Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens play a third game against Pittsburgh in their playoff opener. … [+]
Nothing like a playoff game to spice up an already spicy NFL rivalry. Let the head games begin.
NFC North 1-2 finishers the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers meet for third time in nine weeks in Baltimore as the NFL wild card round opens Saturday, and Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin is embracing the challenge, knowing there is history on his side.
“Going to Baltimore, particularly in playoff football, is something to be respected, and I expect it to be a hostile environment,” Tomlin said. “I welcome that. To be quite honest with you, it’s important that we smile in the face of that as a collective. It’s just simply a tax to pay for not winning the division, and we pay that.”
The Steelers enter with a four-game losing streak that includes a 34-17 loss in Baltimore in Dec. 21, but they are 6-2 in their last eight games at the Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium. Other losses were to playoff teams Philadelphia and Kansas City and Cincinnati.
The Steelers have won eight out of the last 10 between the two, going 7-3 against the point spread. They are 7-3 as an underdog, and the current line is the greatest in the history of the series.
At the same time, the Steelers have not won a playoff games since 2016, and have lost their lasts four first-round games.
Mike Tomlin is hunting his first playoff victory since 2016. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
“The more familiar you are, the more significant the strategic component is,” Tomlin said. “As a coach I welcome that. I want the responsibility of being a component of how this game unfolds and to try to stay a step ahead of them. It doesn’t get routine with each match up. It gets more sophisticated. It gets more complex, and from a coach’s perspective, more fun.”
The Steelers have not won a playoff games since 2016.
In other first round playoff games, the Houston Texans play host to the surging Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday and the Denver Broncos will visit the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon in the final AFC game.
The NFC begins play Sunday, when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Washington Commanders.
The first round will conclude in Arizona on Monday, when the Los Angeles Rams meet the Minnesota Vikings in a game that was moved from Los Angeles because of the wildfires.
No. 1 seeds Kansas City and Detroit will sit this round out, getting a break before meeting the worst remaining seed in the divisional round that begins Jan. 18.
AFC Wild Card Games
Mistake-free Justin Herbert has thrown only three interceptions this season. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
SATURDAY
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) vs Houston Texans (10-7)
How to watch: CBS/Paramount+, 4:30 pm ET
Key matchup: Justin Herbert vs Texans D
Early line: Chargers -3
The Chargers have won eight of 11, their only losses to playoff teams Baltimore, Kansas City and Tampa Bay. They enter with the No. 1 scoring defense in with league. — opponents are averaging 17.7 points a game, and they have a plus-12 turnover margin, tied for third in the league. Quarterback Herbert had a streak of 357 passes without an interception broken by Tampa Bay recently, but he has thrown only three picks this year.
C.J. Stroud and Joe Mixon have been a 1-2 punch in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud entered the season with great hype but has regressed, throwing 20 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. The Texans have held together with a defense that also is among the best in the league. They are sixth in total defense.
The Chargers are a league-best 12-4-1 against the point spread. Houston is 7-8-2, one of two playoff teams below .500. The Chiefs are 7-9-1.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) vs Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
How to watch: Prime Video, 8 pm ET
Key matchup: Jackson vs Steelers D
Early line: Ravens – 9 1/2
MVP candidate Jackson — numbers suggest he should be the favorite — threw three of his 41 touchdown passes against the Steelers on Dec. 21, but the Steelers were short-handed in the secondary. Corner Dante Jackson, who missed the game with a pinched nerve, is expected to return. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. missed the 29-10 Christmas Day loss to Kansas City but should play.
Russell Wilson will stare down the Baltimore defense again Saturday. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson has struggled during the losing streak, throwing four touchdowns and two interceptions while also losing a fumble, and Tomlin said backup Justin Fields could see time.
With Jackson and halfback Derrick Henry leading, the Ravens have averaged 33 points a game while winning four in a row since a 24-19 loss to Philadelphia on Dec. 1. No. 1 wide receiver Zay Flowers suffered a knee injury last week and is out.
