The NFL playoffs kick off this weekend beginning with Saturday’s Wildcard matchups. The bracket is set and four AFC teams will take the field for a chance to move on to the Divisional round.
After a thrilling Week 18 win against the San Diego Chargers, the 10-7 Las Vegas Raiders secured the 5-seed and will be traveling to Paul Brown Stadium to take on the AFC North champions 10-7 Cincinnati Bengals. For the Raiders, this is their first playoff birth since moving to Sin City and their first playoff appearance since 2016. As for Cincinnati, the Bengals went from worst to first in the AFC North and secured their first playoff spot since 2015.
The third time is a charm for the AFC East battle scheduled in the late game. The 10-7 New England Patriots will travel to Highmark Stadium to take on the 11-6 Buffalo Bills. The pair split their season series 1-1 and Saturday’s contest is win-or-go-home, so expect emotions to run high. The Patriots missed the playoffs last season and are looking to return to the dominance they expelled over the past 2 decades. The Bills are looking to make a statement by showing the world that they won the AFC East for a reason.
The Games – Kickoff Times and Networks
Saturday, January 15
| Game | Kickoff Time (ET) | Network |
| Las Vegas Raiders at Cincinnati Bengals | 4:35 PM | NBC, Peacock, |
| New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills | 8:15 PM | CBS, Paramount+ |
How to Watch NFL Wildcard Saturday Without Cable
Fans will have plenty of options to watch all their favorite NFL teams and stars compete on the gridiron without spending a fortune.
AntennaWeb is a great tool you can use to find out which affiliate in your area will broadcast Saturday’s games on CBS, and NBC.
Select games are available to stream through NFL digital properties such as NFL.com, the NFL app, and the digital properties of the respective teams. Plus, fans can watch the game on their phones via the Yahoo Sports app.
Most of the major subscription live TV streaming services carry this week’s games, so fans can watch the game from anywhere.
- DIRECTV STREAM has CBS and NBC for $70/mo.
- fuboTV offers CBS and NBC in their Starter package for $65/mo.
- Hulu + Live TV includes CBS and NBC for only $70/mo.
- Sling TV includes NBC with their Orange + Blue package for only $50/mo.
- YouTube TV has CBS and NBC for only $65/mo.
- Peacock Premium subscribers can watch every Saturday’s NBC game for only $5/mo.
- Paramount+ is an inexpensive way to watch live games on CBS for only $9.99/month or $99.99/year.
Predicting the Winners
The Bengals and Patriots are going to advance to the next round. The tandem of Joe Burrow and Rookie of the Year favorite Ja’Marr Chase will be too much to handle for the Raiders, which will be the difference-maker in a close game. In the AFC East showdown, Bill Belichick will develop a scheme that will limit his team’s mistakes, especially from rookie QB Mac Jones, which will advance his team to the next round.