Will Detroit and Kansas City ride their No. 1 seeds to the Super Bowl?
Might Philadelphia, guided by Saquon Barkley, run away with the Lombardi Trophy?
Could Matthew Stafford lead the Los Angeles Rams back to the promised land or might Josh Allen silence all doubters by delivering Buffalo its first Super Bowl title?
Those are the questions entering the 2024 NFL Playoffs, among others.
Ahead of the postseason tournament, which team ended up in which seed, when can fans check out all of the Wild Card action, and what story bears watching in the first weekend of competition?
Find out in this preview.
NFC Playoff Picture
Division Winners
1. xz-Detroit Lions (15-2)
2. xz-Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, NFC East)
3. xz-Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
4. xz-Los Angeles Rams (10-7, NFC West)
Wild Card
5. x-Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
6. x-Washington Commanders (12-5)
7. x-Green Bay Packers (10-7)
(x)-clinched playoffs, (z)-clinched division
AFC Playoff Picture
Division Winners
1. xz-Kansas City Chiefs (15-2, AFC West)
2. xz-Buffalo Bills (13-4, AFC East)
3. xz-Baltimore Ravens (12-5, AFC North)
4. xz-Houston Texans (10-7, AFC South)
Wild Card
5. x-Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
6. x-Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
7. x-Denver Broncos (10-7)
(x)-clinched playoffs, (z)-clinched division
Wild Card Round Match-Ups, Schedule
Saturday, Jan. 11
(5) Los Angeles Chargers at (4) Houston Texans (4:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
(6) Pittsburgh Steelers at (3) Baltimore Ravens (8 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
Sunday, Jan. 12
(7) Denver Broncos at (2) Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
(7) Green Bay Packers at (2) Philadelphia Eagles (4:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
(6) Washington Commanders at (3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8 p.m. ET, NBC)
Monday, Jan. 13
(5) Minnesota Vikings at (4) Los Angeles Rams (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC; ManningCast on ESPN2)
Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh, Act III
For the third time since November 17, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers will do battle. This time, however, the stakes are as high as they have ever been.
Win, and advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. Lose, and go home.
The most heated rivalry in the NFL takes center stage Saturday night from the Charm City, with the AFC North champions and home team hoping to finish off a slumping Steelers squad and send them packing.
It will not be easy.
The Ravens and Steelers split the season series at one game apiece, with Pittsburgh picking up the first win, 18-16, and Baltimore winning the second, 34-17. The teams play each other hard and physically, usually in close, defensively-minded battles.
That the Ravens doubled-up the Steelers in Week 16 was indicative of the momentum on their side and the downward spiral Pittsburgh found itself on late in the season. The question now is whether the Steelers can turn things around and eliminate one of the Super Bowl favorites from the tournament.
The signs would seemingly point to a resounding "no," especially with the offense struggling and quarterback Russell Wilson failing to eclipse 250 passing yards in any of his last five games.
If Pittsburgh cannot muster offense to keep up with the electrifying play of Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, it will be a long day in Baltimore for the team who once was in the driver's seat in the division.
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