NFL Wildcard Recap

For the first time in NFL history, we had six wildcard games. Thus the NFL named this weekend as the super wildcard and it did not disappoint. Six teams saw their seasons end while the other six will join Green Bay and Kansas city in the divisional round. Here’s my breakdown of each game that occurred this wonderful weekend.

Buffalo Bills 27 Indianapolis Colts 24

The Colts have to be wondering how on earth they lost this game. Their game plan for this game was just about perfect, but obviously, the execution wasn’t. Indianapolis was the better of the two teams in the first half and really should’ve had the lead at halftime. The key turning point in this game was the failed fourth down attempt at the goal line near the end of the first half. The Colts not being able to score, there would soon end up being a double whammy. Josh Allen led a 96 yard TD drive as the half came to a close to take the lead.

The game eventually came down to the final drive which left both teams annoyed with the refs. With about 50 seconds the Colts completed a pass just past midfield. The receiver fell, but then tried to get up and as he was getting up lost the ball. The Bills recovered it and thought the game was over except the refs ruled he was still down. The Colts ran the next play, but it was called dead because Buffalo used their last timeout so the refs could review the last play. After the review, it was determined the receiver was in fact down and the Colts keep the ball. But for some reason, the  Bills were allowed to get their timeout back. The NFL claims that the refs called the timeout, but you can clearly see Bills coach Sean McDermott calling for the timeout.

The Bills would then use this extra timeout to blow another play dead after the Colts thought they connected on a 10 yard pass. The frustration on the Colts sideline was there for all to see. Those timeouts cost the Colts a chance at a game-tying FG. That being said, the Colts were fortunate to even have the ball as the review should’ve been ruled as a fumble. Despite the refs completely losing the plot the right team won and Buffalo will look forward to next week.

Seattle Seahawks 20 Los Angeles Rams 30

The deciding game went to the Rams as they went into Seattle and conquered the division-winning Seahawks. This was the third meeting between the two rivals and obviously the most important. The key in this game was the Rams defense as they neutralized the Seattle offense for most of the game. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson had a nightmare of a game only completing 11 of 27 passes for 174 yards. He was sacked five times and also threw a back-breaking pick six that really changed the game.

The credit should go to the front four of the Rams defense led by Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd who both had two sacks. Darius Williams, who had the pick six, somehow managed to beat Seattle WR Metcalf to the ball on a WR screen. The play is especially impressive considering Williams was being blocked and the fact that WR screenplays are notoriously quick passing plays. The pick six gave the Rams a cushion they would never give up.

Credit must be given when it is due and Jared Goff deserves a shout out. Goff had surgery on his throwing thumb 10 days prior to the game but suited up to play. However, due to the surgery the Rams thought it best to only have him as a backup. Well, that quickly changed when starting QB John Wolford suffered a neck injury early in the game. The neck injury caused him to be out for the rest of the game and thus Goff had to go out and play. Now Goff wasn’t spectacular, he only completed 9 passes, but he managed the game well. Most importantly he didn’t turn the ball over and let his defense take control of the game.

Washington Football Team 23 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31

In my last article I mentioned that this was the least exciting matchup and they certainly proved me wrong. This is due to Washington being able to make it a game until the very end. Against all the odds the QB on everyone’s lips was Taylor Heinicke. Because Alex Smith was ruled unfit to play, Washington had no choice but to turn to their third string QB.

Heinicke completed 26 of 44 passes for 306 yards and a TD against a solid Tampa defense. He did however look shaky at the beginning of the game and did throw a pick. But that being said he hung in there and gave his offense life. It was a remarkable performance considering many people didn’t expect Washington to come close to scoring 20 points. He exceeded expectations and then some.

