The National Football League (NFL) regular season is over, and now only 12 teams remain from the original 32 teams that competed for a spot in the 2018 playoffs.
The defending champions New England Patriots will look for their sixth championship reign. It is the team's 14th playoff appearance in 15 years. The top seed in the American Football Conference (AFC), they are scheduled to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round which will be a "Wild Card Round."
At the other end, the top seeded Philadelphia Eagles just received a major blow to their chances of headlining this year's Super Bowl when quarterback Carson Wentz tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a costly victory over the Los Angeles Rams back in December 2017.
This opens up opportunities for the rest of the teams in the National Football Conference (NFC) to secure the conference championship and face the winner of the AFC in the final.
According to the official schedule of the playoffs as posted by SB Nation, the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers will compete for the top seed in the AFC in the Wild Card Round. The Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings will attempt to do the same in their conference.
The rest of the teams will be facing their respective opponents over the weekend, with the Tennessee Titans taking on the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, Jan. 6; the game will air on ESPN/ABC at 4:35 p.m. EST. The second game will see the Atlanta Falcons face the Los Angeles Rams at 8:15 p.m. on NBC.
Games 3 and 4 will follow on Sunday, Jan. 7, with the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars at 1:05 p.m. on CBS, and Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints at 4:40 p.m. on FOX.
The Divisional Round will take place on Jan. 13 and 14. Meanwhile, games 5 and 6 on Saturday will have the lowest seeds from the NFC and AFC Wild Card round face the Philadelphia Eagles at 4:35 pm on NBC, and the Patriots at 8:15 p.m. on CBS, respectively.
Games 7 and 8 will be the highest Wild Card Round seeds from both conferences facing the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1:05 p.m. on CBS, and the Minnesota Vikings at 4:40 p.m. on FOX. The winners of both games will face the victors of games 5 and 6 in their respective divisions on Sunday, Jan. 21, to finally secure the spot for Super Bowl 52 on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. on NBC.
All televised game times are Eastern.
