Sunday, 14 January
Green Bay Packers @ Dallas Cowboys (2130)
Quarterback Dak Prescott and the NFL's highest-scoring offence enter the playoffs with a confidence that can only be found at home.
The Dallas Cowboys host the Green Bay Packers in a wild card match-up at AT&T Stadium, where Dallas had a perfect 8-0 record during the regular season.
They averaged a league-high 29.9 points per game, posted a 12-5 record and won the NFC East for the second time in three years.
Prescott threw 36 touchdown passes, which led the NFL. CeeDee Lamb caught a league-high 135 passes for 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
Lamb could be in for a one-on-one match-up with Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander, but Alexander did not practice on Thursday. He went down with an ankle injury in Wednesday's practice.
The statistics are impressive, but the Cowboys want something bigger - playoff success.
"Obviously, there's going to be a sense of urgency because there's no tomorrow, because it's win-or-go-home every single week," Cowboys wideout Brandin Cooks said. "At the end of the day, we're looking at a great team (in the Packers) that has been playing at a high level to finish this season.
"As far as pressure, no, because we know what's in front of us. It's playoff ball. That's the best of everyone's ball. We've just got to show up and continue to be who we are without putting more on ourselves than we need to. ... We've just got to take care of business."
Green Bay travel to Texas in an underdog role, but not without an air of confidence. The Packers, who have one of the NFL's youngest rosters, won their last three games and six of their final eight with multiple strong showings from quarterback Jordan Love as running back Aaron Jones finally looked healthy.
Love threw 32 touchdown passes, which trailed only Prescott. He took control in his final eight starts as he threw for 18 touchdowns with only one interception.
"Everybody looks to him as a leader," said guard Jon Runyan of Love's development. "He's got complete control of this offence, and what he does. We trust him, and you're able to see it on the field.
Rookie wideout Jayden Reed led the team with 912 yards from scrimmage (793 receiving, 119 rushing) and 10 touchdowns (eight receiving, two rushing). Jones added 889 yards from scrimmage (656 rushing, 233 receiving) and three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving). Jones was limited in Thursday's practice with knee and finger injuries but plans to play.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said his team is playing as if it has nothing to lose.
"I think for us it's just the opportunity to be in the dance and have a great week of preparation and put our best foot forward," LaFleur said. "I think we've been going through this the last few weeks. We knew what was at stake. I mean, the last three weeks basically have been playoff games for us. So, really, it's the next opportunity."
On the opposite sideline, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy will have a chance to make history against his former team. McCarthy won a Super Bowl as the Packers coach during the 2010 season, and he can become the first person to win a playoff game against a team with which he won the Super Bowl as head coach.
McCarthy deflected questions about his tenure in Green Bay and what the game meant to him.
"This game's about our commitment," he said. "It doesn't matter who we're playing."
Other injuries to watch include Packers running back AJ Dillon, sidelined by thumb and neck injuries to start the week, and Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who left last week's win over the Commanders with a shoulder injury. Gilmore said he's confident he'll be on the field.
The teams' most recent match-up was on 13 November, when Green Bay held on for a 31-28 win. This is their first playoff meeting since 2017, when Green Bay won 34-31 in Dallas.
Monday, 15 January
Los Angeles Rams @ Detroit Lions (0115)
Matthew Stafford returns to Detroit in a Los Angeles Rams uniform. Jared Goff faces the team that gave up on him. The Lions are hosting a playoff game for the first time in 30 years.
The preamble to Sunday night's first-round playoff match-up has all the fixings of a script.
The Rams are two seasons removed from winning a Super Bowl with Stafford after the Lions traded him for Goff and several high draft picks.
Lions fans were generally thrilled to see Stafford reach the mountaintop. Now, they'll be rooting hard for his season to end.
"I understand what the people of Detroit, what the city of Detroit, meant to me in my time and my career. What they meant to my family. I hope they feel that back," Stafford said. "But at the same time, I'm not a stranger to the situation and understanding I'm the bad guy coming to town."
The "bad guys" have been rolling along since their bye week.
The Rams (10-7) have won seven of their last eight games, with the lone loss coming in overtime to AFC top seed Baltimore.
