All the 'Super Wild Card Weekend' essentials you need: NFL playoffs kick off with intriguing matchups
It's "Super Wild Card Weekend" ... and we're looking forward to three days of NFL playoff football.
Paste BN Sports experts weigh in on the six-pack of wild-card action:
- Ranking all 14 playoff teams based on Super Bowl viability.
- Watchability rankings: Helping you prioritize which wild-card games to watch.
Super Wild Card Weekend matchups
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET)
- Mr. Irrelevant? More like Mr. Relevant, amirite? Rookie QB Brock Purdy is ready for his first playoff game.
- Thanks in part to QB Geno Smith's comeback season, the Seahawks are in the playoffs for the 10th time in Pete Carroll’s 13 seasons as head coach, and the 15th time in the past 20 seasons overall.
Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars (Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET)
- The Chargers are making just their second playoff appearance since 2013, and this is the first postseason appearance for QB Justin Herbert and Brandon Staley as a head coach.
- Second-year QB Trevor Lawrence helped a worst-to-first turnaround in Jacksonville, which is in the playoffs for the first time since losing the AFC championship game against the Patriots during the 2017 season.
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
- With good news surrounding Damar Hamlin happening seemingly every day, the Bills aim to continue their dominance of the Dolphins (Buffalo has won eight of the last nine against Miami, with that one loss coming earlier this season).
- Tua Tagovailoa will not play, which means the Dolphins' playoff hopes likely ride on rookie QB Skylar Thompson, who was selected 15 picks before the 49ers' Brock Purdy in the 2022 NFL draft.
New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings (Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET)
- The Giants and Vikings – who are both led by rookie head coaches – are two of the seven teams in the field that did not make the playoffs last season.
- Only five quarterbacks have won playoff games for the Giants during the Super Bowl era – Eli Manning, Kerry Collins, Phil Simms, Jeff Hostetler and Scott Brunner. Daniel Jones looks to become the sixth.
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, 8:15 p.m. ET)
- With Lamar Jackson likely out and backup Tyler Huntley limited in practice, undrafted rookie Anthony Brown could start at quarterback for the Ravens.
- Bengals QB Joe Burrow had two of this three least-productive games this season against the Ravens.
Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET)
- The Cowboys led the NFL with 33 takeaways and is the first team since the 1972-74 Pittsburgh Steelers to lead the league in that category in consecutive seasons.
- Tom Brady has won the Super Bowl every other year in a streak that dates back to the 2014 season.
NFL news, notes and analysis
- Jerry Jones unplugged: The Cowboys owner sat down with Paste BN Sports' Jarrett Bell for an extended interview that touched on Dan Snyder, that 1957 North Little Rock photo and the Super Bowl.
- Data sheds new light on Rooney Rule catch-22: Paste BN compiled data on NFL head coach interviews and hires during the Rooney Rule era.
- Pursuit of Sean Payton an accidental barometer for NFL diversity efforts: Nearly a year since Brian Flores filed a landmark lawsuit, questions persist regarding "sham" interviews for NFL coaches, with Payton top of mind.
- Ranking NFL's five* open head coaching jobs: Nate Davis evaluates which teams have the most attractive openings.
- NFL selects neutral site for potential AFC championship location: And the winner is .... Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
- NFL reveals skills competitions for 2023 Pro Bowl: Who's ready for dodgeball, a golf ball longest-drive contest and a quarterback passing challenge?
- Ranking the teams eligible for HBO's 'Hard Knocks': There are only four teams that can be chosen, so which would be the most intriguing?
2023 NFL draft: Mock and more
- Mock draft 1.0: Three quarterbacks go in the top 10 of our initial first-round projection.
- Can Georgia's Stetson Bennett make it in the NFL? The Georgia QB, and offensive MVP of the Bulldogs' overwhelming victory over TCU in the College Football Playoff national championship, will face doubters heading into the pros.
- First non-QBs off the board: The Chicago Bears own the No. 1 pick, but don't have a pressing need at quarterback, so which players might they be looking at for the top pick?
- Draft film room: Alabama QB Bryce Young | Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud | Florida QB Anthony Richardson | Kentucky QB Will Levis | Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker
NFL playoff schedule
WILD CARD WEEKEND
Saturday
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers, 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC)
Sunday
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings, 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC)
Monday
Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC, ESPN2)
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS
Saturday, Jan. 21
TBD at TBD (FOX)
TBD at TBD (NBC)
Sunday, Jan. 22
TBD at TBD (CBS)
TBD at TBD (FOX)
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sunday, Jan. 29
NFC championship game, 3:05 p.m. ET (FOX)
AFC championship game, 6:40 p.m. ET (CBS)
SUPER BOWL 57
Feb. 12
AFC winner vs. NFC winner, State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (FOX)
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