Updated Jan. 12, 2025, 3:39 PM UTC
Two teams punched their ticket to the divisional round Saturday: Houston — thanks to an incredible defensive effort with four interceptions of Justin Herbert — and Baltimore — thanks to continued dominance on the ground by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.
Who will join them? On Sunday we’ll have three more answers.
- Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. ET)
- Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles (4:30 p.m. ET)
- Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8 p.m. ET)
NBC News will provide live updates all day long.
If Denver has a chance to beat Buffalo on the road, they’ll have to do it with their elite defense. The Broncos led the NFL with 63 sacks and ranked third in scoring defense (18.3 points per game allowed).
The task won’t be easy against Josh Allen and the Bills, who put up 30.9 points per game, the second-best mark in the NFL.
The Packers and Eagles squared off in Week 1 and so did the Commanders and Buccaneers. Tampa Bay, led by four touchdowns by Baker Mayfield, won the matchup 37-20.
The Buccaneers would go on to rank fourth in scoring offense this season (29.5 points per game) while the Commanders were fifth (28.5). Sunday’s game will mark the first Wild Card game since 2020 to feature two teams that averaged over 28 points per game in the regular season.
Green Bay and Philadelphia played one prior this season, an opening week win by the Eagles in Philadelphia. In that matchup, running back Saquon Barkley had 132 scrimmage yards (109 rushing, 23 receiving) and three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving). The game propelled him towards one of the greatest seasons ever for a rusher.
Barkley ended the regular season with 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.
Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and Denver rookie quarterback Bo Nix both face tough tests in their first playoff game. The Commanders will travel on the road to face the Bucs in Tampa Bay while the Broncos head to Buffalo for a matchup with the Bills.
According to the NFL, only three rookie quarterbacks have won their first career playoff start on the road: Joe Flacco (2008 Wild Card with Baltimore at Miami), Mark Sanchez (2009 Wild Card with the New York Jets at Cincinnati) and Russell Wilson (2012 Wild Card with Seattle at Washington).
