What we learned from NFL Super Wild Card Weekend - Recap

By: Adamo Marinelli

Jan. 16, 2023

The NFL wild card weekend was a fun one, filled with many exciting games, many comebacks, collapses, and many entertaining and high-scoring games. Let’s take a look at each one and see what we can learn from each.

49ers vs Seahawks: 

The Seahawks kept it close in the first half, their defense played well, and their offence heated up in the second quarter, scoring 17 points to take a 17-16 lead at halftime, however, the 49ers scored 25 unanswered points in the second half to put the game away. Geno Smith was solid in his first playoff start, throwing for over 250 yards and two touchdowns but the 49ers have so much talent in every position on their roster and Brock Purdy (Mr. Irrelevant) has played admirably in every game this season and became the first rookie QB to throw for over 330 yards, three touchdowns, and rush for another score in his first playoff start. Christian McCaffrey is proving to be a very good addition for the Niners and their defense - which has been excellent all season - is heating up again at the right time. Even with Brock Purdy at quarterback, the rest of their roster is chock full of talent and depth and they are so well coached under Kyle Shanahan; the 49ers are a definite Super Bowl contender and are playing very well right now.

Chargers vs Jaguars

The Chargers found themselves up 27-0 late in the second quarter after forcing five turnovers. However, the Chargers’ offence could not move the ball in the second half to save their lives - thanks in part to poor offensive execution, failure to run the ball effectively, and poor playcalling - and only scored three points. The Jaguars outscored the Chargers 31-3 in the second half behind a phenomenal second-half performance from Trevor Lawrence, who rebounded extremely well after a poor first half. He played with confidence, progressing through his reads with ease, making difficult throws look easy, extending plays with his legs, and throwing accurate intermediate and deep passes directly to his receivers. In the first 25 minutes, he threw four interceptions; in the second half, he had a short memory and dominated, throwing for nearly 250 yards and three touchdown passes. What really helped was 109 rush yards from Travis Etienne, the Chargers couldn’t run the ball at all: Austin Ekeler only had 35 rush yards, seven in the second half. Brandon Staley has to go.

Bills vs Dolphins

The Buffalo Bills’ offence started the game really strong; Josh Allen and company looked as dominant as they had been all season and moved the ball down the field efficiently, using Devin Singletary in the run game and Josh Allen’s strong arm to push the ball downfield in chunk plays. The Bills scored two touchdowns in the first quarter and their defence prevented the Dolphins from moving the ball at all. Dawson Knox appeared to score his second touchdown of the game to give the Bills a 21-0 lead, but it was ruled incomplete; Buffalo settled for three. The Dolphins’ defence came alive forcing a handful of turnovers and getting a few quick scores to tie the game 17-17 late in the second quarter. The Dolphins took their first lead of the game early in the third quarter after recovering a Josh Allen fumble and returning it five yards for a touchdown. The Bills' offence resumed moving the ball downfield effectively and scored two more touchdowns to put the game away, but the Bills turned the ball over a lot, and the Dolphins’ strong defence capitalized with three turnovers and seven sacks. With Tua, this game ends differently. The Bills need to clean up their turnovers ahead of the divisional round if they want to defeat a strong Cincinnati Bengals team.

Giants vs Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings had an incredible 11-0 record in one-score games this season, an NFL record. Unfortunately for the Vikings, their luck in one-score games ran out on wildcard weekend as they lost 31-24 at home to the New York Giants. Huge credit to head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale; the Giants’ defence played lights out all game, generating a ton of pressure against Kirk Cousins and limiting Justin Jefferson, arguably the best receiver in the league to 47 yards on nine catches. On the offensive side of the ball, the Giants were very effective on the ground with Saquon Barkley with 53 yards and two touchdown runs and Daniel Jones who ran for 78 yards on the ground. Jones was also dominant through the air, completing 24 of 35 passes for 301 yards and two TD passes. Jones made history as the first player to record over 300 pass yards, over 75 rush yards, and two passing touchdowns and the Vikings’ defence simply could not handle the Giants’ passing attack. The Giants look good and are heating up at the right time.

Bengals vs Ravens

The Bengals’ offence - one of the best units in the league with many talented weapons - was contained well by Ravens’ strong defence. The Ravens limited Joe Burrow to 209 passing yards and only one passing touchdown, however, he did add another touchdown on the ground. Tyler Huntley was efficient through the air, completing 17/29 passes for 226 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He added 54 yards on the ground but his only mistake - a fumble inside the two-yard line - proved costly. The Ravens scored 10 unanswered points to take a 10-9 lead at halftime after the Bengals’ offence started out hot with a touchdown and field goal in the first quarter. Huntley’s best play of the game was a 41-yard TD pass to Demarcus Robinson to tie the game 17-17 after Burrow’s QB sneak but early in the fourth quarter, Huntley leaped over the top from the 2-yard line but lost the ball and it was picked up and returned 98-yards for the game-winning touchdown by DE Sam Hubbard. The Bengals’ defence was perfect the rest of the way. With Lamar, who wouldn’t fumble near the goal line, the Ravens probably win the game. 

Cowboys vs Buccaneers

Tom Brady was 7-0 against Dallas in his career. The Cowboys came into the playoffs after a disastrous offensive performance against the Washington Commanders in week 18. However, from start to finish, the Cowboys dominated the Buccaneers on both sides of the ball and cruised to their first playoff road victory in 30 years and only their fourth playoff win since 1996. The only thing they couldn’t do was hit extra points. Brett Maher missed four extra points in a single game - an NFL record; he only missed three PATs during the regular season. Dak Prescott quieted his haters with arguably his best game of the season. He completed 25/33 passes for 305 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions while adding a rushing touchdown. The Cowboys’ rush attack was efficient, combining for 128 yards on the ground to open up the passing game. Dalton Schultz had 95 yards and two touchdowns on seven grabs; Ceedee Lamb and Michael Gallup also found the endzone. If Dallas can sustain an efficient ground attack to open up the passing game and Dak plays like that, the Cowboys’ offence will be scary. The Cowboys' defence was also excellent, pressuring Brady all night long forcing him to get rid of the ball quickly, make mistakes or miss open reads. The Cowboys' defense also recorded two sacks and an interception. The Bucs didn’t score until the Cowboys were up 24-0 late in the third quarter when the game was already out of reach. The Cowboys will go far if they play like that, Maher needs to make his kicks, though. 

The wild card round is over, but the divisional round next weekend has four very interesting games. The Jags play the Chiefs and the Giants play the Eagles on Saturday, Jan. 22. The Bengals visit the Bills and the Cowboys visit the 49ers on Sunday, Jan. 23.