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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.

Philadelphia, the reigning titleholders, have looked more vulnerable, and clubs such as Buffalo, considered favorites before the season, have underwhelmed.

Demonstrating the season's strength, an impressive 11 out of the 14 playoff entrants notched 11-plus wins, something that has happened merely twice since the late 1980s.

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.

"If you ask me to pick a favourite, I don't know, because you can put something on all of them," Collinsworth added.

"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."

How Do the NFL Playoffs Function?

A field of 14 clubs competes in the playoffs, comprising seven squads from the AFC and seven from the NFC.

The conferences remain separate throughout a three-week, 12-game knockout tournament that determines each conference's representative in Super Bowl 60 on February 8.

Superior seeds host their games, and the top-ranked teams, Denver and Seattle, skip the first playoff round, known as Wildcard Weekend.

The top seeds enter in the Divisional Round. Victors in the Conference Championships, which serve as Super Bowl semifinals, advance to the championship at Santa Clara's Levi's Stadium.

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

With Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes absent from the playoffs for the first time in his career, a major postseason fixture is missing.

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.

This scenario creates a wide-open AFC Championship race, offering a chance for emerging stars like Denver's Bo Nix and New England's Drake Maye to etch their names in playoff lore.

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

Top seed Denver has minimal recent playoff experience, and besides the Broncos and Patriots, Pittsburgh is the only other AFC playoff team with a Super Bowl appearance since 1995.

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.

As the NFC's top seed, the Seahawks are now narrow favorites for the Super Bowl, while Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is the player most likely to win MVP honors.

Despite his Super Bowl ring from 2022, Stafford has yet to be named MVP and is positioned just ahead of New England's Drake Maye in the award race.

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.

Wildcard Weekend: The Complete Fixture List

All times are in GMT

Saturday, 10 January

The Rams travel to face the Carolina Panthers (21:30)

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

Sunday, 11 January

The Bills are on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars (18:00)

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

New England Patriots host the Los Angeles Chargers (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.

The Packers, slowed by key injuries, get quarterback Jordan Love back from concussion for a rare playoff meeting in football's longest-standing rivalry.

Chicago, which surpassed preseason forecasts to win the NFC North, is under pressure to avert a three-game skid and a quick postseason departure.

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.

Reigning MVP Josh Allen of Buffalo dreams of his first Super Bowl, but the Bills face a difficult road test against a red-hot Jacksonville team on an eight-game win streak.

{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