It was a momentous Wild Card weekend, filled with comebacks and aging quarterbacks. It sets up a huge Divisional Round set, with banger matchups and renewed rivalries. What went down in the first playoff weekend?
A Comeback for the Ages: The Los Angeles Chargers choked a massive lead that would've made Matt Ryan blush. Either that or the Jacksonville Jaguars came back from a 27-0 deficit to shock the Chargers. Any way you spin it, it was historic. Jacksonville won a 31-30 matchup despite committing five turnovers in the first half alone. Still, Trevor Lawrence kept his composure and led the Jags to a remarkable victory. As for Los Angeles, it was such an embarrassing outing that offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi was fired. Could head coach Brandon Staley be on the chopping block next?
Father Time? Tom Brady looked extremely sluggish in Tampa Bay's 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He threw a red zone interception that basically sealed the Bucs' fate, looked immobile in the pocket, and couldn't complete a pass. It was a disastrous outing for the Bucs as they looked aged and tired. Granted, Dak Prescott had a solid game for Dallas and was a major factor. However, it might be time for Brady to hang up his cleats for good, whether he wants to admit it or not. It might also be time for the Buccaneers to consider rebuilding since they're not getting younger.
Near Upsets Galore! The Buffalo Bills survived a scare against Skylar Thompson and the Miami Dolphins, 34-31. It was an off day for a Bills team that was heavily favored to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season. They had three turnovers in the game, while Josh Allen was sacked seven times. There was another team on upset alert as the Cincinnati Bengals survived against their divisional rival, the Baltimore Ravens, by a score of 24-17. It took a 98-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Sam Hubbard to win the game for the Bengals. Both teams will face each other this weekend, but both know sub-standard play won't get them into the Super Bowl. Otherwise, Patrick Mahomes will hoist yet another Lombardi trophy.
Divisional Round Picks:
Chiefs over the Jaguars
Eagles over the Giants
Bengals over the Bills
49ers over the Cowboys
