It’s wild-card weekend, not super wild-card weekend, no matter what the NFL tells you.
Between Saturday, Sunday and Monday night, there are a half dozen games to be played. We’ll start with the surprising Houston Texans hosting the Cleveland Browns, and end with the Philadelphia Eagles taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In these six games, there are matchups within the matchups that will decide who wins and who goes home. Let’s dive into each.
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AFC WILD CARDNo. 5 Cleveland Browns (11–6) at No. 4 Houston Texans (10–7)
When: 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday
TV: NBC
Key matchup: How the Texans’ secondary defends Joe Flacco’s deep ball
In one of the better stories of the season, Flacco has commanded Cleveland to a 4–1 mark in his five starts. At the heart of his success has been the deep ball, particularly with receiver Amari Cooper. In those five games, Flacco has thrown for 300-plus yards four times.
Meanwhile, Houston can be beaten through the air. The Texans allowed 11.2 yards per reception, tied for 22nd in the regular season.
