The wild card round of the NFL playoffs are here. Six games across three days will determine which teams make the final four in the AFC and NFC. Saturday kicks off the postseason schedule with a rematch of two AFC games seen during the regular season, but with much different circumstances.
The No. 5-seed Cleveland Browns head on the road to take on the AFC South champion and No. 4-seed Houston Texans to start the playoff action. The two teams met in Week 16 with the Browns winning 36-22 in Houston but the Texans were playing without Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite C.J. Stroud at quarterback.
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Once the Texans and Browns wrap up, the No. 3-seed Kansas City Chiefs take on the No. 6 Miami Dolphins in a rematch of their Week 9 matchup in Germany. Kansas City won that game 21-14 but Saturday's rematch could be one of the coldest NFL games ever.
Here's what you need to know about the Browns-Texans and Chiefs-Dolphins games on Saturday.
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How to watch Saturday's games
The Browns and Texans kickoff at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock. The Chiefs and Dolphins kickoff at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast exclusively on Peacock.
The Browns rested some of their starters in Week 18 after securing the top wild card spot in the AFC playoffs. Cleveland is one of the hottest teams entering the playoffs in the AFC; the Browns won four straight before the season finale behind a surprisingly productive Joe Flacco at quarterback.
Houston secured a playoff spot in thrilling fashion in Week 18 with a 23-19 win over division foe Indianapolis. With the win and Jacksonville's loss to the Tennessee Titans a day later, Houston secured its first AFC South title since 2019.
The last time these teams met, Stroud was out of the game and the Texans offense had one of its worst days of the year, committing multiple turnovers and managing just 250 yards. His return could be the difference in Houston's first home playoff game in four years.
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Miami lost its season finale to Buffalo on Sunday Night Football to drop to a wild card spot in the playoffs. Miami's defense has been torched in its last two games (nearly 500 yards per game allowed) and will be without top pass rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips due to injury.
Kansas City enters the playoffs outside of the top two seeds for the first time since the 2017-18 playoffs. Unlike previous playoff runs, the Chiefs' defense is the team's top unit heading into the postseason and one of the best defenses in the league in 2023.
Saturday's game will be in freezing conditions with a wind chill as low as negative eight degrees. It'll be a return to Arrowhead Stadium for wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins will be without cornerback Xavien Howard for the game and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is questionable for the matchup as well.
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How to watch Sunday's games
The first game of the day between the Steelers and Bills kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+. The second game of the day and the first NFC playoff matchup between the Packers and Cowboys kicks off later at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX. The final matchup of Sunday's trio of playoff games between the Rams and Lions starts at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
The two teams meet in what will be another weather-impacted game. Forecasts show temperatures around 24 degrees with more than seven inches of snow predicted on Sunday. Despite the cold temperatures, Buffalo enters the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league. The Bills have won five straight since their bye in Week 13 to secure the AFC East title.
After a Week 15 blowout loss to the Colts, Pittsburgh went on a three-game winning streak to secure the final seed in the AFC playoffs. Quarterback Mason Rudolph is 3-0 as a starter since coming in and set a Steelers completion percentage record in Week 18. Besides the snow impacting the game, the Steelers will also be without star pass rusher T.J. Watt who is out with a knee injury.
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Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy faces the franchise he won a Super Bowl with in 2010 for the first time in the playoffs. McCarthy and the Cowboys are undefeated at home and won their final two games, including a controversial ending against the Lions in Week 17.
Green Bay reached the playoffs thanks to three consecutive wins to close the regular season. The Packers' offense posted its two best performances of the year in Weeks 17 and 18 to give Green Bay momentum heading into the playoffs.
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The NFC finishes off Sunday's schedule with another reunion, this time with longtime Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford returning to Detroit as the Rams' quarterback. Same with Lions quarterback Jared Goff facing the team that drafted him first overall in 2016.
Los Angeles is one of the hottest teams in the NFC and went 7-1 to close the season. Stafford posted a 16:3 touchdown to interception ratio over that stretch to secure a wild card spot. The Lions went 4-3 to close the regular season and Detroit's standout rookie tight end Sam LaPorta is questionable for the game after an injury in the finale.
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How to watch Monday's game
Wild card weekend wraps up on Monday night with the Eagles and Buccaneers facing off at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN. The game will also be streaming on ESPN+.
Philadelphia may be one of the coldest teams entering the playoffs after losing five of their final six regular season games. Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown did not practice Thursday and injuries to wide receiver DeVonta Smith and quarterback Jalen Hurts could impact their production in the wild card finale.
Tampa Bay, by contrast, won five of their last six games to secure the NFC South title. Quarterback Baker Mayfield and the offense were stymied in the season finale against Carolina but played well down the stretch. These teams met two years ago in Hurts' first playoff start for the Eagles with the Buccaneers winning 31-15.
NFL games tomorrow: Everything you need to watch wild card games - USA TODAY
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