With week 17 behind us, it's time to look forward to the NFL Playoffs. Wild Card weekend looks to give us two days of great games with some potential drama on the side. With good teams waiting in the wings come Divisional round as well, this looks to be one of the most exciting playoffs in recent years.
Below is the full playoff schedule.
Wild Card Weekend
Saturday
(AFC) No. 6 Cincinnati Bengals at No. 3 Houston Texans: 4:30 pm ET, NBC
The Cincinnati Bengals enter the playoffs for the second straight season and look to get their first playoff win in the Andy Dalton era. They take on a Houston Texans team that is reeling after losing out on a chance at the number one seed and a first round bye with a week 17 loss to rival Indianapolis Colts.
(NFC) No. 6 Minnesota Vikings at No. 3 Green Bay Packers: 8 pm ET, NBC
It's a rematch of the week 17 game that saw the Minnesota Vikings edge out the Packers 37-34 to earn a Wild Card bid. The edge this week goes to Green Bay as they have home field advantage.
Sunday
(AFC) No. 5 Indianapolis Colts at No. 4 Baltimore Ravens: 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Rookie signal callers don't generally do well in playoff games, but as of now, Indianapolis' Andrew Luck has defied all rookie expectations. Luck will need to pull every rabbit he can out of his helmet to put down a hungry and veteran Baltimore team looking to make a Super Bowl run.
(NFC) No. 5 Seattle Seahawks at No. 4 Washington Redskins: 4:30 pm ET, FOX
It's a clash of rookie quarterbacks as Seattle's Russell Wilson meets up with Washington's Robert Griffin III in this historic game. The Redskins are really going to need to bring their A-game if they want to stop the red-hot Seahawks.
Divisional Round
Saturday, January 12
(AFC) Lowest seeded wild-card winner at No 1 Denver Broncos: 4:30 pm ET, CBS
The extra week off for the Broncos may be just what the doctor ordered as it gives quarterback Peyton Manning a chance to catch his breath after a wild season.
(NFC) Highest seeded wild-card winner at No. 2 San Francisco 49ers: 8 pm ET, FOX
The 49ers go into this game fielding their own young quarterback and many questions will be answered on this Saturday. Of course if they lose, there will a whole field of new questions.
Sunday, January 13
(NFC) Lowest seeded wild-card winner at No. 1 Atlanta Falcons: 1 pm ET, FOX
The Falcons need a win here, plain and simple. With the number one seed and home field advantage, there is no better time to prove to the NFL that the Falcons are legit.
(AFC) Highest seeded wild-card winner at No 2. New England Patriots: 4:30 pm ET, CBS
The New England Patriots haven't been able to get it done for what feels like forever and look to buck that this postseason. With a more balanced team, New England has a great shot at winning it all.
Championship Weekend
Sunday, January 20
(NFC) TBA at TBA: 3 pm ET FOX
(AFC) TBA at TBA: 6:30 pm ET CBS
Super Bowl XLVII
Sunday, February 3
AFC champion vs. NFC champion: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans 6:30 pm ET CBS
James LeBeau is a sports contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JleBeau76 or subscribe on Facebook.com/CraveOnlineSports.