SUNDAY
Denver Broncos (10-7) vs Buffalo Bills (13-4)
How to watch: CBS/Paramount+, 1 pm ET
Key matchup: Josh Allen vs Broncos D
Early line: Bills -8 1/2
If Lamar Jackson is not the NFL MYP, Buffalo quarterback Allen will be. He is the only quarterback to have beaten No. 1 seeds Kansas City and Detroit, and while he has “only” 28 touchdown passes, he has kept negative plays to a minimum. He has thrown only six interceptions and been sacked only 14 times, the fewest in the league for those who have played a full season. The Bills have had only eight giveaways all year.
The Bills have won six straight AFC East titles, and nothing short of their first Super Bowl appearance since 1993 seems acceptable to their Mafia. They have won their last three first-round games and lost the next. Running back James Cook leads the league with 16 rushing touchdowns.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has led Denver to the playoffs for the first time since their Super Bowl win in 2015.
NFC Wild Card Games
SUNDAY
Green Bay Packers (11-6) vs Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
How to watch: FOX, 2:30 pm ET
Key matchup: Jordan Love vs Packers D
Early line: Eagles – 4 1/2
Both starting quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love and expected to play after suffering recent injuries — Hurts a concussion and Love a strained elbow — which sets up a state-side rematch of their season opener, the Eagles’ 34-29 victory Sept. 6 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Saquon Barkley scored three touchdowns in that one, signaling the start of a monster season, and Love missed the final play of the game because of an injury.
That game was a little messy on a sloppy pitch. Hurts threw for 278 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and Love was 17 of 34 with two touchdowns and a pick.
The teams are heading in opposite directions. The Packers have lost three of five, and they have beaten only two playoff teams — the Rams and Houston — all season. The Eagles have won 12 of 13, their only loss to Washington on a Jayden Daniels touchdown pass with six seconds remaining.
Washington Commanders (12-5) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
How to watch: NBC/Peacock, 8 pm ET
Key matchup: Jayden Daniels vs Baker Mayfield
Early line: Buccaneers -3
The match between Washington’s Daniels and the Bucs’ Mayfield looks to be the highest scoring game in the first round. Daniels, who will win the NFL Rookie of the Year award, is a two-way threat. He has 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns passing and 891 yards and six touchdowns rushing. The moment never seems too big — he threw for five touchdowns in the 36-33 victory over the Eagles.
The Bucs have hit 40 points twice while winning six of seven to get past Atlanta in the NFC South, with Mayfield doing the heavy lifting. Mayfield has passed for a career high 4,257 yards and 41 touchdowns with 16 interceptions, tied for the league high.
The teams rank 4-5 in scoring offense, and both are in the top seven in total offense.
MONDAY
Minnesota Vikings (14-3) vs Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
How to watch: ESPN/ABC/ESPN+, 8 pm
Key matchup: Matthew Stafford vs Vikings D
Early line: Vikings – 1/2
Neither team will be in a comfort zone in this rematch. The Rams were the scheduled home team despite the three-game disparity in victories because they are the NFC West champion, but the game was moved to State Farm Stadium in suburban Phoenix because of the devastating wildfires in Southern California. (Don’t get Angelenos started about an insurance company owning naming rights.)
Puka Nacua and Justin Jefferson get together after the Rams’ 30-20 victory Oct. 25. (Photo by … [+]
The Rams lost four of their first five while receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp were injured, but they used a 30-20 home victory against the Vikings on Oct. 24 to get back on track. They have won eight of 11 since, and they rested quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Kyren Williams last week after clinching the division title the week before.
The Vikings were blown out by Detroit 31-9 in the game for NFC North and No. 1 playoff seed in the final regular-season of the game Sunday night, ending a nine-game winning streak. Their only losses are to the Rams and Lions (twice). Sam Darnold will have a chance to rebound from his 18-for-41 performance last week.
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