Despite a heapload of hype, Wild Card Weekend was something of a bust for the NFL, with acceptable TV ratings and most games ending in blowouts, as it was clear that adding another team to the playoff picture completely broke all sense of competition. But the advantage for the league is that it guaranteed that those teams that advanced had been established as excellent, and the four games that made up the Divisional round seemed to promise a tad more excitement. Boy, was that an understatement. Let's take a look at what was learned throughout the weekend, beginning with Saturday's games.
#4 Cincinnati Bengals (19) def. #1 Tennessee Titans (16)
Pound for pound, this was probably the least interesting clash of the quartet, which I never pictured saying on Saturday afternoon. It was a messy game on both sides, and while the occasional breakaway runs from Ja'Marr Chase and D'Onta Foreman provided a few highlights, this proved to be just an appetizer for the chaos to come. Joe Burrow remaining unflustered despite the 9 sacks surrendered by his offensive line provided the main narrative, and rookie Evan McPherson draining the 52 yard field goal could give this game quite the legacy in Cincy should this team fulfill its potential. For Tennessee, the big names floundered on the biggest stage, as it was clear that Derrick Henry didn't have the same burst in his first game action in over 2 months, while Julio Jones, the supposed game-changing weapon for these Titans, was virtually non-existent, with A.J. Brown once again having to carry the receiving corps on his back. If Tennessee can't find a capable No. 2 behind Brown, then this is likely their ceiling.
#6 San Francisco 49ers (13) def. #1 Green Bay Packers (10)
Saturday's nightcap was the most lopsided matchup on paper, and as Green Bay ran through their scripted plays on the opening drive, dissecting the 49ers stout defense, few could predict that we would be in for a stunning upset. Watching the Packers throughout this year, I've noted their usage of A.J. Dillon as a defining feature of the offense, as his vicious power has been utilized to break the spirit of a defense, smashing through defenders while gobbling up yards. I thought that, for Green Bay to finally get Aaron Rodgers his second ring, Dillon would be the key, and that assumption was spot on. Dillon got the opening touchdown, fractured a rib about midway through, and with that power running element a non-factor, the Packers were punchless. Full credit to San Francisco, who combined flashy plays from Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, and Deebo Samuel with a reliable push on defense, hanging in long enough for the Packers' 32nd ranked special teams unit to hand them the chance they needed. Of course, the punt block by Jordan Willis was the critical play given up by the Packers, but the field goal block right before halftime, the long kickoff return by Deebo to open the second half, and the error to only rush 10 men on Robbie Gould's game-winning kick were all glaring mishaps. Football is a game of inches, and the Packers missed by miles. As to where Green Bay goes from here, nobody truly knows, but it's sure to be a bumpy ride again this offseason with tension remaining high between Rodgers and Packers management.
#4 Los Angeles Rams (30) vs #2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27)
Well, this was a game that had no right being as close as it was. Tampa Bay came in missing Tristan Wirfs and Chris Godwin, got down 27-3 with their quarterback sporting a bloody lip, and somehow still forced Los Angeles into putting together a game-winning drive. Of course, for as excellent of a fight Tampa Bay put up against the odds, they folded on that final series, with the abysmal decision to leave Antoine Winfield Jr. in straight-up man coverage on Cooper Kupp ultimately ending their season, as the NFL's leading receiver raced by Winfield to set up Matt Gay's winning kick. With Wirfs and Godwin in the fold, this could've been even more nervy for the Rams, who will no doubt being focusing on holding onto the football in practice this week after several critical fumbles from Kupp and Cam Akers let Tampa get back in it. The Bucs don't have much of a reason to hang their heads low after this one; Los Angeles has all the air of a Super Bowl favorite around them, and Tampa put up as much fight as anyone could've reasonably expected.
#2 Kansas City Chiefs (42) def. #3 Buffalo Bills (36)
As anticipated, this was a carousel of big plays by the two most dynamic quarterbacks in the NFL from the off, as Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen gave both defense headaches all night long. Gabriel Davis emerged from the shadow of Stefon Diggs with a ridiculous 4 touchdown game, and the final 2 minutes of regulation turned into a blockbuster affair, as Davis and Tyreek Hill sliced through the gassed secondaries. Harrison Butker got redemption for 2 missed kicks by sending the game to overtime, the 4th consecutive game to serve a field goal in the final seconds of regulation, and the NFL's bizarre overtime rules were tossed into the harsh spotlight, as the final result was essentially decided by the coin toss. Certainly, there is a case to be made that Buffalo had their chance despite calling the flip wrong; they could've prevented Mahomes from setting up the Butker kick in the final 13 seconds, or could've found a way to holds the Chiefs out of the endzone, but the reality is that the defense was totally spent by that point, and tossing them out as dead meat after a game of chance is the most deflating ending for this game. Nobody needed or wanted to see a coin flip be the difference between the end of a season and a trip to the AFC Championship, it just made for a bad TV product, and ultimately, that's what is most important to the NFL. Despite how negatively received the ending was, I doubt the league will make sweeping changes, that's just not their style, but I hope they at least examine how they can improve the rules for the future. Both teams deserve huge props for showcasing the best version of high-powered football they could provide, and hopefully, the KC-Cincy rematch next week lives up to what came before it.
- Henry
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