Juicy matchups abound as NFL playoffs kick off on TSN

The quest that ends with an appearance at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Feb. 9 kicks off this weekend on TSN, with enticing matchups across three days of action.

With every game available on TSN, find out when and where you can watch each battle.

Chargers open weekend's action on Saturday against Texans

Justin Herbert Los Angeles Chargers

Saturday at 4pm ET/1pm PT on TSN1 and CTV or streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App

The Los Angeles Chargers have undergone a significant turnaround in their first season under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, and the toughest challenge yet awaits in a road playoff matchup against the Houston Texans.

Harbaugh, who was hired after leading the Michigan Wolverines to a National Championships on the college circuit a year ago, and has transformed the team from last in the division at 5-12 a year ago to the top wild-card team in the AFC this season at 11-6.

The most prominent turnaround has occurred on the defensive side of the ball, where Los Angeles went from 24th in points allowed (23.4 per game) a year ago to tops in the NFL this year (17.7).

Houston, meanwhile, finished 10-7 for the second year in a row, claiming another division title over the soft competition of the AFC South.

In their second year under head coach DeMeco Ryans, the Texans will need to find a spark in what has been an underwhelming season. The team was uncompetitive in back-to-back losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens at the end of December, and their only victory of the season against a team that qualified for the playoffs was a 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 5.

The Chargers haven't won a playoff game since beating the Ravens 23-17 in the wild-card round in 2018, and Harbaugh is adamant that this year's team has the opportunity to buck that trend.

"You talk to [the players] and there's more to do,” Harbaugh said after clinching a playoff spot with a win over the New England Patriots in Week 17. “There's no coach who could have it better than to be coaching these players. Nobody. Maybe the only person would be future us, could have it better than us.”

Steelers and Ravens meet for another edition of classic rivalry

Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimore Ravens

Saturday at 8pm ET/5pm PT on TSN1/5 and CTV or streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App

The Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, bitter rivals out of the AFC North, battle Saturday night to cap off the first day of playoff action.

This is the fifth meeting in the postseason between the two clubs since Baltimore was restored as an NFL franchise before the 1996 season. The Ravens won the last postseason game in the wild-card round in 2015, but Pittsburgh is 3-1 overall. The Steelers have also won eight of the last 10 meetings between the two sides in the regular season, though they split their season series this year.

Baltimore finished third in points scored this season behind another MVP-level campaign from quarterback Lamar Jackson, who led the NFL in QB rating (119.6), and finished second in passing touchdowns (41).

It was a tough end to the season for the Steelers, who were in contention for the top seed in the AFC after wins over divisional foes in three of four games from Week 11 to 14, but they finished the year on a four-game losing streak and now need to find a direction quickly on the road.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who owns a 22-17 record against the Ravens in his career, knows that there should be no shortage of motivation ahead of this game. The 18th-year head coach provided a two-word response when asked about Pittsburgh's 18-16 victory over the ravens in Week 11 in which the Steelers did not score a touchdown.

"Steelers, Ravens," Tomlin said, embodying the hard-nosed, grind-it-out nature of the rivalry.

Ravens star running back Derrick Henry echoed the sentiment earlier in the year. "Two physical teams, two playoff teams, two really good defences that will knock your head off on any given play ... It's a physical game. Every single game against them is physical, that's all you can say about it." Henry added that "I won't be a Raven until we get the win."

Bills welcome Broncos back to NFL playoffs

Buffalo Bills celebrate

Sunday at 1pm ET/10am PT on TSN1/4 and CTV or streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App

The Denver Broncos will play in their first playoff game since winning Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers in 2016 - though this time, the Broncos are not led by Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning, but rookie Bo Nix.

Entering the playoffs as the seventh seed after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs to finish 10-7, the Broncos travel to Buffalo for a daunting matchup against the Bills and MVP favourite Josh Allen.

“It's fun to clinch a playoff spot in the last game of the year against a divisional team,” said Nix, who also set an NFL record with 19 touchdown throws at home in his rookie season. "But now playoff time starts, and our goal wasn't just to make the playoffs, even though it hadn't been done in a while.”

