The NFL Roundup - Wild Card Weekend: Day Two

​Written by John Edward Betancourt

It didn't take long for the NFL Playoffs to send some surprises our way since the Texans manhandled the Raiders on their way to the Divisional Round and the Lions, a scrappy team that rarely goes down without a fight...more or less rolled over against the Seahawks. But there are more surprises ready to come our way as the second day of Wild Card Weekend kicks off in a couple of hours, so without further ado, here's an in depth look at today's games as the first round of the playoffs comes to a close.

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AFC WILD CARD MATCHUP
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Heinz Field - 1:05 p.m. EST - CBS

A LOOK BACK AT MIAMI AND PITTSBURGH'S 2016 CAMPAIGNS
This playoff game features a pair of teams that took two vastly different paths to the playoffs. For the Miami Dolphins, their season started out in disastrous fashion as they lost four of their first five matchups before finally coming together as a squad and stringing together enough wins to secure the #6 seed in the AFC playoffs and today they face off against a silent juggernaut in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Outside of a tough patch in the middle of the season, the Steelers played some outstanding football all year long, winning the AFC North with a respectable 12-4 and going about it in such an efficient manner that most people didn't notice how great of a season they enjoyed since their performance was overshadowed by Tom Brady's return and the surge of quality play in the AFC West. 

KEYS TO THE GAME
It's going to be a busy day for the Miami Dolphins to say the least. While they have a sound run game and QB Matt Moore is playing some lights out football, they have to find a way to wear down that vaunted Steeler defense in order to score some points and their challenges don't end there. The Miami defense also has their hands full with the powerhouse Pittsburgh run game and their stellar air attack and they'll have to slow down both Big Ben and Le'Veon Bell if they want a chance to win, which really means that this is Pittsburgh's game to lose. If they play their game and do what they have done all season long, they'll advance to the Divisional Round no problem. This one will really come down to who controls the line of scrimmage and the tempo of the game.

NFC WILD CARD MATCHUP
NEW YORK GIANTS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS
Lambeau Field - 4:40 p.m. EST - FOX

A LOOK BACK AT NEW YORK AND GREEN BAY'S 2016 CAMPAIGNS
No one quite knew where the Giants were going to go without Tom Coughlin at the helm, but as it turns out new Head Coach Ben McAdoo provided the spark this team needed, leading them to a solid 11-5 record and a Wild Card berth in his first year with a dazzling new offensive playbook that still had hints of the old regime, since the team was able to play the spoiler against the Cowboys as they so enjoy doing with Elite teams. They'll face off against the Green Bay Packers, a team that started out the season in big trouble with a 4-6 record before QB Aaron Rodgers promised the world they would run the table, and the team made good on that promise, winning their final six and the NFC North in the process.

KEYS TO THE GAME
Both squads feature solid defenses, a strong pass rush and quarterbacks that can easily take control of the game, meaning that this one could be a high scoring affair. But while a playoff shoot out is always a good time, someone has to take control and win this game, which means one of the keys to this game is outright patience. Both defenses will need to watch their opponent carefully and adjust accordingly to shut down their respective game plan and both D's will also have to work overtime to disrupt Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning's passing routes because without the air attack, neither team is effective and it should be interesting to see which defense is up to the challenge of neutralizing a Super Bowl Champion quarterback.