NFL Playoff Bracket 2024: Updated Picture, Schedule After Sunday’s Wild Card
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NFL wild card weekend continued on Sunday with a pair of NFC matchups that saw two teams earn spots in the Divisional Round.
The seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers scored the biggest upset of the playoffs so far with a 48-32 win over the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys, who were the No. 2 seed. The Detroit Lions edged the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 in the nightcap for the team’s first playoff victory since 1991.
Here’s a look at the updated playoff picture after Sunday’s results.
Wild Card Round
Saturday, Jan. 13
(4) Houston Texans def. (5) Cleveland Browns, 45-14
(3) Kansas City Chiefs def. (6) Miami Dolphins, 26-7
Sunday, Jan. 14
(7) Green Bay Packers def. (2) Dallas Cowboys, 48-32
(3) Detroit Lions def. (6) Los Angeles Rams, 24-23
Monday, Jan. 15
(7) Pittsburgh Steelers vs. (2) Buffalo Bills, 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS
(5) Philadelphia Eagles vs. (4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Divisional Round
Saturday, Jan. 20
(4) Houston Texans vs. (1) Baltimore Ravens/(3) Kansas City Chiefs, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
(7) Green Bay Packers vs. (1) San Francisco 49ers, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
Sunday, Jan. 21
(5) Philadelphia Eagles/(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (3) Detroit Lions, 3 p.m. ET, NBC
(3) Kansas City Chiefs vs. (2) Buffalo Bills OR (7) Pittsburgh Steelers vs. (1) Baltimore Ravens, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Conference Championships
Sunday, Jan. 28
AFC Championship Game, TBD, 3 p.m. ET, CBS
NFC Championship Game, TBD, 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Super Bowl LVIII
Sunday, Feb. 11
AFC vs. NFC, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS
The playoff picture will become completely clear after Monday’s slate of games, which will see the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Buffalo Bills and the Philadelphia Eagles host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Sunday’s finishes began locking things into place.
On the NFC side, the No. 1-seeded San Francisco 49ers will take on the Packers after their surprising blowout win of the Cowboys on Sunday. Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love looked like a seasoned vet with three touchdowns and no turnovers in the victory, so this game won’t be a walk in the park for the 49ers.
The Lions will await the winner of Monday’s game between the Eagles and Buccaneers. Both teams are banged up, as Philadelphia will be without star wide receiver A.J. Brown due to a knee injury and Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield is playing through ankle and rib injuries. The Lions topped the Bucs 20-6 in Week 6 of this season, so they likely would welcome a rematch with Tampa Bay.
In the AFC, the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens are waiting to figure out their opponent. If the Pittsburgh Steelers manage to upset the Buffalo Bills in Monday’s game, they will be the lowest remaining seed and set up a divisional-round matchup between the AFC North rivals. The Steelers and Bills were originally scheduled to play on Sunday afternoon, but a major snowstorm in Buffalo caused the game to be pushed back.
If the Bills hold serve at Highmark Stadium, the Ravens would welcome the Houston Texans to town in the divisional round. Rookie quarterback sensation C.J. Stroud and the Texans continued their Cinderella run by dominating the Cleveland Browns in a 45-14 victory on Saturday.
A Bills win would also set up a rematch between them and the Kansas City Chiefs, who upended the Miami Dolphins 26-7 in Saturday’s wild-card game. Buffalo and Kansas City met in a high-profile matchup in Week 14 with the Bills winning 20-17 after a controversial penalty call erased a go-ahead touchdown by the Chiefs in the fourth quarter.
