The NFL playoffs began Saturday with the first of two Wildcard games -- a pair of instant classics featuring a last-second game winning field goal and the second largest comeback in NFL playoff history.

In the first game of the day, the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the Indianapolis Colts. The week previously, the Chiefs had rested virtually all of their star players in a (for them) meaningless game against San Diego, only to have their backups come within two controversial calls and a missed field goal of eliminating the Chargers from the playoffs.

This week the Chiefs raced out to a huge 38-10 lead early in the second half. And then they imploded. More importantly, the Colts, woke from their torpor and began scoring in bunches, racking up 35 second-half points en route to a nearly record setting comeback. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck threw for 443 yards and 4 touchdowns, barely enough to overcome his three interceptions. Chiefs QB Alex Smith threw for 378 yards and 4 touchdowns of his own in the losing effort. Next week the Colts play either Denver or New England, depending on the outcome of the other AFC Wildcard game between San Diego and Cincinnati.

The late game was less historic but equally intense. The NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles made their own dramatic comeback - taking a lead with under five minutes to play after trailing by 13, only to fall to the Saints after Garret Hartley's game-winning 32 yard field goal as time expired. The Saints now travel to Seattle to face the heavily favored Seahawks.

Sunday's tilts are unlikely to equal this pair of results, but they are both likely to be interesting.

On the AFC side, the San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals play in Cincinnati. Both teams have been inconsistent, but occasionally brilliant. The Chargers especially have earned a Jekyll-and-Hyde reputation. Earlier in the season they beat the top-seeded Broncos in Denver just weeks after being blown out by lowly Jacksonville. Of late, however, Hyde has been coming out much more than Jekyll and the Chargers have won five of their last six games. Unfortunately for San Diego, that one loss came against the Bengals.

The remaining NFC Wildcard game pits the San Francisco 49ers against the Green Bay Packers in Wisconsin. Lambeau Field is expected to live up to its 'frozen tundra' nickname, with a temperature of -3 degrees and windchill of -19.