The Super Wild Card Weekend NFL matchups ended this past weekend, with the (11-7) Houston Texans, (12-6) Kansas City Chiefs, (12-6) Buffalo Bills, (10-8) Green Bay Packers, (13-5) Detroit Lions, and (10-8) Tampa Bay Buccaneers all securing a divisional round spot. The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers obtained byes for the first round of the playoffs due to their regular season performances, with the Ravens finishing 13-4 and the 49ers finishing 12-5.With only 8 teams remaining, significant changes were made to the rankings of the remaining NFL teams.
- Green Bay Packers
The Packers got off to a hot start against the Dallas Cowboys, scoring 27 unanswered points to start the game off with Packers quarterback Jordan Love and running back Aaron Jones leading the team down the field for an opening drive touchdown, a three-yard run punched in by Jones. A late first quarter interception by Dak Prescott to Packers star corner back Jaire Alexander began a tumble for the Cowboys. The second quarter of the game is where the Packers really took control, putting up 20 points in total in the quarter. Jones and Love capitalized on Cowboys mistakes and put up 14 points, pushing the Packers’ lead to 20-0 in the middle of the second quarter. Packers corner back Darnell Savage also intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown before halftime. The Cowboys got their first score of the game off a Dak Prescott touchdown pass to second-year tight end Jake Ferguson, making the score of the game 27-7 at halftime in favor of the Packers.
The beginning of the second half is where the Cowboys began to find a rhythm on offense, scoring a field goal on their opening drive. The subsequent drives included the Packers and Cowboys trading touchdowns in the third quarter, including scores from Packers’ Aaron Jones and tight end Luke Musgrave and Cowboys’ running back Tony Pollard, all in the third quarter of the game. At the end of the third quarter, the score of the game was Packers 41, Cowboys 16.
The fourth quarter began with a Packers touchdown, a Jordan Love pass to Romeo Doubs, all but cementing the Packers upset win. The Cowboys doubled their entire point total in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 points off of two touchdown passes from Dak Prescott to Jake Ferguson and earning two-point conversions on both drives. Everything began to click for the Cowboys on the offensive side of the ball too late, as the Packers had already put up a monster forty-eight points for the day and did not need to score to secure their victory, 48-32. Jordan Love, in the process, cemented a 158.3 (perfect) passer rating, executing a near-perfect game against the Cowboys.
The Packers will take on the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 8:15 p.m. EST at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The game will be available to watch on FOX.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The (9-8) Tampa Bay Buccaneers pulled off a very convincing win against the (11-6) Philadelphia Eagles on Jan. 15 at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers jumped out to a 13-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, with a touchdown coming from journeyman quarterback Baker Mayfield to fifth-year wide receiver David Moore. The Eagles could only muster punts in the first quarter of the game and did not put up a single point until the 11:31 mark in the game, a field goal kick from Jake Elliott.
The theme stayed the same for the Eagles a majority of the rest of the game, as Philadelphia was unable to find a rhythm on offense. The Eagles had previously competed in Super Bowl 57 against the Kansas City Chiefs, losing 38-35. The Buccaneers did not let off the gas pedal, maintaining the lead for the entire duration of the game. While the Eagles outscored the Buccaneers in the second quarter 7-3, the Buccaneers still had a lead of 16-9 entering halftime, with the Buccaneers’ defense stifling the Eagles’ struggling offense early on in the game.
The Buccaneers’ defense continued to prove to be a formidable foe after halftime, forcing a safety late in the third quarter and allowing the offense to continue to drive down field on the Eagles and ultimately control the game. Penalties in the fourth quarter also squandered many of the Eagles’ drives, with three on one drive that killed an opportunity for the Eagles to kick a field goal to attempt to crack into the Buccaneers’ lead.
The Eagles ultimately could not score any more points in the second half while the Buccaneers tacked on 16 additional points to their lead. The Eagles’ offense struggled throughout the entirety of the game, and Baker Mayfield for the Buccaneers threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns. Jalen Hurts, on the other hand, only threw for 250 yards and a single TD. The final score of the game was Buccaneers 32, Eagles 9.
