Wild Card Weekend Reaction

 AFC Wild Card Game

Cincinnati-26 Las Vegas-19

1) This game played out exactly the way I thought it would. I thought Cincy would win, but I expected it to be a close game. 

2) The game will be remembered for a controversial inadvertent whistle on a Bengals touchdown late in the second quarter. Joe Burrow was going out of bounds but threw a pass into the endzone and Tyler Boyd caught it for a 10 yard TD, but a referee blew the whistle while the ball was in the air. It looked like the play was being ruled dead, but it wasn't. The officials called it a touchdown and it stood to make the score 20-6 Cincy. After the game, the NFL put out a statement that the play should have not counted and they should have run the play over. It was too little too late. Once again, the NFL officials have another black eye on a big game.

3) The game came down to the last drive and a Derek Carr pass was intercepted at the goal line for Cincy to preserve the win. Thats all you could ask for in a NFL playoff game not involving your team.

3) Give credit to the Bengals for winning their first game since the 1990 season. It has been a long time for the Bengals and their fans. Joe Burrow is the real deal and has turned this franchise around in one season. 

AFC Wild Card Game

Buffalo-47 New England-17

1) This was an ass-kicking from the first drive to the end. The Bills scored first to take a 7-0 lead on a throw from Josh Allen to Dawson Knox. It looked like Allen was trying to throw the ball out of the end zone, but somehow Knox caught it. It was a foreshadowing for the rest of the night for the Pats. 

2) The Pats first drive of the game ended when Mac Jones was intercepted by Micah Hyde in the end zone. It was an amazing play by Hyde to pick it off and completely took the air out of the Pats. Allen hit Knox again on the next Bills drive for a TD and it was 14-0 and the game was over.

3) Allen was amazing all night. He finished 21-25 for 308 yards and 5 TDs. The Bills scored a touchdown on their first seven possessions. The only drive they didn't score a TD was when they knelt down at the end of the game. Just a perfect performance by Allen and the Bills offense.

4) It was nice to see the Patriots get absolutely killed in a playoff game. It was nice to see Bill Belichick and the rest of his staff have no answers for an opponent. When they were down 27-3 at halftime, this wasn't going to be like Super Bowl LI and there would be no comeback against the Falcons down 28-3. The Bills kicked their ass up and down the field and in every phase. Good for Buffalo.

NFC Wild Card Game

Tampa Bay-31 Philadelphia-15

1) This game was a joke. The Bucs jumped out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, lead 17-0 at halftime, and lead 31-0 after three quarters. It was a blowout from the get go.

2) At one point in the third quarter, Brady hit Rob Gronkowski for a short TD pass and he was so wide open that it was embarrassing. 

3) This game exposed Jalen Hurts. He is not a franchise QB for the Eagles, and I think they will realize that after this game. Give the Eagles credit for making the playoffs but they didn't beat a winning team all year long, and they looked like they didn't belong in the playoffs with the Bucs.

4) The impact of Tom Brady on the Bucs franchise has been immeasurable. He is now 5-0 in playoff games in two years, and this was a franchise that had not won a playoff game since 2002 before he arrived last year.

NFC Wild Card Game

San Francisco-23 Dallas-17

1) This was the best game of the weekend by far. Two historic franchises that were renewing a classic rivalry in the late afternoon window of Wild Card Weekend. It doesn't get better than that.

2) The Niners came out and completely dominated the beginning of the game. They scored a TD on their first drive, and they were up 13-0 midway through the first half and took a 16-7 lead into halftime. It just felt like the Niners were going to be in this game to the end and probably win the game.

3) Dak Prescott got intercepted at the Dallas 26 with 6 minutes left in the third quarter, and the next play Deebo Samuel rushed for a 26 yard touchdown run to make it 23-7 Niners. At that point, I really thought the game was over.

4) The Cowboys made a comeback with an improbable fake punt on a 4th and 5 from their own 48. They got a field goal on that drive to make it 23-10. Jimmy Garoppolo throws a bad interception on the next drive, and Dallas converts that into a touchdown to make it 23-17 Niners. A last gasp throw by Prescott with only 1:49 left fell incomplete. After the Niners failed to put the game away on a 4th and inches QB sneak because of a false start, the Cowboys had one last drive. Prescott ran a QB draw to the Niners 24, but Dallas had no timeouts and they couldn't get the snap off before time ran out and that was the game. It was a furious final quarter of the game in which it felt like both teams were trying to give the game away.

5) This is another disappointing playoff loss for the Cowboys. Another questionable job coaching from Mike McCarthy. They had some questionable decisions and play calls and even the final play of the game was not executed well at all. There has to be a sense of pessimism with McCarthy going forward with this team.

6) The Niners were gutty and gritty and the better team on Sunday. It got a little hectic late in the fourth quarter, but the Niners were able to get it done and are moving on to Green Bay.

AFC Wild Card Game

Kansas City-49 Pittsburgh-21

1) The Steelers kept it close for a quarter and a half, but they just couldn't hold on too much longer. They got the 7-0 lead on the turnover and T.J. Watt fumble return touchdown.

2) The Chiefs tied it up at 7 with 5:45 minutes to go in first half, and then proceeded to score two more touchdowns to make it 21-7 at the half. The kill shot was the 48 yard TD pass to Travis Kelce with only 13 seconds left in the half.

3) Five minutes into the 3rd quarter and it was 35-7 Chiefs and the game was over. It is amazing how the fortunes of the Chiefs have changed in the Pat Mahomes era. Mahomes is now 7-2 in the playoffs and they host another playoff game on in the Divisional Round next week against the Bills.

4) The Steelers were fortunate to make it to the playoffs, but they were no match for the Chiefs. This was the last game of Ben Roethlisberger's career. I think it is safe to say that Big Ben is headed to Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame at some point.

NFC Wild Card Game

Los Angeles Rams-34 Arizona-11

1) The first Monday Night Football playoff game was a one-sided blowout. The Rams jumped out to a 14-0 lead and then Kyler Murray threw an awful interception out of his own end zone that was picked off at the 3 yard line by David Long, who returned it for a touchdown and gave the Rams a 21-0 lead. At that point, the game was over.

2) Odell Beckham had a big game, Von Miller had a good game, and Matt Stafford got his first ever playoff win. All the big moves that the Rams had made this past year had paid off.

3) The Cardinals have to be very disappointed with the way they played. Kyler Murray was awful and the team no-showed in their first playoff game since 2015. They were 10-2 at one point and were looking at the 1 seed in the NFC.

4) The Rams went all in the past few years to try and make a run at a Super Bowl and a Lombardi Trophy. It paid off so far with the big win over the Cards in the Wild Card round. Now, they head to Tampa to take on Brady and the Bucs. We'll see if their "all-in" run can continue.