Wild Card Weekend Full Of Duds … And One Good Game
Credit: Athlon Sports
By Donaven Cook
The NFL’s wild card weekend is nearing a close, and the playoff picture is becoming clearer. Here’s a look at what happened over the weekend:
Texans 32, Chargers 12
The Houston Texans defeated the L.A. Chargers 32-12 in Houston Saturday and will now travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs. The 20-point differential looked to be a closer match-up at half with the Texans only leading 10-6. The Chargers were routed, in-part, due to the four interceptions, one being a pick six, from Justin Herbert.
Ladd McConkey can only do so much (nine receptions for 197 yards and a touchdown in the loss). Expect to see McConkey come off the fantasy draft board early next season. Nico Collins led the Texans in receiving with seven receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown in the Houston victory.
Ravens 28, Steelers 14
The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14 in Baltimore in the inter-divisional playoff game Saturday night. Derrick Henry went to Baltimore in hopes to win a ring, and he played like he wanted to do just that; 26 carries for 186 yards and two touchdowns… not too bad for King Henry. Baltimore will now head to Buffalo to face the Bills for a chance to play in the AFC Championship game.
Bills 31, Broncos 7
On Sunday the playoffs began with the Buffalo Bills defeating the Denver Broncos 31-7. Josh Allen really wants to win a ring this year and is willing to play to MVP levels to do so going 20-of-26 and tallying 272 yards. It wasn’t a solo effort, as James Cook added 120 yards on the ground. The Broncos started off hot as rookie QB Bo Nix completed a deep pass to Troy Franklin to score first, but that’s where the scoring stopped for Denver.
Eagles 22, Packers 10
Green Bay traveled to Philadelphia to face Saquon Barkley and the Eagles. The Eagles came away victorious 22-10 while Barkley carried the ball 25 times for 119 yards. And while he didn’t find the endzone, the game ended as he broke loose in the open field and slid to run the clock out.
What an incredible year from that young man. The Packers were behind the proverbial eight ball early as they fumbled the opening kick-off, which led to a three-play Philadelphia touchdown. A returning Jalen Hurts went 13-of-21 with 131 yards with two passing touchdowns. AJ Brown had one reception in the game and was seen reading a book on the sidelines. Funny.
Commanders 23, Buccaneers 20
The night-cap highlighted possible NFL rookie of the year Jayden Daniels and his Washington Commanders going down to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers. Daniels led the Commanders to their first playoff win since 2005, winning 23-20 on a walk-off field goal. Hats off to Baker Mayfield, whose only real mistake — a late-game fumble — quite possibly cost the Bucs the game. Otherwise, he was excllent.
The NFC divisional round will be squared away once the Minnesota Vikings play the L.A. Rams in Arizona (due to the wildfires in California) tonight. Wild card weekend proved one thing … There’s nothing quite like playoff football.