It’s January once again, which means the start of the highly anticipated 2024 NFL playoffs. It’s been a weird season in the NFL, with many teams unexpectedly making and missing the playoffs.
Regarding my week seven predictions, I was correct about the Ravens, Chiefs, Bills, Steelers, and Dolphins making it in the AFC. However, instead of the Bengals and Jaguars, the Texans and Browns squeaked their way in at the last second.
In the NFC, I guessed correctly about the Eagles, 49ers, Lions, and Cowboys. What surprised me was that instead of the Vikings, Seahawks, and Falcons, we ended up with the Packers, Rams, and Buccaneers.
The Ravens and 49ers secured the number one seed in their conferences, which gives them a bye-week, before playing in the Divisional Round next week. That leaves six games to recap from this weekend’s Wild Card Round.
On Saturday, Jan. 13, the first game took place between the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns. It started out close, with the Browns leading early in the second quarter, 14-10. Then, the Texans’ Quarterback, C.J. Stroud, took over. They shut out the Browns for the rest of the game, resulting in a devastating 45-14 final score to send them back to Ohio.
Following the carnage that took place in Houston, the Dolphins left the comfort of Miami to play in an absolutely frigid matchup against the Chiefs in Kanas City’s infamous Arrowhead Stadium. Let’s just say it didn’t end well for them. The Chiefs didn’t look amazing like they have in past post-seasons, but it was handily enough to get the job done, ending the Dolphins season in a 26-7 blowout.
Sunday’s games began to look like a third blowout was in the works. The Green Bay Packers marched into Dallas, who had been undefeated at home through the regular season, and established a firm 27-7 lead over the Cowboys by halftime. The second half was slightly more competitive, but not enough to make the Packers sweat, ending with a final score of 48-32.
Later that night, we saw what was, in my opinion, the first entertaining game of the Wild Card Round to that point. The Detroit Lions and L.A. Rams played a back-and-forth game, never giving each other any semblance of comfort. At halftime, the Lions led 21-17. Things easily could’ve gone either way throughout the back half, but unfortunately, the decisive moment came in the form of a questionable call when the Rams were in the red zone, which means within 20 yards from the end zone, forcing them to kick a field goal. Down 24-23, the Rams weren’t able to get another possession, leaving the Lions with their first playoff win since 1991.
After getting a snow delay, the Pittsburgh Steelers went into a blizzard game in Buffalo on Monday. The Bills immediately established dominance, going up 21-7 in the first half. The Steelers managed to bring the score to 24-17 before giving away their hopes late in the fourth quarter, ultimately ending the game 31-17.
Finally, to wrap up Wild Card weekend, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the Philidelphia Eagles. Things stayed relatively close through the first half, ending with Tampa Bay up 16-9. Through the second half, they shut out the Eagles entirely, ending with a final score of 32-9.
The playoffs will continue into the Divisional Round, starting next Saturday at 4:30 EST, when the Texans go to Baltimore to play the Ravens. Later that night at 8:15, the Packers will go to San Francisco to play the 49ers. On Sunday, the Lions play the Buccaneers at 3:00 and the Chiefs play the Bills at 6:30. I’ll be commentating on the results once again, next Friday.