2019 NFL playoff bracket: A look at the Wild Card matchups

The Detroit Lions may not be in the 2019 postseason, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the month of entertaining football that follows. On Sunday, the final matchups for the first round were set, and things could get very exciting this upcoming weekend.

On the NFC side, the Rams locked up a first-round bye with a decisive win over the 49ers. While pretty much everything else was set in stone before Sunday, the final wild card spot was up for grabs. The Minnesota Vikings, who entered the day as the six seed, blew their opportunity by losing to the Chicago Bears, raising questions about the future of their franchise and harsh criticism for Kirk Cousins. The Phildaelphia Eagles jumped on the opportunity, and the defending Super Bowl champs will have a chance to repeat despite a 4-6 start to the year and losing their starting quarterback yet again.

The AFC was a lot more wild on Sunday. The Cleveland Browns were about 15 yards away from knocking the Ravens out of the playoffs, the Titans couldn’t earn a playoff spot despite hosting a play-in game against the Colts, and the Chiefs and Patriots took care of business to hold their positions atop the AFC.

So here’s a look at the seeding for each conference:

NFC

1. Saints
2. Rams
3. Bears
4. Cowboys
5. Seahawks
6. Eagles

AFC

1. Chiefs
2. Patriots
3. Texans
4. Ravens
5. Chargers
6. Colts

And the schedule for the first two rounds:

Wild Card weekend (Jan. 5-6)

Saturday:

• 4:35 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC): Colts vs. Texans
• 8:15 p.m. ET (FOX): Seahawks vs. Cowboys

Sunday:

• 1:05 p.m. ET (CBS): Chargers vs. Ravens
• 4:40 p.m. ET (NBC): Eagles at Bears

Divisional round (Jan. 12-13)

Saturday:

• 4:35 p.m. ET (NBC): Lowest seeded AFC team vs. Chiefs
• 8:15 p.m. ET (FOX): Second-lowest seeded NFC team vs. Rams

Sunday

• 1:05 p.m. ET (CBS): Second-lowest seeded AFC team vs. Patriots
• 4:40 p.m. ET (FOX): Lowest-seeded NFC team vs. Saints