Five Blockbuster Storylines In NFL Wild Card Weekend Matchups

The 2023 NFL regular season has come and gone with 272 games in the books.

As the postseason arrives, the opponents and schedules are set for the Wild Card round the open the NFL playoffs. The opening weekend of the postseason features six intriguing games with a number of intriguing storylines.

From the return of stars to winter weather, here are five storylines to watch leading up to the Wild Card games:

1. Stafford-Goff Reunion Bowl In Detroit
Sports often find a way to bring the perfect stories to life. That’s exactly the case once again on Sunday night.

Matthew Stafford was the face of the Detroit Lions for the first 12 years of his NFL career after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2009. Before the 2021 season, Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for their former No. 1 overall pick in Jared Goff.

Each with a Super Bowl appearance (and a win for Stafford in Super Bowl LVI) during their times with the Rams, Stafford returns to the building he once called home to battle his former club in Detroit’s first playoff game at Ford Field.

The connections between the quarterbacks and the teams will write themselves all week, leading up to arguably the most anticipated storyline of the weekend when Detroit and Los Angeles kickoff as the penultimate game of the weekend.

2. Tyreek Hill Looks For Chiefs Revenge With Dolphins
Stafford won’t be the only star returning to his former team to start the playoffs.

Tyreek Hill became one of the game’s most dynamic receivers with the Kansas City Chiefs, helping them win Super Bowl LIV in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium. Hill took his talents there in 2022 in a trade to the Dolphins and has kept his production at an elite level.

The Chiefs have faced Hill and the Dolphins just once since the trade. In Germany earlier this season, Kansas City outlasted Miami in a 21-14 win. This time, Hill returns to Arrowhead where he has hauled in five career postseason touchdowns.

3. Winter Wonderland In Buffalo?
When the Bills host playoff games in January, it’s usually in frigid temperatures. The Steelers visit Buffalo for another game with weather on the forefront with snow currently in the forecast.

This would be the second straight week with an NFL snow game after the New York Jets defeated the New England Patriots in the elements in Week 18.

4. Eagles On Upset Alert In Recent Rematch
Entering 2023, the Eagles looked more than capable to ignite a run back to the Super Bowl as NFC champions for the second straight year.

Philadelphia started the season 10-1 before falling off down the stretch, losing five of their last six games. The Eagles lost out on back-to-back division titles and appear vulnerable entering a matchup with the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers under the surprising resurgence of quarterback Baker Mayfield. Though the Eagles won the Week 3 encounter with a 25-11 victory, the stage may be set for a different outcome this time.

With quarterback Jalen Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni, the Eagles are 0-1 in the playoffs at Tampa Bay after the Buccaneers earned a 31-15 victory in the 2021 NFC Wild Card round. Could a similar fate lie ahead for Philadelphia?

5. Young Quarterbacks Carry Traditions In Texas
Only the Cincinnati Bengals have hosted as many Wild Card round games as the Houston Texans in the AFC since 2012. Something about the Texans at home at 4:30 p.m. ET on a January Saturday has become a regular occurrence to start the postseason.

Houston has had success in six games in that span, going 4-2 in the postseason opener. As his impressive rookie season continues, C.J. Stroud looks to lead the Texans to their first playoff win since the 2019 season.

From Houston to Dallas, Jordan Love leads the Packers to face the NFC East champion Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. In his first season as the starter after being taken as a first-round pick in 2020, Love has completely raised his game down the stretch. The Green Bay quarterback tossed 16 touchdowns with just one interception dating back to Thanksgiving.

Love has spent his Packers’ career being compared to his predecessor in Aaron Rodgers. The current Green Bay passer looks to follow in Rodgers’ footsteps, who beat Dallas twice in the postseason.