Analyzing non-Dolphins games now set for wild-card weekend
The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are the top seeds and the favorites with first-round byes as the NFL’s 14team playoff field came into focus Sunday.
In the NFC, Dallas earned the No. 2 seed and will host No. 7 Green Bay on Sunday. The Cowboys perennially receive a lot of attention but the club hasn’t played in the Super Bowl since the 1995 season, when quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith and receiver Michael Irvin were all superstars.
Detroit is the No. 3 seed and will host the red-hot No. 6 seed Los Angeles Rams in what will be the first playoff game in Detroit in 30 years. No. 4 Tampa Bay will host No. 5 Philadelphia, the defending NFC champions who are spiraling with five defeats in six games.
In the AFC, Buffalo claimed the No. 2 seed by beating the Dolphins on Sunday night and will host No. 7 Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Miami fell into the No. 6 seed with the loss to the Bills and will visit No. 3 seed Kansas City on Saturday.
Here is a look at the five games that don’t involve the Dolphins on wild-card weekend.
SATURDAY
Cleveland (11-6) at Houston (10-7), 4:30 p.m., NBC: Quarterback C.J. Sroud quickly revived the atmosphere around the Texans with a stellar rookie season that saw Houston almost equal its victory total (11) of the past three seasons. Cleveland is thriving behind Flacco, a former Super Bowl MVP who is 4-1 as the starter. Pretty ironic that Houston is hosting the Browns in a playoff game and former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson isn’t on the field because of a seasonending shoulder injury.
SUNDAY
Pittsburgh (10-7) at Buffalo (11-6), 1 p.m., CBS: The Bills were sputtering through the season with a .500 mark through 12 games and were looking like a real nowhere team. But Josh Allen and his mates excelled down the stretch and suddenly have at least one home playoff game as they try to break through and make a run at the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance since the
1993 season. Pittsburgh’s season was saved by Rudolph — that’s Mason Rudolph — but its chances of upsetting Buffalo are slim after the knee injury sustained by sackmaster T.J. Watt.
Green Bay (9-8) at Dallas (12-5), 4:30 p.m., Fox: Dak Prescott has yet to lead the Cowboys to more than one win in a single postseason. This time, Dallas has a chance at two home games as it holds the tiebreaker edge over the Lions (oh yeah, the failure-to-report controversy). Jordan Love has quickly shown that the
Packers can be viable without the departed Aaron Rodgers, who failed to come through on last season’s win-and-in contest while Love got the job done Sunday.
L.A. Rams (10-7) at Detroit (12-5), 8 p.m., NBC: Matthew Stafford went 0-3 in the playoffs in 12 seasons with the Lions and will now be looking to keep his former team winless in the postseason since the Barry Sanders-led club beat theCowboys in the 1991 season. While “Restore the Roar” is real in Motown behind former Los Angeles QB Jared Goff, the Rams have won seven of eight games since their Week 10 bye. Los Angeles used a similar hot stretch two seasons ago en route to the Super Bowl crown.
MONDAY
Philadelphia (11-6) at Tampa Bay (9-8), 8 p.m., ABC/ESPN: Baker Mayfield directed a ragged 9-0 victory over the Panthers on Sunday that sent the Buccaneers home to welcome the Eagles in a wild-card matchup. Philadelphia won just once since Thanksgiving, going 1-5 to crumble down the stretch and surrender the NFC East division lead to the Cowboys. The Eagles are facing huge injury questions surrounding the health of QB Jalen Hurts (finger) and WR A.J. Brown (right knee) after both exited Sunday’s loss to the Giants. But can Mayfield pull off a Tom Brady impersonation?