NFL playoffs first-round matchups

First look What to expect in the first round of the NFL playoffs: NEW YORK JETS (9-7) AT CINCINNATI (10-6) Saturday, 1:30 p.m., Channel 4 Rex Ryan says his team was built for a late-season run, and it sure looked that way in Week 17. But will the Bengals be a different team with a do-or-die fire under them? Cincinnati is 6-2 at home with its last loss there coming to Houston in mid-October. But the Bengals are not rich in playoff experience. They haven’t played a postseason game since 2005, a one-and-done home game against Pittsburgh, when Carson Palmer suffered a severe knee injury the first time he dropped back to pass. PHILADELPHIA (11-5) AT DALLAS (11-5) Saturday, 5 p.m., Channel 4 Beating a team three times in a season is a huge challenge, but the Cowboys will do it if they can attack Philadelphia’s defense as effectively as they did Sunday. Remember that stuff about Tony Romo falling apart at season’s end? The Cowboys quarterback has 11 touchdowns and two interceptions in his last six games. BALTIMORE (9-7) AT NEW ENGLAND (10-6) Sunday, 10 a.m., Channel 2 The Patriots are a dangerous team in the playoffs, and they’re 8-0 at home this season. Still, the loss of Wes Welker (league-leading 123 receptions through 16 weeks) takes a reliable target away from Tom Brady, who’s already playing with a broken finger and at least one broken rib. The Ravens played very tough at New England in Week 4, suffering a 27-21 loss after Mark Clayton dropped a very catchable fourth-down pass near the goal line. That ended the would-be winning drive. GREEN BAY (11-5) AT ARIZONA (10-6) Sunday, 1:30 p.m., Channel 11 The Packers won their finale at Arizona with ease, but the Cardinals didn’t play Kurt Warner. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was very sharp, completing 21 of 26 passes before being pulled in the fourth quarter, and Green Bay intercepted three passes. The Cardinals can take heart in the fact they didn’t get hot last season until the playoffs. -- Sam Farmer