As Kenny laid out in a timely fashion last night, the NFL Playoffs schedule has been set. With the Redskins locking up the NFC East last night with their big win over the Cowboys, Washington secured the No.4 seed and the honor, nay, privilege of hosting the Seahawks to D.C. next Sunday at 1:30 pm PST.
Here's another look at what's in store for the first two rounds of the playoffs:
Wild Card Round
Saturday, January 5th, 2013:
(6) Bengals at (3) Texans: 1:30 PST on NBC
(6) Vikings at (3) Packers: 5:30 PST on NBC
Sunday, January 6th, 2013:
(5) Colts at (4) Ravens: 10:00 AM PST on CBS
(5) Seahawks at (4) Redskins 1:30 PM PST on FOX
Divisional Round
Saturday, January 12, 2013:
(1) Broncos host lowest-remaining AFC seed, 1:30 PM PST
(2) 49ers host highest-remaining NFC seed, 5:00 PM PST
Sunday, January 13, 2013:
(1) Falcons host lowest-remaining NFC seed, 10:00 AM PST
(2) Patriots host highest-remaining AFC seed, 1:30 PM PST
I really can't say enough about how excited I am for this year's NFL Playoffs. Every year's field is pretty exciting, naturally, but with the Colts, Redskins, and of course, the Seahawks getting spots in the post-season, the year of the rookie QB 'big three' lasts just a little longer. The Colts will have to get past Ray Rice and the Ravens in Baltimore, which stands to be a really fun game, and the fanfare around Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin's big battle will be insane. Who would have guessed coming into 2012 that these three teams would be making a playoff run and represent three of the hottest offenses in the NFL? Weird.
Meanwhile, the Texans are struggling, and will face a team that I actually like a lot in Cincinnati, in a repeat of last year's first-round AFC Wildcard matchup, which saw rookie T.J. Yates lead Houston past rookie Andy Dalton and the Bengals. Dalton, A.J. Green, Geno Atkins, and the rest of the upstart Cincinnati squad will try to make up for their first-round departure last year by getting past a team that, for a while, looked to be a lock for the #1 seed in the AFC.
Finally, in a rematch of yesterday's 37-34 barnburner between the Vikings and Packers, Aaron Rodgers and company will have to beat the team that kept them from the #2 seed and a first-round bye. Adrian Peterson is averaging over 200 yards per game against the Packers this year, and while it looked for a couple weeks that the Vikings were spiraling out of control, they regained some momentum and beat the Bears out for the final postseason spot.
So, the Seahawks travel to Washington DC for a Wild Card matchup with the Redskins. If they're able to pull out a win in our nation's capital, they'll face either the Niners or Falcons on the road. To face Atlanta on the following Sunday, root for the Packers to pull out a win against the Vikings. If you'd rather travel down to Candlestick to face the Niners on Saturday night, root for Christian Ponder and Minnesota to upset the Pack.
