Photos via ESPN Images
ESPN will open the 2019 NFL Wild Card Weekend on Saturday, January 4, at 4:35 p.m. ET with the Buffalo Bills (10-6) vs. AFC South champion Houston Texans (10-6). The game will air on ESPN and be simulcast on ABC. It will also be available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes and streamed live on the ESPN App.
Monday Night Football’s Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland will call the game with NFL Officiating Analyst John Parry and reporter Lisa Salters from NRG Stadium in Houston. MNF producer Jay Rothman and director Jimmy Platt will lead the Wild Card game production. The ESPN Deportes team includes Eduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega and reporter John Sutcliffe.
Suzy Kolber Hosts Postseason NFL Countdown Pregame Show from NRG Stadium – 3 p.m. ET
Leading into Bills-Texans, Suzy Kolber will host a special Postseason NFL Countdown (3 p.m., ESPN and ABC) live from NRG Stadium with analysts Randy Moss, Louis Riddick, Steve Young and Adam Schefter. Salters and reporter Ed Werder will provide on-site coverage of the teams. Features:
- Josh Allen Conversion – Jac Collinsworth sits with the Buffalo quarterback who is hoping to lead the Bills to their first postseason win in more than two decades
- Deshaun Watson Conversation – Matthew Hasselbeck sits with the Texans quarterback to talk about the NFL’s new wave of dual-threat QBs.
ESPN reporter assignments for other NFL Wild Card games this weekend:
- Saturday – Jeff Darlington (Titans at Patriots)
- Sunday – Dan Graziano and Dianna Russini (Vikings at Saints); and Josina Anderson and Sal Paolantonio (Seahawks at Eagles)
ESPN coverage of Wild Card weekend also includes:
- Two editions of NFL PrimeTime on ESPN+ with Chris Berman and Tom Jackson.
- Two editions of NFL Rewind with host Trey Wingo and analysts Tim Hasselbeck and John Fox.
- A Sunday edition of Postseason NFL Countdown (10 a.m. ET) with Sam Ponder, Tedy Bruschi, Matt Hasselbeck, Rex Ryan, Moss, Riddick, Chris Mortensen and Schefter. Features:
- Minnesota Miracle – When the Saints and Vikings played two years ago, Stephon Diggs changed the game in the last 10 seconds. Countdown found others across the state of Minnesota whose lives were also altered in those 10 seconds. Josina Anderson reports.
- Loud Leaders – Countdown examines the leadership of Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins and the fiery pregame speeches the quarterbacks give their teams in pregame huddles.
- Doug Pederson Conversation – Sal Paolantonio speaks with the Eagles head coach about Philadelphia’s late-season playoff charge and how the team refused to give up.
ESPN NFL shows on Wild Card Weekend (Jan. 4-5):
| Date | Time (ET) | Show | Network |
| Saturday, Jan. 4 | 4 a.m. | NFL Matchup
* reairs 6:30 a.m./ESPN and 8:30 a.m./ESPN2 |
ESPN |
| 9 a.m. | NFL Championship Chase: Wild Card Weekend
* reairs at 2 p.m. on ABC |
ESPN2 | |
| 10 a.m. | NFL’s Greatest Games: 2018 AFC Divisional Round
(New England Patriots vs Kansas City Chiefs) |
ESPN2 | |
| 10:30 a.m. | Postseason NFL Countdown (one-hour) | ESPN | |
| 10:30 a.m. | NFL’s Greatest Games: 2017 NFC Divisional Round
(New Orleans Saints vs Minnesota Vikings) |
ESPN2 | |
| 3 p.m. | Postseason NFL Countdown | ESPN & ABC | |
| 4:20 p.m. | Wild Card Kickoff | ESPN & ABC | |
| 4:35 p.m. | NFL Wild Card Game
Buffalo Bills vs Houston Texans |
ESPN & ABC
ESPN Deportes |
|
| 7:35 p.m. | SportsCenter | ESPN | |
| Sunday, Jan. 5 | 12 a.m. | NFL Rewind | ESPN |
| 12 a.m. | SportsCenter | ESPN2 | |
| 12 a.m. | NFL PrimeTime | ESPN+ | |
| 7 a.m. | NFL’s Greatest Games: Super Bowl LII
(Philadelphia Eagles vs New England Patriots) |
ESPN2 | |
| 7:30 a.m. | NFL’s Greatest Games: 2010 NFC Wild Card Round
(New Orleans Saints vs Seattle Seahawks) |
ESPN2 | |
| 10 a.m. | Postseason NFL Countdown | ESPN | |
| 8 p.m. | NFL Rewind | ESPN | |
| 8 p.m. | NFL PrimeTime | ESPN+ |
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