Who has been backed to advance in the NFL play-offs during Wild Card weekend?
Saturday 9 January 2016 12:44, UK
It's the NFL Wild Card weekend so we've asked Richard Graves of Sky Sports News HQ to talk us through the live fixtures.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Houston Texans
These two teams met in Week 1 of the regular season when the Chiefs dominated the Texans and tight end Travis Kelce had a huge game - scoring two touchdowns and finishing with 106 receiving yards. The Chiefs followed that opening-day win with a five-game losing streak. Few predicted what followed - a 10-game winning streak, making them the hottest team in football entering the play-offs.
Houston are a different team to that which lost on the opening weekend of the season. They claimed the AFC South title by winning seven of their last nine games and their defence has allowed an average of just 12.7 points per game in that stretch with defensive end JJ Watt leading the league with 17.5 sacks.
Both teams have game-changing receivers. The Texans have DeAndre Hopkins who has 11 touchdowns this season while Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin has brought an added dimension to their offence and claimed eight touchdowns.
The experience at quarterback maybe the telling difference as Bryan Hoyer starts his first play-off game. This will be the third post season game of Alex Smith's career. Kansas City's trigger man has nine touchdowns and no interceptions in his previous play-off appearances.
Pick: Kansas City Chiefs
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals
It was a dramatic way to finish the regular season but Pittsburgh's win at Cleveland combined with the New York Jets' defeat in Buffalo was enough to put them in the play-offs. It came at a cost though.
With Le'Veon Bell already out for the season his replacement at running back, DeAngelo Williams, left last weekend's game with an ankle injury. It would be a surprise if he didn't suit up on Saturday but his level of fitness remains to be seen. Meanwhile, two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has told wide receiver Martavis Bryant he must "toughen up" - he recorded just one reception for zero yards last weekend while Antonio Brown ran the Browns defence ragged. Cincinnati's defence is an altogether tougher proposition.
The Bengals are AFC North champions but meetings between these two great rivals have been split this season with the Steelers winning in Cincinnati. The Bengals defence is the second meanest this season, giving up an average of just 17.4 points per game and while Pittsburgh's offence has been explosive at times, Big Ben has thrown at least two interceptions in each of their last three games.
Ultimately these are two good teams who know each other well. Weighing heavy on the minds of the Bengals is the knowledge they've qualified for the play-offs in each of the last four years and not won a single game. Quarterback Andy Dalton has had his cast removed protecting a broken thumb but even if he does play, question marks over his sharpness and big-game temperament remain. Roethlisberger is a post-season veteran who knows what it's like to win it all and that experience could be key in a high-octane atmosphere.
Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks @ Minnesota Vikings
It's tough to argue with anyone who claims the Kansas City Chiefs are the hottest team in football but no one will want to face the Seattle Seahawks. Minnesota's prize for winning this year's NFC North division? A home game against a Seattle team who've won six of their last seven games and for the third straight season have the tightest defence in the NFL, conceding an average of just 17.3 points per game. On the other side of the ball quarterback Russell Wilson has been sensational! His 110.1 passer rating is the best in the NFL this season, helped by throwing 24 touchdowns with only one interception in those last seven games.
It makes for tough reading for the Vikings who have already experienced defeat at home to the Seahawks this season - a 38-7 loss in Week 13. No doubt their confidence was given a shot in the arm by winning the division title - and doing it in front of a national audience at Lambeau Field last weekend. Their star man and playmaker, running back Adrian Peterson, led the league with 1,485 rushing yards this season but he faces the NFL's top ranked run defence this weekend. Seattle give up just 81.5 yards per game on the ground. If Minnesota are to win this game, that's a battle Peterson must win but against a unit which welcomes back hard-hitting safety Kam Chancellor it's a tough proposition.
Seattle have been to the last two Super Bowls, they'll feel they should have won both and they'll start as favourites to take a step closer to Super Bowl 50.
Pick: Seattle Seahawks
Green Bay Packers @ Washington Redskins
This maybe the most intriguing clash of Wild Card weekend. Many will expect the Packers to win it but the Redskins have only lost twice at home this season and quarterback Kirk Cousins has a 74.7 percent completion rate in home games this year - an NFL record.
Green Bay have had problems offensively. Their wide receivers struggle to get open and that's resulted in quarterback Aaron Rodgers getting hit more and taking more sacks. If the Packers are to have success, running back Eddie Lacy has to get going and that may be a little easier against a Redskins defence which saw several players pick up injuries in their last game at Dallas.
The ability of wide receiver DeSean Jackson to stretch the field combined with the return to fitness of tight end Jordan Reed has transformed the Redskins offence in the second half of the season. In each of their last three games (two of which have been on the road) they scored 34 points or more and that should be a concern for Green Bay.
However, big games are made for big players and few are bigger than Aaron Rodgers. His ability to rally the team in seemingly impossible situations, combined with his postseason experience will be crucial on Sunday. If the Packers can get their running game going then watch out!
Pick: Green Bay Packers