Unfortunately for Washington, they were up against Tom Brady. Brady threw for 381 yards and a pair of TDs as he answered anytime Washington pulled close. This type of performance is exactly why the Bucs went all in to bring him to Tampa. He did have a few shaky moments, but for the most part, Brady was in full control.  Brady connected with favorite target Mike Evans several times for 119 yards and RB Fournette helped on the ground for 93 yards. If the offense can start clicking Tampa could be in line for a deep playoff run.

Tennessee Titans 13 Baltimore Ravens 20

The third time was the charm for Lamar Jackson. After losing his previous two playoff games and his last two games to the Titans, Lamar finally vanquished both of those demons. The Ravens as a team got a bit of revenge themselves towards the end of the game. Defensive player Marcus Peters got an interception and celebrated with his teammates by stomping on the Titans logo. This was an obvious callback to earlier this season when the Titans disrespected the Ravens logo in Baltimore.

The game started off exactly how Tennessee would’ve liked it. They jumped out to a 10-0 lead and forced Lamar Jackson to throw an INT. The Titans are built for these types of fast starts. Unfortunately for the Titans things didn’t go according to plan. Baltimore would go on to score 17 unanswered points and never lost the lead. Henry was erased as a factor managing only 40 yards off of 18 carries. The key moment will be Tennessee not going for it on 4th down late in the 4th quarter. The decision to punt probably cost them a chance to win the game at the end.

Lamar Jackson showcased why he’s one of the best dual-threat QBs in the league. He finished the game with 179 passing yards and 136 rushing yards. He showed up when the Ravens needed him most. That being said the MVPs of the game would have to go to that Baltimore defense. After falling behind 10-0 the Ravens defense locked down the Tennessee offense. The Titans only managed a FG for the rest of the game and that’s a big reason why Baltimore will be playing next week.

New Orleans Saints 21 Chicago Bears 9

This was arguably the worst game of the weekend with neither team covering themselves in glory. The Saints emerged victorious, but it seemed like that was simply because they weren’t the Bears. Both teams spent a good chunk of this game trying to sabotage themselves only to see their opponent do the same.

It was ugly, it was sloppy, but the Saints got the job done and that’s all that matters. The Saints will need to have a major improvement if they are going to win next week. Looking at the stats would suggest this was a comfortable win for New Orleans and in a way it was. But the problem was the Saints’ inability to put the game away. They allowed the Bears to hang around for the majority of the game and a better team would’ve capitalized. The Saints will be hoping the third time is the charm against Tampa next week.

The Bears will be kicking themselves as they just couldn’t get out of their own way. A dropped touchdown early in the first quarter ended up being crucial as they never looked like scoring again. Bears QB Mitch Trubisky actually looked good in the first half before fading away in the second half. On the bright side, he won Nickelodeon’s player of the game award for some reason.

Pittsburgh Steelers 37 Cleveland Browns 48

Cleveland’s fairytale story continues as they dominated a shell-shocked Steelers team. What’s more remarkable about this result is the fact that due to COVID, Cleveland didn’t have their coach nor were they able to practice this week. The final score flatters the Steelers more than it should because this was a complete performance for the Browns. Literally from the first play of the game on the Browns led for the entire game. We haven’t seen a team do this in a playoff game since the Broncos vs Seahawks Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh had their coach and practiced as normal this week, yet they were the ones caught asleep early in this game. The first play of the game resulted in a Cleveland touchdown due to a bad snap from Pittsburgh’s offense. From then on things only got worse as they quickly found themselves down 28-0.  It’s an embarrassing loss to finish a season in which the wheels started coming off. They did start the season 11-0, but after that, this team looked destined to crash and burn.

Cleveland had to have been pinching themselves as they got a dream start to this game. Racing out to a 28-0 lead, on the road, in the first quarter is something that only happens in video games. Yet that’s exactly what happened as the Browns defense gave Ben Big problems all night. That defense forced 5 turnovers which directly led to 21 points. Cleveland’s offense clicked into gear as well as Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Jarvis Laundry, and Baker Mayfield all found the end zone. This victory will feel especially sweet considering the normally lopsided nature of this matchup.