NFL Playoffs 2020: Wild-Card Schedule and Predictions for Divisional Bracket

A new year is here, and soon, so will this season's NFL playoffs.

This weekend, eight teams will be in action for wild-card matchups to open the postseason. Awaiting the winners will be the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC and the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers in the NFC.

There will be two AFC wild-card games on Saturday, followed by a pair of NFC wild-card matchups on Sunday.

Here's the schedule for wild-card weekend, followed by predictions for how each of the four matchups will unfold.

Wild-Card Schedule

Saturday, Jan. 4

No. 5 Buffalo at No. 4 Houston, 4:35 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC

No. 6 Tennessee at No. 3 New England, 8:15 p.m. ET on CBS

Sunday, Jan. 5

No. 6 Minnesota at No. 3 New Orleans, 1:05 p.m. ET on Fox

No. 5 Seattle at No. 4 Philadelphia, 4:40 p.m. ET on NBC

Wild-Card Weekend Predictions

AFC

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The first weekend of the NFL playoffs gets underway with a pair of AFC matchups on Saturday.

First, the AFC South champion Texans will host the Bills, who are looking to secure their first playoff victory since 1995. This is only the second time in the past 20 seasons that Buffalo has made the postseason, and this was its first 10-win regular season during that span.

The Bills had the No. 3-ranked defense in the NFL this season, allowing only 298.3 total yards per game. If they're going to extend their season to the AFC Divisional Round, they'll likely need to stop the Texans' strong offense, which features playmakers such as quarterback Deshaun Watson and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Buffalo may not have much momentum entering the playoffs, as it lost three of its last four regular-season games, but it had the opportunity to rest its starters in Week 17. The Bills were already locked into the No. 5 seed as the top wild card, so their backups played against the Jets.

That rest will pay dividends, and Buffalo's defense will continue its strong season, as the Bills will make enough big plays on offense to end their recent postseason futility. However, Buffalo won't know its fate for the next round until after Saturday's second game.

That contest features the Patriots, who are in the playoffs for the 11th straight year but don't have a first-round bye for the first time since the 2009 season, and the Titans, who didn't secure their postseason berth until Week 17.

It's going to feel unusual to watch New England play on wild-card weekend, and it wouldn't be in this position if it had beaten Miami at home in Week 17. The Pats will likely be extra motivated to bounce back, beat the Titans and begin what they hope is a path back to the Super Bowl.

New England had the No. 1 defense in the NFL this season, allowing 275.9 total yards per game, and it should shut down Tennessee's offense at home. Expect the Patriots to win and advance.

That means the Pats would travel to Kansas City to face the No. 2-seeded Chiefs in the Divisional Round. As for the other matchup, the Bills would then travel to Baltimore to take on the top-seeded Ravens.

NFC

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The Saints are arguably the best team playing on wild-card weekend, and they'll kick off Sunday's NFC action with a home matchup against the Vikings.

New Orleans went 13-3 during the regular season, but it didn't get a first-round bye because it lost a tiebreaker to San Francisco and Green Bay at the top of the NFC standings. So, the Saints will need to win one more time if they hope to return to the NFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Rams in overtime last season.

The Vikings are a strong team, and they've got some playmakers on offense who will help them keep up with the Saints' high-powered offense, including running back Dalvin Cook and wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen.

However, New Orleans' offense, led by veteran quarterback Drew Brees, is going to be too tough for Minnesota's defense to stop. The Saints will win handily, advancing to the NFC Divisional Round where they will travel to Green Bay to face the No. 2-seeded Packers next weekend.

In Sunday's second matchup, the Seahawks will look to earn their second win in Philadelphia in seven weeks. They notched a 17-9 victory over the Eagles there in Week 12.

For Philadelphia, that came during a stretch in which it lost five out of seven games to fall to 5-7. But it bounced back with four straight wins to win the NFC East title and reach the playoffs for the third straight season.

While the Eagles surged into the postseason, the Seahawks had some struggles, losing three of their last four games to finish second in the NFC West behind the 49ers. That's why they're on the road for this matchup, despite having two more wins than Philadelphia.

But the Seahawks are the better team in this matchup, and they'll get back on track with a win to advance to the NFC Divisional Round. There, Seattle will travel to San Francisco for a rematch against the top-seeded 49ers, who it lost to in the final week of the regular season.