FRISCO, TX — The 2023-24 NFL Regular season is officially in the books, and both the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans won their respective divisions and made the playoffs. Cowboys' head coach Mike McCarthy will face his former team, the Green Bay Packers, in Arlington while the Texans host the Cleveland Browns at NRG Stadium.
Check out the playoff schedule below:
NFC
- (7) Green Bay Packers at (2) Dallas Cowboys - Sunday, January 14, 3:30 p.m. on FOX.
- (6) Los Angeles Rams at (3) Detroit Lions - Sunday, January 14, 7:15 p.m. on NBC.
- (5) Philadelphia Eagles at (4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Monday, January 15, 7 p.m. on ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, and ESPN+
AFC
- (5) Cleveland Browns at (4) Houston Texans - Saturday, January 13, 3:30 p.m. on NBC
- (6) Miami Dolphins at (3) Kansas City Chiefs - Saturday, January 13, at 7:15 p.m. on Peacock
- (7) Pittsburgh Steelers at (2) Buffalo Bills - Sunday, January 14, at noon on CBS.
Dallas Cowboys DaRon Bland with a Pick Six against the Panthers
(Credit: twitter.com/dallascowboys)
The Cowboys' official Twitter account released a hype video for the postseason. Watch the video below:
The Cowboys can bury some demons on Sunday when they host the Packers. While the all-time playoff series between the two teams is tied at 4-4, Green Bay won the last two meetings. The first was the infamous Dez Bryant "catch" that the referees ruled an incomplete pass. The latest loss was in Dallas in 2016, where Rodgers hit Jared Cook on the sideline to put the Packers in field goal range with time winding down. Mason Crosby walked off the Cowboys with a 34-31 victory in the 2016 Divisional Round.
The metrics say that Dallas has the advantage with a perfect home record this season and one of the best quarterback-wide receiver duos in the league. However, many NFL fans would say that Dallas has a knack for choking in the playoffs. This season seems like a make-or-break year for McCarthy, and this truly might be the Cowboys' best shot to win a Super Bowl since 1996.
Houston Texans C.J. Stroud
(Credit: buckeyeswire.com)
On the other hand, the Houston Texans playoff hopes came to fruition under first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Ryans led the turnaround from a 3-13-1 record last season to a 10-7 record this year and the Texans' first playoff appearance since 2019. Houston fans might feel like the Texans are playing with house money at this point, but with a home matchup against the Cleveland Browns incoming, a run is very possible for this young team.
Cleveland put the hurt on the Texans in Houston during the Week 16 matchup in a game where C.J. Stroud did not play. Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco sliced up Houston's defense with 368 yards passing and three touchdowns. The Browns won that matchup 36-22. With Stroud under center, this game should be very different. Stroud returned to form with an excellent showing against the Indianapolis Colts in the Texans' regular-season finale and should continue to play well in the Wild Card Round.
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