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Six NFL wild-card games, six matchup previews: We have predictions, score picks and X factors

Packers at Bears. Bryce Young's first playoff game. Justin Herbert vs. Drake Maye. We have picks, stats to know and more for every wild-card game.

6hNFL Nation, +5 More
Andrew Nelles/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Paths to victory for the six wild-card teams

How can each lower seed win on the road? Let's find matchup advantages and rank each team's chances.

6hMatt Bowen

TOP HEADLINES

College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

'I watched every guy': Curt Cignetti's secret to rosters and building Indiana into a CFP power

The Hoosiers' roster is filled with different kinds of players, but all had to meet Cignetti's standards.

5hAdam Rittenberg
Luke Hales/Getty Images

Inside Oregon's rise as a college football blue blood

In a sport that often tethers itself to history and tradition, Oregon has become a unique kind of vanguard.

5hPaolo Uggetti
    College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

    Carson Beck darts for go-ahead TD as Miami rallies to stun Ole Miss

    3h
    AP Photo/Rick Scuteri
    0:34

    'That's what that $4M is all about': Behind Beck, Miami delivers a drive for the ages

    Carson Beck's touchdown scramble capped an epic ending for the Hurricanes.

    1mDavid Hale

    Miami tops Ole Miss in Fiesta Bowl classic to reach title game

    13h
    1:45

    Miami wins after Ole Miss' Hail Mary attempt falls incomplete

    3h
    0:57

    Riddick can't believe Ole Miss' final play wasn't pass interference

    4h
    1:58

    Carson Beck on winning TD: Best feeling I've ever had in my life

    48m
    0:35

    Miami regains lead on Malachi Toney's 36-yard TD

    13h
    0:58

    Kewan Lacy bursts free for a 73-yard TD

    16h
    0:49

    Ole Miss takes the lead on Dae'Quan Wright's TD and 2-point conversion

    13h
    0:23

    Beck connects with Keelan Marion for a 52-yard go-ahead TD

    15h
    0:47

      REACTING TO MIAMI'S WIN

      Stephen A.: Miami has to 'close the deal' to be all the way back

      2h
      2:12

      How Carson Beck cemented himself in Miami history on final drive

      3h
      2:03

      IT'S TRADE SEASON!

      DEADLINE: FEB. 5

      'Not sure why they felt the need': NBA execs on the Trae deal and trade season's next move

      Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst survey the league on the Young deal and what comes next for the Wizards and Hawks.

      5hTim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst
      AP Photo/Mike Stewart

      NBA trade proposals: Why teams should consider these six offers

      Let's help Milwaukee build around Giannis, and the Lakers and TWolves fill major needs.

      1dNBA insiders

      LATEST BRACKETOLOGY

      Men's: A weak nonconference slate could doom Georgia

      The Bulldogs are a few SEC losses away from the wrong side of the bubble due to a number of low-quality wins.

      3hJoe Lunardi
      James Gilbert/Getty Images

      Women's: Why LSU's seed could be determined in the next two games

      LSU has work to do after its 0-2 start in SEC play, but opportunity arrives with the season's most crucial two-game stretch.

      3hCharlie Creme
      Lance King/Getty Images

      PLAYOFF TALK

      RC goes on epic rant over playoff pressure on Josh Allen

      1h
      2:58

      Stephen A.: 'Biggest disappointment' of playoffs if Rams lose to Panthers

      36m
      1:19

      PREVIEWING THE POSTSEASON

      WILD-CARD ROUND STARTS SATURDAY

      Barnwell predicts the NFL playoff bracket: Could two lower seeds go to the Super Bowl?

      Four road teams winning in the wild-card round -- and two of them making it all the way to the Super Bowl? Let's project the full playoffs.

      1dBill Barnwell
      ESPN

      How the world looked the last time Mahomes, Brady or Peyton Manning weren't in playoffs

      For the first time since 1998, an NFL postseason won't include these legendary quarterbacks.

      3hAnthony Gharib

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