NFL's Wild Card weekend underway Saturday afternoon

The NFL’s regular season came to an end last Sunday in Nashville with the Indianapolis Colts clinching the final playoff spot with a 33-17 victory over the host Tennessee Titans.

The hometown New England Patriots clinched a first-round bye in their final week, blowing out the New York Jets, 38-3. And while the possibility remained that the Pats could back in to the top seed if things broke their way, New England finished as the second seed in the AFC with the Chiefs and Chargers both winning.

So now the stage is set for the NFL’s presumably best 12 teams to battle it out for the Lombardi Trophy. The playoffs kick off with Wild Card weekend beginning on Saturday afternoon.

No. 6 Indianapolis Colts (10-6) @ No. 3 Houston Texans (11-5), 4:35 p.m. (ESPN/ABC):

A battle of two divisional opponents, this will be the third battle between the two AFC South teams this season.

In Week 4, despite a fourth quarter comeback by Andrew Luck, Houston edged the Colts, 37-34, in overtime thanks to a last-second field goal. Ten weeks later, it was Indianapolis who won narrowly on the road, winning 24-21.

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The Colts are winners of four straight, and nine of their last 10. The Texans began the year 0-3, and then went 11-2 in their next 13 games. Houston will be at home, but are without Demaryius Thomas – who was placed on IR with an Achilles injury after Week 16.

Despite being the 3-6 matchup, this one looks to be another tight contest between familiar foes.

No. 5 Seattle Seahawks (10-6) @ No. 4 Dallas Cowboys (10-6), 8:15 p.m. (FOX):

Both teams enter the playoffs with identical records. And while the Seahawks are a wild card team, they’ve been extremely tested this season.

Seattle has had to play the Los Angeles Rams (13-3) twice – they lost both, narrowly – and have hosted tough outs against Minnesota (8-7-1), the Chargers (12-4) and the Chiefs (12-4). They won two of those three games, beating the teams with the two best records in the AFC.

The Seahawks also played on the road against the Bears (12-4), where they lost by a touchdown. Make no mistake, Seattle has played a lot of great football teams this year.

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Dallas didn't have as many tough opponents on their schedule this season – aided by playing in the weaker NFC East. However, the Cowboys do have a win over the New Orleans Saints (13-3), the NFC’s top seed.

That Thanksgiving win is proof that Dallas can play with anybody when they are at their best – especially at home.

No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers (12-4) @ No. 4 Baltimore Ravens (10-6), 1:05 p.m. (CBS):

These two teams just faced off on December 22 in LA, where the Ravens dumped the Chargers, 22-10. Now the game shifts to Baltimore, despite LA’s better record, because the Ravens captured the AFC North.

No team enters the playoffs on a hotter stretch than the Ravens. Under the guide of John Harbaugh – who has resurrected his coaching career in Baltimore this season – and the play of rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Ravens have won six of their last seven.

The Baltimore defense has been one of the best all season, allowing the fewest yards and trailing league-best Chicago by just 0.2 in points per game allowed. They’re a top-five defense in both rushing and passing yards allowed per game, and will need every bit of it to stop Phillip Rivers and company.

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LA comes into the contest tied for sixth in the league in points and points per game. Their air attack is tenth best in yards and yards per game, though that number has gone down with Rivers’ performance dipping in the last two weeks. If the Chargers hope to win with offense, they’ll need Rivers to find that MVP-level of play that made him a Pro-Bowler this season.

The Chargers' ninth-ranked run defense will also need to contain Jackson and the rest of the Ravens' running game. ESPN ranks Baltimore as the second-best ground attack in the NFL this season in yards and yards per game.

No. 6 Philadelphia Eagles (9-7) @ No. 3 Chicago Bears (12-4), 4:40 p.m. (NBC):

The Eagles woke up last Sunday outside of the playoff picture. They kept their hopes to repeat as Super Bowl Champions alive by beating the Washington Redskins and then getting some help from their next opponent, Chicago. The Bears beat the Vikings on the road, clinching the final NFC spot for Philadelphia.

The Eagles have been playing win-or-go-home games for the last two weeks, so they know the type of desperation they’ll need to have in order to win. Last year’s title run means team veterans have experience in the post season, though it will be a different animal playing on the road every game instead of at home.

If Nick Foles can continue to play with that do-or-die magic that’s made him so successful the last two winters, the Eagles can continue their Cinderella run.

Chicago enters the contest with one of the NFC’s best records, and one of the NFL’s best defenses.

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The Bears have allowed the fewest points per game (17.7) all season as well as the fewest rushing yards.

Philadelphia’s issues with the running game have been well documented this year – they’re 28th in rushing yards per game. With Kahlil Mack likely to make those troubles magnified, this game might come down to the Bears’ secondary versus Nick Foles.

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