NFL Wild Card Playoffs: Everything You Need to Know for Saturday

If we're being honest with ourselves, the opening game of the 2017 NFL playoffs is like that faint but still noticeable odor coming from your fridge. Something has gone wrong, and it needs to be disposed of fast.

Through some sorcery the Houston Texans earned the right to host a playoff game. They'll have to trot out Brock Osweiler at quarterback after Tom Savage suffered a concussion. When you're in a position to hope Savage could have been a season savior, the quarterback incompetence vortex is clearly spinning at a viscous pace.

Texans fans have long known bottom-tier quarterback play as part of their lives. They had to endure a Brian Hoyer playoff start in 2016 that ended disastrously with four interceptions and a 30-0 trouncing.

The Oakland Raiders, Houston's opponent Saturday afternoon, also have fans conditioned to accept disappointment after 14 years without playoff football. But seeing Connor Cook at quarterback instead of Derek Carr—an MVP hopeful at one point—is a whole different kind of heartache. A dream season has spiraled toward an injury nightmare fast.

So although we're all hoping to be pleasantly surprised, you need the most inspired Ray Lewis-style motivational yelling to get jacked up for Cook vs. Osweiler to open the playoffs. But don't worry; the late game Saturday should save us.

That's when the Detroit Lions will travel to CenturyLink Field, where winning in the playoffs hasn't happened yet for the road team since Russell Wilson took over as quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks. What will win out then: The Lions with their inability to ever go away quietly and a record eight fourth-quarterback or overtime comeback wins? Or the Seahawks and their homefield sound cave?

Let's dive in further and assemble the nuts and bolts of each matchup. 

The Games

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What: Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans

When: 4:35 p.m. ET Saturday

Where: NRG Stadium

Network: ESPN

Expected Weather: N/A (Dome)

Line (via Oddsshark.com): Texans -3.5

These two teams met back in Week 11, but it's difficult to glean much relevant information from that game because of one obvious missing piece now: Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.

Mid-November was a much more joyful time to be a Raiders fan. It was two months ago, and more importantly, two quarterbacks ago.

Carr was surging then while leading an electric offense. He was marching his way to the MVP Award, or at least heavy consideration for it. The Raiders won 27-20 and were propelled by Carr's dart chucking and 67.7 percent completion rate along with an average of 9.5 yards per attempt. He threw three touchdown passes, two of which came during a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback.

Now Carr is out along with Matt McGloin, and Connor Cook will face the NFL's top-ranked defense during the regular season. Yes, the same Cook who has attempted 21 regular-season passes and will now be asked to win a playoff game on the road.

What: Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks

When: 8:15 p.m. ET

Where: CenturyLink Field

Network: NBC

Expected Weather: Scattered showers, 35 degress

Line (via Oddsshark.com): Seahawks -7.5

The Lions last visited CenturyLink Field—where road wins generally go to face their final resting place—in 2015. But the Lions lost a guy named Calvin Johnson since then, which changed the entire character of their offense. The passing game coordinated by Jim Bob Cooter is much more widespread now. The Lions had five pass-catchers who finished the regular season with 50-plus receptions.

That deep passing offense is a concern for a Seahawks secondary playing without all-galaxy safety Earl Thomas. But that concern and many others could be trumped by Seattle's sterling playoff home record during the Russell Wilson-Pete Carroll era. The Seahawks are undefeated at home in the postseason since 2012, and they've also dropped a mere six regular-season games at CenturyLink Field during that time.

Injury Report

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Here are the most significant injuries for Saturday's games.

Oakland Raiders

• Quarterback Derek Carr (broken leg)
• Quarterback Matt McGloin (Shoulder)
• Safety Karl Joseph (toe)
• Left tackle Donald Penn (knee)
• Wide receiver Amari Cooper (shoulder)
• Wide receiver Michael Crabtree

Early in the week Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio confirmed Cook as his starting quarterback with Carr and McGloin out. That decision surprised absolutely no one, and now Cook will become the first quarterback to make his first career start in a playoff game, according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press.