The Buccaneers will take on the (13-5) Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit, MI on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 3 p.m EST. The game will be available to watch on NBC.
- Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions secured their first playoff win since 1991 against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Jan. 14 at Ford Field, and did it in a convincing fashion despite the final score.The Lions jumped out to an early lead in their very first possession of the game with a ten-play, seventy-five yard drive capped off with a running back David Montgomery touchdown to push the Lions to a 7-0 lead. The Lions would go on to score another touchdown, this one from running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the first quarter while the Rams only amounted to a field goal, making the score at the end of the first quarter 14-3 Lions.
The Rams cut into the Lions lead with a 50-yard pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford to rookie standout wide receiver Puka Nacua at the 13:24 mark in the second quarter. However, the Lions responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Sam LaPorta from quarterback Jared Goff. The second quarter featured more offensive fireworks, with the Rams putting together a six-play, 75-yard drive resulting in a 38-yard pass to wide receiver Tutu Atwell four minutes before halftime.
Both teams each got one more possession before the end of the half. The score at halftime was 21-17 Lions. The remainder of the game featured more of a defensive battle than anything else, with both teams swapping field goals in the second half. The score of the game was 24-20 Lions entering the fourth. The Rams put together a drive with 8:10 remaining in the fourth that led to a field goal, making the score of the game 24-23 Lions. The remainder of the game featured punts from both teams, with the Lions controlling the ball for the last possession of the game. The Lions held on to victory, beating the Rams 24-23, putting an end to a nine-game losing streak in the postseason.
The Lions will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field in Detroit, MI on Jan. 21 at 3 p.m. EST. The game will be available to watch on NBC.
Score prediction: Lions 23, Buccaneers 20
- Buffalo Bills
The (12-6) Buffalo Bills beat the (10-8) Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. on Monday, January 15th, a day after the game was supposed to be played. The game was delayed on account of a lake-effect snow storm that dropped over two feet of snow. There was talk of the game being moved to a neutral site as a result of the inclement weather, but the game ultimately ended up being played in Buffalo.
The Bills got off to a hot start, scoring a touchdown on their opening possession through a Josh Allen pass to tight end Dawson Knox and stifling the Steelers’ surging offense, limiting the Steelers to zero points scored in the first and generating turnovers. The Steelers had a 10-play, 88-yard drive that ended with a quarterback Mason Rudolph interception in the end zone with defensive back Kaiir Elam generating the turnover.
Off of the turnover, the Bills drove down field from their own 20-yard line in eight plays and scored another touchdown in the first quarter, this one featuring a 52-yard scramble by Josh Allen, extending the Bills’ lead to 21-0. The Steelers managed to gain some traction and momentum late in the second quarter through scoring a touchdown off of a Mason Rudolph pass to wide receiver Diontae Johnson after blocking a Bills field goal.
After halftime, with the score being 21-7 Bills, the Steelers and Bills exchanged field goals in the beginning of the third and later touchdowns in the fourth, with the score being as close as 24-17 at one point in the fourth quarter. However, the Bills defense clamped down on the Steelers offense, preventing any other Steelers scoring attempts from occurring for the remainder of the game. The Bills put together another long drive after the Steelers had put together one of their own, driving down field for a 17-yard Josh Allen touchdown pass to wide receiver Khalil Shakir, leaving only six minutes and 27 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter with the Bills up 31-17.
The last of the Steelers drives resulted in a turnover on downs and a drive that simply ran out of time. The Bills had an opportunity to put another score on the board with two minutes remaining in the fourth, but Bills kicker Tyler Bass missed a 27-yarder wide left. The Bills beat the Steelers by a score of 31-17. The Bills will play the Kansas City Chiefs in Orchard Park, N.Y. on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m EST. The game will be available to watch on CBS.