With a playoff berth secured, coach Sean McVay rested Stafford and numerous regulars in the regular season finale. Stafford still finished with 3,965 passing yards and 24 touchdowns.
Rookie Puca Nucua (105 receptions, 1,486 yards and six touchdowns) and Cooper Kupp (59 receptions, 737 yards, 5 TDs in 12 games) provide formidable targets for Stafford.
"He's put our team in a position to go play a meaningful game," McVay said.
Running back Kyren Williams gives the offence balance. He racked up 1,350 combined rushing and receiving yards and scored 15 touchdowns despite missing five games.
Goff piled up 4,575 passing yards and 30 touchdowns while leading the Lions (12-5) to the NFC North title.
He's got a star wideout in Amon-Ra St Brown (119 receptions, 1,515 yards, 10 TDs) supported by the running back duo of David Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs.
Goff admits he had his differences with McVay in his final season with the Rams but is focused on taking the Lions franchise to new heights. That includes earning a playoff win that Stafford never recorded with the Lions.
"I so badly want to win a playoff game for this city, that hasn't had one in so long," Goff said. "That's so much more important than anything personally for me."
The Lions have played well in primetime games this season, so coach Dan Campbell isn't concerned about the team feeling the pressure.
"I'm not worried about that - the stage, all of those things, because we've dealt with that for a while now. I feel like we're prepared for that," he said.
Campbell also expects Goff to remain calm and poised.
"He's wired the right way," he said. "He's been through this. He's been to the Big One. He's dealt with this a number of times."
Campbell is concerned that his players might try to do too much, instead of focusing on their assignments.
"You want to make a play so bad, you jump out of your gap," he said. "All of a sudden, they hit you on a run."
The big injury concern is Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, who hyperextended his left knee in the regular-season finale against Minnesota.
Campbell said LaPorta, who set an NFL rookie tight end record with 86 receptions, was "improving" on Wednesday. LaPorta boosted Campbell's confidence on Thursday by going through live reps and coming out of the workout "optimistic" he can play with a knee brace this week.
Wide receiver and kick returner Kalif Raymond also is dealing with a knee injury.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Buffalo Bills (2130)
The Buffalo Bills were one of the NFL's hottest teams during the stretch drive of the season and went from playoff outsiders to the AFC's number two seed.
After winning five straight games to win the AFC East and earn home-field advantage, the Bills will look to continue their scorching run when they host the seventh-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers at Orchard Park in a game pushed back until Monday due to winter storms in western New York.
The Bills (11-6) had a .500 record after 12 games before suddenly clicking. They won the AFC East on Sunday night with a 21-14 road win over the Miami Dolphins.
Buffalo star defensive tackle Ed Oliver said the late-season urgency has his team fully prepared for the postseason.
"We've been in the playoffs for five weeks now," Oliver said. "Every game is a must-win. Every play, every snap, every second of every day counts toward one goal, and that's winning."
The Steelers (10-7) are on their own roll with three straight wins since turning to Mason Rudolph at quarterback. Pittsburgh are looking for their first playoff victory since the 2016 season and have to overcome more than Buffalo's ferocious home-field environment.
The Steelers have lost star linebacker TJ Watt to a knee injury he suffered during a 17-10 road victory Saturday over the Baltimore Ravens in the regular-season finale.
Pittsburgh are just 1-10 without Watt, the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
"Obviously, playing without TJ is significant, but to be quite honest with you, we've played without a lot of people this year," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "It's just another opportunity for us to strike a blow for team and to display what team really means, a collective of individuals that work together in an effort to produce an outcome. It's not going to be a one-man job in terms of replacing TJ."
Watt had 19 sacks in the regular season to lead the NFL in that category for the third time in the past four seasons.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen might be salivating as he carved up the Pittsburgh defence last season when Watt was sidelined due to a different knee injury. Allen passed for 424 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-3 home victory.
Allen has passed for 4,306 yards, 29 touchdowns and a career-worst 18 interceptions this season. He also has rushed for 524 yards and a career-best 15 scores.
Rudolph was a savior down the stretch for the Steelers, who dealt with inconsistent quarterback play from Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky most of the season.
