NFL playoffs schedule 2017: Raiders vs. Texans, Lions vs. Seahawks on tap for Saturday

The 2016 NFL regular season has come and gone, leaving 20 franchises in its wake. On Saturday, two more will join the ranks of the vacationing teams when the Wild Card round gets underway.

Day one of the postseason will feature one matchup between two premier quarterbacks and another that’s the opposite of that. Before Matthew Stafford and Russell Wilson can create some fireworks in a night game from Seattle, Brock Osweiler and Connor Cook will duel in a battle to see which former backup can make fewer mistakes.

The playoffs get underway in the Lone Star State when the Raiders travel to Texas for a showdown with the Texans. Neither team will work to keep its season alive without its preferred quarterback behind center. Oakland lost the heart of its offense — and possibly the franchise itself — when Derek Carr’s MVP-caliber season was cut short by a broken leg in Week 16. He was replaced by Matt McGloin, who promptly suffered an injury in the team’s next game.

Now, third-string passer Connor Cook will make history by being the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to make his first start in the postseason.

The situation isn’t as dire in Houston — at least in the short term. The Texans lured Osweiler over from Denver with a four-year, $72 million contract and have gotten little in return for their faith. Osweiler was the league’s second-worst starting passer before ceding his role to Tom Savage in Week 15.

Savage was solid, if not spectacular, in relief and led Houston to its second straight AFC South title. But he also suffered a concussion in last Sunday’s meaningless game against the Titans, passing the reins back to Osweiler in the process.

So, while the Texans have the far more unsettled quarterback situation in the long run, they’ll have the advantage Saturday against the Raiders. Cook will have to outplay a young passer with 21 career starts to his name and face a defense led by emerging wrecking ball Jadeveon Clowney. If the Houston defense can rise to the occasion, it’ll give the franchise its first playoff win since 2013.

Time: 4:35 p.m. ET

Place: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

TV: ESPN/ABC

Announcers: Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters

Online: WatchESPN

Business should pick up in the late game, where two dynamic offenses face off in the Pacific Northwest. The Lions will skip two time zones to face the Seahawks in one of the NFL’s most hostile home environments. And while the record-setting volume of CenturyLink Field will pose a problem, Detroit will be much more worried about how effective its Pro Bowl quarterback can be.

Stafford suffered a dislocated finger in a Week 14 win over the Bears and hasn’t been the same player since. His Lions have fallen from 9-4 to 9-7 while he’s thrown just three touchdowns (and five interceptions) since donning a protective glove to shield his wonky hand. The downturn has derailed a potential MVP season and put pressure on a defense with the league’s least effective secondary. Opposing quarterbacks have dropped a 106.5 rating against Detroit this season — by far the highest mark in the NFL.

That’s great news for Russell Wilson, who has been solid but performing below his own lofty standards behind center. Wilson posted the lowest passer rating and TD:INT ratio this season but still guided his team to an NFC West crown. But his relative weakness hasn’t been Seattle’s biggest concern.

That would be the loss of All-Pro safety Earl Thomas, who broke his leg in Week 13 and won’t return this season — or maybe at all. The Seahawks closed out their season at 2-2, but had little to play for thanks to the putrid level of competition in the West in 2016. On Saturday they’ll have to prove they can still win without one of the biggest defensive playmakers in the league on the field.

How to watch Detroit Lions vs. Seattle Seahawks in a Wild Card playoff game

Time: 8:15 p.m. ET

Place: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Wash.

TV: NBC

Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya, and Heather Cox

Online: NBC Sports Live