By: Brian Thevenot
January 17, 2021
This past weekend was the NFL’s first ever Super Wild Card Sunday, and it did not disappoint. On Saturday and Sunday we had non-stop football from around 1 pm to 11 pm, a total of twelve incredible, fascinating and drama filled story lines. This past summer, the NFL changed the playoff standings so now seven teams from each conference (AFC, NFC) make it in, with only the number one seed getting a bye. These new rules allowed for us to get our very first Super NFL Wild Card Weekend, and from it we got huge upsets like the Browns-Steelers game on Sunday Night Football to, a possibly out of nowhere emerging star in ex-XFL quarterback, Taylor Heinicke for the Washington Football Team. There was even the NFL’s first ever game on Nickelodeon, which was the buzz of social media this past weekend.
(Picture via The Daily Snark)
Recap:
Recap:
The first NFL game of the weekend was the Indianapolis Colts Vs the Buffalo Bills. The Bills won their division for the first time since 1995, and they did not crack under the pressure of a home playoff game with approximately six thousand fans in attendance. Led by MVP candidate Josh Allen, who went a tremendous 26/35 with over 300 yards and two touchdowns, and Pro Bowl Wide receiver Steffon Diggs who had six catches, one hundred twenty eight yards and one touchdown, the Bills got their first playoff win since 1995, 27-24. Now for the Colts, their biggest question going forward is, was this Phillip Rivers’ (The Colts quarterback) last game in Indianapolis? Or does he come back next season and try to run it back. Only time will tell. However one thing we do know is that The Bills will face the Baltimore Ravens next week with another home game, with the hopes of making it to the AFC Championship game.
The Second game of the weekend was The Los Angeles Rams vs The Seattle Seahawks. A rare division rivalry playoff game that took place in Seattle. The major storyline for this game was that Rams starting quarterback Jared Goff was hurt and was supposed to be an emergency back up, but early in the first quarter John Wolford (the starting QB in place of Goff) took a vicious hit to the head by Seahawks All Pro Safety, Jamal Adams. Wolford was taken out of the game and had to be rushed to the Hospital (he is now recovering). Even though the Rams were forced to put Goff back in, while it wasn't pretty, they got the win 30-20 in a huge upset. As a reward the Rams now get to play the NFC’s number one seeded Green Bay Packers. As for the Seahawks, this is supposed to be their Superbowl window, getting knocked out of the first round was the worst case scenario for them. Now with another year of Super star quarterback Russel Wilson wasted, many wonder if the Seahawks window for winning a Superbowl, closed as soon as it opened.
(Picture above VIA USAToday Bucs Wire)
The Final Saturday game of the Weekend was between the Washington Football Team and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lead by Tom Brady. After clinching a home playoff game in week 17, Washington Football team Captain and rookie of the year candidate Chase Young was quoted saying “I want Tom! I want Tom!”, referring to his upcoming Opponent Tom Brady, who many refer to as the GOAT(Greatest of All Time). As a response, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians said in an interview later that week “You better watch what you ask for.”, and the media took off. All week the storyline leading up to the game was the up and coming star defensive player (Chase Young) vs the GOAT Tom Brady and his first ever playoff game as a Tampa Bay Buc. Unfortunately for Young, the Football team lost in a relatively close Saturday Night Showdown 31-23. However for Washington, a possible future star quarterback did emerge in Taylor Heinicke who was starting for an injured Alex Smith (The starting quarterback). Heinicke quickly became a fan favorite on social media with his agility, quickness and mind boggling backyard football esque plays. Meanwhile for the Bucs, this week they get to face for the third time this season their division rival, New Orleans Saints. The Bucs will try to right the ship this week as during the regular season they got embarrassed both times they played them.
The final day of Super Wild Card Weekend was just as, if not more, entertaining than the first. First up on the schedule were the Tennessee Titans vs the Baltimore Ravens. This was a rematch of last year's playoff game where the Titans spoiled the Ravens’s season and made many people wonder just how good Lamar Jackson (Ravens starting quarterback) was during his MVP season that year. While this was only Lamar Jackson’s third year in the NFL, many wondered if his play style of quarterback was sustainable enough to compete in the playoffs, as he had made it the previous two years, but was unable to deliver. Lamar Jackson took that personally this weekend as he went 17/24 with 179 passing yards and also added 136 rushing yards and a touchdown, leading the Ravens to their first ever playoff victory under the Lamar Jackson era 20-13 in a tough, defensive win on the road. The Ravens will now go to Buffalo this weekend with the hopes of making it to the AFC Championship game. As for the Titans, King Henry (Derrick Henry) was completely shut down by the Ravens, rushing for only 40 yards on 18 attempts, after becoming one of the only players in NFL history to rush for over two thousand yards in the regular season.
The afternoon game on Sunday was a defensive matchup between the New Orlean Saints and the Chicago Bears. What was so special about this game was that for the first time ever, an NFL game was broadcasted on Nickelodeon. While the game was being played on two networks, it surely did not impact the viewers who watched on the main channel, CBS, as the game was the highest rated of the weekend pulling in over 36.6 million viewers. Nickelodeon didn't do too bad as well as they got over 2.06 million viewers, the highest rating for Nick in over four years. Drew Brees and Alvin Kamara lead the way to a Saints victory with Drew going 28/39 for 265 yards and 2 touchdowns and Alvin Kamara gaining 99 yards and a touchdown on 23 attempts.
(Picture VIA. USAToday)
The final and most talked about game of the Weekend was another division playoff game between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers. For the Browns coming in, this had been their first playoff game since 2002, and the chips were stacked against them. They had a multitude of players for them on the Covid-19 list, meaning that they had tested positive or been around someone who did, and were out. This included their head coach Kevin Stefanski, who had to watch the game in quarantine from his basement. However for the Browns, this did not stop them as they pulled out a massive upset beating the number three seeded Steelers who started the season 11-0, 48-37. While the score might have been close, the game however was not, as the Browns took a 28-0 nothing lead in the first quarter and just cruise controlled for the remainder of the game. That was the most points ever scored in the first quarter of a playoff game in NFL history. This weekend the Browns now get to face the AFC’s number one seed and defending Superbowl champions, Kansas City Chiefs. As for the Steelers, they go into the offseason with yet another disappointing playoff exit with many questions, such as is it time for a new quarterback, or maybe even head coach?
All in all this first weekend of playoffs was a massive success for the NFL, not just because of the ratings, but because while there were a few Covid scares, all of the games were played on time, and next week is shaping up to be a Covid free weekend as well. The football madness continues this Saturday at 4:35 pm on Fox, as the sixth seeded Los Angeles Rams go to Green Bay to face the number one seeded Packers.
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