Correction: An earlier version of this file listed an incorrect opponent for the Texans.
The NFL playoffs began with 14 teams in contention for Super Bowl LVIII this February in Las Vegas. After the wild card round, eight teams remain, with four games spread out over two days in the NFL playoffs’ divisional round.
The four games feature three rematches from the regular season. The first game of the weekend is in the AFC with the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens taking on the No. 4 seed Houston Texans. The two teams met in the season opener with the Ravens winning 25-9 behind a trio of rushing touchdowns.
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A lot has changed since then with Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud emerging as the Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite and the Texans rallying to a division title. Baltimore’s stayed roughly as dominant as shown in Week 1 with an NFL-best 13 wins in the regular season behind the top scoring defense and MVP favorite Lamar Jackson at quarterback.
Once that game wraps up, the most storied rivalry in NFL playoff history adds a new chapter: the NFC’s top-seeded San Francisco 49ers host the No. 7-seeded Green Bay Packers. This is the 10th time the two teams will meet in the playoffs, more than any other matchup in NFL history. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan gave Packers coach Matt LaFleur his first NFL coaching job in Houston 15 years ago. Now, the two will face off in the playoffs for the third time in the last five seasons.
Here’s what you need to know about the Texans-Ravens and Packers-49ers games on Saturday.
How to watch Saturday’s games
The Texans and Ravens kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ABC. The game will also be streaming on ESPN+ and NFL+. Green Bay kicks off against San Francisco at 8:15 p.m. ET on FOX and streaming on the Fox Sports app as well as NFL+.
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Houston made the playoffs this season for the first time since 2019 but were dominant in the wild card round. Cleveland managed a 14-10 lead early in the second quarter but Stroud and the Texans scored 35 unanswered points to put the game away convincingly. Two passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown, and a pair of pick-sixes sealed the win. Stroud became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game in the 45-14 rout.
When these two teams met in Week 1, it was more of a defensive struggle than the 25-9 final score may convey. Jackson had just 207 total yards and lost a fumble. The defenses combined for nine total sacks and three takeaways.
Many of Baltimore’s starters rested in Week 18 so they’re coming into Saturday’s matchup with two weeks of rest. Former All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews could return to make the Ravens’ fourth-ranked scoring offense even more dangerous at home.
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This is the only game of the weekend that isn’t a rematch from the regular season but there’s still plenty of intrigue.
These teams most recently met in the divisional round of the 2021 NFL playoffs. San Francisco won that snow-filled game 13-10 on a last-second field goal to take down the top-seeded Packers. Two years earlier, the 49ers ran over Green Bay 37-20 to win the NFC championship game.
Green Bay dominated the Dallas Cowboys in the wild card round to hand the Cowboys their first home loss of the season. Quarterback Jordan Love and the offense are playing their best football of the season with three consecutive 400-yard performances. The defense scored twice last week and tallied four sacks.
San Francisco hasn’t had a bye week in the playoffs since that Super Bowl run in 2019. Like the Ravens, many of their starters have had two weeks off thanks to resting in Week 18. The 49ers are the only team remaining in the NFL playoffs to boast both a top-three scoring offense and scoring defense from the regular season.
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How to watch Sunday’s games
The NFC kicks off Sunday’s action with the Buccaneers and Lions starting at 3:00 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock and NFL+. The Bills and Chiefs game finishes off the divisional round with kick off set for 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ and NFL+.
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Tampa Bay was in control for most of the wild card round finale last Monday night. The Buccaneers’ 32-9 win over the Philadelphia Eagles was quarterback Baker Mayfield‘s second-best game of the season. Mayfield completed 22 of 36 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns. The defense held Philadelphia scoreless in the second half and 0-for-9 on third down in the win.
Detroit’s win over Los Angeles in the wild card round marked the franchise’s first postseason win since 1991. After scoring 21 points in the first half, the Lions’ field goal with 8:41 left in the third quarter was all they needed to win. Quarterback Jared Goff had a season-best completion percentage (81.5%) as the Lions offense picked up key first downs to secure the win.
These two teams met in Week 6 of the regular season and Detroit controlled the contest en route to a 20-6 win. Tampa Bay’s offense struggled but has improved since that Oct. 15 matchup.
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Another year, another Chiefs-Bills playoff matchup. These two teams met in the 2020 and 2021 playoffs in the conference championship and divisional rounds, respectively. The latter of which led to changes in the NFL’s playoff overtime rules.
Kansas City is playing a road playoff game for the first time in two-time MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ career. The offense had its best game since mid-October in the wild card round win over the Miami Dolphins. Kansas City’s defense, one of the best in the NFL this season, stepped up as well in the subzero temperatures to hold Miami‘s offense to just 264 yards and seven points.
Buffalo continued its winning streak with its sixth victory in a row last week against the Steelers. The Bills raced to a 21-0 lead halfway through the second quarter and held on from there. They are dealing with lots of injuries, though, including multiple starters on defense. After last week’s game was delayed due to snow, current forecasts show no signs of major snow but cold temperatures once again.
These teams played in Kansas City in Week 14. The Bills won that game 20-17 to start their current winning streak and set up another playoff matchup.
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