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A longstanding powerhouse has fallen, big names have faltered, and longshots have transformed into legitimate title threats.

Veteran NFL commentator Cris Collinsworth stated, "this is the most unusual year I can remember in the NFL."

Now, 14 teams are poised to compete in the playoffs, and for the first time in 11 seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs are absent.

The defending champion Philadelphia Eagles have not displayed the same dominance as last season, while preseason favorites like the Buffalo Bills have failed to meet lofty expectations.

However, in a rare statistical twist, 11 of the 14 playoff teams secured at least 11 victories during the regular season, a feat achieved only twice in the past 35 years.

Setting a new mark, five franchises made the postseason after dreadful prior campaigns, featuring New England and Chicago's remarkable jumps from the basement to division champions.

"Requesting a single favorite is difficult," Collinsworth continued, "as a case can be made for virtually every team."

"It's going to be amazing to watch these young quarterbacks go at it because I don't know what they will do. This is when legends begin to be built."

Understanding the NFL Playoff Structure

Fourteen teams enter the postseason, split evenly with seven representatives from both the AFC and NFC.

Over three weeks and twelve elimination games, the AFC and NFC are kept apart until their champions meet in Super Bowl 60 on February 8.

Home-field benefit goes to the better seed each round, and the number one seeds, Denver and Seattle, automatically advance past the initial Wildcard Weekend.

These top seeds debut in the Divisional Round. The winners of the subsequent Conference Championships—the de facto Super Bowl semifinals—will clash in the title game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

Seattle and Denver could potentially recreate their 2014 Super Bowl meeting, a game Seattle won handily, though Denver triumphed at Levi's Stadium in the 2016 championship.

Why the AFC Championship Race Is Completely Open

A staple of recent playoffs, Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, is not participating for the first time in his professional journey.

Adding to the change, Super Bowl 60 will lack both Mahomes and Joe Burrow of Cincinnati, breaking a streak dating back to 2019.

The absence of recent Most Valuable Players like Mahomes and Baltimore's Lamar Jackson leaves the AFC postseason without its usual headliners, opening the door wide.

Consequently, the competition for the AFC crown is remarkably open, presenting a golden opportunity for new quarterbacks such as Denver's Bo Nix and New England's Drake Maye to achieve postseason fame.

The AFC champion has come from a very small group since 2016, and the players from those winning teams have all since moved on.

Denver, despite its high seed, is a playoff novice in recent years, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are the sole other AFC qualifier to have reached a Super Bowl in the past three decades.

However, two veteran AFC quarterbacks with extensive pedigrees—Aaron Rodgers of Pittsburgh and Buffalo's Josh Allen—could use their experience to challenge the newcomers.

Who Are the Super Bowl and MVP Favorites?

Teams from the NFC have dominated Super Bowl appearances lately, with the Eagles, Rams, or 49ers featuring in nearly every title game for eight years.

The Rams and 49ers have felt postseason pressure for a while, competing intensely with Seattle in what is considered the NFL's toughest division, the NFC West.

The Seahawks claimed the division crown with a 14-3 mark, riding a seven-game victory streak into the postseason after besting both the Rams and 49ers late.

This earned Seattle the NFC's top seed, making them slight Super Bowl favorites, just ahead of the 12-5 Rams, whose quarterback Matthew Stafford is the MVP frontrunner.

The 37-year-old Stafford, a Super Bowl winner with the Rams in 2022, seeks his first MVP award and is currently favored over New England's promising second-year QB, Drake Maye.

The development of Maye, aided by head coach Mike Vrabel, has been central to the Patriots' remarkable turnaround from four wins to fourteen.

Similarly, Chicago's Caleb Williams has blossomed in his second year with new coach Ben Johnson, leading the Bears from five wins to eleven and securing the NFC's number two seed.

The NFL Playoff Kickoff: Wildcard Weekend Matchups

All times are in GMT

Saturday, 10 January

Los Angeles Rams @ Carolina Panthers (21:30)

Chicago Bears welcome the Green Bay Packers (01:00 Sunday)

Sunday, 11 January

Jacksonville Jaguars host the Buffalo Bills (18:00)

San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles (21:30)

Los Angeles Chargers @ New England Patriots (01:00 Monday)

Monday, 12 January

The Texans meet the Pittsburgh Steelers (01:00 Tuesday)

Key Storylines for Wildcard Weekend

Wildcard Weekend opens with the Rams at Carolina, a Panthers squad that historically qualified for the postseason despite a sub-.500 8-9 finish as division champions.

Although on the road, the Rams feature Matthew Stafford, the regular-season leader in passing yards and TDs, and receiver Puka Nacua, who amassed 1,715 receiving yards.

Injuries late in the year halted Green Bay's surge, but the return of quarterback Jordan Love is timely for the latest chapter of the league's most historic rivalry.

Winning the NFC North was an achievement for Chicago, but the Bears now aim to prevent a three-game losing streak from ending their playoff run abruptly.

In the NFC's other wildcard game, a banged-up San Francisco squad travels to face Philadelphia, the defending champions who rested players after locking up the NFC East.

Josh Allen and the Bills, often thwarted in recent playoffs, must go on the road to confront a surging Jacksonville squad that has won eight straight.

{New England aims to avoid an upset at home against the Los Angeles Chargers, whose quarterback Justin Herbert seeks his first playoff win in his sixth season.|The Patriots hope to defend their home field against the Chargers, as LA's quarterback Justin Herbert looks for his inaugural postseason victory in year six.|At home, New England tries to stave off the Chargers, with Justin Herbert attempting to secure his first career playoff