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There are always backstories in the NFL, and the one involving Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Robert Kraft is a first-class thriller with plenty of talk-show fodder.
ESPN.com writer Seth Wickersham recently shed light on the inner workings of the New England Patriots, and that's new in itself. However, the sideshow will be put on hold Saturday and Sunday, as the NFL postseason commences with four wild-card games.
The Atlanta Falcons struggled throughout most of the season, but they made the playoffs as a result of a victory in their regular-season finale against the Carolina Panthers.
The Falcons are the sixth seed in the NFC playoff structure, and they have the difficult assignment of playing the Los Angeles Rams.
Atlanta has excellent skill-position players in quarterback Matt Ryan, running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman and wideouts Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu.
The Falcons are capable of lighting up the scoreboard when they are playing up to their capabilities, but they often struggled to play consistently this season. They ranked eighth in yards gained during the regular season, but it seems like they should have been ranked higher with the amount of talent on the roster.
The Rams had a tremendous season under first-year head coach Sean McVay, who did a superb job in turning his team into the NFC West champions.
Quarterback Jared Goff had an eye-opening second campaign, completing 296 of 477 passes for 3,804 yards with 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He had an excellent partner in running back Todd Gurley, who rushed for 1,305 yards and scored 13 touchdowns as a runner. He was also dominant as a receiver.
These teams are fairly even in terms of talent, but the Rams have been the more consistent this season. Look for the home team to seize control of this game in the third quarter and stretch out the lead in the fourth. The Rams win by more than a touchdown.
Wild-Card Schedule, Point Spreads and Predictions
Saturday, Jan. 6, 4:35 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC): No. 5 Tennessee Titans at No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs (-8); streaming: WatchESPN
Saturday, Jan. 6, 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC): No. 6 Atlanta Falcons at No. 3 Los Angeles Rams (-5.5); streaming: NBC Sports App
Sunday, Jan. 7, 1:05 p.m. ET (CBS): No. 6 Buffalo Bills at No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars (-9); streaming: fuboTV
Sunday, Jan. 7, 4:40 p.m. ET (Fox): No. 5 Carolina Panthers at No. 4 New Orleans Saints (-7); streaming: FOX Sports Go
Team in bold predicted to win the game and cover the point spread.
Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press/Associated Press
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Buffalo Bills earned a spot in the playoffs as a result of a thrilling finish to Week 17 that saw the long-suffering team go to South Florida and beat the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals rally in the final minute to beat the Baltimore Ravens.
Those two events allowed the Bills to make the postseason for the first time since 1999, and they will go on the road to play the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday.
This is a tough assignment for the Bills, as star running back LeSean McCoy suffered a sprained ankle against the Dolphins, and he had to be carted off the field.
McCoy was limited in practice Friday and has been listed as questionable for this game. If McCoy can play, he will likely not be at his best. If he can't play, the Bills don't have enough weapons to threaten the Jaguars' second-ranked defense.
The Jaguars have a dangerous pass rush in Calais Campbell (14.5 sacks) and Yannick Ngakoue (12.0 sacks), and they will put a ton of pressure on Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The Buffalo quarterback throws fairly well on the run, but the Buffalo wide receivers are limited.
Jacksonville should seize control in this game as long as quarterback Blake Bortles does not turn the ball over. Bortles had fine numbers this year (3,687 yards with 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions) and helped the Jaguars win the AFC South title, but he has to prove he can handle the assignment in the postseason.
Look for Jacksonville to avoid the big mistakes that could let the Bills have a chance in this game. The Jaguars win at home and advance to the divisional round.
Spreads according to OddsShark.
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The wait for the 2017 NFL playoffs is finally over as the wild-card round kicks off Saturday, featuring some of the league's most intriguing playoff contenders.
While you won't see the likes of the New England Patriots or Philadelphia Eagles competing this week, there is still plenty of action to keep an eye on, starting with the Tennessee Titans traveling to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. The Atlanta Falcons then head west to face the Los Angeles Rams.
