2024 NFL wild-card round: How to watch, schedule and preview of each game

By CNN Newsource

Published January 10, 2025 5:00 AM

By Ben Morse, CNN

(CNN) — After 272 regular season games, we have the final 14 NFL teams vying to lift the Lombardi Trophy.

Of those teams, 12 who qualified for the postseason will take to the field in the wild-card round, while the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions have a week of well-earned rest after clinching top spot in their respective conferences.

The next three rounds of playoff action will decide who will be partaking in Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9.

Here are the matchups for the first round of the playoffs, how to watch them and what to look out for.

Full wild-card round schedule and how to watch

Away @ home

Saturday, January 11

AFC: No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers vs. No. 4 Houston Texans – 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)

AFC: No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. No. 3 Baltimore Ravens – 8 p.m. ET (Prime Video)

Sunday, January 12

AFC: No. 7 Denver Broncos vs. No. 2 Buffalo Bills – 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)

NFC: No. 7 Green Bay Packers vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles – 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)

NFC: No. 6 Washington Commanders vs. No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 8 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)

Monday, January 13

NFC: No. 5 Minnesota Vikings vs. No. 4 Los Angeles Rams – 8 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC/ESPN+)

AFC: No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers vs. No. 4 Houston Texans – 4:30 p.m. ET

The opening game of the 2024 playoffs will be held at NRG Stadium in Houston with the Texans hosting the Los Angeles Chargers.

Coming off a 2023 full of promise, the Texans have stumbled to the AFC South division title. Conversely, the Chargers have dramatically improved on last year’s performance in Jim Harbaugh’s first year as head coach.

The Chargers are led by star quarterback Justin Herbert, who has blossomed under Harbaugh’s stewardship and thrown for 3,870 pass yards, 23 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

In CJ Stroud, LA will be facing off against quarterback who struggled in his second NFL season but still managed to book a spot in the postseason.

The stars of the show on Saturday, though, could be the defenses with both excelling in 2024; Houston has 19 interceptions, the second most this year, while Los Angeles’ unit is laden with game-changing talent such as Derwin James, Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.

Given the holes in both teams’ rosters – the Chargers aren’t loaded with pass catchers for Herbert while the Texans’ wide receiving core has been depleted by injuries – neither team is expected to challenge for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

But the opening game of the playoffs could still have some intrigue as the teams seek to make the first step towards New Orleans and possibly upset a heavyweight or two along the way.

AFC: No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. No. 3 Baltimore Ravens – 8 p.m. ET (Prime Video)

The second game of the wild-card round sees two teams heading in different directions clash at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost four straight to end the season 10-7 after an extremely positive beginning to the year, while the Baltimore Ravens finished the year riding a four-game winning streak.

Now, the two AFC North rivals meet in what looks to be a one-sided clash between a team led by an MVP-favorite and another struggling to regain a sense of identity.

The effectiveness of the Ravens’ rushing attack could decide Saturday’s game; they led the league in rushing yards in the regular season with the combination of superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry proving a nightmare for opposing defenses.

If the Steelers defense can stop Jackson and Henry, it could open the door for a Pittsburgh upset. But they will need to find their footing on offense again after struggling to close out the regular season, failing to score more than 17 points at any point in their four-game losing run.

The health of the two teams’ star wide receivers is also something to keep an eye on with Baltimore’s Zay Flowers dealing with an ankle injury suffered in Week 18 and Pittsburgh’s George Pickens not looking the same since returning from a hamstring injury.

The division rivals just played each other on December 21 with the Ravens coming out on top 34-17 and it looks like a repeat of that smooth victory is on the cards.

AFC: No. 7 Denver Broncos vs. No. 2 Buffalo Bills – 1 p.m. ET

Sunday’s first game of playoff football comes from a frigid Highmark Stadium as the Buffalo Bills host the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos booked their spot in the postseason at the last minute with a dominant victory over a Kansas City Chiefs team that was resting lots of starters, ending the hopes of the Cincinnati Bengals and their late season charge.

