Wild Card Weekend Recap: Blowouts Galore... AGAIN

I always love the NFL playoffs with a passion, and every time Wild Card Saturday hits, I often think back to when I was a kid and Wild Card Saturday games aired on ABC Sports (back when ABC Sports was an actual thing; now it's ESPN on ABC), with the games actually airing hours earlier than they do now. This is the fifth year to feature a grand total of six Wild Card Playoff games, with two airing on Saturday, three on Sunday, and a final one on Monday, while the top seeds in each conference have byes straight to the Divisional Playoff.

So let's take a look at what went down during Wild Card Weekend.

Chargers @ Texans

You know, I really thought the Chargers would actually win this. They looked so good entering the playoffs, while the Texans had nothing but question marks. All we heard regarding Houston was two words: sophomore slump. This was regarding their young stud QB, C.J. Stroud, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year last year, but this year, he had been struggling. It wasn't all his fault, but he had to bear some of the blame for what had been happening. From the looks of it, the Texans only made it because the Colts were a shitshow, and the Titans and Jaguars existed.

What we saw in the first game of Wild Card Weekend was not what we saw in the regular season. The Texans could do nothing wrong, while the Chargers were a mess. The biggest mess was Justin Herbert, who threw four interceptions! Even an extra point went awry for the Bolts; not only was it blocked by Houston, it was returned for two points. Yikes. The Chargers have a lot to solve during this offseason, while Houston advances yet again, winning 32-12 over LA.

Steelers @ Ravens

Remember when the Steelers would find ways to beat Lamar? So do I. The Steelers' end of the 2024 season was absolutely saddening. What is it with Pennsylvania NFL teams in this decade? We all remember 2020, when the Steelers went from 11-0 to 12-4 and were slaughtered by the Browns (of all teams) in WC Weekend. Last year, it was the Eagles who sputtered after starting 10-1, to the point where even the Tush Push ran out of gas. The Steelers were 10-3 and on the verge of winning the AFC North. After that, four straight losses, lost the division, and now it's five after getting beat down by the Ravens for the second time in this skid.

298 rushing yards. That's what the Ravens did to Pittsburgh in their 28-14 victory. Almost 300 total rushing yards. Mind you, this is a Steelers defense that is highly paid and has T.J. Watt on it. Even worse, the offense was a no-show. All the Ravens had to do was show up. What angers me is that this is really bringing out the hardcore racists who want Mike Tomlin fired. 18 straight winning seasons, two SB appearances, and a championship, yet he should be fired. It's sickening how much hate Black coaches receive.

Broncos @ Bills

Well, at least they made it. That's what, I believe, the Broncos were thinking. Denver was happy to be there. First appearance since they won Super Bowl 50. 10-7 record. Sean Payton's legacy increases. Their first drive went well, then the rest of the game happened. It was all over but the shouting. We will see what Denver does next season, but let's talk about the Bills.

Well, Bills, you beat the also-rans out. Now, for you guys, the real playoffs begin. You host the Ravens next. This is the real test. This was always the real test. Mind you, Lamar already beat down the Bills this season. But when that gets brought up, Bills fans play that "It was Week 4" card and say that this is a different team now. Is it? This is your chance to prove it. Because fair warning: if you guys lose to Lamar again, any excuses that you even think to cook up will be destroyed in a flash.

Packers @ Eagles

Oh boy. Where do I start? An argument can be made that it was over after we fumbled the opening kickoff. We couldn't do anything on offense, and even worse, our receivers were dropping like flies. Christian Watson was already out before this game. We lost Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed as well. Yet despite all of that, we were still in it. We had no right to be, but the defense was doing it all, until they couldn't do it anymore.

The Eagles only won 22-10. I'll be honest, even in victory, the Eagles should be troubled by this. This should have been a beat down. The Packers, honestly, should have been blown out worse than the Broncos were. Jordan Love was a few plays away from getting away with a very rare shaky performance. Eagles had to do just enough to beat a Packers team with sudden black clouds over us. As a Packers fan, I'll say this. I've seen worse in playoff history. We had everything against us and still made it a game. I see good things for us in 2025.

Commanders @ Buccaneers

An actual close game in this postseason?! Stop the presses! After four decisive games, Sunday's primetime game gave us some back and forth between the Commanders and the Buccaneers. Leads changed hands a lot during this affair. Both teams played very well, and it was tied at 20 with four minutes left. I was pulling for overtime in this affair, but Jayden Daniels (who is on my Fantasy Wish List for next season) decided to lead the team to a clutch drive. The drive resulted in a FG try from Zane Gonzalez, which hit the upright and went through!

This was a huge moment for the Washington Commanders. This was their first playoff victory since 2005, which was also against the Buccaneers. I was so happy for the Commanders, because this shuts up that ignorant crowd who believed that the team was better when they had that racist name. As for the Buccaneers, this was a backward step for them. Last year, they were in the Divisional Playoff. This year, they're one and done. That is troubling. Fans are calling for Todd Bowles to be fired. He shouldn't, though one has to believe that the leash will be tightened.

Vikings @ Rams

Because of what we've seen in the news, this Wild Card Weekend finale became much bigger than just a simple game. Los Angeles County remains devastated by the wildfires, and as a Southern Californian, it's heartbreaking to see the images on the local news out here. A lot was affected by the fires, and sports was no different. In the case of the Rams, their playoff opener was moved to the Arizona Cardinals' place, and the Cards really did an excellent job bringing out the welcome wagon to their NFC West rivals.

Almost as beautiful as the emotion that hit this game, was seeing the Rams absolutely beat down the Minnesota Vikings. The Rams absolutely flattened Minnesota, whose 14-3 record ended up wasted. No playoff wins for the Vikings since 2019, and that win was against Minnesota's favorite punching bag, the immensely overrated Drew Brees.

And with that, the NFL's Elite Eight is all set. The Divisional Playoff will kick off on Saturday, January 18 with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans on ESPN and ABC, followed by the Detroit Lions hosting the Washington Commanders on Fox. On Sunday, January 19, the Philadelphia Eagles will host the Los Angeles Rams on NBC, followed by the Buffalo Bills hosting the Baltimore Ravens on CBS. The road to New Orleans marches on!

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