schedules, venues, favorites and background

We take a quick look at what to expect from the six games of the first round of the NFL playoffs.

After a Week 18 of some expected results and others not so much, the matches of Wild Card Round of the NFL Postseason.

In the american conferencethe chiefs they kept the rest week, while the day off was for the eagles on the National.

In the AFC two divisional rivalries are repeated; on the nfc, a. In two games next weekend, the visitors appear as favorites, one per conference, in the initial betting lines.

Remembering that the champions of the past Super Bowl, Los Angeles Ramsthey will not be present in the postseason to defend their title after being eliminated in the regular season, we take a look at how the six games that make up will be played the Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs:

AMERICAN CONFERENCE

The Kansas City Chiefs retained the No. 1 seed after beating the Los Angeles Raiders on Saturday, and will enjoy a bye week in addition to home-field advantage for the Divisional Round and AFC Championship Game, should the opponent in turn are not the Bills for that instance. If Buffalo and Kansas City make it to the Super Bowl prelude, there will be a neutral venue for the game.

Their first playoff game will come in the Divisional Round, against the lowest-seeded Wild-Card Round team of the three that wins next weekend.

Wild Card Round

This is how the three games of the Wild Card Round of the American Conference will be played:

Day and hour: Sunday 15, 12:00 p.m. Mexico time | Campus: Highmark Stadium | Favourite: Bills -10

For the third time this season, the Dolphins will play the Bills. On September 25, as part of the Week 3 activity, Miami defeated Buffalo 21-19 to bring their then undefeated record to 3-0. In the Week 15 rematch, however, the Bills took a 32-20 win, the third of five straight losses for the Dolphins in that span.

In the postseason, these divisional rivals have met four times, with the score tipping Buffalo, 3-1. All four games occurred in the 1990s, with two in the Wild Card Round (1995 and 1998), one in the Divisional Round (1990) and one in the AFC Championship Game (1992). Miami’s only victory was in the 1998 postseason, at home. Both times they met in the playoffs in Buffalo, the Bills won.

The historic series, including the playoffs, favors Miami 62-55-1. For Buffalo, this season is its third straight division title.

In the initial betting lines, it is the match with the greatest difference between the teams.

Day and hour: Sunday 15, 19:15 Mexico time | Campus: Paycor Stadium | Favourite: Bengals -6

As with the previous game, this is Game 3 of the season between the Ravens and Bengals, and the second in a row after these two AL North division rivals met in Baltimore for Week 18. Now, the game It will happen in Cincinnati.

The fierce rivals split regular-season victories, with the Ravens prevailing 19-17 in Week 5 at home before falling 27-16 this afternoon at the home of the Bengals, champions for the second straight year. AFC South.

The historical series belongs to the Ravens, by 28-26. They have never met in the postseason.

Day and hour: Saturday 14, 7:15 p.m. Mexico time | Campus: TIAA Bank Field | Favourite: Chargers -2.5

Historically, it’s the most lopsided series between AL Wild Card Round rivals, but also the newest. The Chargers dominate the series 9-4.

However, there is a very recent precedent between both franchises. Jacksonville beat the Chargers 38-10 in Week 3 of the regular season that just ended today. On that day, quarterback Trevor Lawrence dispatched with three touchdown passes, and james robinson –who is no longer with the club–added 100 rushing yards with another touchdown.

This game will be interesting to follow what happened in recent days, when the Chargers head coach told reporters that the fifth seed in the playoffs this year would be highly coveted, making an obvious allusion to the apparent weakness of the AFC South teams.

Jacksonville captured the division title Saturday night, beating the Titans, for just the fourth division title in its history, and first since 2017. Last year, they finished last in their division and had the first pick last year. draft.

In the initial betting lines, this is the only AFC game where the visitors are favourites.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

The Philadelphia Eagles they retained the NFC’s No. 1 seed with a win over the Giants in Week 8. For much of the season, they had the best record in the entire league, but now they’re down to a 14-3 record identical to of the Chiefs, although that no longer matters now.

As in the case of Kansas City, its first playoff game will come in the Divisional Round, against the lowest-seeded Wild-Card Round team of the three that wins next weekend.

Wild Card Round

This is how the three games of the Wild Card Round of the American Conference will be played:

Day and hour: Saturday 14, 3:30 p.m. Mexico time | Campus: Levi’s Stadium | Favourite: 49ers -9.5

Seattle needed help from the Lions in the night game, and got it when Detroit stunned Green Bay at Lambeau Field to return to the playoffs after a year away.

Their rivals in turn will be, once again, the Niners, whom they have already faced twice in the campaign as neighbors in the NL West.

These clubs have met 49 times on the field, including once in the postseason. The Seahawks stole a memorable 2013 NFC Championship Game at what was then called CenturyLink Field, 23-17.

In the season that just ended, however, the 49ers won both games. The first by 25-7 in Week 2, and the second by 21-13 in Week 15.

The Niners come into the game as the NFC West division champions, a title they haven’t held since 2019.

Day and hour: Sunday 15, 15:30 Mexico time | Campus: US Bank Stadium | Favourite: vikings -3

The Vikes, repeating as NFC North champions for the second straight year, lead the series against the Giants 18-12, a total that includes three playoff games. The last time they met on an NFL grid was short-lived: in Week 16, Minny beat the Giants 27-24 in Minneapolis, which will once again be the scene between these two.

The last time they met in the playoffs was in the 2000 season, with the New Yorkers’ 41-0 shutout of the Vikings in the NFC Championship Game. In 1993 and 1997 they had met in the Wild Card Round, with the Giants winning the first of those two games 17-10, and then falling in the second 23-22.

Next weekend’s will be the first playoff game they meet Minnesota at home.

Day and hour: Monday 16, 7:15 p.m. Mexico time | Campus: Raymond James Stadium | Favourite: Cowboys -3

The most recent precedent for this matchup occurred in Week 1, when the Bucs beat the visiting Cowboys 19-3. Tampa Bay, division champions for the second year in a row, will now host.

Historically, the Cowboys have won 15 of the 21 games they have played against the Buccaneers, against six losses. Two of those games came in the postseason, both in the early 1980s. In the Divisional Round of the 1981 campaign, the Cowboys blanked the Bucs 38-0, and a year later, in the Wild Card Round, they won again, this time 30-17. Those two games were held in Dallas.

After that Week 1 stumble, where they only managed 3 points, the Cowboys have never scored fewer than 17 again on the year to date. Likewise, the Bucs haven’t dropped an opponent in single digits again in any regular-season game. In the National, it is the only match where the initial betting lines have the visitor as favorites.

Counting the Eagles and Giants, as well as the Cowboys, the NFC East was the only division in the NFL that sent three members to the playoffs.