KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The NFL's Wild Card weekend gets underway on Saturday on KJRH-TV/NBC when the Las Vegas Raiders travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals.
To wrap up the weekend's games, Sunday Night Football will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the AFC West Champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Raiders at Bengals: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CST on KJRH-TV
Derek Carr and the Raiders (10-7) clawed their way into the playoffs with four-straight wins to end the regular season including victories that crushed the postseason hopes of the Indianapolis Colts and LA Chargers the last two weeks.
The team overcame the firing of head coach Jon Gruden and the dismissal of wide receiver Henry Ruggs to earn a spot in the playoffs against the AFC North Champions.
The Bengals (10-7) hadn't made the playoffs since 2015, and their last playoff win came in 1990.
Quarterback Joe Burrow led the high-powered Bengals offense to the division title in his second NFL season.
Rookie receiver Ja'Mar Chase broke the team record for receiving yards in a season, finishing the 17-game schedule with 1,455 — just 18 yards short of the NFL rookie record held by Houston’s Bill Groman (1,473 in 1960).
Chase is among the favorites to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Former Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon and Clemson standout Tee Higgins add versatility to Burrow's high-scoring arsenal.
Steelers at Chiefs: Sunday at 7:15 p.m. CST on KJRH-TV
The Chiefs (12-5) fell short of the No. 1 seed in the AFC despite winning nine of their last 10 games to close the regular season.
Patrick Mahomes turned their season around after a rough start despite the relative struggles of former Oklahoma State wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Hill caught 24 more passes this season than last season, but managed to rack up 37 fewer yards this year despite playing in two extra games.
They'll host the Steelers (9-7-1) who they blew out 36-10 on Dec. 26.
The likely final playoff run for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will rely on consistency from the running game with rookie back Najee Harris leading the way.
The Steelers will also need their defense led by record-tying sack artist T.J. Watt to hold down the Chiefs' offense in order to keep all offensive options on the table for Roethlisberger.
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