Wild Card Weekend is usually one of the most interesting weekends on the football calendar. However, in 2024, and amidst one of the most unpredictable seasons in league history it exceeded expectations. The slate of six games provided games played in frigid temperatures, howling winds, comfortable domes with mild upset, shockers, and everything in between. The biggest winner from the weekend was Roger Goodell because there is nothing more compelling in sports or entertainment than playoff football. The weekend produced moments of brilliance, bad football, and ugly performances. In this article, we discuss the major talking points from an exhilarating weekend.
The Good
1. Lions end the drought-The Grand River is the longest river in Michigan spanning a vast 406km in length, and last summer residents were concerned about a drought. However, there was even a longer drought in the state from a Lions fan base starving for their first playoff win in 31 years. On Sunday Night Football, Ford Field roared with fans willing their team to a victory. It was a tale of two halves because, in the first half, Jared Goff slightly outperformed Matt Stafford in an offensive showdown of quarterbacks against their former teams, with the Lions leading 21-17 at halftime. However, both defenses adjusted in the chess match, with only 9 points scored in the second half. Yet, the young Lions made stops late in the fourth quarter to clinch the win in front of an emotional and euphoric home crowd. It feels like the Lions are this year’s Cinderella team that every neutral fan will be rooting to win it all.
2. The future looks bright- another lesson from the wild card week is that the league is in good hands with the rise of more young quarterbacks. CJ Stroud and Jordan Love announced their presence on the national stage with outstanding performances in their first playoff games. Stroud was facing one of the top defenses in the league in a daunting matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Yet, Stroud was sensational in completing 16 of 21 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns to rout the Browns. On Sunday, Jordan Love was even more impressive by going on the road to Dallas and destroying the Dallas Cowboys. Love showcased his ability to make the right reads, call audibles at the line, and throw darts to his Wide Receivers. Love completed 16 of 21 passes, 272 yards, and three touchdowns and outplayed an MVP candidate in Dak Prescott. Yes, these young quarterbacks sent a message to the superstars in the league that they are coming for the top of the hill.
The Bad
1. Miami freezes in the spotlight again- the Dolphins will look back to their week 14 matchup against the Titans as the reason they exited the postseason early. The Dolphins led the game 27-13 with five minutes left in the 4th quarter and collapsed to lose in regulation. The loss decimated their chances of winning the AFC East and having the home-field advantage in the wild-card round and potentially the divisional round. Instead, they had to travel to Kansas City to play in -4 degrees Fahrenheit temperature. In those conditions, the Dolphins’ speed offense stalled and shut down. Tua Tagovailoa struggled by completing 20 of 39 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Tua is now 6-14 in temperatures under 70 degrees and 0-5 when it drops under 40 degrees. The quarterback also struggled against in the regular season, losing 5 of 6 games against teams with a winning record. Miami seems committed to retaining the Alabama product, but questions will continue to linger about whether he can deliver in January when the weather temperatures drop outside the Sunshine State.
1. Are regular season defenses overrated?-it is not just the fact that the Browns and Cowboys lost in the wild card, but how they did it was troubling. The teams built their regular season on their prowess on the defensive end. The Browns and Cowboys were ranked first and fifth in the league based on defensive yards allowed. Instead, these two units looked overmatched and dominated by two young quarterbacks. It felt like these two teams could not make any adjustments to slow down the opposition. The Cowboys allowed 9.5 yards on first downs which means they got gashed. Maybe these defenses were built to force turnovers, and when teams protect the football, it negates their strength.
Ugly
2. Dallas gets dominated and embarrassed- this was one of the most shocking results in a wild-card round. The Cowboys were the hottest home team in the league, winning their past 15 games at the AT&T Stadium, winning several games by double-digit margins. The final result was 48-32, but the scoreline fails to indicate the magnitude of the loss because the game was 48-16 at one point. The defensive problems were highlighted, but the offense struggled with Dak Prescott throwing two costly interceptions. Dak and his weapons seemed out of sync, flustered and confused as the deficit widened. The Cowboys wasted another opportunity to end their Super Bowl appearance drought, and big changes loom in Texas.
2. Eagles’ wings get clipped- Philadelphia likely watched the demise of their NFC East rival from their hotel rooms in Tampa Bay, and likely motivated they would not repeat the feat by laying an egg on Monday Night Football. Earlier in the season, the Eagles went to the same stadium and destroyed the Buccaneers 31-7. Yet, the Eagles looked even worse than the Cowboys because they looked like a team that quit on their coach. The 32-9 loss does not indicate how bad the team played on both sides of the football. The defense looked confused with the schemes of new play-caller Matt Patricia, and there was a glaring lack of effort in missed tackles and assignments. Jalen Hurts moved from being an MVP candidate last season to a quarterback to one that trusted only DeVonta Smith to make plays for him. The Eagles have lost six of their past seven games, and questions will now linger about Nick Sirianni and whether the veterans will return to the team.