NFL wild-card playoff preview: 6 games on tap for the initial slate

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The NFL playoffs are here, and it’s wild to think that just a few months ago the Detroit Lions stunned the Kansas City Chiefs in the first game of the season.

Both of those teams have made the playoffs and could possibly meet in the Super Bowl.

The road starts here. With the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers having first-round byes, the rest of the division winners and wild-card teams will hope to narrow down the field.

Read the breakdowns of the weekend’s playoff games below.

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C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans warms up prior to the game against the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Jan. 6, 2024. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

The Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns are both back in the playoffs and riding waves of momentum to get back to the postseason. The Texans, behind C.J. Stroud and DeMeco Ryans, became the first team in the Super Bowl era to win a division with a rookie quarterback and rookie head coach, respectively. The Browns are in the playoffs for the second time in the last 20 years.

All eyes will be on Stroud to see how he can handle the playoff pressure, and it’s been a minute since Houston has had any postseason success. He has 4,108 passing yards and 23 touchdown passes this season.

He’s going up against a Browns defense that features Myles Garrett, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Denzel Ward. Not to mention, Joe Flacco appears to have turned the clock back; since taking the reins as the starting quarterback, he has 1,616 passing yards and 13 touchdown passes.

Cleveland beat Houston on Christmas Eve, 36-22.

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