NFL Playoff Schedule 2016: Full Postseason Dates, TV Info, Live Stream and More
A bizarre NFL season makes way for a potentially crazier postseason, which commences Saturday with Wild Card Weekend.
As stars like Andre Johnson drop from everyone's fantasy team, even the favorites are in imminent danger of swift elimination. Losses and returns will sway the opening round, where the road teams boast atypical advantages over the division winners.
Before highlighting top stars suiting up this weekend, here's a look at the complete postseason schedule.
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Wild Card Weekend: Stars to Watch
Reggie Nelson, S, Cincinnati Bengals
Ben Roethlisberger piles up passing yards like a Madden whiz playing on rookie. Despite missing four games, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback nearly registered his third straight 4,000-yard season.
He might have to exceed his 328.2-yard average to stay alive. According to Steelers.com's Bob Labriola, the team officially ruled out starting running back DeAngelo Williams:
The absence of a ground game won't help Roethlisberger's turnover woes. He has given away a pair of picks in each of the past three games and surrendered 16 through a dozen bouts. Making matters worse, he faces a familiar foe in Cincinnati Bengals safety Reggie Nelson, who has picked his pocket throughout their long rivalry.
According to Cincinnati Enquirer's Rick Broering, the 32-year-old has amassed six interceptions in his last seven encounters with the Steelers quarterback. He notched two of his season's eight picks during their 16-10 victory on Nov. 1.
“I don’t try to do too much,” Nelson told Broering. “I just try to play within our defense. You can’t take nothing way from Big Ben. He’s a great quarterback. I’ve just been in the right place at the right time.”
This marks the second straight postseason the Steelers are forced to face an AFC North foe without their starting running back.
Last year, Roethlisberger threw two of his 45 passes to the Baltimore Ravens, mitigating his 334 passing yards in a 30-17 loss. He'll again have to air it out, and Nelson will be waiting in the wings to make him pay.
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans
The Houston Texans changed their quarterback every other week, and mainstay rusher Arian Foster only lasted four games. DeAndre Hopkins, meanwhile, kept shining on a No. 19-ranked offense.
Adding fuel to the third-year breakout theory, the 23-year-old wideout collected 111 catches for 1,521 yards and 11 scores. Not letting mediocre passers stifle him, he posted 100-yard outings with four different quarterbacks feeding him the football.
He fell short of the triple-plateau during Week 1's 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but Hopkins submitted 98 yards and Houston's only two touchdowns.
In a rematch against rookie cornerback Marcus Peters, he'll need another significant outing to keep an otherwise mediocre offense alive.
Per ESPN.com's Adam Teicher, Hopkins addressed his challenge ahead against Peters, who also opened the Week 1 game (and career) with an interception.
"He's a good young corner," Hopkins said of Peters. "He's in the Pro Bowl for a reason. The interception, he just happened to be at the right place at the wrong time. It was a miscommunication between my quarterback and I, but you have to give a kid credit for being at the right spot.”
The Texans recorded 3.7 yards per carry, and no other wideout compiled more than 50 receptions. All the pressure is on Hopkins to dismantle a Chiefs defense allowing 12.8 points per game during their 10-game winning streak.
Anthony Barr, LB, Minnesota Vikings
When Minnesota met the Seattle Seahawks during the season, a depleted Vikings defense allowed 6.6 yards per play and 25 first downs during a demoralizing 38-7 loss. A far different unit, however, will show up on Sunday.
Defensive tackle Linval Joseph didn't suit up, allowing a then-healthy Thomas Rawls to run wild. They quickly lost two other stars when safety Harrison Smith and linebacker Anthony Barr exited the matchup with injuries.
Smith and Barr have since recovered, and Joseph could return after missing Week 17, per 1500 ESPN's Andrew Krammer:
They'll welcome all three back against a suddenly rolling Seahawks offense, which averaged 32 points over the last eight games. In their one shortcoming during that stretch, the St. Louis Rams sacked Russell Wilson four times en route to a 23-17 win.
According to MMQB.com's Robert Mays, no team successfully pressured passers on blitzes more than Minnesota's 49.4 percent. Barr, a well-rounded force capable of stuffing the run and dropping back in coverage, is at his most dangerous as an edge-rusher.
Per Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson, he has engineered the most efficient pressure rate among 4-3 linebackers.
Facing unbearably cold weather with an inefficient passing offense battling the league's leader in points allowed, the Vikings need to establish an old-school, low-scoring brawl to prevail. That won't happen unless Barr and Co. invade Wilson's pocket and make life uncomfortable for the sizzling quarterback.
Eddie Lacy, RB, Green Bay Packers
Since Aaron Rodgers replaced Brett Favre as the Green Bay Packers' signal-caller, they never finished below No. 13 in total offense. They ended this season No. 23, only the second time falling outside the top 10 in eight years.
Receiving little help from his wideouts and offensive line, the future Hall of Famer netted career lows in completion percentage (60.7), yards per pass attempt (6.68) and quarterback rating (92.7).
Eddie Lacy often compounded the Packers' woes, recording 10 or fewer rushing yards on four separate occasions. Just when he appeared to turn the corner, topping 100 yards in three of four contests, he closed the season with 117 rushing yards through three combined bouts:
| 15 | @ OAK | 11 | 23 | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | @ ARI | 12 | 60 | 5.0 | 0 | 1 | 28 |
| 17 | MIN | 13 | 34 | 2.6 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
The third-year rusher posted a career-low 758 yards on the ground throughout the season. He also, however, received only 187 carries. At the first sign of adversity, head coach Mike McCarthy abandoned him altogether. Left guard Josh Sitton expressed his desire for a heavier running commitment against Washington on Sunday.
"I mean, we've just got to be able to get Eddie and James 30, 30-plus carries," Sitton told Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "And when we can do that I think we can be successful."
Although not typically the best plan of attack for a Rodgers-led squad, Washington relinquished 4.8 yards per carry during the season, the NFL's second-worst mark after the New Orleans Saints. The Packers need to give Lacy a fair chance at igniting their stalling offense.
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