Here’s the schedule for the NFL’s first two playoff weekends and what Patriots fans should watch for
Minutes after Week 17 officially wrapped up late Sunday night, the NFL revealed the schedule for the first two playoff weekends.
Having locked up the No.1 seed in the AFC, the New England Patriots (and their fans) get to sit back and enjoy their first-round bye, while the four lower-seeded teams in each conference battle it out.
Here’s what the wild-card weekend schedule looks like:
Saturday, January 7
4:35 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC — Oakland Raiders (5) at Houston Texans (4)
8:15 p.m. ET on NBC — Detroit Lions (6) at Seattle Seahawks (3)
Sunday, Jan. 8
1:05 p.m. ET on CBS — Miami (6) at Pittsburgh (3)
4:40 p.m. ET on FOX — New York Giants (5) at Green Bay Packers (4)
AFC byes: New England Patriots (1), Kansas City Chiefs (2)
NFC byes: Dallas Cowboys (1), Atlanta Falcons (2)
And here’s the preliminary schedule for the divisional round:
Saturday, Jan. 14
4:35 p.m. ET on FOX — Seattle/Green Bay/New York at Atlanta
8:15 p.m. ET on CBS — Houston/Oakland/Miami at New England
Sunday, Jan. 15
1:05 p.m. ET on NBC — Pittsburgh/Houston/Oakland at Kansas City
4:40 p.m. ET on FOX — Green Bay/New York/Detroit at Dallas
Matchup scenarios
As the AFC’s No. 1 seed, the Patriots have the luxury of playing the lowest-seeded first-round winner. And because of the NFL’s unfixed bracket, Patriots fans won’t know who is coming to Foxborough next Saturday night until the conclusion of the early afternoon game this Sunday in Pittsburgh.
If the third-seeded Steelers beat the visiting, sixth-seeded Dolphins, the Patriots will face the winner of the Raiders-Texans matchup. But if the Dolphins pull off a first-round upset, the Patriots will see their interdivisional rivals for a third time this year.
Regular season outcomes
Chiefs:
The Patriots and Chiefs did not face each other this season.
Steelers:
In Week 7, the Patriots played and beat an albeit Ben Roethlisberger-less Steelers team 27-16 at Heinz Field.
The only way the Patriots would play the Steelers again would be in the AFC championship game—if Pittsburgh holds off the Dolphins and goes on to beat the Chiefs in Kansas City the following week. However, barring further injuries, the Steelers are the only first-round AFC playoff team with their chosen starting quarterback healthy.
Texans:
With Tom Brady still serving his Deflategate suspension and Jimmy Garoppolo injured, the Patriots started third-stringer Jacoby Brissett in their Week 3 matchup against the Texans—and won 27-0. The Texans recently benched quarterback Brock Osweiler, only to have Tom Savage knocked out of the team’s season finale. As of Monday evening, Savage’s playoff status is uncertain.
Raiders:
The Patriots have yet to play the Raiders this year. For most of the season the fifth-seeded AFC West team was on track to earn a first-round bye, but lost their final two games after quarterback Derek Carr broke his leg. The Raiders are now facing another decision, after third-string quarterback Connor Cook took over for injured backup Matt McGloin in Week 17.
Dolphins:
The Patriots seemingly handled the Dolphins with a degree of ease both home and away this season. At home in Week 2, the Patriots held on to win 31-24, despite losing then-starter Garoppolo with a shoulder injury. In their Week 17 rematch, Brady and the Patriots coasted to a 35-14 win against the Dolphins, who this time were without their own starting quarterback, Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill is currently not expected to return for the playoffs.
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