NFL wild card playoffs: What you need to know

Both games were at Lambeau Field and both times Indy Realty the Giants won en route to taking the
Super Bowl after the 2007 and 2011 seasons. The Giants won the first one and the NFL title in 1938,
beating the Packers 23-17. Because of injuries, rookie Connor Cook will start for the Raiders,
becoming the first QB in NFL history to make his first start in a playoff game. (Fox)
The Steelers are 34-23 in the postseason, tied with Dallas (34) for the most total playoff wins all
time.
Miami beat Pittsburgh 30-15 in October as Jay Ajayi ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns.
The Packers enter the postseason on a roll. Quarterback Matt Moore will make his first postseason
start for the Dolphins with Ryan Tannehill out because of an injury.
McCarthy is the fourth coach in NFL history to lead a single franchise to eight straight playoff
appearances, joining Tom Landry, Chuck Noll and Bill Belichick.
Im sure theres been teams that have gotten hot and gone and won it, but there are teams that have
not had the finish that they wanted and still gone on to be really successful.
And the Giants top-10 defense will face a significant test at Lambeau Field against Aaron Rodgers
and the surging Packers.
Detroit lost its final three games of the regular season to miss out on the NFC North title and the
chance to host a playoff game. Detroit hasnt won a road playoff game since 1957.
A dozen teams still have hopes to play for the Lombardi Trophy in Houston on Feb. To me its a great
opportunity. You have these great opportunities in life to be at your best, and you get these great
challenges.
Aaron Rodgers led the way as he completed 71 percent of his passes with 15 touchdown passes and
no interceptions.
And the teams have met twice in the past decade in the postseason. (NBC)
New York Giants (11-5) at Green Bay (10-6), Sunday at 4:40 p.m. Houston looks to win a playoff
game for the first time since 2012 season.
Both teams enter the playoffs in a slump.
The teams met on Nov. McAdoo was a Packers assistant under Green Bays Mike McCarthy from
2006-13.
NEW YORK (AP) The drive to the Super Bowl begins this weekend as the NFL postseason gets going.
Oakland is in the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season, when it went to the Super Bowl
and the Raiders have won 12 games for the first time since the 2000 season.

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Brock Osweiler, who struggled for Houston after signing a $72 million contract, will start with Tom
Savage out with a concussion. Sometimes youre going to have one of those weeks.

This is the fourth time the Texans have opened the playoffs as the early game on Saturday. Since
2012, the Seahawks are 7-3 in the playoffs.
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Miami (10-6) at Pittsburgh (11-5), Sunday at 1:05 p.m. (CBS)
One of those weird days in football, Steelers guard David DeCastro said of his teams struggles in
that game. And he will face the leagues top-ranked defense.
History kind of shows you that its a true restart, Detroit QB Matthew Stafford said. Temperatures
are forecast in the mid-to-low teens for this matchup.
Oakland (12-4) at Houston (9-7), Saturday at 4:35 p.m. 5.
Detroit (9-7) at Seattle (10-5-1), Saturday at 8:15 p.m. For more NFL coverage:
http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
The Steelers offense led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back LeVeon Bell and wide
receiver Antonio Brown will be in the lineup for the first time in a playoff game.
Seattle split its final six games to close the regular season and its Week 16 loss to Arizona cost it a
first-round bye. 21 in Mexico City and the Raiders won 27-20.
On Saturday, the playoffs open as Oakland travels to Houston and Detroit heads to Seattle.
To think that such a good passer, you would think theyd get him out of the pocket, damper him, or
put some type of uneasiness about him but no, hes very comfortable outside the pocket.
You do the best you can regardless of the circumstances, Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. And the
Raiders have returned to the postseason after a lengthy absence, but are starting a rookie at
quarterback.
https://www.boston.com/sports/nfl/2017/01/07/nfl-playoffs-wild-card-games-schedule-preview
The Giants are back in the playoffs for the first time since that 2011 run under first-year head coach

Ben McAdoo, who replaced Tom Coughlin. The Packers won the next four games and NFL
championships in 1939, 44, 61 and 62.
Despite making the postseason for the second time in three seasons, Detroit is looking for its first
playoff win since 1992. The Packers have a 4-3 edge in playoff games. Green Bay finished 6-0 in the
regular season and clinched the NFC North title.

The teams have a rich playoff history going against each other. And the Seahawks are in the playoffs
for the fifth straight season.
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And the wild-card round finishes with Pittsburgh playing at home against Miami and Green Bay
hosting the New York Giants.
Before that last-season slide, the Lions made the key plays when it mattered as they won an NFLrecord eight times when trailing in the fourth quarter or overtime.
The Steelers enter the playoffs on a seven-game winning streak and are the heaviest favorite of the
weekend against the Dolphins, who are also short-handed at QB.
Largely considered to be the most underwhelming of the wild-card games because of the matchup at
quarterback. Seattle is 5-0 in the playoffs at home since 2010 and has won at least one game in each
postseason appearance under coach Pete Carroll. EST (ESPN)
Miami is making its first playoff appearance since 2008 and is looking for its first postseason win
since the wild-card round in 2000. Were looking at data and whos won it and how, and all that kind
of stuff.
Inside the pocket he can shred you, he can make all the throws, Giants linebacker Jonathan Casillas
said.
With the game-time forecast of around 20 degrees, the Dolphins put footballs used by the teams
place-kicker and punter in a freezer before practice to simulate conditions for Sundays game.
The Patriots, Chiefs, Cowboys and Falcons all earned first-round byes and will watch and see whom
they play in the divisional round.
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Ajayi is one of four players in NFL history with three games of at least 200 rushing yards in a single
season.