CNN —
The NFL Playoffs are finally here. On Saturday night, the San Francisco 49ers and Jaguars bought their Divisional Round tickets. Four more teams will join them by Monday night and get one step closer to the NFL’s biggest stage. Here’s what you can expect on Sunday and Monday:
Sunday begins with the Bills hosting AFC East rivals Dolphins. Led by star quarterback Josh Allen, the No. 2 seeded Bills are the big favorites, especially now that Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been officially ruled out.
The two teams have already met twice this season, with the series split 1-1. In the first game, the Dolphins rode away with a win, largely due to imprudent turnovers and mistakes by the Bills. The second time around, the Bills rallied in the dying minutes and walked away with a 32-29 win.
In both games, Allen was outstanding, throwing for a total of 704 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. Notably, the Bills controlled their own destiny in both games.
In both competitions they were clearly the better team, regardless of whether they played like that or not. If they show up this week, use their full potential, and eliminate sloppy mistakes, they should have no trouble snagging a win.
Sunday’s 4 o’clock table is full of firsts. First-year head coach Brian Daboll and the Giants will travel to Minnesota to face off against the Vikings. Quarterback Daniel Jones will start the playoffs for the first time in his career, and it will be the team’s first playoff appearance in six seasons.
While the Giants are the street underdogs, they are well-equipped to rival or even beat the NFC North Champions. The two teams met on Christmas Eve in a game that resulted in a Justin Tucker field goal. Throughout the season, many of the Vikings’ other victories were decided by a single result. This week’s competition will likely go live the same way.
If the Giants manage to walk away with a win and survive the wild card stage, chances are the money will stop there. Your chances of beating the 49ers or Eagles in the next round are much less. The Vikings will be more likely to have a deeper postseason run if they get through the first round, but don’t underestimate the Giants.
The Ravens and Bengals meet Sunday night for the second straight game and third game this season. The division rivals split the regular-season series, each claiming a win at home.
This time, Baltimore will be without starting quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has not played since Dec. 4. Backup Tyler Huntley is listed as a game-time decision. Playing without QB1 is always a challenge; There will be added reliance on defense and running play to take care of business. The Ravens’ best chance of victory is to get momentum early and avoid significant deficits at expense.
The Bengals are the obvious favorites as they have the better record and play with a mostly healthy squad at home. They only made it to the Super Bowl last season. They defeated the Raiders, Titans and Chiefs only to fall to the Rams in the final stages.
The Ravens have not been in the playoffs since 2020, when they lost to the Bills in the AFC divisional round. Despite Cincinnati’s superiority, anything can happen in a playoff game between division rivals. These opponents know each other’s strengths and weaknesses very well and will use that to their advantage.
Wild Card Weekend concludes with a primetime fight between the Bucs and the Cowboys.
Dallas finished the regular season with a record of 12-5, particularly impressive considering they played a significant stretch without veteran quarterback Dak Prescott. Tampa Bay struggled through a disappointing regular season, ending with a losing record of 8-9, but still managed to become NFC South Champions.
While the Cowboys are the better team on paper, they have the disadvantage of playing away from home. The last time Dallas won a road playoff game was 30 years ago; Since then, they have lost all eight postseason games.
Also, the Buccaneers have the “X” factor: Tom Brady. The veteran signal caller enters this playoff stretch with the most games started by a quarterback, wins by a starting quarterback, Super Bowl titles and Super Bowl MVPs. He’s a clean-shooting 7-0 in his career against the Cowboys.
A lightning-fast performance from Brady could be enough to propel this Bucs team to victory.
Here’s how to catch these teams and others from across the league in action, no matter where you are.
Australia: NFL Game Pass, ESPN, 7Plus
Brazil: NFL Game Pass, ESPN
Canada: CTV, TSN, RDS, NFL Game Pass on DAZN
Germany: NFL Game Pass, ProSieben MAXX, DAZN
Mexico: NFL Game Pass, TUDN, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sky Sports
UK: NFL Game Pass, Sky Sports, ITV, Channel 5
US: NFL Game Pass, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN, Amazon Prime