Here's a look at this week's wild-card playoff picture followed by a complete look at the playoff picture as the weeks progress:
Wild Card Weekend
Saturday, Jan. 6
AFC: (5) Tennessee Titans (9-7) at (4) Kansas City Chiefs (10-6), 4:35 p.m. ET (ESPN, WatchESPN)
NFC: (6) Atlanta Falcons (10-6) at (3) Los Angeles Rams (11-5), 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC, NBC Sports Live)
Sunday, Jan. 7
AFC: (6) Buffalo Bills (9-7) at (3) Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6), 1:05 p.m. ET (CBS, CBS Sports Network)
NFC: (5) Carolina Panthers (11-5) at (4) New Orleans Saints (11-5), 4:40 p.m. ET (Fox, Fox Sports GO)
Divisional Weekend
Saturday, Jan. 13
NFC: Falcons/Panthers/Saints at (1) Philadelphia Eagles (13-3), 4:35 p.m. ET (NBC, NBC Sports Live)
AFC: Bills/Titans/Chiefs at (1) New England Patriots (13-3), 8:15 p.m. ET (CBS, CBS Sports Network)
Sunday, Jan. 14
AFC: Titans/Chiefs/Jaguars at (2) Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3), 1:05 p.m. ET (CBS, CBS Sports Network)
NFC: Panthers/Saints/Rams at (2) Minnesota Vikings (13-3), 4:40 p.m. ET (Fox, Fox Sports GO)
Championship Sunday
Sunday, Jan. 21
AFC Championship Game, 3:05 p.m. ET (CBS, CBS Sports Network)
NFC Championship Game, 6:40 p.m. ET (Fox, Fox Sports GO)
Super Bowl LII
Sunday, Feb. 4
AFC champion vs. NFC champion at U.S. Bank Stadium, 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC, NBC Sports Live)
Marcus Mariota, Titans travel to Kansas City
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When talking about some of the NFL's best atmospheres for gameday, it's impossible to leave out Arrowhead, arguably the loudest stadium of them all.
The Chiefs' home is one of the most hostile places for away teams to play in, not just because of the noise level, but because of how good the Chiefs are when they play to their full potential.
Kansas City has been inconsistent throughout the season, but it still boasts one of the NFL's most explosive offenses, featuring rookie sensation Kareem Hunt and Tyreek Hill. It's no wonder the Chiefs (-8) are favorites in this one, according OddsShark.
While the Titans defense might be able to keep them in the game, it's going to be up to the offense to keep up the pace. Specifically, this game will fall on the shoulders of Marcus Mariota.
For all the hype Mariota received in Week 17 after he stiff-armed his way into highlight reels, he still had a bad day throwing the ball, completing just 57.1 percent of his passes for 137 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception.
Mariota has taken a step back this season statistically, but he has a golden opportunity to make up for a bad regular season this afternoon against the Chiefs on the road.
Rams look to solidify place as Super Bowl contenders
Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Rams are the feel-good story of the league. The franchise went from one of the most boring tams to watch last season to the highest-scoring offense in the league under second-year quarterback Jared Goff and first-year head coach Sean McVay.
But forget about regular season stats; this is playoff football. And in the Rams' way are the Atlanta Falcons, a team that narrowly lost the Super Bowl to the Patriots last year.
Atlanta (+5.5) is considered the underdogs in this road matchup, according to OddsShark. While the Falcons aren't as explosive as they were last season, they still have last season's MVP, Matt Ryan, throwing the ball, Julio Jones at wideout and Devonta Freeman in the backfield. Freeman has also been taken off the team's injury report in the past couple days.
The Rams have a trio of offensive playmakers of their own, starting with Goff, a possible MVP candidate in Todd Gurley and an explosive wideout in Robert Woods.
Both teams will need their playmakers to step up big this afternoon to stand any chance of making the divisional round, where a possible date with the Philadelphia Eagles or Minnesota Vikings awaits them.
For the NFL, the transition from 2017 to 2018 marked the end of the regular season and the beginning of the postseason. The NFL playoff schedule, which was set last week, continues Sunday with the wild-card round and ends Feb. 4 in Minnesota, where Super Bowl 52 will take place.
