Wild Card Sunday in the NFL playoffs certainly had its moments, starting with the Washington Commanders’ thrilling victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Washington was the only road team to win this weekend, setting up a showdown with the Detroit Lions next week.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills took care of business at home as No. 2 seeds, emerging for the divisional round next weekend. The Bills will face the Baltimore Ravens while the Eagles will face the winner of the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams.
Many overreactions resulted from the outcome of Sunday’s games. What overreactions are justified? Which are actually overreactions?
The Commanders can go to Detroit and beat the Lions
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The Commanders don’t have to sleep after Sunday’s last-second win over the Buccaneers. This is a franchise that won its first playoff game since the 2005 wild-card round, so Washington is playing with house money.
They also tempt fate. It was their sixth tied or trailing victory in the final 10 seconds this season, the most since 2000. Washington has won four straight games in the final 10 seconds of regulation or overtime, a streak that seems improbable – and yet they did it. he.
Jayden Daniels is having one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history and continued his tremendous season by throwing for 268 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Commanders back after being down in the fourth quarter – on the road.
Don’t count out the Commanders either, but also don’t count on them needing a good play in the final seconds to beat the Lions. This game will also take place on a short week, so Washington will need to play a near-perfect game to win.
The buccaneers have reached their ceiling
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
It’s hard to say what the Buccaneers’ ceiling is, which is why it’s difficult to give a definitive answer. Since Todd Bowles took over as head coach, the Buccaneers have won the NFC South three straight years, but are also 1-3 in the playoffs – twice falling out of the wild-card round. cards.
Sunday’s loss to the Commanders could have gone either way, and there was a good chance the Buccaneers would win in overtime if Zane Gonzalez’s kick bounced the other way when he hit the crossbar. Baker Mayfield is one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, Bucky Irving is the next star running back, while Chris Godwin will return to join Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan at wide receiver.
This Buccaneers team still has the pieces in place to make a deep playoff run, which is why it’s difficult to determine their ceiling. It might be better to postpone this question until next year.
The Eagles’ defense will be the reason they win the Super Bowl
Overreaction or reality: Reality
The Eagles’ defense is the reason they beat the Packers today, limiting Green Bay’s offense to a season-low 10 points and forcing three interceptions by Jordan Love. This compares to what Philadelphia’s defense has been all year, as the unit finished second in points allowed per game (17.8) and first in yards allowed per game (278.4).
Even with Nakobe Dean’s injury, the Eagles defense didn’t miss much. The Packers scored just twice on nine possessions and totaled just 302 yards of offense. They also turned the ball over four times, including three on offense. With the Eagles offense inconsistent throughout the game, the defense needed to step up.
If the Eagles win the Super Bowl, defense will be the reason. The unit has been consistently good all season and arguably the best in the league.
The Packers are still Super Bowl contenders in 2025
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The Packers had the second-youngest playoff roster in NFL history (behind only last year’s team), but didn’t have the look of a team capable of making the playoffs in depth all season. When the Packers faced a team of their caliber, they couldn’t win. Green Bay was 0-6 against teams that finished with more than 11 wins this season, a bad sign for a team that was supposed to be among the NFC’s elite.
The truth behind the Packers? They were a team ranked third in their division that beat bad teams and couldn’t beat good teams. They’ve improved their win total in each of the last three seasons, but this year was supposed to be about more than just being a No. 7 seed and trying to make the Cinderella playoffs.
The squad has improved, but wins against elite teams have been non-existent. Green Bay needs to start picking up wins against Detroit, Philadelphia and Minnesota if the Packers want to be at their level. They just couldn’t do it this year.
Jordan Love is as talented as ever. The offense and defense are top 10, but have come up against some very good teams. This will have to change in 2025.
The Broncos were one of the seven best teams in the AFC
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The Broncos deserved to enter the playoffs as a No. 7 seed, a reward for their surprising 10-win season. They finished with a better record than the Bengals and had been in the playoff race since October. The key word here is earned.
The reality? The Broncos weren’t a top seven team in the AFC, and that’s okay. The Bengals were a better team than the Broncos, but didn’t make the playoffs due to their slow start to the year. Credit the Broncos for holding on and making the playoffs, despite losing to the Bengals as Cincinnati made a late playoff push.
The Bengals would have given the Bills a better game through four quarters, but the Broncos were the team to face Buffalo – because they deserved it with their better record. The Broncos could be better next season and not make the playoffs, much like the Bengals were this year.
Thanks to the Broncos for making the playoffs. They weren’t one of the top seven teams in the conference.
James Cook proved he should have been a Pro Bowler
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Cook has been good all season and his efforts have gone unnoticed. When Cook was a Pro Bowl snob, the Bills running back made it known on social media that he had been passed over for the Pro Bowl for a second straight year.
Cook had something to prove in Buffalo’s win over Denver, and he did just that. He finished with 23 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown, doing most of his damage in the first half as Buffalo’s offense struggled to score points. Cook had 13 carries for 78 yards in the first half, averaging 6.0 yards per carry, as Buffalo led just 10-7 at halftime.
Because of what Cook was able to do in the first half, Josh Allen was able to settle in and take over the game in the second half. The Bills might not have been able to blow out the Broncos without Cook running the ball as well as he did in the first 30 minutes.
Cook led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns and totaled 1,009 yards on 4.9 yards per carry. The running back field was crowded in the AFC, but there should have been a Pro Bowl spot for Cook.
Broncos defense hasn’t been in the top 10 for weeks
Overreaction or reality: Reality
The Bills score 30 points against many teams, as evidenced by the number of 30+ point games they have had this season. The Broncos’ defense was supposed to contain them, a unit that allowed just 18.3 points per game (third in the NFL) and 317.1 yards per game (seventh in the NFL).
The reality about the Broncos defense? The unit has not been in the top 10 since early December. Take out the Week 18 game where the Chiefs rested their starters, and the Broncos allowed 22.0 points per game (13th in the NFL) and 362.2 yards per game (24th in the NFL). Basically, the potential blowout of the Bills was brewing. That includes Sunday’s playoff loss.
The Broncos’ defense faltered toward the end of the year, as they made the playoffs thanks to Bo Nix’s arm strength and the resurgence of the offense. This unit is still very good, but Sean Payton certainly had the right to be angry with Vance Joseph on Sunday.
