There were six games during Wild, Wildcard Week this past weekend. Twelve teams were vying for the right to move onto the divisional round. If I’m being honest, five of the six games were dogs, with only the Commanders/Buccaneers tilt going down to the wire. It took a last-second FG, which doinked in for Commanders…keeping their magical season going. Aside from the Commanders, the Texans, Ravens, Bills, Eagles, and Rams all prevailed. Here are the main reasons each team will be playing in the divisional round.
Commanders:
Basically, Jayden Daniels is growing up before our very eyes. He played like a poised, 10 yr. Veteran. And as he’s done all year, he saved his best play until the fourth quarter. He was 24 for 35, throwing for 268 yards and two TDs. He also rushed the ball 13 times for 36 yards. His main two targets were Terry McLaurin, who caught seven passes for 89 yards and a TD, and Dyami Brown, who caught five passes for the same 89 yards and a TD. Daniels and the defense were the main reasons the Commanders dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 35:26.
Texans:
Everything Daniels is doing this year, CJ Stroud did last year. Stroud has now won a playoff game in each of his first two seasons in the league. He has had an up-and-down season but was a true leader in this game. He completed 22 of 33 passes for 282 yards and a TD. His main target was Nico Collins, who caught seven passes for 122 yards. On the ground, Joe Mixon rushed for 106 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown.
Ravens:
I could cut and paste the reason why the Ravens won this game, simply taking from every other win they have had this year…Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Jackson completed over 75% of his passes for 175 yards and two TDs. He also ran the ball 15 times for 81 yards and two TDs. The team combined for 301 rushing yards and 476 total yards. They are going to be really tough to beat.
Bills:
This may be a theme, but Buffalo’s QB Josh Allen was integral in their victory over the Broncos. Although the final result was a blowout win, 31-7, the Broncos actually scored first. And at the half, the Bills were only winning 10-7. This game was far from over at halftime, and for people like me and Nate Burleson, who thought Denver had a chance, we were both feeling pretty good about ourselves. But Allen took over. He completed 20 passes to eight different receivers for a total of 272 yards and two TDs. No receiver other than Khalil Shakir caught more than three passes. Shakir had six catches. On the ground, James Cook rushed 23 times for 120 yards and a TD.
Eagles:
This game was as much about Philly’s defense as it was anything that the offense did. They forced Jordan Love to throw three interceptions, and if it hadn’t been for that, the game would have been much closer. In his first game back, coming off a concussion, Jalen Hurts wasn’t asked to do much. He only threw 21 passes for 131 yards, although he did throw two TDs. Saquon Barkley had his usual stellar game, rushing for 119 yards on 25 carries. They’ll have to play much better next week to prevail against an inspired Rams team.
Rams:
And speaking of the Rams, they truly dominated the 14-3 Vikings. Their defense sacked Sam Darnold nine times. On offense, Matthew Stafford was the resilient and efficient veteran that he is. He completed 19 of 27 passes for 209 yards and two TDs. They head to Philadelphia next week, with each team’s defense dominating this week. Whichever team’s offense can perform will prevail.