Three of the four teams playing on Wild Card weekend are road favorites, including the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs-Texans game is the first on the NFL playoff schedule this weekend. It'll be the two AFC games on Saturday while the two NFC teams will play on Sunday.
We have our predictions for the game, as well as the odds on each team. Someone on Reddit pointed out that every game includes a quarterback who has made an AFC or NFC Championship game and a quarterback who doesn't have a playoff win. The same is true of Alex Smith (NFC Championship game 2011) and Brian Hoyer (no playoff wins).
Here are my picks for the game. Find the schedule below.
Steelers-Bengals: Give me the Steelers. They're favored in this game by 3 points. Their ceiling is very high right now, but so is their floor. They can beat the Patriots or lose to AJ McCarron's Bengals. I'll just assume that Big Ben is on his game and ready to make a run. Plus, a Steelers win means the chances of an AFC Championship game at Arrowhead are still alive.
Chiefs-Texans: Of course I'm picking the Chiefs, who are 3-point favorites. They're the better team. End the streak. Find more Chiefs-Texans picks here.
Seahawks-Vikings: I'll take the Seahawks even without Marshawn Lynch playing. That was a surprise but this team is on a roll. Seattle could represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Again. This could also be an incredibly cold game. Seattle is a 4 point favorite.
Packers-Redskins: I'm picking Green Bay but I don't feel good about it. Their offense has looked so bad lately, scoring 13 or less in three of their last six games. This team is 10-6 after starting 6-0 yet somehow I still believe Green Bay will win. Washington is actually favored in this game by one point.
(All times are Arrowhead Time ... or Central. Stream on ESPN3, Game Pass or the NFL Mobile app.)
Wild Card Weekend (Saturday)
3 - Cincinnati Bengals (12-4) vs. 6 - Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) - Saturday, Jan. 9, 7:15 p.m., CBS
4 - Houston Texans (9-7) vs. 5 - Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) - Saturday, Jan. 9, 3:25 p.m., ESPN/ABC
Wild Card Weekend (Sunday)
3 - Minnesota Vikings (11-5) vs. 6 - Seattle Seahawks (10-6) - Sunday, Jan. 10, 12:05 p.m., NBC
4 - Washington Redskins (9-7) vs. 5 - Green Bay Packers (10-6) - Sunday, Jan. 10, 3:40 p.m., FOX
First round bye (AFC)
1 - Denver Broncos (12-4) - Sunday, Jan. 17, 3:40 p.m., CBS
2 - New England Patriots (12-4) - Saturday, Jan. 16, 3:35 p.m., CBS
First round bye (NFC)
1 - Carolina Panthers (15-1) - Sunday, Jan. 17, 12:05 p.m., FOX
2 - Arizona Cardinals (12-4) - Saturday, Jan. 16, 7:15 p.m., NBC
Saturday, Jan. 16
AFC Divisional Round Game 1: New England Patriots vs. highest seed, 3:35 p.m., CBS
NFC Divisional Round Game 1: Arizona Cardinals vs. highest seed, 7:15 p.m., NBC
Sunday, Jan. 17
NFC Divisional Round Game 2: Carolina Panthers vs. lowest seed, 12:05 p.m., FOX
AFC Divisional Round Game 2: Denver Broncos vs. lowest seed, 3:40 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Jan.24
AFC Championship: AFC Divisional Round winners, 2 p.m., CBS
NFC Championship: NFC Divisional Round winners, 5:40 p.m., FOX
Sunday, Feb. 7
Super Bowl 50: AFC champion vs. NFC champion, 5:30 p.m., CBS