Seahawks-49ers, Chargers-Jaguars: Start time, how to watch and stream NFL playoffs

Eagles fans could know who the Birds will face in the playoffs by tonight

Al Michaels returns to NBC Saturday night to call the Chargers-Jaguars wild-card game alongside Hall of Famer Tony Dungy.Read moreKeith Srakocic / AP

Published Jan. 14, 2023, 6:00 a.m. ET

One-time Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy looks to lead the San Francisco 49ers to a playoff win Saturday in a game all Eagles fans should be watching.

The 49ers are heavily favored at home against the Seahawks, who eked into the playoffs thanks to a rebound year by quarterback Geno Smith. Purdy, an Iowa State standout selected with the final pick in the 2022 draft, has been among the NFL’s best quarterbacks since taking over for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo on Oct. 23.

Purdy’s passer rating of 107.3 is the best ever for a rookie quarterback with 50 or more pass attempts, and with a victory, he would be the first starting rookie quarterback to win a postseason game since Russell Wilson for the Seahawks in 2012.

If Seattle manages to upset the 49ers (San Francisco is favored by 9.5 points), the Seahawks will trek across the country to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in the divisional round next weekend.

The Eagles head into Saturday’s games with four possibilities for opponents. Here are the scenarios for the Eagles’ potential second-round opponent:

No. 7 Seattle Seahawks (9-8): Seahawks win
No. 6 New York Giants (9-7-1): Giants win and Seahawks lose
No. 5 Dallas Cowboys (12-5): Cowboys win AND Giants lose AND Seahawks lose
No 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9): Buccaneers win AND Giants lose AND Seahawks lose

Saturday’s late game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars features the first postseason starts for two young quarterbacks — Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence.

Under former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, the Jaguars won the AFC South for the first time since 2017, and are looking to become the first team in NFL history to win a playoff game the season after finishing with the league’s worst record.

Calling the game on NBC is a familiar voice — longtime Sunday Night Football announcer Al Michaels, returning to the network for the first time since taking the play-by-play job on Amazon’s Thursday Night Football. Joining him in the booth is Hall of Fame head coach and NBC football analyst Tony Dungy.

A playoff matchup between two up-and-coming teams will be a welcome sight for Michaels. The 77-year-old veteran broadcaster endured several lackluster matchups on Amazon this season alongside Kirk Herbstreit, including what he called a “dreadful” matchup between the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts in Week 4.

“The Denver-Indianapolis game [in] Week 4 was a dreadful game. No other way to describe it. No touchdowns,” Michaels said on the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast. “In fact, at one point during the game, I said to Kirk, ‘Is it possible this game could be so bad that it’s actually good?’ He’d never heard that from a partner and went, ‘No!’”

Michaels drew attention on social media over his snarky comments, but told Deitsch he had nothing but support from the folks at Amazon.

“I try to echo the feelings of what the fan feels because I’m a fan,” Michaels said. “You just can’t oversell something. Do you want me to sell you a 20-year-old Mazda? That’s what you’re asking me to do. I can’t sell you a used car.”

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream NFL playoff games on wild-card Saturday:

Seahawks (No. 7) at 49ers (No. 2)

When: Saturday, Jan. 14
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern
TV: Fox (Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver)
Radio: 94.1 WIP via Westwood One (Bill Rosinski, James Lofton, Amber Theoharis)
Streaming: Fox Sports app (requires authentication), fuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and DirecTV Stream (all require a subscription)
Mobile: NFL+ (requires subscription)
Referee: Alex Kemp

Chargers (No. 5) at Jaguars (No. 4)

When: Saturday, Jan. 14
Where: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Fla.
Time: 8:15 p.m. Eastern
TV: NBC (Al Michaels, Tony Dungy, Kaylee Hartung)
Radio: 94.1 WIP via Westwood One (Ian Eagle, Jason McCourty, Max Starks)
Streaming: NBC Sports app (requires authentication), Peacock, fuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and DirecTV Stream (all require a subscription)
Mobile: NFL+ (requires subscription)
Referee: Shawn Smith

Media coverage

On the NFL Network, pregame coverage begins at noon with NFL GameDay Morning, hosted by Rich Eisen alongside analysts Michael Irvin, Kurt Warner, and Steve Mariucci. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport will provide live updates throughout the morning.

ESPN will air Postseason NFL Countdown at 10 a.m., featuring Sam Ponder, Tedy Bruschi, Matt Hasselbeck, Randy Moss and Rex Ryan. Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter will provide live updates.

At 1:30 p.m., Fox will air NFL Championship Chase: Wild Card Weekend, presented by NFL Films. Pregame coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. with Fox NFL Kickoff, featuring Charissa Thompson, Charles Woodson, Peter Schrager, former Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (who was right about Carson Wentz), and Sean Payton, who has coaching interest from the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, and Arizona Cardinals. Fox NFL Sunday (even though it’s Saturday) airs at 3:30 p.m., featuring Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson, and Jay Glazer.

Coverage begins on NBC at 7:30 p.m. with a Saturday edition of Football Night in America, featuring Maria Taylor, former New York Giants head coach Jason Garrett, Jalen Hurts-hater Chris Simms, Mike Florio, Jac Collinsworth, and Rodney Harrison.