After a wild 18 weeks, the NFL regular season is over, and NFL playoff games are set to begin as the wild card round is now upon us.Only 14 teams remain on the road to the 2024 Super Bowl, and with No. 1 seeds in each conference getting first-round byes, the remaining 12 teams are set to play in a three-day wild-card round.
The No. 1 seeds, including the AFC’s Baltimore Ravens and NFC’s San Francisco 49ers, get a bye until next week’s division round. Each will host its divisional-round game against the lowest remaining seed team in its conference.
There are six teams newly qualifying for the postseason: the Packers, Texans, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, and Pittsburgh Steelers. At least four teams who failed to qualify one season have reached the playoffs every year since 1990.
This year’s NFL Playoffs consist of three of the four teams that have never been to a Super Bowl: Houston, Cleveland, and Detroit. Unfortunately for the Texans and the Browns, they’re scheduled to face each other, meaning one of those teams will be going home after the first round.
The Format:
The four division winners in each conference will automatically get the top four seeds regardless of record, and then the top three teams with the best record that didn’t win their division are the wild-card selection.
That’s why it’s fairly common for a wild-card selection to have a better record but worse playoff seeding than a division-winning team.
The No. 1 seeded team in each conference gets a bye into the second round while No. 2 hosts No. 7, No. 3 hosts No. 6, and No. 4 hosts No. 5 during wild-card weekend.
The NFL has a re-seeding policy after each playoff round, which means no matter how the bracket started, the lowest-seeded team will always travel to the higher-seeded team in the AFC and NFC.
How to Watch NFL Playoff Games in Canada?
In Canada, all NFL playoff games will be available for live stream via a subscription to DAZN.
2024 NFL Wild Card Round Games Preview:
No. 5 Cleveland Browns at No. 4 Houston Texans:
Nobody saw this coming, and it might be the most fascinating game of the entire weekend.
Before the season, the Texans were the longest of long shots to win their division. But here they are, and Stroud, who’s in a position to be the offensive rookie of the year, will face a tough test against a quarterback who hasn’t started a playoff game since the 2014 season.
The Browns are in the playoffs for the second time in 20 years. These two teams faced each other back in Week 16 when Cleveland won 36-22, but it should be noted that C.J. Stroud didn’t play in that game.
Miami Dolphins vs Kansas City Chiefs:
If Miami had beaten the Bills on Sunday night, the Chief’s draw would have been far less daunting. But now, instead of the Steelers, they get the Miami Dolphins. Both teams met in Week 9 when the Chiefs won 21-14. They took a 21-0 lead into halftime and couldn’t score again.
It has not been a pretty season for the Chiefs, and they have more questions than answers at the moment. But with most of their starters having rested in Week 18, they should be in good shape for this home fixture.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Buffalo Bills preview
Pittsburgh Steelers spent the season winning despite a negative point differential, and they advanced to the playoffs after yet another quarterback change last month.
The Bills struggled early in the year, with 5-5 in the first 10 weeks. All of their losses came against teams that have missed the playoffs. Since then, they went 6-1 and clinched the AFC East. This game will be played in Buffalo, where the Bills boast a 7-1 record this year.
No. 7 Green Bay Packers at No. 2 Dallas Cowboys:
This matchup is another one filled with some fascinating angles. Dallas Cowboys won seven of their final nine games to surge past the Eagles in the NFC East. They clinched the division with a win over the Washington Commanders.
On the other hand, the Packers, behind first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love, won three straight games to end an up-and-down season. They went 3-3 against playoff-bound teams, but that included wins over the Lions and Chiefs.
This Green Bay team is the youngest in the field and the fifth-youngest playoff team in NFL history.
These two teams have met eight times in the playoffs, with both having won four games.
Also, this will be a revenge game for Cowboys Coach Mike McCarthy, who will face his former team for the second time since being fired by them in December 2018. McCarthy lost the first meeting in 2022 and will be looking to get his first win over the Packers.
No. 6 Los Angeles Rams at No. 3 Detroit Lions:
The Lions last won a playoff game 32 years ago (January 5, 1992), and they’ll get their shot against the Rams, who finished 10-7.
There is no shortage of storylines for this matchup. In their first home playoff game in 30 years, the Lions will be welcoming an old friend back to Detroit: Matthew Stafford.
The Rams QB led the Lions to the playoffs three times but never got to play a home game. The matchup will also be memorable for Jared Goff, who will be facing a team and a head coach who traded him away as they didn’t want him anymore.
No. 5 Philadelphia Eagles at No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
The Bucs emerged from the pack of middling NFC South teams and won the division, while the Eagles stumbled backward into a wild-card spot.
Philadelphia’s 11-6 record indeed looks better than Tampa Bay’s 9-8, but the Eagles have won just one game out of the last six. However, they’ll head to Tampa Bay knowing that they beat this side 25-11 back in Week 3.
2024 NFL Playoff Schedule:
Below is the NFL Playoffs schedule for Wild Card Weekend, click here to get printable schedule
Wild Card Round (ET Time):
Saturday, January 13, 2024
No. 5 Browns at No. 4 Texans – 4:30 pm (NBC, Peacock, Fubo)
No. 6 Dolphins at No. 3 Chiefs – 8:00 pm (Peacock, NBC (in Miami or Kansas City Metro Area Markets), Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling Blue)
Sunday, January 14, 2024
No. 7 Steelers at No. 2 Bills – 1:00 pm (CBS, Paramount+, Fubo)
No. 7 Packers at No. 2 Cowboys 4:30 pm (Fox, FoxSports.com, Fubo)
No. 6 Rams at No. 3 Lions 8:00 pm (NBC, Peacock, Fubo)
Monday, January 15, 2024
No. 5 Eagles at No. 5 Buccaneers – 8:15 pm (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Fubo)
Divisional Round:
Saturday, January 20, 2024
AFC Divisional matchup
NFC Divisional matchup
Sunday, January 21, 2024
AFC Divisional matchup
NFC Divisional matchup
Conference Championships:
Sunday, January 28, 2024
AFC Championship Game – 3:00 pm (CBS, Paramount+, Fubo)
NFC Championship Game – 6:30 pm (FOX, FoxSports.com, Fubo)
Super Bowl LVIII:
Sunday, February 11, 2024 – 6:30 pm (CBS, Paramount+, Fubo)