Watch the Dallas Cowboys host the Green Bay Packers live on Sky Sports NFL from 9.30pm Sunday, before Matthew Stafford's Los Angeles Rams face the Detroit Lions; the Buffalo Bills meet the Pittsburgh Steelers at 9.30pm Monday night following the postponement of their game due to a storm
Sunday 14 January 2024 21:02, UK
It's playoff time in the NFL! Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas is within sight and the stakes have never been higher. We guide you through the latest news, views, features and stats from a hectic week ahead of a huge Wild Card line-up...
Phew. Quite the week. The drama, the twists, the chaos. The NFL NFL'd hard - coupled with a college tinge - before a pass being thrown or a catch being made.
Pete Carroll departed his post as Seattle Seahawks head coach after 14 years to move into an advisory role, Nick Saban retired at Alabama as college football's most successful head coach, and Bill Belichick parted ways with the New England Patriots after 24 years and six Super Bowl victories from nine Super Bowl appearances - all within the space of 24 hours. Just like that, three of the modern era's most influential football minds, responsible for some of football's greatest ever teams, move on to raise the curtain on a new era for football.
Even before then, Mike Vrabel was fired as Tennessee Titans head coach amid one of the wildest and most high-profile coaching hiring cycles in recent memory. Large-scale change has arrived, and a frantic scramble to land A-lister candidates is officially under way.
Off-field business will take a back-seat for now, though, as the NFL playoffs officially commence with a bumper Super Wild Card weekend.
The league is in the business of marketable storylines, and hits the jackpot on Sunday evening when Matthew Stafford leads out the Los Angeles Rams while returning to face the Detroit Lions, who will host a playoff game for the first time in 30 years after finishing as the NFC's No 3 seed.
For 12 seasons Stafford poured his all into trying to guide the Lions to success, only to manage just three win-less playoff appearances amid years of heavy physical punishment and shortcomings. He was granted a trade to the Rams in 2021 in a bid to win a long-awaited Championship - his wait for which ended within a season when he led Sean McVay's side to victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Super Bowl LVI.
Stafford's trade to Hollywood had seen Jared Goff move in the opposite direction amid an effort to revive his own career after the former No 1 overall pick had fallen at the final hurdle with the Rams in defeat to the New England Patriots at Super Bowl LIII. Revive it he has, Goff having since flourished within Ben Johnson's explosive Lions offense to take Detroit to their first NFC North division title since 1993 and lay the foundations for a new chapter of contention under Dan Campbell.
It beckons as the first playoff matchup in NFL history between starting quarterbacks that previously played for the other team. A healthy Stafford has been among the stories of the 2023 campaign while spinning magic within a youthful Rams offense written off in most pre-season projections, while Goff has answered doubts over his ability to sustain success as the pilot to one of the league's most dynamic and innovative attacks.
From a big reunion to a big freeze, the Wild Card matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers has been postponed from Sunday to Monday night due to heavy snow and dangerous winds in the Buffalo area, with kickoff at 9.30pm ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game.
Wrap up. Buckle up.
Sunday, 9.30pm - Green Bay Packers @ Dallas Cowboys: Jordan Love is primed for his biggest test on the biggest stage of his young NFL career yet when he tries to decipher whatever Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn decides to cook up for the Packers quarterback. Love has dazzled with his imagination and creative arm angles both in and out of the pocket this season, but comes up against a Dallas defense known for its single-high safety tendencies that will dare Aaron Rodgers' successor to take on throws outside the numbers. Quinn loves to supplement the blitz with stunts up front in a bid to cause confusion, led by Micah Parsons. How will Love fare?
Monday, 1.15am - Los Angeles Rams @ Detroit Lions: Rookie weapons have been among the leading themes of 2023 for both the Rams and Lions. Wide receiver sensation Puka Nacua broke two records in the space of a minute on the final day of the regular season when he recorded the most single-season receiving yards and most single-season receptions by a rookie in NFL history, capping his introduction as a perfect fit to McVay's rejuvenated offense. Elsewhere in Detroit, the Lions are waiting anxiously over the health of Sam LaPorta, who broke the record for most receptions by a rookie tight end in history before suffering a knee injury in Week 18's win over the Minnesota Vikings. LaPorta, who led all tight ends with 10 touchdown catches this year, is said to be optimistic over his chances of facing the Rams.
