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With the NFL expanding its playoff field to seven teams in each conference this season, Wild Card weekend just got even more crazy. Instead of two games each on Saturday and Sunday, football fans will get three games each day as teams fight for the right to advance to the Divisional Round the following weekend.
The first expanded Wild Card weekend schedule is now here, and it has everything one could hope for, from a divisional matchup in each conference to a playoff rematch from a season ago. Even better: the Green Bay Packers are not in action, having clinched the NFC’s lone first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
This year’s Wild Card round will kick off early on Saturday with one of the more intriguing games of the weekend as the 11-5 Indianapolis Colts head northeast to play the 13-3 Buffalo Bills. Buffalo earned the second seed while the Colts squeaked in as the seventh seed in the AFC. Following that game will be a divisional contest as the Seattle Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams. The Saturday night game will feature the NFC East-winning Washington Football Team hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Sunday’s early game is one of the more fascinating games on the schedule. Last year, a Wild Card Tennessee Titans team beat the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens on the road in the Divisional round. This season, Tennessee hosts Baltimore in the 4-5 matchup after winning the AFC South with a last-second field goal to beat the Houston Texans. The afternoon game finds the 8-8 Chicago Bears playing the second-seeded New Orleans Saints, while the final game of the weekend finds AFC North rivals Cleveland and Pittsburgh playing for the second straight week. The Browns beat the Steelers in Cleveland in week 17 to clinch a playoff berth, but are rewarded with a trip to Heinz Field to play their most hated rivals.
Here’s a look the full Wild Card weekend schedule:
Wild Card Weekend Schedule
Visiting Team | Home Team | Seeding | Venue | City | Day | Kickoff Time (ET) | TV Network |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Visiting Team | Home Team | Seeding | Venue | City | Day | Kickoff Time (ET) | TV Network |
Indianapolis Colts | Buffalo Bills | 7 vs. 2 | Bills Stadium | Orchard Park, NY | Saturday, Jan. 9 | 1:05 PM | CBS |
Los Angeles Rams | Seattle Seahawks | 6 vs. 3 | Lumen Field | Seattle, WA | Saturday, Jan. 9 | 4:40 PM | FOX |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Washington Football Team | 5 vs. 4 | FedEx Field | Landover, MD | Saturday, Jan. 9 | 8:15 PM | NBC |
Baltimore Ravens | Tennessee Titans | 5 vs. 4 | Nissan Stadium | Nashville, TN | Sunday, Jan. 10 | 1:05 PM | ABC/ESPN |
Chicago Bears | New Orleans Saints | 7 vs. 2 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | New Orleans, LA | Sunday, Jan. 10 | 4:40 PM | CBS/Amazon Prime |
Cleveland Browns | Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 vs. 3 | Heinz Field | Pittsburgh, PA | Sunday, Jan. 10 | 8:15 PM | NBC |