Chris Myers
Play-by-Play Announcer, Reporter and Studio Host
Editor’s Note: Throughout the NFL playoffs, Chris Myers and his research team analyze upcoming matchups, while providing news, notes, and nuggets for inside access to the information an NFL broadcaster uses to prepare for calling a game.
Wild Card Weekend
Four teams made the playoffs that did not last year — the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos in the AFC and the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders in the NFC. It’s the 35th straight year with at least four new playoff teams, although six division champs repeated with three of the four newcomers as wild cards. The Rams elevated from wild card to division winners.
This is the first time since 2012 that every playoff team has at least 10 wins. In 2022, no less than five of the 14 playoff teams did not win 10 games, and last year the Buccaneers and Packers were in at 9-8.
This is the fifth postseason with just one bye in each conference. In the four previous seasons under the current format, four of the eight top seeds have made the Super Bowl. This is the fourth time the Chiefs have been the AFC’s top seed in the Patrick Mahomes era, with two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl win in the prior three.
Only one of the last four Super Bowls has been won by a team with a bye (the Chiefs in SB LVII when they beat another top seed, the Philadelphia Eagles). The Chiefs were a 3-seed when they won last year. Tampa Bay in 2020 is the only team to win three road games as the 5-seed to appear in (and win) the Super Bowl. The Rams were a 4-seed when they won in 2021 over another 4-seed, the Bengals.
CHRIS MYERS’ ANALYSIS: “NFL wildcard playoff games have 8 to 12 more cameras on the TV broadcast than the average Sunday regular season game. It’s estimated an increase of 10 more for each round of the postseason, and at the Super Bowl that total, including all cameras, can exceed 100. No sport is more extensively covered, which is a big factor why NFL drama produces so many viewers.
“With the extra cameras, producers and directors can dedicate one to covering each prominent game figure at all times. I will be noticing the different interactions as they unfold.”
Breaking Down AFC Matchups
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Houston Texans
Of the six road teams, two are favored, both in games involving Los Angeles (the road Chargers are 3-point picks at Houston, while the home Rams are 1.5-point underdogs to the Vikings).