- Kansas City Chiefs
The (12-6) Kansas City Chiefs beat the (11-7) Miami Dolphins on Saturday, Jan. 13 at Arrowhead Stadium. The temperature in Kansas City was so cold that quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ helmet broke on a hit. Despite the frigid temperatures, the Chiefs were able to score a touchdown on the opening drive of the game, a 11-yard Patrick Mahomes pass to wide receiver Rashee Rice. The Chiefs rode the momentum they gained from scoring on the opening drive the rest of the way, kicking three additional field goals in the first half as opposed to the Dolphins’ one touchdown, where quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw a 53-yard pass to former Chief Tyreek Hill. The score at the end of the first half was 16-7, Chiefs.
The defense for the Chiefs really came out to shine in the second half, limiting the previously dynamic Dolphins offense to 123 yards of total offense in the half and allowing no more points to be scored. The Dolphins punted the first two drives of the second half and fumbled on the third (with the call being reversed), which eventually led to a turnover on downs. The Dolphins ultimately could not score at all in the second half in the game with costly mistakes bogging their offensive capabilities down.
The weather throughout the game made it difficult for the Dolphins to execute on any of their offensive drives, with the temperature of the game being minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff and winds of up to 25 m.p.h. driving the wind chill to minus-25 degrees.
The Dolphins in the regular season put up an average of 29.2 points per game and 496 yards of offense, but the Kansas City defense prevailed against a top-tier offense, limiting the Dolphins to only 264 yards of total offense. The Dolphins, with the first drive of the second half, went three and out. That theme continued for the remainder of the second half for the Dolphins offense, with the longest drive they put together in the half coming in the fourth quarter was ten plays long and only amassed 53 total yards.
The Chiefs ended up scoring sixteen unanswered points (beginning at the 7:36 mark in the second quarter) to seal the win, many of them coming off the leg of Harrison Butker, who pushed four field goals through the uprights. Standout wide receiver Isaiah Pacheco also played a significant role in the scoring spree for the Chiefs, taking a direct snap in for a touchdown with 11:06 remaining in the game. The final score of the game was 26-7, Chiefs. The Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Buffalo Bills in Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m EST. The game will be broadcasted on CBS.
Score prediction: Chiefs 41 – Bills 35
- Houston Texans
The (10-7) Houston Texans beat the (11-6) Cleveland Browns on Sunday at NRG Stadium. Rookie QB C.J. Stroud shone brightly in his debut playoff game in the NFL. The game was relatively competitive for the first quarter, with both teams exchanging field goals and touchdowns and swapping leads. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 108 yards and a passing touchdown in the first quarter with running back Devin Singletary rushing for 31 yards against the #1 ranked total defense in the regular season. Browns quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 127 yards in the first quarter with no
touchdowns while the Browns running back tandem of Kareem Hunt and Jerome Ford only rushed for 10 yards in the first quarter. There was a feeling that the game was going to be competitive the whole way through; however, that did not prove to be true. While the Browns were leading at the end of the first quarter 14-10, the Texans opened up their offense in the second quarter with a 76-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud to wide receiver Brevin Jordan to put the Texans up 17-14 with 12 minutes remaining in the second quarter. The theme just continued on, with the Texans capitalizing on missed opportunities in the second and eventually putting up another score on the Browns before halftime, this one also coming from C.J. Stroud to tight end Dalton Schultz.
At halftime, the score was 24-14 Texans. A manageable yet discomforting lead. The Texans would need more to feel safe and in control of the game, and they capitalized on every opportunity they received in the second half. Joe Flacco, on the first two Browns drives of the half, threw two pick-sixes back-to-back, pushing the Texans lead to 38-14 early in the third, ultimately cementing the Browns’ fate and extinguishing any hope for a possible comeback. Texans defensive back Steven Nelson and linebacker Christian Harris were responsible for the interceptions returned for touchdowns.