Monday, 9.30pm - Pittsburgh Steelers @ Buffalo Bills: This might be the perfect test for the Bills, one dripping in banana-skin potential as they look to ensure their drastic season turnaround does not come undone against a team that scraped into the playoffs. Pittsburgh have shown improvement under third-string quarterback Mason Rudolph (it couldn't get any worse), but arrive without their talisman TJ Watt. A clean, composed Josh Allen performance sees Buffalo steamroll their way into the Divisional Round. With that said, Orchard Park is readying itself for 65 mph winds and at least a foot of snow! Brace yourself for some old-fashioned pound-the-rock football.
Tuesday, 1.15am - Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Is it a good or bad time to play a wobbling Eagles team? Baker Mayfield, Todd Bowles and the Bucs are about to find out. Philadelphia have lost five of their last six, their offense has fallen stale and a defense that led the NFL in sacks on the way to the Super Bowl last year has been drained of ferocity. There has been a glaring drop-off in play-speed since defensive play-calling duties were handed from Sean Desai to Matt Patricia, the word of the week being 'simplicity' as they look to return to a more tailored system that allows the likes of Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat to do what they do best and attack the edge. For Baker, it is another opportunity to continue his admirable comeback.
Time to rub your crystal ball, because the NFL's Super Bowl challenge is back! Make your playoff predictions as we reach the home stretch on the path to Super Bowl LVIII...
Bill Belichick's opening statement at his farewell press conference: "I haven't seen this many cameras since we signed (Tim) Tebow!"
Stafford on his return to face Detroit: "I understand what the people of Detroit and 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, but at the same time I'm not a stranger to the situation and understanding that I'm the bad guy coming to town."
Tyreek Hill on his return to face the Chiefs at Arrowhead: "I haven't texted Mahomes since they beat our ass. I texted Kelce but haven't heard back. Those guys are too famous for me now I guess."
Micah Parsons on head coaching buzz surrounding Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn: "It could possibly be my last ride with Q, and if it is, we're gonna make sure it's a damn good one."
Aaron Donald on Lions quarterback and former Rams teammate Jared Goff: "We had a good relationship. We were cool, proud of what he'd been accomplishing. Reached out to him and told him I'm proud of him. So I feel like we have a good relationship."
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid when asked about the prospect of retiring: "I haven't even thought about that. I'm thinking about one thing. I figured that would come up when you guys were asking these questions because I'm old, but not that old."
CJ Stroud came, conquered and continued his climb towards the NFL's elite quarterbacks as he delivered a clinic to lead the Houston Texans to a 45-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Saturday's Super Wild Card Weekend opener.
Cleveland and their No. 1-ranked defense had been billed as perhaps the most daunting postseason acid test for the Rookie of the Year in-waiting, only for Stroud to dismantle Jim Schwartz's unit to the tune of 16 of 21 passing for 274 yards and three touchdowns to extend Houston's unlikely playoff campaign.
The No 2 overall pick set the record for most passing yards by a rookie in the first half of a playoff game with 236, while throwing for three touchdowns as a frenetic start saw the Texans lead 24-14 at the break after the teams between them had already posted 31 points with 12 minutes still remaining in the second quarter.
The Kansas City Chiefs breezed into the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, handily beating the Miami Dolphins 26-7 in freezing cold conditions at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday night.
In what was the fourth-coldest game in NFL history, the Dolphins never truly adjusted to the sub-zero temperatures, managing only 264 yards of offense as they barely laid a glove on their hosts.
One highlight was a 53-yard touchdown for Tyreek Hill on his return to Kansas City that pulled the Dolphins to within three points of their opponents early on in the second quarter but Miami otherwise repeatedly faltered in the frigid conditions.
Against all the odds and villainous portrayals, contrary to bleak expectations and gloomy projections… Bill Belichick once dressed as a pirate to a Randy Moss-led roller-skating Halloween party with the New England Patriots.
Not the odds-and-expectations-clobbering Super Bowl tale you were thinking of, huh? Not the evil genius masterplan you were anticipating, huh?
The 2023 NFL playoffs are here!
Join Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold as they give their opinions on the controversial final play between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, while making their predictions ahead of Super Wild Card weekend...
Hannah Wilkes is joined by Liz and Ash to look discuss a busy week of coaching moves, including the shock Pete Carroll news in Seattle...
Watch the Dallas Cowboys host the Green Bay Packers live on Sky Sports NFL from 9.30pm Sunday, before Matthew Stafford's Los Angeles Rams face the Detroit Lions; the Buffalo Bills meet the Pittsburgh Steelers at 9.30pm Monday night following the postponement of their game due to a storm.
