Wild Card Weekend Reaction

 Here are my thoughts and reactions to the games from Wild Card Weekend.....

AFC Wild Card Game

Buffalo-27 Indianapolis-24

1) The Colts played as well as you can on the road as an underdog, and they still didn't win the game. They really had their chances and I think that Frank Reich should have kicked the field goal when they were up 10-7 and had a 4th and goal from the 4 yard line. The pass was incomplete and the Colts came away with no points. They also missed a 33 yard field goal in the 3rd quarter, and Reich went for two when they down 24-16 in the 4th quarter. They had 27 first downs, over 450 yards in total offense, no turnovers, and they still lost the game. Opportunity lost.

2) Give Josh Allen credit: He played like a MVP. He made some great throws and ran the ball effectively. He single-handedly took the game from down 10-7 to up 24-10 in a blink of an eye. He was the reason why the Bills won the game.

3) The officiating was pretty bad all throughout the game. It was glaring how bad these refs were all game long. 

4) If you are the Bills, you are feeling very fortunate to get out of this game with a win. The Colts were thisclose from pulling the upset. In any event, the Bills get their first playoff win since 1995 and they get the chance to host another playoff game next week in the Divisional Round against the Ravens. I would still be wary of the Bills as they move on.

NFC Wild Card Game

Los Angeles Rams-30 Seattle-20

1) The Rams defense dominated the Seahawks all game long. They got after Russell Wilson all day, and they got a pick six to extend their lead to 13-3 in the 2nd quarter. Give credit to the Rams and their defense because they were the factor in this game.

2) Wilson had his worst playoff game of his career and it cost the Seahawks, who go out as a one and done playoff team. Pete Carroll also didn't have the best day as a head coach in a playoff game. Seattle made mental mistakes, look unprepared, and it was a bad effort all around. A humbling day for the Seahawks and their franchise.

3) No fans in the stands really made a difference in this game in my opinion. It just wasn't the same without the 12th Man in the stands. I thought it would be a factor going in and it was in my opinion.

4) John Wolford got the start for the Rams and Jared Goff was active but didn't start because of his thumb. Wolford went out with a concussion in the 1st quarter, so Goff entered the game. He wasn't great but he didn't kill the Rams either. 

5) Down 23-13 in the 4th quarter, Seattle fumbled a punt return and Goff threw a TD to Robert Woods and that put LA up 30-13 and that was the game. The Rams move on to Green Bay to take on the Packers next week in the Divisional Round.

NFC Wild Card Game

Tampa Bay-31 Washington-23

1) The Bucs jumped out to a 9-0 and 15-7 lead early in the game and it looked like it was going to be a blowout. Give credit to Washington for keeping the game close enough that it came down to the end. 

2) It felt like the Bucs were just trying to get through this game and move on. Once they got a lead, it felt like they were just trying to get out of there as soon as possible. Tom Brady played really well and he leads Tampa Bay to their first playoff win since 2002.

3) Give credit to Taylor Heinicke. He started for the injured Alex Smith and he played really well. He was shifty in the pocket, gutty, and made some big throws. It was an inspiring performance and it kept Washington in the game. 

4) The Bucs defense stepped it up on the final drive of the game and stopped Washington near midfield to secure the 31-23 win. The Bucs move on to the Divisional Round to take on the Saints next Sunday night in a classic matchup. 

AFC Wild Card Game

Baltimore-20 Tennessee-13

1) The Titans got off to a 10-0 start with a TD pass from Ryan Tannehill to A.J. Brown, and Lamar Jackson had an early interception and it looked like things could go really bad for the Ravens. From that 10-0 point, Baltimore outscored the Titans 20-3 to win the game.

2) Jackson made the play of the game when he took off a 3rd and 8 and score a 48 yard TD run to tie the score at 10 in the 2nd quarter. It felt like the Ravens just took the game over and never looked back.

3) The Titans couldn't get Derrick Henry going and Mike Vrabel made a questionable call to punt on a 4th and 1 early in the 4th quarter. Tannehill really couldn't get the play action passing game going and the Ravens just shut them down. He got picked off with just under 2 minutes to go and Jackson ran for a first time to ice the game. For a team that scored a lot of points in the regular season, it has to be disappointing for the Titans to only score 13 and fall short.

4) These two teams are now embroiled in a nice little rivalry. The Ravens got revenge on the Titans for knocking them out last year, and they also stirred some shit up when they all posed on the Titans logo at midfield after the late interception by Marcus Peters. It will be interesting to see this rivalry going forward.

NFC Wild Card Game

New Orleans-21 Chicago-9

1) This was the worst game of the weekend in my opinion. The Saints were up 7-3 at halftime and 14-3 going into the 4th quarter, but the game never seemed in doubt.

2) The Bears offense and Mitch Trubisky were bad all game long. Their only chance was when they ran a trick play early in the game and Bears WR Javon Wims dropped it in the endzone. That was it. The Bears were done from there.

3) New Orleans might not have been very impressive, but they advance to the Divisional Round and host the Bucs and Tom Brady. It is a great matchup in the late window on Sunday evening. That is definitely a marquee matchup.

AFC Wild Card Game

Cleveland-48 Pittsburgh-37

1) This was the stunner of the weekend. The Browns, with their head coach out with Covid, and not having a practice until Friday to get ready for this game, go into Pittsburgh and absolutely crush their longtime nemesis 48-37 and win a playoff game for the first time since 1994. This was just an incredible story.

2) What a way for this game to start. The Steelers snap the ball over Ben Roethlisberger's head and it rolls into the endzone, where the Browns recovered and took a 7-0 lead on the first play. It really set the tone of the game, much like Seattle-Denver in Super Bowl 48, and the Steelers never recovered. Big Ben threw an interception on the next drive and the Browns converted on a 40 yard TD pass from Baker Mayfield to Jarvis Landry and it was 14-0 Browns five minutes into the game. After a Pittsburgh punt, Kareem Hunt scored on a 11 yard TD run to make it 21-0. Another Big Ben pick on the next drive set up another Hunt TD and it was 28-0 and the rout was officially on. The Browns taking a 28-0 lead in the first quarter was something that no one saw coming. It was like they were taking all their frustration out in one quarter after all these years of pain.

3) This was just a nightmare game for the Steelers. Big Ben threw four touchdown passes but he ends up throwing four picks and didn't play well, the team came out flat, got punched in the mouth by the Browns, and there was no fans to even try to pick them up and give them any sort of momentum. I thought they would play really well in this game-especially after the way their backups almost beat the Browns starters in Week 17. I was dead wrong. This was a low moment for the Steelers. To get beat at home by a team that they have dominated for so long is just a kick in the gut for the Steelers and their fans. Mike Tomlin deserves some blame as well. Pittsburgh actually closed the gap to 35-23 at one point early in the 4th quarter and they punted on a 4th and 1 from their own 46. It was a bad decision and of course the Browns go 6 plays and 80 yards and get a touchdown to make it 42-23 and put the nail in the coffin.

4) This game and the story of this game is about the Browns and their fans. To slay the dragon in Pittsburgh, they hadn't won in Pittsburgh since 2003, and secure their first playoff win since 1994 is a tremendous story. They drafted Baker Mayfield #1 overall in 2018 and a lot of people thought they should have drafted Sam Darnold #1. Mayfield has paid dividends for them and was a big part in erasing some terrible history for this franchise on Sunday night. The Browns will now become a bigger story as they head into the Divisional Round and take on the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. Whatever happens in that game won't matter because the Browns and their fans will always have this playoff win over Pittsburgh to look back on.