Rudolph came in for mop-up duty on 16 December against the Indianapolis Colts and then completed 53 of 71 passes while guiding Pittsburgh to a three-game winning streak that gained it the AFC's final playoff berth.
Rudolph will look to help snap the Steelers' three-game postseason losing streak. Veteran defensive tackle Cam Heyward, who is in his 13th season with the franchise, is craving an end to the drought.
"A lot of guys don't have to speak for it because they haven't been here," Heyward said. "But the guys who have been here, we own that. It's a new season, and we're just ready for this opportunity. We understand it's not given to us. We've earned it. This is an opportunity for us to go out there and play some good ball."
Steelers running back Najee Harris, who rushed for 312 yards and four touchdowns during the three-game winning streak, missed Wednesday's practice with a knee injury. Guard Isaac Seumalo (shoulder) also sat out. Star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) was a full-practice participant after missing the previous three games, and safety Damontae Kazee is back after serving a three-game suspension for a hit on Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr.
For the Bills, safety Taylor Rapp (calf), cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee) and receiver Gabe Davis (knee) sat out Wednesday's session. Allen remains bothered by a neck injury but was a full-go Wednesday.
Buffalo have won three of the past four meetings with Pittsburgh.
Tuesday, 16 January
Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0115)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won five of their last six games and the Philadelphia Eagles lost five of their last six.
They took opposite paths to the playoffs but share one outlook. All that matters now is what happens when they wrap up the NFL's wild card round in Florida.
"We need all players, coaches, all staff, all hands on deck, leaving everything they've got in this locker room because everybody's 0-0 going into this week," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said.
After a 10-1 start, Philadelphia ended the regular season with a listless 27-10 loss to the New York Giants that included injuries to quarterback Jalen Hurts (finger) and wide receiver AJ Brown (knee).
After a 3-5 start, Tampa Bay clinched the NFC South with three field goals by Chase McLaughlin in a 9-0 defeat of the league-worst Carolina Panthers.
Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles doesn't care whether his Buccaneers (9-8) score nine points or 99 against the Eagles.
"As long as we have one more point than they have, that's what we are looking for right now," Bowles said. "We want to have consistency all the way around, but the object is to win the game by any means necessary."
In Week 3, Philadelphia beat hosts Tampa Bay 25-11. Hurts accounted for two touchdowns, D'Andre Swift rushed for 130 yards and Brown caught nine passes for 131 yards to lead the Eagles.
The Bucs trailed 25-3 before scoring on Baker Mayfield's one-yard pass to Mike Evans with 9:22 left. Philly finished with massive edges in yards (472-174), first downs (27-12) and time of possession (38:55 to 21:05).
"It doesn't compare because we played (the Eagles) so early in the year," Bowles said. "We were still growing, I'm sure they were still growing. You know, playoff time is different, it's one and done, everybody is nicked up and everybody is hurt. It's just a matter of who makes the most mistakes."
Mistakes, missed tackles and missed opportunities fueled Philadelphia's late-season collapse. The Eagles (11-6) turned the ball over 12 times, allowed 136.7 rushing yards per game and converted only 38 of 77 of their chances on third down over the last six games.
Only the Arizona Cardinals (26.8) and Washington Commanders (30.5) surrendered more points per game than the Eagles (25.2) this season.
"When you get hit in life, when you get hit in football, you've got two options: You can stay down, or you can get up," Sirianni said. "I know this group are fighters. I know this group will get up."
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield has taken his share of hits this season, too. He played through rib and ankle issues against the Panthers but is on a roll entering his first playoff game since the 2020 season with the Cleveland Browns. He passed for 1,456 yards with 11 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 100.6 rating during the 5-1 finish.
Mayfield did not practice on Thursday, along with left tackle Tristan Wirfs (illness) and linebacker KJ Britt (calf).
Hurts was limited for the Eagles on Thursday while Brown did not practice. Neither did safeties Reed Blankenship (groin) and Sydney Brown (knee).
This is the sixth time the Buccaneers and Eagles have met in the postseason, with Tampa Bay holding a 3-2 lead and having won the most recent meeting two years ago on wild card weekend.
