The opening window of NFL postseason action serves up a two-piece banger Saturday. First, Super Bowl champion Matthew Stafford and his Los Angeles Rams battle playoff newcomer Bryce Young and the upstart Carolina Panthers. Then, the sport\u2019s oldest rivalry earns an elevated stage, as the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears square up at Soldier Field.<\/p>\n
These matchups have tremendous hype and historic connotations. They\u2019re also on two different networks, with the late game as a streaming exclusive for national audiences. Here\u2019s what to know before playoff football boots up.<\/p>\n
NFL wild-card playoff guide (Saturday)<\/p>\n
Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub<\/a>.<\/p>\n GameTime (ET)TVStreaming<\/p>\n Rams at Panthers<\/p>\n 4:30 p.m.<\/p>\n Fox<\/p>\n Packers at Bears<\/p>\n 8 p.m.<\/p>\n National: Prime Video Fox is free over the air, and is also available on the Fox One app.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers<\/p>\n Rams (12-5): Just a couple of plays<\/a> kept L.A. from the conference\u2019s top spot, and the Rams\u2019 12 wins would\u2019ve been enough for the other three division titles in the NFC. Sean McVay\u2019s team had the NFL\u2019s second-best point differential at plus-172. It finished the regular season No. 1 in points per game and No. 10 in points allowed. It also ranked in the top 10 in red zone conversions (seventh on offense, third on defense).<\/p>\n Stafford takes the field as the MVP favorite<\/a>. He paced all quarterbacks in yards and touchdowns, and he notched the highest passer rating of his 17 pro seasons. Stafford is flanked by a pair of elite wideouts. Puka Nacua led the league in receptions at 129, while Davante Adams led in touchdown catches at 14 \u2014 despite missing the final three games due to a hamstring injury. Adams will return<\/a> to the lineup Saturday, according to The Athletic\u2019s Nate Atkins.<\/p>\n On the other side of the line, Chris Shula\u2019s defense buckled opponents with a three-man hydra off the edge. Byron Young (12 sacks), Jared Verse (7 1\/2) and Kobie Turner (7) all force mismatches in protection. That powerful front allowed for extra coverage on the back end, as the Rams put up the second-lowest blitz rate.<\/p>\n Panthers (8-9): Carolina might be a surprising playoff host at a sub-.500 record, but Dave Canales\u2019 crew held its own against high-level challengers this fall. Per TruMedia, the Panthers were 2-0 as double-digit underdogs in 2025, with wins versus these Rams (Week 13) and the Packers (Week 9). The rest of the NFL combined to go 0-30 straight up against spreads of 10 or more points.<\/p>\n Bryce Young had an up-and-down season under center, though he led six game-winning drives, which was tied for second-most among QBs. He makes his playoff debut Saturday. Backfield bruiser Rico Dowdle rushed for more than 1,000 yards in just 11 starts; rookie breakout Tetairoa McMillan topped 1,000 receiving yards and scored seven times.<\/p>\n Carolina\u2019s defense, coordinated by Ejiro Evero, benefited from productive cornerback play. Jaycee Horn (five interceptions) had another Pro Bowl turn, and Mike Jackson (four INTs) tied for the league lead in pass deflections.<\/p>\n Last meeting: The second of Carolina\u2019s two double-digit upsets lit up its Charlotte crowd. The Panthers won 31-28<\/a>, with Young engineering a fourth-quarter comeback. The third-year quarterback was brilliant, going 15-of-20 for 206 yards and three touchdowns. Stafford threw two picks (he had eight all season), and Jackson took one of those to the house for six points. According to TruMedia, Stafford had the highest play-action rate in the league this season, and the Panthers had the best defensive success rate against play-action.<\/p>\n Despite the tough L, Los Angeles still got a catch-of-the-year nominee<\/a> from Nacua:<\/p>\n Broadcast: Joe Davis takes play-by-play duties at Bank of America Stadium. His work is regal and sharp<\/a>, with dramatic timing perfected by years of World Series calls. Greg Olsen joins for analysis; his thoughtfulness makes him one of the game\u2019s best color commentators<\/a>. Olsen, who lives in Charlotte, played nine seasons in Carolina blue and earned two second-team All-Pro honors (2015, 2016). He still ranks third in franchise receiving yardage. Pam Oliver and Kristina Pink are the broadcast\u2019s sideline reporters.<\/p>\n One thing to watch for is the pregame \u201cKeep Pounding\u201d drum wallop. It\u2019s a Panthers ritual that honors the late Sam Mills. Saturday\u2019s honorary drummer is Cam Newton, the 2011 No. 1 pick and 2015 NFL MVP. He\u2019s making his first home appearance in five years.