Powered by rookie quarterback Bo Nix and veteran head coach Sean Payton, Denver has surprised many by earning 10 wins and reaching the playoffs.

They will face a stiff test when they travel to New York to play the Bills, however. Buffalo finished as the joint-second best scoring offense in the NFL during the regular season and, in quarterback Josh Allen, they have an MVP contender who can hurt defenses in a number of different ways.

Whether it be his big arm or his running ability, Allen is playing at the peak of his powers. After years of postseason misery, could this be the season that he helps the Bills transform their playoff pain into a Super Bowl title?

NFC: No. 7 Green Bay Packers vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles – 4:30 p.m. ET

The first game of NFC postseason action sees two of the best offseason running back acquisitions take to the field in the “City of Brotherly Love.”

Saquon Barkley has enjoyed a historic year having switched the New York Giants for the Philadelphia Eagles, running for over 2,000 yards and falling just 100 yards short of Eric Dickerson’s all-time single-season rushing record.

On the other side, Josh Jacobs has brought an element of physicality to the Green Bay Packers’ offense which has complimented the team’s existing skillset. In his first season in Wisconsin, Jacobs has run for 1,329 yards.

The Packers will be without wide receiver Christian Watson, who suffered a torn ACL in their Week 18 loss to the Chicago Bears, but their plethora of pass catchers might mean the team can withstand that loss.

Green Bay boasts one of the youngest rosters in the league, filled with players who are growing together. The Eagles, meanwhile, are ladened with star power whose aspirations are Super Bowl or bust.

Something to keep an eye on is the health of Philly quarterback Jalen Hurts after he suffered a concussion in Week 17, keeping him out of the team’s season finale. Hurts remains in the concussion protocol but could be in line to play against the Packers. If he does not, the Eagles’ offense could be severely hampered without their starting QB.

NFC: No. 6 Washington Commanders vs. No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 8 p.m. ET

One of the most exciting rookie quarterbacks in recent years makes his NFL playoff debut on Sunday as the Washington Commanders travel to Florida to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jayden Daniels, selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, has enjoyed a historic rookie season with Washington, breaking multiple records and having many memorable moments in an outstanding season.

Daniels has brought hope to an organization which had been stuck in the doldrums for years, breathing life into a stale offense.

While the Commanders are full of young talent, the Bucs are a veteran-led team coming off a two-game winning streak that helped them win the NFC South title and book a spot in the postseason.

The revival of quarterback Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay continues to garner attention, while veteran receiver Mike Evans needed a catch in the final seconds of the team’s Week 18 victory to reach the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the record-tying 11th straight season.

The Bucs might be seen as the favorites with their experienced roster going up against a team perhaps ahead of schedule, but as Daniels has proved throughout his debut NFL campaign, you can’t count him out.

NFC: No. 5 Minnesota Vikings vs. No. 4 Los Angeles Rams – 8 p.m. ET

The final game of the wild-card offerings is hosted at SoFi Stadium and is a repeat of a controversial contest held back in October.

A controversial late missed penalty call overshadowed the Los Angeles Rams’ impressive victory over the Minnesota Vikings, with TV replays showing that Rams linebacker Byron Young had grabbed Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold’s facemask on a crucial fourth quarter sack and safety.

Now, the Vikings will travel to California looking to avenge that defeat and bounce back from a disappointing, comprehensive Week 18 defeat to the Detroit Lions, which saw them slip to No. 5 in the NFC despite boasting an impressive 14-3 regular season record.

After a magical 2024 campaign, Darnold and the Minnesota offense struggled against Detroit and will be looking to return to form against a young but improving LA defense.

The Rams won six of their last eight regular season games, helped by the return to full health from some of their star contributors, most notably wide receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.

Their offense – led by quarterback Matthew Stafford and head coach and famed offensive play-caller Sean McVay – will need to be at their best if they hope to keep up with the offensive star-power on offer from the Vikings.

Amid the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles, the NFL announced on Thursday that the game will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona rather that Los Angeles.

“The decision was made in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs and the NFLPA,” the NFL said in a statement.

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