Buffalo earned their fifth-consecutive AFC East title by a longshot with a 13-4 record, and their impressive season included wins over the top teams in each conference in the Chiefs and Detroit Lions.

Allen had perhaps his most impressive season in his seventh year, throwing for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns while adding 531 yards and another 12 scores on the ground. The superstar engineered an unbelievable four-game stretch in November and into December, where he accounted for 15 touchdowns with just one turnover and no sacks taken against playoff opponents in three of the four games.

"When Josh comes in and he's set on what he wants to get done he's hard to stop," head coach Sean McDermott said after a Week 17 win over the New York Jets. "And so, he came in the spring and then again in training camp when he reported back, and you could tell he had a goal in mind. He's led this team right from the jump."

Packers battle Eagles as NFC takes centre stage

Jordan Love Packers

Sunday at 4pm ET/1pm PT on TSN1/4 and CTV or streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App

The Green Bay Packers get another shot at the Philadelphia Eagles after the sides played to a thrilling season opener in Brazil, which the Eagles won 34-29.

The team conceded that they're not entering the playoffs with a whole lot of momentum though, after back-to-back losses to divisional foes to close out the schedule.

"Obviously, we're not going in with momentum," Packers quarterback Jordan Love said. "But who cares?"

"Right now, it's not good enough," safety Xavier McKinney said. "So I've got to go back and look at what I've got to do better to make sure that we are not having these same results when we're coming up short in these games."

Their opponent, the Eagles, dominated this season after a slow start, winning 12 of their last 13 games to finish 14-3 and earn the second seed in the NFC. The main question now is surrounding the health of QB Jalen Hurts, who missed the final two contests with a concussion.

Whether Hurts is healthy enough to go is a major storyline, but the Eagles still have star running back Saquon Barkley on their side, who eclipsed 2,000 yards rushing in Week 17 but sat out in the finale, even with Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record within reach.

“I didn’t sign here to break Eric Dickerson’s record,” Barkley said. “I came here to win a Super Bowl.”

Commanders, electrifying rookie Daniels take on Buccaneers

Terry McLaurin Jayden Daniels Washington Commanders

Sunday at 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT on TSN1/4/5 and CTV or streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App

The Washington Commanders have vaulted themselves back into relevance in the NFL, and it only took one season.

Under new head coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is expected to win Rookie of the Year after being selected second overall in last year's draft, the Commanders jumped from four wins a season ago to 12 this year.

Now they set their sights on the franchise's first postseason win since 2007.

Standing in their way is quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who rallied to win the NFC South with a 27-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. It is their fourth-consecutive NFC South title.

Mayfield and the Buccaneers beat Daniels in his NFL debut in Week 1 earlier this year, 37-20, and have a chance to do the same in his playoff debut.

Rams face difficult challenge in Vikings to cap off wild-card round

Sam Darnold Cam Akers Minnestoa Vikings

Monday at 8pm ET/5pm PT on TSN1/4/5 and CTV or streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App

The Los Angeles Rams secured an NFC West title with a 13-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17, which was cause for celebration.

Now, they face an unfortunate distinction: Their opponent in the first round of the playoffs is the Minnesota Vikings, who, at 14-3, set an NFL record for most wins by a wild-card team in NFL history.

Minnesota had a chance to wrap up the top seed in the NFC with a win in Week 18 against the Lions, but fell flat in a 31-9 loss.

Now the team has a week to regroup and set their sights on the Rams.

“We just didn't do the things we consistently did all season,” coach Kevin O'Connell said after the loss. “It came down to being able to finish in the red zone.”

“Our defense played great and kept us in the game, but we didn't finish when we had the chance,” quarterback Sam Darnold said.

“I've got to watch the tape and see what I was doing wrong,” Darnold said. “I think maybe I could have been a little more settled on some of those throws. I might have been backpedaling or moving laterally when I needed to plant.”

The Rams have not won a playoff game since winning Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals, while the Vikings still seek the first Super Bowl victory in their franchise's long history.