NFL wild-card weekend preview: QBs take center stage Saturday
— -- With the wild-card teams prepared to do battle this weekend, NFL Nation reporters look ahead to what's in store for each playoff team.
AFC
Kansas City Chiefs: Quarterback finally looks like an advantage for the Chiefs in a playoff game, so it's important for the Chiefs that Alex Smith play like the better QB. The Chiefs may not have many other obvious edges against the Texans. The Chiefs have lost their past eight playoff games but have had the inferior QB in all of them. Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, John Elway, Peyton Manning twice and Andrew Luck have been among the opposing QBs. -- Adam Teicher
NFC
Seattle Seahawks: Don't be surprised if Russell Wilson uses his legs more in this game. He had 51 rushing yards in the first meeting against the Vikings and totaled 553 yards on the ground in the regular season, third among quarterbacks. The Seahawks haven't called on the read-option as much, but they still have it as part of their arsenal. And when the Vikings play man-to-man coverage, Wilson could find opportunities to scramble. -- Sheil Kapadia
Teams that have byes
Denver Broncos: After Friday's practice Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips expressed how much the team's defense needed its hard-earned bye. "We've got some guys banged up, we would have had a hard time playing this week ... We would have had a lot of question marks, I think all of them would have probably played ... but it's a welcome relief to have this." Chris Harris Jr., Aqib Talib, Brandon Marshall, T.J. Ward, Darian Stewart and DeMarcus Ware were among the defensive starters who were held out of Friday's practice. Ware remains the biggest question mark for Denver's playoff opener Jan. 17, with Stewart's status uncertain as well. The rest are expected to play in a week. The Broncos will practice Saturday, take off Sunday and get back to work Monday. -- Jeff Legwold
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