NFL Playoffs 2018: Here's How To Watch

The NFL's regular season is over, and fans will get to see some familiar faces in the coming weeks with Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Cam Newton and Matt Ryan all powering their teams into the playoffs.

But for many fans, the postseason came as a welcome surprise.

Several playoff teams didn't enter the season as postseason favorites, but perhaps none had more of a Cinderella story than the Minnesota Vikings (13-3). With Super Bowl LII slated for Feb. 4 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the opportunity to play for a title in front of a sellout home crowd of more than 66,000 screaming fans was at stake.

But in October, the Vikings, who finished with just eight wins last season, lost starting quarterback Sam Bradford for the entire regular season — an injury that could've crippled both their spirits and their season. Rather than collapse, the Vikings with quarterback Case Keenum at the helm finished with an astonishing 13 wins, a first-round bye — and most importantly — a shot at a home-field Super Bowl.

The Buffalo Bills (9-7) have long lived in the dark, towering shadow of the New England Patriots (13-3), failing to reach the playoffs for the duration of the Brady era. On Sunday, the Bills needed help just to get into the postseason. They needed the Baltimore Ravens (9-7) to lose to the Cincinnati Bengals (7-9) — and that's exactly what happened when quarterback Andy Dalton tossed a last-minute 49-yard touchdown pass. For the Bills, this will be their first postseason appearance since the final days of Bill Clinton's presidency. They managed to reach the playoffs despite questions swirling throughout the season over who would lead the offense: veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor or rookie fifth-rounder Nathan Peterman?

Notably missing from this years crop of postseason teams: the Seattle Seahawks (9-7), who just missed the cut even after having reached the postseason each of the last five years as part of a run that included two Super Bowl appearances and one title. In what quickly became an injury-plagued season for many teams — the Seahawks being one of them — some unlikely contenders found ways to take advantage.

Two of the most surprising teams to reach the playoffs were undoubtedly the Los Angeles Rams (11-5) and Philadelphia Eagles (13-3), who combined for just 11 wins in 2016, but finished with more than double that — 25 wins — in the 2017-18 regular season. Both teams seemingly faced uphill battles at the beginning of the season with the Seahawks, Cowboys and Giants — all playoff teams in 2016 — standing in the way. But breakout performances by quarterbacks Jared Goff and Carson Wentz carried both teams into the postseason. Wentz, though, was lost for the season when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in a game against the Rams last month.

In the AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6), who hadn't won more than eight games since 2007 — and who won just three games in all last year — turned things around in a big way. The Jaguars, led by embattled quarterback Blake Bortles, won 10 games and held on to take first place in the division with rival Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck sidelined for the entire season.

The four wild card games are slated to begin this weekend with two on Saturday and two on Sunday. The winners of those games will move on to take on the top seeds in the divisional round on Jan. 13 and 14.

Below is a list of the games, what time they start (in Eastern Time) and what channel they'll air on:

Wild Card

• Tennessee Titans (9-7) at Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)
  • Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018 at 4:35 p.m.
  • Channel: ESPN
• Atlanta Falcons (10-6) at Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
  • Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018 at 8:15 p.m.
  • Channel: NBC
• Buffalo Bills (9-7) at Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)
  • Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018 at 1:05 p.m.
  • Channel: CBS
• Carolina Panthers (11-5) at New Orleans Saints (11-5)
  • Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018 at 4:40 p.m.
  • Channel: Fox

Divisional Round

• TBD at Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
  • Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018 at 4:35 p.m.
  • Channel: TBD
• TBD at New England Patriots (13-3)
  • Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018 at 8:15 p.m.
  • Channel: TBD
• TBD at Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)
  • Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018 at 1:05 p.m.
  • Channel: TBD
• TBD at Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
  • Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018 at 4:40 p.m.
  • Channel: TBD

Conference Championships

• TBD at TBD
  • Jan. 21, 2018 at 3:05 p.m.
  • Channel: TBD
• TBD at TBD
  • Jan. 21, 2018 at 6:40 p.m.
  • Channel: TBD

"It was a big win for the Bengals and it helped us. I keep telling them thank you."

Preston Brown texts @Bengals players after their win Sunday: https://t.co/1ZFuPADJ2m pic.twitter.com/QHnHmJnaad
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) January 2, 2018

Photo credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images