And because Raiders fans need more depression while preparing to watch their team in a playoff game for the first time in 14 years, Cook won't be protected by one of the league's best left tackles in 2016. Penn has been ruled out after suffering a knee injury in Week 17, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. To review then, the Raiders will be missing two quarterbacks and a core member of their usually strong offensive line.

Meanwhile, Joseph missed the final four games of the regular season due to a toe issue. He practiced in a limited capacity prior to Week 17 but didn't play. The rookie first-round pick will be on the field Sunday, according to ESPN.com's Paul Gutierrez. How effective and healthy he is remains to be seen.

Cooper and Crabtree were limited all week in practice and are listed as questionable, but they both should play.

Houston Texans

• Quarterback Tom Savage (concussion)
• Outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (elbow, wrist)
• Cornerback Johnathan Joseph (ribs)

Savage's concussion is why we'll all be treated to the Osweiler experience to kick off the playoffs (getcha popcorn ready!). Clowney and Joseph were both held out of a meaningless Week 17 game, but they should be fine. There's some slight concern around Joseph and if he'll be playing at full strength. He missed three games in December, but was a full participant in Friday's practice.

Detroit Lions

• Right tackle Riley Reiff (hip)
• Linebacker DeAndre Levy (knee)
• Center Travis Swanson (concussion)
• Wide receiver/kick returner Andre Roberts (shoulder)

Swanson is the primary concern here, as he's missed four straight games with a concussion. He made some progress by practicing prior to Week 17, but still didn't play.

Fellow offensive lineman Riley Reiff was a late addition to the injury report before Week 17. He was dressed and at practice throughout the week, but was often limited according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.

All four players listed above were limited practice participants all week and are now questionable. But they'll likely all play, including Reiff and Swanson after they were able to get some work in.

Seattle Seahawks

• Wide receiver Tyler Lockett (broken leg)
• Safety Earl Thomas (broken leg)
• Running back C.J. Prosise (shoulder)
• Defensive tackle Tony McDaniel (concussion)

When "broken leg" is written beside two of your best players on either side of the ball, the resulting voids can be crushing. Or at least that would be true for most teams.

The Seahawks will certainly miss Lockett and Thomas. But they have a stable of other defensive stars, and offensively wide receiver Doug Baldwin has taken on a larger role. He's still fresh off a 171-yard game in Week 16, the same game in which Lockett suffered his injury.

McDaniel will miss the Wild Card matchup against Detroit, which makes rookie Jarran Reed the next man up.

Biggest Questions

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Can Connor Cook minimize mistakes and keep the Raiders' passing offense rolling?

Connor Cook is the great unknown among the fill-in or replacement-level quarterbacks populating the AFC bracket (Osweiler and the Dolphins' Matt Moore are the others). He had a standout career at Michigan State while throwing 71 touchdown passes and only 22 interceptions.

When any team is down to its third quarterback, a run-oriented offense will often emerge, with the new pivot then relied on to just not screw up and make key throws when needed.

That will surely be the Raiders' approach Saturday, especially since Cook is so inexperienced in their offense. But how much will the care he showed with his decisions at Michigan State translate against the warp speeds of an NFL defense?

The Raiders will find out fast.

Is Lamar Miller fully healthy, and can he carry the Texans' offense?

Leaving the ball in Osweiler's hand any more than needed isn't a wise or winning strategy. That's been proven by his bad decisions and worse ball placement, leading to 16 interceptions over only 14 starts.

Miller missed the final two games of Houston's season due to an ankle injury. The Texans offense suffered in his absence and scored only 27 points over that time. In the game before Miller suffered the injury, he ran for 107 yards while averaging 5.1 yards per carry (Week 14 against the Indianapolis Colts).

The Texans need that version of Miller back, the healthy version, and the guy who posted four games with 100-plus rushing yards, one of which came against the Raiders.

Can Zach Zenner keep this up?

The Lions' rushing offense didn't have a heartbeat for much of the season (they ranked 30th while averaging only 81.9 yards per game). And even now the offense's backfield pulse is faint, but at least it's there thanks to an unlikely source: Zach Zenner.

Zenner took over as the starting running back during the Lions' final two games. He scored three times during that stretch and totaled 202 yards from scrimmage. He's a barreling bundle of pain and is averaging 2.9 yards after contact per attempt, according to Pro Football Focus.

