Wild weekend, guess that's why they call it the wild card huh? Some offensive explosions, a few duds and an exciting divisional round ahead. The NFL postseason really is a captivating experience.
As we learn every year though, let's not rush through anything, we're here to enjoy the ride. Let's look back at the action
Texans 45- Browns 14
-It was a fun ride Joe Flacco, but things came crashing down to Earth after pick sixes on consecutive possessions
-David Njoku was unstoppable, clicking with Flacco once again for 7 catches and 93 yards. This is what Cleveland envisioned from him when they took him in the first round 6 years ago, really coming to fruition with a quarterback that maximizes his talents under center. Ball's in your court Deshaun
-Wild how incredible the Browns' defense is at home, yet they allow the second most points on the road. While 14 did come off interception returns, the defense still allowed 31 from the Houston offense. That won't win you road playoff games
-CJ Stroud is the new wave. 16/21 for 274 and 3 touchdowns, effortlessly dicing a secondary that was tops in the league during the regular season. This team's poised to be very good for a long, long time
-Another big day from Nico Collins, posting a 6/96/1 line. Such a reliable weapon for Stroud
-Love seeing John Metchie III get so involved, catching 3 balls for 44 yards in his first playoff game. The second year player missed all of last season battling leukemia, but emerged on top and is now contributing in the postseason. Endless respect
Chiefs 26- Dolphins 7
-It looked pretty frigid at Arrowhead-- like cold, cold. Like shivering while watching on the couch cold
-How can you feel confident in Tua Tagovailoa as your quarterback moving forward? Elements be damned, he simply looked incompetent out there in a massive game with his full arsenal of weapons back in the mix. He'd barely thrown for over 100 yards with 11 minutes left in the 4th quarter, in a game they trailed for most of. Tua didn't lay an egg, he built a whole damn roost
-Raheem Mostert actually ran the ball with some efficiency, but Miami didn't stick to it, and couldn't as the game slipped quickly away
-Great catch by Tyreek Hill on his long touchdown reception, bailing out his quarterback once again. Making 4 defenders miss on the way to the end zone was arguably more impressive. Probably the only bright spot from the Dolphins
-Patrick Mahomes looked like a guy who'd been here before, finding Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce almost at will. The rookie receiver posted an astronomical 8/130/1 line, while Taylor Swift's hubby-to-be caught 7 for 71
-Isiah Pacheco was a workhorse, handling 24 carries for 89 and a score. Can't imagine taking a battering like that in -30 weather
-That was the best Kansas City's offense has looked in a long, long time. When coupled with their very capable defense, this team could be poised to make a run
Packers 48- Cowboys 32
-Don't let the stats fool you, Dak Prescott was terrible. He threw a pick-six after the two minute warning, propelling Green Bay to a 27-0 lead and essentially icing their season. He racked up 403 passing yards and 3 scores, but it was all with the game well out of reach. Disastrous finale to set up a tenuous offseason in Dallas
-Jake Ferguson had a career day with 10 catches for 93 yards, finding the end zone on 3 of them. He really stepped up after the departure of Dalton Schultz
-The Cowboys' defense couldn't stop the Packers, and it never felt like they were close. Too often there were guys left wide open, all over the field. Abject failure by Dan Quinn Sunday afternoon
-Jordan Love was clinical in his dismantling of that group, going 16/21 for 272 yards and 3 touchdowns. They scored in every quarter, being forced to punt just 3 times
-Aaron Jones was a big part of their success too, pacing the offense to 118 yards on 5.6 a clip. He also found pay dirt 3 times
-With all of Love's pass catchers at his disposal for the first time in forever, it was Romeo Doubs that was his favorite target. 6 receptions for 146 yards plus a late trip to the end zone to cap things off-- just an outstanding performance
-Surprised Jayden Reed failed to register a yard, he went 0/3 on targets and didn't receive any carries
-Shoutout to former Maryland Terrapin Darnell Savage for his 64-yard pick six. It was a great read that emphatically sealed the game
Lions 24- Rams 23
-Wild to think that Jared Goff now has passed Matthew Stafford for most playoff wins for the Detroit Lions franchise. He did it in 9 less seasons too!
-David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs each contributed rushing touchdowns in the first quarter, combining for a modest 82 yards on 22 carries
-Amon Ra St. Brown predictably went off, catching 7 balls for 110 yards. Josh Reynolds was the Robin to Batman, notching 6 grabs for 80
-Aidan Hutchinson continued his late season surge, recording 2 sacks on the evening
-Those were the only two times Stafford was sacked. He put up some big numbers-- 367 yards at 10.2 YPA-- but was unable to finish drives too often
-One final explosion to cap off Puka Nacua's rookie campaign, recording 9 catches for 181 yards and a touchdown
-Kyren Williams was steady against a solid run defense. LA's got a couple of nice, young building blocks
Bills 31- Steelers 17
-Buffalo went up 21-0 halfway through the second quarter before slowly letting doubt creep into the picture. Pittsburgh pulled things within 7 at one point before Khalil Shakir could slam the door on a sick catch and run, featuring a broken tackle and a flipping of the fields
-Josh Allen moved the ball through the air with relative ease, but his legs were how he did his most damage, adding 74 on just 8 carries. His 52-yard touchdown run in the second was electric, good for second longest by a quarterback in playoff history
-James Cook handled a big workload in the frigid weather, turning 18 handoffs into 79 yards
-Tight ends Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid each found pay dirt in the opening frame, while Stefon Diggs was Allen's most frequent target, catching 7 passes for just 52 yards
-Mason Rudolph looked tentative early before loosening up a little later into the game. He was the beneficiary of a few bailouts by George Pickens, one of the perks of having him
-Despite the Bills' injuries in the front seven, the Steelers couldn't run ball at all. The lack of balance didn't do their offense any favors
-Another one and done in the postseason for Pittsburgh, a common theme for them over the last decade
Buccaneers 32- Eagles 9
-Not sure if the Eagles or Dolphins collapse was worse. Miami generally at least looked competitive defensively. This Philadelphia team looked like they'd completely quit by the end
-Nick Sirianni's job is in real trouble. A lot of soul searching for Jeffrey Lurie over the next few days here regarding the future of their head coach, as well as GM Howie Roseman. Someone has to be held responsible for this
-James Bradberry finally got benched for rookie corner Kelee Ringo-- probably long overdue. Bradberry was publicly put on notice by Deebo week 13 and has been getting roasted ever since
-Devonta Smith had a huge game, catching 8 of 12 targets for 148 scoreless yards. One nice thing about Philly from Monday night
-It was clear Baker wasn't 100% physically, but he didn't need to be the way the Eagles' secondary was playing. Guys were open all evening and breaking tackles at will once they got the ball for big plays. The journeyman quarterback finished with 337 passing and 3 touchdowns
-Cade Otton was the go to guy for Mayfield, snagging 8 balls for 89 yards. Anytime the Bucs needed a few yards on third down, you could rest assured Otton was waiting open in the middle of the field. Really impactful day by the tight end
-I'm far from sold on Todd Bowles as a head coach, but he's done more than enough to get a chance to run it back down in Tampa Bay. This group's played well on both sides of the ball and look like they're having fun doing it. Onto Detroit!
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@Choppinglines
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