The two back-to-back turnovers sent the Browns into no-huddle territory, attempting to mount a comeback and rectify their costly mistakes. However, the remainder of the Browns drives for the rest of the game resulted in multiple turnover-on-downs. The Texans put up another touchdown on the Browns at the beginning of the fourth quarter, a 6-play, 50-yard drive capped off with 19-yard Devin Singletary rush for the score. The final score of the game was 45-14 Texans, with C.J. Stroud ended his first career playoff game with 274 passing yards and three touchdowns. The Houston Texans will take on the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD at 4:30 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN, ESPN+, and ABC.
- San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers earned a bye week for finishing 12-5 on the season, sitting atop the NFC West, and earning them the best record in the NFC. They are set to take on the 10-8 Green Bay Packers on Sat, Jan. 20 at 8:15 p.m. The last time the two teams met in the regular season was Sept. 26, 2021, where the Packers beat the 49ers by a score of 30-28. Aaron Rodgers was the starting quarterback for the Packers and Jimmy Garoppolo was the starting quarterback for the 49ers.
The last time the two teams met in the postseason was the 2019 NFC Conference Championship game, in which the 49ers bested the Packers by a score of 37-20. Aaron Rodgers was the starting quarterback for the Packers and Jimmy Garoppolo was the starting quarterback for the 49ers in that bout as well. Both teams have changed quarterbacks since then, with the Packers drafting Jordan Love in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and the 49ers drafting Brock Purdy with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Purdy and Love have nearly identical stat lines, with Love throwing for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions during the 2023 regular season and Purdy throwing for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 1,459 yards on 272 carries and 14 rushing touchdowns along with 564 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones rushed for 656 yards on 142 carries and two rushing touchdowns.
Jones did suffer an MCL sprain toward the end of the season, and is questionable for the divisional round of the playoffs. McCaffrey also suffered a late-season injury against the Commanders in week 17, but should be ready to go for the divisional round slate of games. However, there are some question marks remaining on the injury report for both the Packers and 49ers, and will most likely be game-time decisions. Packers WRs Jayden Reed and Christian Watson as well as RBs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon and star CB Jaire Alexander are all questionable as well. As for the 49ers, free safety Logan Ryan, defensive Arik Armstead, and middle linebacker Dre Greenlaw are questionable to play in the Saturday night matchup.
Score prediction: 49ers 31, Packers 17
- Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens also earned a bye week for their performance in the regular season, finishing with a 13-4 record in the AFC, atop the AFC North, and the best record in the AFC. They are set to take on the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium on Sat, Jan. 20, at 4:30 p.m. The last time the two teams met was earlier in the regular season, where the Ravens beat the Texans by a score of 25-9. The last time the two teams met in the postseason was in the 2011 playoffs where the Ravens beat the Texans by a score of 20-13. Joe Flacco was the starting quarterback for the Ravens and T.J. Yates was the starting quarterback for the Texans.
Both teams have undergone significant changes since then, with the current quarterback for the Ravens being Lamar Jackson and the current quarterback for the Texans being C.J. Stroud. Lamar Jackson and C.J. Stroud have differing stat lines, with Stroud finishing the regular season with 4,108 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions and Jackson finishing the regular season with 3,678 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions on the year.
Lamar Jackson was also the leading rusher for the Ravens this regular season, rushing for 821 yards on 148 carries and five touchdowns whereas Devin Singletary was the leading rusher for the Texans, finishing the season with 898 yards on 216 carries and four rushing touchdowns. The injuries have tallied up for both teams this playoffs; Texans’ rookie defensive end Will Anderson Jr., wide receiver Robert Woods, linebacker Christian Harris, cornerback Kris Boyd, and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, are all questionable for the game and will most likely be game-time decisions. As for the Ravens, star tight end Mark Andrews and wide receiver Devin Duvernay are on the Injury Report, whereas defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, wide receiver Tylan Wallace, and cornerback Marlon Humphrey are all questionable.
Score prediction: Ravens 37, Texans 31
