TAMPA, Fla. — Record breaking comebacks, backbreaking turnovers, legends getting eliminated, this year’s NFL Wild Card Weekend had a little bit of everything.
49ers def. Seahawks 41-23
The first game of the weekend was perhaps the most predictable, with the San Francisco 49ers dropping 18 points in the fourth quarter to bury the upstart Seattle Seahawks and advance to the NFC divisional round.
San Francisco allowed Seattle to score 17 points in the second half, going into halftime with a deficit before ultimately outscoring the Seahawks 25-6 in the final two frames to secure a victory.
“The biggest difference in the first half is they weren’t scoring touchdowns,” Locked on 49ers host Eric Crocker said. “But they were moving the ball extremely well, so I assumed that would continue and at some point they would start to convert those into touchdowns.”
Jaguars def. Chargers 31-30
Next up was the biggest comeback in NFL playoff history. The Jaguars were down 27-0 against the Chargers before Trevor Lawrence rattled off four straight touchdown passes, eventually leading to a walk-off field goal to give Jacksonville a 31-30 victory.
“They scored three points in the second half, with Justin Herbert at quarterback,” Locked on Chargers host David Droegemeier said on the Locked on Sports Today podcast. “I don’t care if Mike Williams is out or not, that is inexcusable. Quite frankly that, mixed with the inability to make adjustments to counter what Jacksonville did, that’s what turned into one of the most horrific collapses that we’ve ever seen.”
Bills def. Dolphins 34-31
Buffalo held on to defeat the Miami Dolphins despite not scoring in the fourth quarter, securing a victory in what Locked on Bills host Joe Marino called “a game of big plays”. Josh Allen threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns, including two late in the third quarter that ultimately put the game on ice for the Bills.
Giants def. Vikings 31-24
Daniel Jones led the sixth seeded New York Giants to a massive victory over the Minnesota Vikings, throwing for 301 yards and becoming the first quarterback in NFL playoff history to throw for 300+ yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 70+ yards in a game.
“When you think about the fact that Daniel Jones has done this with receivers that, if I had told you at the start of the year his No. 1 receiver would be Isaiah Hodgins, Richie James, Darius Slayton, you would have said no way,” Locked On Giants host Patricia Traina said on the Locked on Sports Today podcast. “This offense is starting to click, and the more it clicks the more Daniel Jones becomes confident, the more he becomes that field general that he really wasn’t the first three years.”
Bengals def. Ravens 24-17
The Bengals narrowly escaped with a win over a Ravens squad without Lamar Jackson, who did not play in Baltimore’s final four regular season games and is now heading into free agency without a guaranteed contract.
“This is a game they could have and probably should have won,” Locked on Ravens host Kevin Oestreicher told Peter Bukowski on Locked on Sports Today. “They had multiple opportunities to pry this game away.”
Cowboys def. Bucs 31-14
And finally, Tom Brady’s season and potentially his career with Tampa Bay came to a close at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, who held the Bucs scoreless in the first half and coasted to an easy 31-14 victory.
Dak Prescott was extremely crisp for Dallas, throwing for 305 yards and four touchdowns and posting a 143.3 QB Rating.
“The big story is Dak Prescott,” Locked on Cowboys host Marcus Mosher said on the Locked on Sports Today podcast. “Not just in the playoffs, including the regular season, that might have been the best game I’ve ever seen him play.”
Wild Card weekend set up some excellent matchups, including Jacksonville at Kansas City and Cincinnati at Buffalo in the AFC and New York at Philadelphia and Dallas at San Francisco in the NFC.