Rematches galore in first round action
The final weekend of the season is now complete and New York has advanced into the wild card round of the playoffs next week. That finalizes the AFC playoff picture, pushing the Jets and the Ravens into the bottom two seeds and sets the stage for several interesting contests in the first round.
The NFC side of things was finished earlier in the day when Dallas demolished the Eagles to win the NFC East, making Minnesota the #2 overall seed and dropping Philadelphia to the #6 spot.
With all of that in mind, here’s how the playoffs are set in both conferences. We’ll have plenty of analysis on each game throughout the week, so be sure to drop back in for that.
Wild Card round – Saturday January 9th
#5 New York Jets (9-7) at #4 Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) — NBC @ 4:30 pm EST
If this game plays out like the first meeting between these two teams did, the Bengals may want to stay away. That said, Cincinnati will be playing at home in front of what should be a raucous crowd, so it’s doubtful that things will go in that direction. A hard fought battle is much more likely.
#6 Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) at #3 Dallas Cowboys (11-5) — NBC @ 8:00 pm EST
The Eagles can’t be happy about this outcome, given the way they’ve played in both of their games against the Cowboys this season. But they only have themselves to blame as they could have taken the #2 seed with a win over Dallas in week 17 and now have to go on the road to advance.
Wild Card round – Sunday January 10th
#6 Baltimore Ravens (9-7) at #3 New England Patriots (10-6) — CBS @ 1:00 pm EST
This should be one of the more entertaining games played next weekend, as these two teams have no love lost for each other and have had several close decisions in the past few years. Expect a knockdown fight all the way through.
#5 Green Bay Packers (11-5) at #4 Arizona Cardinals (10-6) — FOX @ 4:40 pm EST
The third and final game that features a rematch of two week 17 opponents, this contest should be interesting with both teams having enough offensive firepower to put on a major show.
AFC Divisional Round – January 16th & 17th
Wild card winner (Highest seed) at #2 San Diego Chargers (9-3)
A grudge match against New England is in the cards, which should make for tremendous TV ratings as the Patriots have knocked the Chargers out twice in the past three years. Cincinnati and New York are also possibilities.
Wild card winner (Lowest seed) at #1 Indianapolis Colts (12-0)
This game could feature one of the most physical contests in playoff history, if Baltimore pulls off the upset in New England. Close games have been the norm over the past few years and this one likely would be the same.
NFC Divisional Round – January 16th & 17th
Wild Card winner (Highest seed) at #2 Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
The game that most people would be pulling for would be a third showdown between Brett Favre and his old friends in Green Bay, and it’s possible if both wild card teams end up winning in the first round.
Wild Card winner (Lowest seed) at #1 New Orleans Saints (12-0)
The Saints will likely end up playing the Cardinals if the seeds hold true, but a match up with Green Bay or Philadelphia is also possible. Either way, offense should be the name of the game in this contest.
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