in Brazil earlier this campaign, while the Bucs beat the Commanders 37-20 to kick off their regular season.
NFC playoff standings
| Seed | Team | Division | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lions | North | 15-2 |
| 2 | Eagles | East | 14-3 |
| 3 | Buccaneers | South | 10-7 |
| 4 | Rams | West | 10-7 |
| 5 | Vikings | North | 14-3 |
| 6 | Commanders | East | 12-5 |
| 7 | Packers | North | 11-6 |