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The NFL games set to take place on Saturday are the first playoff games of the 2021 season. After 18 weeks of hard-fought, competitive football, every game is a must-win from here on out.
The Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals will play in the inaugural playoff matchup. Their game will be followed by a divisional clash between the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills.
The AFC will be representing the day's NFL games in what's sure to be an exciting kickoff to the playoff season.
NFL games today: schedule, TV channel, date, and time
Game: Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cincinnati Bengals
TV Channel and Time: NBC, 4:30 p.m. ET
Announcers: Mike Tirico, Drew Brees, Kathyrn Tappen
NFL games today: schedule, TV channel, date, and time
Game: New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
TV Channel and Time: CBS, 8:15 p.m. ET
Announcers: Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Evan Washburn
NFL: Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The Raiders are perhaps the biggest underdogs heading into today's slate of NFL games today. They snuck into the postseason with a 10-7 record after winning against the Los Angeles Chargers in a Week 18 thriller.
The Raiders do not particularly excel at any one thing: they finished the regular-season 18th in points per game, 11th in yards per game, and allowed the 26th most points per game.
Despite that, the Raiders have fought through more adversities than any team in the league, from the controversial exit of Jon Gruden to two of their young players being involved in seperate off-field DUI incidents. However, this group all the players on the 53-man roster believe in head coach Rich Bisaccia's coaching. Derek Carr arguably had his best season in the NFL.
They'll have their work cut out for them in the first of the NFL games today against the Bengals. The Bengals are led by a superstar trio of Joe Burrows, Joe Mixon and Ja'Marr Chase.
The Bengals overwhelmed their opponents this season with a high-octane offense. in seven of their 17 games, they have scored at least 30 points. They averaged 27.1 points per game, which should prove to be a major test for the Raiders' defense.
The Bengals defense is a force to be reckoned with in its own right. Trey Hendrickson tallied 14 sacks this season. Mike Hilton, Chidobe Awuzie and Eli Apple have all played their part in giving the secondary stability.
The home crowd in Cincinnati will be electric and could play a role in the outcome.
NFL: New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
The Patriots and Bills will face off in what is the other NFL game today. Saturday will be the third meeting between the two teams this season. The Patriots won their first encounter, throwing just three passes with Mac Jones as they chose to rely almost solely on the run game.
No rookie quarterback has led their team to the Super Bowl, but Jones has a talented roster supporting him. Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson each averaged 4.6 yards per carry. Jones' offensive line is a sturdy unit as well.
But the biggest strength of the Patriots is their defense. They have allowed just 17.8 points per game so far this season, ranking second-best in the NFL behind the Bills. For the Patriots to win, their defense will have to carry them. The last thing they would want is to put Jones in a shootout.
The Bills won the AFC East by one game over the Patriots. Their defense is the only one to allow fewer points than the Patriots during the regular season. They're tremendous at preventing yardage as well, allowing the fewest yards per game in the NFL at just 272.8.
While the defense can certainly hold their own, the question is whether Josh Allen will show up in a big way. Allen has been a top-ten quarterback this season, but regressed from his MVP level play last season.
The running game has been hot over the last four games, particularly through Devin Singletary, who scored a touchdown in each of his last four games and averaged 4.6 yards per attempt this year.
Of the NFL games today and in the first round as a whole, no two teams are more familiar with one another than the Bills and Patriots. Their contest has the potential to be the wild card round's most competitive game.
Also Checkout: Drew Brees super bowl wins
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