(Sporting Alert) – The NFL playoff series begins on Saturday with a pair of wild card games on NBC. The schedule sees Cincinnati playing Houston for the second straight season, while Minnesota will face Green Bay.
OPENING MATCHES
At the Reliant Stadium, Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) will take on the Houston Texans (12-4), a team that dropped three of its last, including a 28-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the last regular season game.
Before dropping their second game at New England, Houston were 11-1 heading into that contest, still many believed they had been lucky to have won so many games.
Several of the team’s players were disturbed by the comments and are ready to prove the critics wrong.
“We didn’t handle the end of the season the way we wanted to handle it, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t handle these playoffs the way we want to handle it,” head coach Gary Kubiak said.
“We understand how we have to play.”
At the same time, there’s one man who has already forgotten that and is just focus on getting the chance to play after a heartbreaking end to last season before of an injury.
Quarterback Matt Schaub, who picked up frustrating season-ending last year in Week 10 of the regular campaign, will start his first playoff on Saturday and he’s excited to be back.
Houston’s first ever playoff game in the history of the franchise, saw them opening up the wild-card weekend with a 31-10 victory over these same Bengals last year.
“It’s an exciting time of year to be a part of this to get ready to play in a playoff game, especially here at home in front of our home fans,” Schaub said on the Texans official website at www.houstontexans.com.
“I’m definitely looking forward to it, but the thing that’s going to help us win the game is the same whenever you’re playing, wherever you’re playing.
“That’s playing smart, clean, good football.”
The Bengals, in the meantime, head into the game on good form after winning its last three games and they are buzzing with confidence.
In the day’s other game, the Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (11-5) tackle the Minnesota Vikings (10-6) in what will be a payback game at Lambeau Field.
The Vikings handed the Packers a final week 37-34 defeat last Sunday to clinched a playoff berth and pushed Green Bay to No. 3 with a loss.
NFL Playoff TV Schedule – Jan 5
Event Playoffs: Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans
Place: Reliant Stadium
Date: Saturday 5, January 2013 at 4:30 PM ET
Live TV: NBC
Event Playoffs: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Place: Lambeau Field
Date: Saturday 5, January 2013 at 4:30 PM ET 8 ET
Live TV: NBC
Texans and Packers will win 🙂