As a result of Zenner's efforts, the Lions' offense has become much less one-dimensional. But the Seahawks' seventh-ranked run defense—averaging only 3.4 yards per carry allowed—has a way of erasing the run dimension in a real hurry.

Can the Seahawks keep Russell Wilson upright?

The Seahawks have a massive vulnerability that could derail their postseason, the same one that led to a mediocre team for much of the regular-season home stretch when Seattle alternated between wins and losses on a weekly basis.

Their offensive line resembles that fort of sugar packets and creamers you made at restaurants as a kid. There were seven games in 2016 when quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked three-plus times. Overall he went down 41 times, tied for the second-highest league total, and a six-sack game isn't far in the rear-view mirror (Week 16 against the Arizona Cardinals).

Raiders at Texans Breakdown

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We know who Osweiler is by now. He's a horribly erratic passer whose field vision is non-existent for long stretches. He might become the worst free-agent bust in league history.

That's why, strangely, there may have been at least a little more optimism for the Texans if Savage was healthy.

No, Savage didn't exactly light the scoreboard up during the only game he started and finished. That was a Week 16 game against the Cincinnati Bengals when Houston won despite scoring just 12 points. But during his relief appearance in Week 15, Savage did develop a quick connection with stud wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who finished that game with 123 receiving yards. Prior to that, Hopkins was averaging 55.4 yards per game.

So Savage would have offered something that's completely absent with Osweiler: hope. Instead, the Texans offense is rolling with a quarterback whose 5.8 yards per attempt throughout the regular season ranked 34th out of 36 qualifiers, per PFF. There were also six games when Osweiler didn't break the 200-yard mark through the air.

For the second straight postseason, a quarterback embarrassment is brewing in Houston.

Prediction: Raiders 24, Texans 10

For our complete Expert Consensus Wild Card Picks, click here.

Lions at Seahawks Breakdown

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CenturyLink Field wins in the playoffs. It always does, and that will likely continue Saturday night.

The Seahawks' offensive line that can at times provide as much protection as a group of popsicle sticks is a concern. That concern will only grow as they advance further into the playoffs. But the Lions may not be able to fully capitalize on that weakness with defensive end Ezekiel Ansah still limited by an ankle injury. However, he seems to be coming around a bit with two sacks over his last three games.

But even if the real Ansah is back, the Lions' offensive habit of needing fourth-quarter heroics leads to a perilous dance with pressure, chaos and worst of all, chance. That dance takes place on a near-weekly basis, as eight of Detroit's nine regular-season wins required fourth quarter or overtime comebacks.

Piling up late-game points against the Seahawks defense is a mountainous challenge. And scoring at all will be tough too for a Lions offense that averaged only 21.6 points per game (20th).

The Lions could put a scare into the Seahawks. But that will likely be about it. 

Prediction: Seahawks 20, Lions 13

For our complete Expert Consensus Wild Card Picks, click here.

What Happens Next Weekend?

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If the Raiders win...

• Where the Raiders travel next after a win Saturday depends on the outcome of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Miami Dolphins game. If the Steelers win, then be prepared to watch non-stop tuck rule game highlights for a week during the buildup to a long awaited playoff rematch against the New England Patriots in Foxborough. If the Dolphins win, then there will be a third AFC West clash between the Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs this season.

 If the Texans win...

• Like the Raiders, Houston's next destination rests with the Steelers-Dolphins outcome. A Miami win sends the Texans to Kansas City, and a Steelers win will have them packing for New England.

 If the Lions win...

• The Lions have to climb a rocky, treacherous cliff in a hurricane to get to the Super Bowl. They have an incredibly difficult path. Losing three straight games to end the season and being knocked off a division-leading perch generally makes playoff life difficult. Detroit will have to somehow beat both the Seahawks and history in Seattle, then head south to face the Dallas Cowboys.

 If the Seahawks win... 

• The Seahawks' playoff road isn't quite as rocky, but it's still filled with cavernous pot holes. After a win Saturday night they would then travel to Atlanta, which would lead to a matchup of the Seahawks' fifth-ranked defense against the Falcons' second-ranked offense.