Tag: Wild Card

Previewing Kansas City’s Wild Card game vs. Dolphins on Chiefs Wire Podcast

On the latest episode of @TheChiefsWire podcast: @EdEastonJr’s chats w/ Mike Tannenbaum and @TheDolphinsWire contributor Jason Sarney #MIAvsKC

We’re back with an all-new episode of the Chiefs Wire podcast! This week, we’re previewing the Kansas City Chiefs Wild Card matchup with the Miami Dolphins.

We check in with this week’s press conferences featuring comments from quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid as they look ahead to the rematch with the Dolphins. The Chiefs were victorious in the teams’ first meeting in Germany and know they are facing a much different team than the group they saw back in November.

Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. recently sat down with former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum to get his thoughts on the Kansas City Chiefs’ offseason free agency plans. Tannenbaum spoke on behalf of The 33rd Team while providing insight on Kansas City’s needs, including negotiations with Chris Jones. The Dolphins Wire’s Jason Sarney detailed the strengths of Miami leading into Arrowhead Stadium.

Listeners can look forward to being well-informed about the Chiefs’ mindset as the team officially begins their postseason journey back to the Super Bowl, with the first obstacle being a returning Tyreek Hill and a hungry Dolphins squad charged up after missing out on the AFC East division title. 

Check out the link below to get your fill of Chiefs talk ahead of Saturday’s kickoff:

Chiefs to play Dolphins in wild card round of playoffs on Saturday night

Chiefs to play Dolphins in wild card round of playoffs on Saturday night

The Kansas City Chiefs will officially host the Miami Dolphins in the AFC’s wild card round of the playoffs, and we now know exactly when the game will be played.

The NFL announced that the Chiefs will face the Dolphins on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 7:00 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed exclusively on Peacock. The Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans will take the afternoon spot on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo at 3:30 p.m. CT.

The Miami Dolphins (6) are heading to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to face the Chiefs for the second time this season. This comes after they dropped their regular season finale at home to the Buffalo Bills 21-14. The defeat cost Miami the AFC East division title and an opportunity to host a wild card postseason game.

In their Week 9 meeting this season in Germany, Kansas City’s offense scored two touchdowns in the first half, and the defense added a touchdown to create a 21-0 halftime lead. The second half saw Miami’s offense wake up to notch 14 points and force a game-closing defensive performance to put the Dolphins away on the final drive. Steve Spagnuolo’s unit held Tua Tagovailoa under 200 passing yards, and former Chiefs star Tyreek Hill was held to under eight yards per catch and no touchdowns after being matched up with L’Jarius Sneed.

The atmosphere at Arrowhead Stadium will have extra fuel for the playoff matchup under the lights as Hill makes his much-anticipated return. The Chiefs Kingdom hasn’t forgotten the many comments the Pro Bowl receiver has had about a potential game against the Chiefs in Kansas City.

Steelers to take on Bills on the road in playoffs

It’s Steelers vs Bills in the first round of the NFL playoffs.

The Pittsburgh Steelers secured a spot in the playoffs when the Tennessee Titans knocked off the Jacksonville Jaguars early Sunday afternoon. But it wasn’t until late Sunday night at the conclusion of the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins matchup until we knew who the Steelers would be playing in the Wild Card round and when the game would take place.

With the Bills knocking off the Dolphins, Pittsburgh will now travel to take on the Bills next weekend in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. The game will be at 1 PM ET on Sunday, January 14 on CBS. For the Bills, winning their game Sunday night helped them secure the No. 2 seed overall in the AFC. Had they lost, they would have fallen all the way to the No. 7 seed.

Pittsburgh used a three-game winning streak at the end of the season along with some help to back into the playoffs where they now hope their newfound power run game can help them get over the hump and make a deep playoff run.

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Updated NFC playoff standings after Week 17

Updated NFC playoff standings after Week 17: Where do the New Orleans Saints clock in?

The New Orleans Saints pulled off a badly-needed win on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but where do the y rank in the updated NFC playoff standings? They’re still on the outside looking in for the postseason tournament, but another win next week (combined with some big help from other games) could clinch a playoff berth for New Orleans.

Here’s how the layoff picture looks after Week 17:

Saints get some much-needed help from the Steelers in NFC playoff race

The Saints got some much-needed help from the Steelers, keeping them alive in the NFC playoff race. But they aren’t out of the woods yet:

Whew: it was a little too close for comfort, but the New Orleans Saints got some much-needed help from the Pittsburgh Steelers, keeping them alive in the crowded NFC playoff race. The Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon which created a ripple effect felt throughout the NFC.

For the Saints, it means there are still two paths open to clinching a playoff berth next week. But one option is much simpler than the other, even if neither of them are easy. Let’s tackle the complicated one first.

Because the Seahawks lost and fell to 8-8, a loss in Week 18 (to the Arizona Cardinals) would knock them out of playoff contention altogether. If the Saints catch a couple of other breaks, they’ll win the NFC’s seventh playoff seed. But that would mean whichever team wins on Sunday night — the Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings — would have to lose in the following week. Green Bay hosts the Chicago Bears, while the Vikings will visit the Detroit Lions. So that’s at least two other games the Saints will need to be watching whenever they kick off themselves.

And that brings us to the clearest path forward. The Saints must beat the Atlanta Falcons in their own regular season finale and hope for a Carolina Panthers win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which would clinch an NFC South title and the playoff berth that comes with it. If the Buccaneers take care of business (and they should, against a lowly Panthers team) then the Saints are stuck praying on the downfall for the Seahawks and Packers or Vikings (which we’ll find out later Sunday evening).

