NFL playoff match-ups set; Chiefs, Packers on top

All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, in a game against the Washington Redskins on December 8, 2019.

Following the Washington Football Team’s defeat of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night, the regular season of the NFL came to a close.

Now that the season is over, the playoffs are set to begin this upcoming Saturday.

In the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs locked up the No. 1 seed and the first-round bye with a 14-2 record.

The red-hot Buffalo Bills locked up the No. 2 seed with a 13-3 record. They will host the 11-5 Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, Jan. 9, at 1:05 p.m.

The Pittsburgh Steelers started off 11-0 but lost four of their last five games. They still earned the No. 3 seed in the playoffs and will host the 11-5 Cleveland Browns, who have not made it to the playoffs since 2002, on Sunday, Jan. 10, at 8:15 p.m.

The Tennessee Titans won their division for the first time since 2008 and earned the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. They will host last season’s MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Jan. 10, at 1:05 p.m.

Over in the NFC, MVP-favorite Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers went 13-3 and earned the first-round bye.

The New Orleans Saints ended the season at 12-4, earning themselves the No. 2 seed. They will host the 8-8 Chicago Bears on Sunday, Jan. 10 at 4:40 p.m.

The Seattle Seahawks also finished 12-4 but fell to the No. 3 seed. They will host the Los Angeles Rams, who finished 10-6, on Saturday, Jan. 9, at 4:40 p.m.

The final game in the NFC is a bizarre one. The Washington Football Team somehow managed to win their division with a 7-9 record. They will host the 11-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady, on Saturday, Jan. 9, at 8:15 p.m.

By this time next week, there will be only eight teams left standing. While many teams are heavy favorites, anything can happen in the playoffs.