<\/p>\n Playoff history: Their one head-to-head showdown was an all-timer. Carolina beat the then-St. Louis Rams in the 2003 divisional round, thanks to Steve Smith\u2019s walk-off scamper in double OT:<\/p>\n 2003 NFC Divisional: @Panthers<\/a> vs. Rams<\/p>\n On the first play of the second overtime\u2026 Steve Smith Sr. goes the distance! #KeepPounding<\/a> (Jan. 10, 2004) pic.twitter.com\/1U4rQN6Okg<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) January 10, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n Rams at Panthers oddsGreen Bay Packers at Chicago Bears<\/p>\n Packers (9-7-1): It was Dickensian \u201ctale of two seasons.\u201d With Micah Parsons in tow, Green Bay started 9-3-1. But Parsons tore his ACL in Week 15<\/a>, and the Packers lost four in a row after that ghastly break. The defense allowed more than 360 yards in each of those final four outings; it held opponents below that mark in 12 of the 13 prior games. Cheeseheads have to appreciate a sixth playoff berth in seven years, but there\u2019s a clear lack of momentum around this current group.<\/p>\n There\u2019s still talent for Matt LaFleur to reset with, though. Jordan Love has been cleared to start Saturday after leaving midway through the Week 16 matchup in Chicago due to a concussion; he then missed the next two games. Love told The Athletic\u2019s Matt Schneidman that he\u2019s not concerned about any potential rust<\/a>. The quarterback put together an efficient season at the helm of the offense, which finished No. 2 in the league in third-down conversion rate.<\/p>\n Huge 6-foot-4 field-stretcher Christian Watson was second in yards per reception at 17.5, and he caught six touchdowns in only 10 games. Josh Jacobs ran with brute force on high volume. Defensively, Edgerrin Cooper showed off his high motor at linebacker<\/a>, with double-digit tackles in five of 16 starts.<\/p>\n Bears (11-6): Chicago stunned just about everyone in 2025. Last season, it was the only NFC North member without 11+ wins and a postseason berth. But this season behind first-year coach Ben Johnson and second-year QB Caleb Williams, the Bears stormed through the division with icy swagger. There were indelible clutch moments<\/a> and absolutely bonkers endings<\/a>. Now, the young core sharpens its claws for knockout football.<\/p>\n Williams captained six fourth-quarter comebacks and set the franchise\u2019s single-season passing record (3,942 yards). The D\u2019Andre Swift-Kyle Monangai RB duo combined for more than 2,300 scrimmage yards. Per TruMedia, Chicago was No. 2 in rushing success rate. Rookie tight end Colston Loveland came on strong down the stretch, too, and the Bears were masterful in turnover differential \u2014 more takeaways (33) and fewer giveaways (11) than any other team.<\/p>\n Last meeting(s): Both regular-season dates were close. Green Bay landed the first punch in Week 14, a 28-21 result<\/a> at Lambeau Field. Watson caught two of Love\u2019s three TD passes, and Keisean Nixon intercepted Williams to seal the outcome.<\/p>\n Chicago evened the ledger two weeks later \u2014 in a most improbable and extraordinary<\/a> fashion. The Bears were down 13-3 through three quarters, but an onside kick recovery set up a game-tying touchdown with 24 seconds left. This time, things were settled at Nixon\u2019s expense, as DJ Moore blew past him for the finishing move in overtime:<\/p>\n Broadcast: It\u2019s the usual Prime Video telecast, so Al Michaels is our narrator and Kirk Herbstreit is the color commentator. Michaels has called more than three decades of NFL classics; Herbstreit arrives<\/a> from Friday\u2019s \u201cCollege GameDay\u201d set at the Peach Bowl CFP semifinal. Kaylee Hartung is that duo\u2019s corresponding sideline reporter.<\/p>\n The Amazon app also has an alternate simulcast called \u201cPrime Vision with Next Gen Stats.\u201d That option uses on-screen data visualizations and bird\u2019s-eye view camera angles. Packers-Bears is a streaming exclusive for the national audience, but in-market fans get the game for free over the air (Fox 32 in Chicago, Fox 6 in Milwaukee and NBC 26 in Green Bay).<\/p>\n Playoff history: Despite more than a century of animosities, Chicago and Green Bay have just two previous playoff duels. In 1941, the Bears slugged out a 33-14 win at Wrigley Field. More recently in the 2010 season, the Packers advanced to the Super Bowl after their 21-14 triumph in the NFC Championship Game. Cue the B.J. Raji rumble:<\/p>\n Packers at Bears odds<\/p>\n Streaming and ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process, and do not review stories before publication.<\/p>\n
Local: NBC 26 (GB),
Fox 32 (CHI)<\/p>\n