The GIST: The first weekend of postseason football is wrapping up with five out of six Wild Card games completed. The NFL brought speed and excitement to this year’s playoffs.
American Football Conference (AFC)
Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, led by MVP candidates, will face off in the Divisional Round following dominant Wild Card wins. Lamar Jackson, the first-team All-Pro quarterback for the No. 3 seed Ravens, led his team to a 28-14 victory over the No. 6 seed Pittsburgh Steelers. In a similar fashion, Josh Allen and the No. 2 seed Bills cruised to a 31-7 win over the No. 7 seed Denver Broncos. It’s a clash of titans in the making.
On Saturday, LA Chargers’ QB Justin Herbert had a rough day, throwing a career-high four interceptions in a 32-12 loss to the No. 4 seed Houston Texans, who secured their second straight trip to the Divisional Round.
National Football Conference (NFC)
Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders advanced to the next round. The No. 2 seed Eagles defeated the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers 22-10, while the No. 6 seed Commanders pulled off the only upset of the weekend with a 23-20 win over the No. 3 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers, marking their first playoff victory since 2005.
The Wild Card weekend will conclude with a Monday Night Football matchup between the No. 4 seed LA Rams and the No. 5 seed Minnesota Vikings at 8 p.m. ET. Expect an exciting game with Arizona’s hospitality and some entertaining choreographed dances.