That’s what losing games in Green Bay and Minnesota earlier this year costs you. If the Saints had won either of those matchups they wouldn’t be in this position. But it is what it is, and they’ll just need to keep focusing on what they can control to try and salvage something from this season.

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2 ways the Broncos can still make the NFL playoffs

Yes, the Broncos can still make the NFL playoffs. Both scenarios are very unlikely, but here are two ways Denver could get in.

After losing to the New England Patriots (4-11) last week, the Denver Broncos (8-9) have extremely long odds of making the NFL playoffs.

While unlikely, mathematics allow for the possibility of the Broncos squeaking into the postseason. Denver has two potential routes to the playoffs.

The first and simplest (albeit farfetched) way for the Broncos to get in would be to win the AFC West. Denver would claim the division crown if they win out and the Kansas City Chiefs lose out. Unlikely? Yes. But technically possible.

The second way to get in would be as a Wild Card team, and it would take a lot of help from other teams. We’ll just focus on this week for how the Broncos can stay alive in the playoff hunt after Week 17.

There are six different scenarios that could see Denver eliminated this week. We’ll list them below.

Saints vs Rams: 6 most important storylines in Week 16 game

Saints vs Rams: Staying alive in the playoff race headlines the 6 most important storylines in Week 16 game

The New Orleans Saints are still in the thick of the playoff hunt as they prepare for their Thursday night matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams are also fighting for a Wild Card spot, but the Saints can still win their division and even take first place this weekend depending on what happens with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here are the 6 most compelling storylines we’re watching in Week 16:

AFC playoff picture: Can the Broncos save their season?

Believe it or not, the Broncos could get back into the NFL playoff picture in the coming weeks.

After defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 24-9 on Sunday, the Denver Broncos suddenly have hope of turning their 2023 season around.

With apologies to Jim Mora, we can’t help but look ahead to the NFL’s playoff picture. Just under halfway through the season, the Broncos are still on the outside looking in, but that could change in the coming weeks.

AFC Playoff picture: Division leaders

1. Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)
2. Miami Dolphins (6-2)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2)
4. Baltimore Ravens (6-2)

There is an extremely tight race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC right now as all four division winners currently have six wins.

Things are more open in the Wild Card competition.

5. Buffalo Bills (5-3)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)
7. Cleveland Browns (4-3)

The Broncos are outside the playoff picture at the moment, but the only have one fewer win than both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Here’s a look at the four- and three-win teams who are mathematically still in the hunt for a Wild Card spot.

8. New York Jets (4-3)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)
10. Houston Texans (3-4)
11. Tennessee Titans (3-4)
12. Los Angeles Chargers (3-4)
13. Indianapolis Colts (3-5)
14. Las Vegas Raiders (3-5)
15. Denver Broncos (3-5)

Denver definitely faces an uphill climb to get back into the playoff picture, but upcoming games against the Browns, Texans, Chargers, Patriots and Raiders could greatly improve the Broncos’ position (if they win, of course).

Just a few weeks ago, we were discussing the possibility of Denver getting the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Now we’re talking about the team’s chances of making the playoffs. Such is life as an NFL fan.

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NFL gives Peacock rights to first-ever live-streamed playoff game

#Chiefs fans aren’t particularly likely to be affected by the NFL’s decision to give Peacock exclusive rights to a wild card game next season. | from @TheJohnDillon

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The NFL has made exceptional strides in diversifying its array of options relative to the broadcast of its games during the 2023 NFL offseason. Luckily, Kansas City Chiefs fans need not fret about the league’s latest announcement in regard to a broadcast during the playoffs this upcoming season.

After revealing on Monday that streaming service Peacock will have exclusive rights to a wild card playoff game this season, many in the league’s audience wondered if they would need to add yet another subscription to see their team in an elimination game. Luckily for Chiefs fans, Kansas City has only been in the wild-card round once in the Patrick Mahomes era in a 2021 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers where the team emerged victorious in a 42-21 win.

Though history says that Kansas City isn’t likely to be affected by this latest announcement anything is possible in the modern NFL. Should the Chiefs take a step back and need a wild card win to advance further in the playoffs, fans in the Show Me State may need to break out their wallets to get a glimpse of Mahomes’ magic next January. Peacock’s premium service runs $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year.

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Peacock to air first-ever streaming exclusive NFL playoff game

One year after Amazon Prime got Thursday night football, the NFL will be airing a playoff game exclusively on a streaming platform.

The National Football League is delving more and more into the digital world and that got amplified with Amazon Prime getting the Thursday Night Football contract before the 2023 season.

Just days after announcing that Peacock would be airing their first-ever exclusive NFL game with the Buffalo Bills taking on the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, December 23rd, the NFL sent out a press release on Monday that the streaming platform would also be airing the first-ever exclusive playoff game on Saturday, January 13th, 2024 at 8 pm eastern.

“As Peacock continues to grow, nothing says ‘must-have’ programming more than live NFL games,” said Kelly Campbell, President, Peacock and Direct to Consumer, NBCUniversal. “With the first-ever exclusive live streamed NFL Playoff game and our first exclusive regular season game, plus the entire season of Sunday Night Football and Football Night in America, and the Peacock Sunday Night Football Final postgame show, fans can stream the best of the NFL on Peacock all season long.”  

This is a huge step into the streaming world for the NFL. All NBC games are simultaneously aired on Peacock and the wild card game that airs right before at 4:30 pm eastern time.