The NFL playoffs are about to get real

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Last week's Super Wild Card round was indeed pretty super. And wild. In a stunning upset, Green Bay blew out No. 2 seed Dallas. Defending NFC champion Philadelphia got cooked by Tampa Bay. Houston, one of the worst teams in the league last year, annihilated favoured Cleveland.

Even the more predictable results came with a spicy twist. Detroit scored its first playoff win in 32 years — over former Lions star Matthew Stafford and the Rams. Reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City's convincing win over Miami was one of the coldest games in NFL history. And Buffalo fans had to literally dig their way to their seats to watch their team beat Pittsburgh after a blizzard dumped two feet of snow on the Bills' stadium.

So, that was fun. But now things get more serious as top seeds Baltimore and San Francisco draw in from their first-round byes. With trips to the conference finals on the line, here's a quick scene-setter for all four of this weekend's matchups:

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens (Saturday 4:30 p.m. ET)

The Texans are a great story. They finished second-last in the NFL last season with a record of 3-13-1, then were called reckless for trading up to add the third selection in the draft. But, man, did they nail their picks. Second-overall choice C.J. Stroud is likely to win Offensive Rookie of the Year after leading Houston to a stunning AFC South title, No. 3 pick Will Anderson had seven sacks, and third-round selection Tank Dell looked like an emerging star before suffering a season-ending injury in December.

Stroud was once again sensational in last week's