No. 5 Kansas City (11-5) at No. 4 Houston (9-7)
2:35 p.m. Saturday, KMGH-7/ESPN
Two of the NFL’s best defenses face off in a matchup between overachieving teams. Kansas City is on an NFL-best 10-game winning streak, but it hasn’t won a playoff game since 1994. Texans’ receiver DeAndre Hopkins vs. Chiefs’ cornerback Marcus Peters should be a fun battle on the outside.
KANSAS CITY WINS IF… They win the turnover battle, control time of possession and impose their will on the ground.
HOUSTON WINS IF… Defensive end J.J. Watt takes over the game to sack and pressure Alex Smith and Hopkins has a big day receiving.
No. 6 Pittsburgh (10-6) at No. 3 Cincinnati (12-4)
6:15 p.m. Saturday, KCNC-4
It’s the grudge match between division opponents that split their regular season games. Bengals’ quarterback AJ McCarron has played in some big games, but nothing like a playoff game against the Steelers for a franchise that hasn’t won a postseason game since 1991.
CINCINNATI WINS IF… McCarron plays with the confidence he did in the first half against Denver, picking apart the Steelers’ weak secondary and the Bengals’ defense forces Pittsburgh to be one-dimensional through the air.
PITTSBURGH WINS IF… They can get ahead early and force McCarron to make plays in order to beat them. Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger allows his stud receivers to beat the Bengals’ secondary with a lot of yards after the catch.