The wild-card round of the NFL playoff schedule features six teams that didn't make the postseason last year — only the Chiefs and Falcons returned as contenders. The Titans, Rams, Bills, Jaguars, Panthers and Saints were the relative newcomers hoping to advance to Round 2. Saturday's wild-card results sent Kansas City and Los Angeles home.
MORE: Watch NFL in U.S. live and on demand with fuboTV (7-day trial)
The Patriots, Steelers, Eagles and Vikings clinched first-round byes for the playoffs, and each will host a game in the divisional round. If they're still around, two of those teams also will host conference championship games.
New England is the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the seventh time since 2003. And while the Patriots remain the favorites to reach and win Super Bowl 52, they're far from a lock. Since the NFL adopted the 12-team playoff format, only 28 of the 54 (51.9 percent) No. 1 seeds have advanced to the Super Bowl. In those 27 seasons, a No. 1 seed has gone on to win the Super Bowl 13 times (48.1 percent).
MORE: Wild-card playoff picks, predictions
Here is the NFL playoff schedule for 2017-18, including kickoff times and TV info.
NFL playoff schedule 2018
Saturday, Jan. 6 (Wild-card playoffs)
— Titans vs. Chiefs | Kickoff time: 4:35 p.m. ET | TV network: ESPN/ABC
(RESULT: Titans 22, Chiefs 21)
— Falcons vs. Rams | Kickoff time: 8:15 p.m. ET | TV network: NBC
(RESULT: Falcons 26, Rams 13)
Sunday, Jan. 7 (Wild-card playoffs)
— Bills vs. Jaguars | Kickoff time: 1:05 p.m. ET | TV network: CBS
— Panthers vs. Saints | Kickoff time: 4:40 p.m. ET | TV network: FOX
Saturday, Jan. 13 (Divisional playoffs)
— Falcons vs. Eagles | Kickoff time: 4:35 p.m. ET | TV network: NBC
— Titans/Bills vs. Patriots | Kickoff time: 8:15 p.m. ET | TV network: CBS
Sunday, Jan. 14 (Divisional playoffs)
— Jaguars/Titans vs. Pittsburgh | Kickoff time: 1:05 p.m. ET | TV network: CBS
— Saints/Panthers vs. Vikings | Kickoff time: 4:40 p.m. ET | TV network: FOX
Sunday, Jan. 21 (Conference championships)
— NFC championship game: Teams TBD | Kickoff time: 3:05 p.m. ET | TV network: FOX
— AFC championship game: Teams TBD | Kickoff time: 6:40 p.m. ET | TV network: CBS
Sunday, Feb. 4
— Super Bowl 52 (U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis): TBD vs. TBD | Kickoff time: 6:30 p.m. ET | TV network: NBC
Contributing: Skylar Rolstad
The NFL playoffs will officially start on Saturday with one Wild Card Game from each conference. First, the Tennessee Titans will travel to Kansas City to clash with the Chiefs in the AFC at 4:35 p.m ET on ESPN (live stream). Later at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC (live stream), the Atlanta Falcons — last year's NFC Champion — will fly to the West Coast for battle against the Los Angeles Rams.
Tennessee (9-7) and Kansas City (10-6) found success on the ground this season, with both rushing offenses finishing in the top 15. But this game will come down to which team can make more plays in the passing game. The Titans finished with the 23rd-best pass offense in the NFL, while the Chiefs' seventh-best pass offense clicked on all cylinders. Both defenses struggled with defending the pass in 2017, so the keys to winning this game are simple: throw the ball and defend the pass.
When you look over to the Rams (11-4) and Falcons (10-6) in the NFC, you will see two high-powered offenses with a bevy of weapons. The Rams, making their first playoff appearance since the 2003 season, boast the No. 1 scoring offense in the league by averaging 29.9 points per game. Atlanta, on the other hand, only scored 22.2 points per contest. Defense will be the key to victory in this game, as both teams finished in the top 15 in scoring defense.
Time, TV channel, and streaming info
Titans vs. Chiefs: 4:35 p.m. on ESPN ( live stream via WatchESPN)
Falcons vs. Rams: 8:15 p.m. on NBC (live stream via NBC Sports, FuboTV )
Why Falcons fans should feel confident against the Rams
