Wild card weekend had six action-packed games that included many memorable moments, including the Dallas Cowboys kicker making a mark in the NFL record book for most missed extra points since 1932.
The weekend started with a showdown between the San Fransisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. For the majority of the game, the Seahawks were able to keep the game close, going into the half with the lead. However, late in the third quarter, Charles Omenihu changed the tides with a strip sack, ruining a red zone drive by the Seahawks. The 49ers took control of the game for a 41-23 win.
“Once the game started, it was just 11 on 11; I have to do my job, get it to the guys in space and go from there,” 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy told ESPN. “We didn’t make it more than what it was. … It wasn’t, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s the playoffs, and we got to get all tense.’ We just have to play our game.”
That sentiment seemed to resound to most of the teams over the weekend, including the Jaguars, who won an extremely close game against the Chargers 31-30.
Out of all the games over the weekend, the Jacksonville Jaguars and LA Chargers game had the most significant shift in momentum.
“There are plenty of ways to describe the Jaguars’ performance in their wild-card win over the Chargers at TIAA Bank Field, but ridiculous pretty much covers it,” ESPN said.
In the first half of the game, the Chargers took a 27-0 lead, which is not a small feat in the NFL. However, as the game continued, their game and hopes of a Super Bown run crumbled as the Jaguars pulled off the third-largest comeback in playoff history.
After turning the ball over five times, the Jaguars managed to turn things around with touchdown passes on four consecutive drives, a two-point conversion, and a game-changing 36-yard field goal as time expired.
The Jaguars now advance after their first playoff win since 2017. They are competing in the AFC divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs tomorrow at 4:30.
On Sunday, three more intense games determined the lineup for this weekend. The Buffalo Bills took on the Miami Dolphins. The Bills managed to pull through on a close game with a final score of 34-31, advancing to play the Bengals this Sunday in Buffalo. Later that day, the New York Giants beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-24, and the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Baltimore Ravens with a final score of 24-17.
After the busy weekend, all eyes were on the Monday night face-off between the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Monday night game proved eventful, with a few NFL firsts. The Cowboys kicker, Brett Maher, missed four consecutive extra points becoming the first player in NFL history to miss that many in a game since 1932, according to Elias Sports Bureau research, and the first to miss that many in a playoff game. Despite this, the Cowboys beat Tom Brady for the first time in franchise history in what could be Brady’s final game with the Bucs.
After the 31-14 win, the Cowboy’s win advances them to a Sunday night game against the 49ers for a spot in the NFC Championship.
With the season winding down, only a few games are left in the NFL season, with the four divisional rounds taking place this Saturday and Sunday. On Jan. 29 is when the winners face off in the conference championships, and, of course, this is all leading to the coveted spots in the Super Bowl, which will be on Feb 12.
