NFL Playoff Schedule 2018: Wild-Card TV Schedule, Live Stream and Picks

Todd Gurley had an exceptional regular season.Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

There are always backstories in the NFL, and the one involving Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Robert Kraft is a first-class thriller with plenty of talk-show fodder.

ESPN.com writer Seth Wickersham recently shed light on the inner workings of the New England Patriots, and that's new in itself. However, the sideshow will be put on hold Saturday and Sunday, as the NFL postseason commences with four wild-card games.

The Atlanta Falcons struggled throughout most of the season, but they made the playoffs as a result of a victory in their regular-season finale against the Carolina Panthers.

The Falcons are the sixth seed in the NFC playoff structure, and they have the difficult assignment of playing the Los Angeles Rams.

Atlanta has excellent skill-position players in quarterback Matt Ryan, running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman and wideouts Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu.

The Falcons are capable of lighting up the scoreboard when they are playing up to their capabilities, but they often struggled to play consistently this season. They ranked eighth in yards gained during the regular season, but it seems like they should have been ranked higher with the amount of talent on the roster.

The Rams had a tremendous season under first-year head coach Sean McVay, who did a superb job in turning his team into the NFC West champions.

Quarterback Jared Goff had an eye-opening second campaign, completing 296 of 477 passes for 3,804 yards with 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He had an excellent partner in running back Todd Gurley, who rushed for 1,305 yards and scored 13 touchdowns as a runner. He was also dominant as a receiver.

These teams are fairly even in terms of talent, but the Rams have been the more consistent this season. Look for the home team to seize control of this game in the third quarter and stretch out the lead in the fourth. The Rams win by more than a touchdown.

Wild-Card Schedule, Point Spreads and Predictions

Saturday, Jan. 6, 4:35 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC): No. 5 Tennessee Titans at No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs (-8); streaming: WatchESPN

Saturday, Jan. 6, 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC): No. 6 Atlanta Falcons at No. 3 Los Angeles Rams (-5.5); streaming: NBC Sports App

Sunday, Jan. 7, 1:05 p.m. ET (CBS): No. 6 Buffalo Bills at No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars (-9); streaming: fuboTV

Sunday, Jan. 7, 4:40 p.m. ET (Fox): No. 5 Carolina Panthers at No. 4 New Orleans Saints (-7); streaming: FOX Sports Go

Team in bold predicted to win the game and cover the point spread.

Calais Campbell is nearly unstoppable as a pass-rusher.Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press/Associated Press

Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Buffalo Bills earned a spot in the playoffs as a result of a thrilling finish to Week 17 that saw the long-suffering team go to South Florida and beat the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals rally in the final minute to beat the Baltimore Ravens.

Those two events allowed the Bills to make the postseason for the first time since 1999, and they will go on the road to play the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday.

This is a tough assignment for the Bills, as star running back LeSean McCoy suffered a sprained ankle against the Dolphins, and he had to be carted off the field.

McCoy was limited in practice Friday and has been listed as questionable for this game. If McCoy can play, he will likely not be at his best. If he can't play, the Bills don't have enough weapons to threaten the Jaguars' second-ranked defense.

The Jaguars have a dangerous pass rush in Calais Campbell (14.5 sacks) and Yannick Ngakoue (12.0 sacks), and they will put a ton of pressure on Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The Buffalo quarterback throws fairly well on the run, but the Buffalo wide receivers are limited.

Jacksonville should seize control in this game as long as quarterback Blake Bortles does not turn the ball over. Bortles had fine numbers this year (3,687 yards with 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions) and helped the Jaguars win the AFC South title, but he has to prove he can handle the assignment in the postseason.

Look for Jacksonville to avoid the big mistakes that could let the Bills have a chance in this game. The Jaguars win at home and advance to the divisional round.

Spreads according to OddsShark.

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