Wild-card weekend is, in many ways, a setup for the best weekend of the NFL calendar.

Now that the field is set for next weekend’s divisional-round — when the league’s top eight teams will scramble to advance to the conference championships — let’s reset the playoffs.

AFC

Saturday, Jan. 13: 8:15 p.m. ET, CBS | Game HQ

Titans lowdown: Tennessee has already advanced further than most thought after upsetting the Chiefs in the wild-card round. The Titans did, however, demonstrate a winning playoff formula: A reliance on the power running of tailback Derrick Henry and the improvisation of quarterback Marcus Mariota. Henry averaged 3.8 yards after first contact against Kansas City, which is precisely the kind of playmaking an underdog team would need to pull off a road playoff victory. Read more on the Titans from Cameron Wolfe.

Patriots lowdown: Some observers were rattled by a round of sub-Hall of Fame play from quarterback Tom Brady, who threw interceptions in five consecutive late-season games. But remember the big picture: In a league with no perfect teams, the Patriots have lost only once since Oct. 1. Brady has had an extra week to nurse shoulder and Achilles injuries, and tight end Rob Gronkowski is as healthy as he has ever been in January. It seems likely that the franchise is headed toward an offseason reset to some degree — coordinators Josh McDaniel and Matt Patricia are receiving heavy interest as potential head coaches. But for now, the relatively weak state of the AFC bracket puts the Patriots in excellent position for a run at their eighth Super Bowl appearance in the Brady-Bill Belichick era. Read more on the Patriots from Mike Reiss.

From the wild-card round through Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, ESPN.com has the playoffs covered.

• Schedule, coverage, more »
• Barnwell’s preview: A guide to all 66 possible matchups »

Vikings lowdown: Minnesota had the NFL’s best defense this season, whether you measure by points allowed per game (15.8), yards (275.9) or third-down percentage (25.2). Fourteen of the Vikings’ 16 opponents managed less than 20 points. Well-rounded and healthy, the unit is poised to control the NFC playoffs. From a team perspective, perhaps the biggest question is whether quarterback Case Keenum can continue his charmed play. He finished the season ranked second in Total QBR (69.7) after five seasons as a backup. Sunday will mark his first playoff appearance. Read more on the Vikings from Courtney Cronin.

It’s official. Philippe Coutinho is joining Barcelona.

Barcelona and Liverpool reached an agreement for the transfer of Coutinho on Saturday. According to the Liverpool Echo’s James Pearce and Neil Jones, the Reds agreed to a fee of €160 million (£142 million). The Brazilian star will have a buyout clause of €400 million.

The reported fee will make Coutinho the second-most expensive footballer on the planet, behind Neymar, who joined Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona in a transfer worth €222 million.

Liverpool will apparently receive £105 million up front, with the rest received in performance-related bonuses. Per the Guardian’s Sid Lowe, £17 million would be payable for Coutinho’s first 100 games at Barcelona, £4.4 per 25 matches. Another £4.4 million would allegedly be paid if Champions League qualification is achieved, with a £4.4-million bonus for winning the tournament.

Liverpool apparently rejected numerous bids from Barcelona in the summer, as the Reds maintained that the product of Vasco da Gama wasn’t for sale. They allegedly stood firm when a transfer request was submitted the day before the beginning of the Premier League season, but the footballer’s desire to join the Blaugrana never wavered, and the English club’s position softened.

In August, Fenway Sports Group published a statement on Coutinho, reading: “The club’s definitive stance is that no offers for Philippe will be considered and he will remain a member of Liverpool Football Club when the summer window closes.” After it closed, Albert Soler, Barcelona’s director of professional sports, said: “Liverpool put a €200-million price tag on a member on their squad. Logically, the club decided that it was not going to go ahead with the operation.”

Coutinho will reportedly attend Barcelona’s La Liga game versus Levante UD on Sunday, and could make his debut when the Blaugrana and Celta Vigo play the first leg of their Copa del Rey tie on Thursday.

Coutinho tallied seven goals and six assists in the Premier League this season, and five goals and two assists in the Champions League.

LOS ANGELES — Todd Gurley II, the Los Angeles Rams’ running back, fell on his face while running a sweep to the left side. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan slipped twice, first on a sack and then on a touchdown pass.

Saturday’s wild-card game, which ended in a 26-13 win by the Falcons, was played on a slippery Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum field that claimed several victims, especially in the first half.

“The conditions were slick, for sure,” Ryan said of the natural grass surface.

“It was pretty bad,” Gurley said. “But they’ve got the same field that we’ve got.”

The slippery conditions were seemingly caused by the later kickoff, at 5:15 p.m. PT. When the sun set and the dew settled in, players weren’t necessarily outfitted with the longer cleats to initially battle the slick conditions.

Several skill-position players switched out their cleats at halftime, including Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, who switched them out twice.

Jurgen Klopp provided an immediate reaction to the news that Liverpool and Barcelona reached an agreement for the sale of Philippe Coutinho on Saturday.

The German manager insisted his club did “everything” in its power to try and convince the attacking midfielder that his future remained on Merseyside, but that the player was “insistent with me, the owners, and even his teammates this was a move he was desperate to make happen.”

“It is with great reluctance that we – as a team and club – prepare to say farewell to a good friend, a wonderful person and a fantastic player in Philippe Coutinho,” Klopp’s statement began.

“It is no secret that Philippe has wanted this move to happen since July, when Barcelona first made their interest known.”

The reported cost of the deal is an initial £105 million. The fee would then bloat to £142 million (€160 million) after the following payments:

• £17 million after Coutinho plays 100 matches for Barcelona
• £4.4 million for Champions League qualification in each of his first two seasons
• £4.4 million if Barcelona wins the Champions League

Related – Poll: Should Liverpool fans be happy with €160M for Coutinho?

“I can tell the Liverpool supporters that we, as a club, have done everything within our means to convince Philippe that remaining part of LFC was as attractive as moving to Spain, but he is 100 per cent certain his future – and that of his family – belongs at Barcelona,” Klopp continued. “It is his dream and I am now convinced there is nothing left at our disposal to change his mind.

“Philippe has made a fantastic contribution to this club over his five years of service and as disappointed as we are he doesn’t want to extend that, the relationship we have for him means with a heavy heart we wish him well.”

Despite Coutinho sitting out Liverpool’s matches with a supposed injury since the January transfer window opened, Klopp stressed that the Brazilian’s commitment on the pitch, in training, and to the club cannot be questioned. He also said Liverpool’s “aggressive progression” is unwavering despite Coutinho’s departure, and that with the board he will oversee “continued investment into the playing squad, which will allow more growth and more improvement.”