Written By Jacob Camenker
Share
We’re into the second year of the NFL’s 14-team playoff field, and that means there is more football on wild-card weekend!
There will now be six games played over three days, starting on Saturday and ending with a Monday night game for the first time in NFL playoff history.
While the matchups are intriguing, some are also familiar. Divisional rivals in the No. 6 Patriots and No. 3 Bills are meeting for a third time this season. So are the No. 5 Cardinals and No. 4 Rams. Both pairs split their regular-season meetings, so these grudge matches will hold extra importance.
Elsewhere, the upstart No. 5 Raiders get to take on the No. 4 Bengals in a matchup between two teams that few predicted would even make the playoffs.
Ben Roethlisberger may play his final game as the No. 7 Steelers square off against the No. 2 Chiefs and 44-year-old Tom Brady looks to keep the injury-depleted No. 2 seed Bucs alive vs. the No. 7 Eagles.
The only two teams that won’t be in action are the Packers and the Titans. They earned the sole bye week available in each conference.
Here’s everything you need to know about the NFL wild-card games, including a full schedule with TV channels and start times.
MORE: Watch NFL playoff games live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
NFL playoff schedule: What games are on today?
Saturday, Jan. 15
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Raiders vs. Bengals | 4:35 p.m. ET | NBC | Peacock, fuboTV |
| Patriots vs. Bills | 8:15 p.m. ET | CBS | Paramount+, fuboTV |
Sunday, Jan. 16
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Eagles vs. Buccaneers | 1:05 p.m. ET | Fox | fuboTV |
| 49ers vs. Cowboys | 4:40 p.m. ET | CBS, Nickelodeon | Paramount+, Amazon Prime, fuboTV |
| Steelers vs. Chiefs | 8:15 p.m. ET | NBC | Peacock, fuboTV |
Monday, Jan. 17
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Cardinals vs. Rams | 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN | ESPN App, ESPN+, fuboTV |
NFL WILD-CARD PICKS: Against the spread | Straight up
NFL playoff game TV channels, live stream
Raiders vs. Bengals
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 15
- Time: 4:35 p.m. ET
- TV channel: NBC
- Live stream: Peacock | fuboTV | DAZN (in Canada)
Key storyline: Will interim head coach Rich Bisaccia earn the full-time Raiders coaching job?
Bisaccia led the Raiders to an improbable postseason berth after Jon Gruden’s firing, becoming the first NFL coach since 1961 to take over a team midseason and lead them to the playoffs. Will he further stake his claim to the Raiders job, or will the Bengals and Joe Burrow, who has thrown for a whopping 971 yards and eight touchdowns in his last two games, make Mark Davis think more about his decision?
Patriots vs. Bills
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 15
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- TV channel: CBS
- Live stream: Paramount+ | fuboTV | DAZN (in Canada)
Key storyline: Mac Jones vs. the Bills defense
The Patriots and Bills split their season series, but Mac Jones didn’t play particularly well in either game against the Bills. In the first one, he threw just three times, completing two passes for 19 yards. In the second, he went 14 of 32 for 145 yards and two interceptions. The Patriots need Jones to play efficiently on what will be a cold night in Buffalo to dispatch their divisional rival.
Eagles vs. Buccaneers
- Date: Sunday, Jan. 16
- Time: 1:05 p.m. ET
- TV channel: Fox
- Live stream: fuboTV | DAZN (in Canada)
Key storyline: Who will Tom Brady throw to?
Chris Godwin is out with a torn ACL. Antonio Brown is gone. Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski are still there, but each have injury concerns. The Bucs will need at least one of their other receivers — Breshad Perriman, Tyler Johnson, Scotty Miller, etc. — to step up and get into a rhythm for the team to make another deep playoff run.
49ers vs. Cowboys
- Date: Sunday, Jan. 16
- Time: 4:40 p.m. ET
- TV channel: CBS | Nickelodeon
- Live stream: Paramount+ | Amazon Prime | fuboTV | DAZN (in Canada)
Key storyline: Return of a storied rivalry
The 49ers and Cowboys met often during the playoffs in the 1990s — they faced off in three straight NFC. Championship Game from 1992 to 1994 — but they haven’t met in the postseason since 1995. The Cowboys hold a 5-2 advantage in the series which features one of the most iconic plays in NFL history, “The Catch.” The Cowboys will look to win and make it to the divisional round for just the sixth time since they won the Super Bowl in 1995.
Steelers vs. Chiefs
- Date: Sunday, Jan. 16
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- TV channel: NBC
- Live stream: Peacock | fuboTV | DAZN (in Canada)
Key storyline: Big Ben’s final game
Each of the last two games has been a “last game” of sorts for Ben Roethlisberger. This figures to actually be it. The Steelers surprisingly made it to the postseason but will have to face a Chiefs team that beat them 36-10 just a few weeks ago at Arrowhead Stadium. Pittsburgh will look to avoid the same fate, but this seems likely to be curtains for Big Ben.
Cardinals vs. Rams
- Date: Monday, Jan. 1
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: ESPN app | ESPN+ | fuboTV | DAZN (in Canada)
Key storyline: Matthew Stafford’s interceptions
Over his last four games, Matthew Stafford has thrown just eight touchdowns compared to eight interceptions. The Cardinals are 7-2 on the season when they record an interception, so if Stafford has issues again, the Rams could find themselves in a troubling spot. Stafford has only an 11-71 record against teams with a winning record during his career too, so that doesn’t bode well for him in this matchup.
NFL scores for wild-card games
Saturday, Jan. 15
| Game |
|---|
| Raiders vs. Bengals |
| Patriots vs. Bills |
Sunday, Jan. 16
| Game |
|---|
| Eagles vs. Buccaneers |
| 49ers vs. Cowboys |
| Steelers vs. Chiefs |