Super Wild Card Weekend: Which teams have the best chance to reach Super Bowl 58?
Welcome to Super Wild Card Weekend! Which teams playing this weekend have the best chance to reach Super Bowl 58?
Let's take a brief look at the matchups (listed chronologically for your convenience):
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans (Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC) — The Texans, led by a rookie head coach and quarterback, are in the playoffs for the first time since the 2019 season. The Browns are hoping the playoff experience of 38-year-old veteran quarterback Joe Flacco can help push this team past Houston.
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs (Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on Peacock) — Bundle up, this is going to be a cold one, with temperatures possibly dipping into the single digits. This is just the latest obstacle that the injury-marred Dolphins will need to overcome in order to achieve the franchise's first playoff win since the 2000 season.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills (Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS) — Behind third-string quarterback Mason Rudolph, the Steelers surged into the playoffs with a three-game winning streak to end the season. The Bills' late-season surge propelled Buffalo into the AFC's No. 2 playoff seed. In each of these two teams' prior playoff meetings, the winner has advanced to the Super Bowl.
Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys (Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX) — This matchup oozes with playoff history, from the iconic Ice Bowl to Dez Bryant's non-catch. The Packers bring a youthful squad into this one, with quarterback Jordan Love doing something that Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre could not do … lead Green Bay to the postseason in his first season as starting quarterback. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy faces his former team, which he led to a Super Bowl victory at AT&T Stadium, which will host Sunday's wild-card game. The Cowboys go into this one riding a 16-game home winning streak.
Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions (Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC) — Matthew Stafford returns to Detroit to face his former team, which is quarterbacked by Jared Goff, who led the Rams to a Super Bowl. The Lions are hosting their first home playoff game since the 1993 season and are seeking just their second playoff win since the 1957 NFL championship game. The Rams enter this playoff game having won seven of their last eight games.
Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN) — The defending NFC champion Eagles limp into this game having lost five of their last six games, basically handing the NFC East division title to the rival Cowboys. Things have gotten so bad in Philly that it's being suggested that head coach Nick Sirianni has his job on the line. It might be hard to believe, but the Buccaneers have the NFC's longest active playoff appearance streak at four.
➤ Paste BN Sports' wild-card playoff predictions
➤ Longest playoff droughts | Longest playoff win droughts
What a 24 hours it was for legendary coaches moving on
The cavalcade of coaching news started Wednesday when Pete Carroll's 14-year run as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks came to an end, continued with the retirement of Nick Saban and then on Thursday morning Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots revealed they were parting ways after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles together.
The 2024 football season will not be the same with Carroll (presumably) and Saban not on the sidelines and Belichick possibly coaching another team.
- Coaching trees: Bill Belichick | Nick Saban
- Mike Freeman: Nick Saban as a college coach? Unmatched. The NFL? Different story.
- Jarrett Bell: Bill Belichick's glaring blemish was failing to win without Tom Brady
- Nancy Armour: Think Bill Belichick is retiring? Here's why I think he won't
- Nate Davis: Ranking NFL's eight* open head coaching jobs as Patriots join field
➤ PHOTOS: Bill Belichick's coaching career
NFL news, notes and analysis
- Ranking NFL playoff teams by viability: For the 14 squads still standing, the Lombardi Trophy is still a viable goal. Which teams have the most realistic shot at winning Super Bowl 58 on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas?
- One team needs to break model with major coaching move: It will be interesting to see how the Falcons – who will certainly be in the market for a quarterback, via free agency, the draft or by both means – proceed in this regard, Jarrett Bell writes.
- Which NFL teams would be best fits for Jim Harbaugh? The national championship-winning coach seems likely to command significant NFL interest, but which team is the best fit?
- 2024 NFL draft first-round order: Selections Nos. 1-18 are set following the conclusion of the regular season.
- Mock draft: This latest projection has four quarterbacks being selected in the top 13 picks.
Talkin' football 🗣
- It's a Football Podcast: Paste BN Sports NFL insiders Safid Deen and Tyler Dragon dish on the latest hot topics surrounding the league. This week's podcast looks ahead to the playoffs and the coaching carousel.
- NFL Facebook group: Run a post route to The Ruling Off the Field 🏈 to engage in friendly debate and conversation with football fans 🏟.
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