The “Wild” in Wild Card Weekend sounds fitting to describe some of the greatest moments involving the NFL.
Fans of the league have been treated to epic shootouts, an extra quarter of football, or pulsating comebacks once considered insurmountable. And all three descriptions best describe the five best Wild Card games in NFL playoff history here.
The 5 Best Wild Card Games Ever in the NFL Playoffs
Here are some of the greatest games ever played during the first weekend of the NFL postseason.
No. 5: Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 2023
The league was blessed with a new playoff classic one year ago.
Los Angeles appeared to have the game all locked up by leading 27-0 before halftime. Trevor Lawrence, in his postseason debut, was even baptized early with four interceptions, all on the first four offensive possessions for Jacksonville. “T-Law,” however, spearheaded the largest comeback in Jags history — and the third largest in NFL postseason history.
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Jacksonville never punted again in the second half as Lawrence tossed four touchdowns to four different receivers in Evan Engram, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Marvin Jones Jr. Riley Patterson then topped off the comeback with his final-second 36-yard field goal to cap the 31-30 win.
No. 4: Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts, 2013
Ten years earlier, one other AFC South team put together their own comeback for the ages at Lucas Oil Stadium.
A Chiefs team led by Alex Smith at quarterback raced to a 38-10 lead and looked set to make reservations for the Divisional Round. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, though, fiercely put the game in his hands.
Luck became responsible for the Colts’ final four touchdowns, including the one where he recovered a fumble and returned it five yards for a score, then the final 64-yard strike to T.Y. Hilton that completed the 45-44 comeback victory.
No. 3: Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals, 2010
Now we get into our first game that didn’t involve a significant blown lead. However, the Cardinals came close to losing theirs before completing the highest-scoring Wild Card game ever.
Arizona jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter at State Farm Stadium. Aaron Rodgers then spearheaded the rally by flinging three touchdowns. And even with the Cards up 38-24, Rodgers and the Pack still continued to scrap. Rodgers to Spencer Havner from 11 yards out officially tied the game with under two minutes at 45-45.
Karlos Dansby, however, delivered the final door slammer by taking a Rodgers fumble 17 yards back to the end zone, ending the game at 51-45 in Arizona’s favor. That game saw Rodgers and future Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner combine for 802 passing yards and nine touchdowns.
Early Doucet and Larry Fitzgerald both caught two touchdowns each from Warner in that game. To this day, both teams’ combined 96 points make this the highest-scoring playoff game ever.
No. 2: Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans, 2000
This game is not known for comebacks and wasn’t even a high-scoring affair. But one of the greatest plays ever was birthed in this contest at Nashville.
Down 16-15 with 16 seconds left, it appeared the Titans were going to be a one-and-done in the playoffs. The special-teams unit, however, had a different and brilliant idea.
Lorenzo Neal first retrieved the ball and handed it over to Frank Wycheck. The late Titans tight end then threw the ball to the other sideline toward an open Kevin Dyson. Turned out this was by design — as Dyson had nothing but a wall of Titans blockers in front of him to take it all the way to the end zone. Fans now know this moment as the “Music City Miracle.”
No. 1: Houston Oilers at Buffalo Bills, 1993
This one has a simple yet resonating title: “The Comeback.”
Houston leaped out to a massive 35-3 lead. The moment Bubba McDowell snatched a Frank Reich pass and returned it back to the end zone, it appeared the Bills were done in the third quarter.
But the Bills reminded fans that there was still plenty of time left. Reich, who assumed the reins for an injured Jim Kelly, threw four touchdown passes (three to Andre Reed) to take the 38-35 lead. Then, in overtime, Steve Christie nailed the final 32-yard field goal to complete the legendary 41-38 comeback.
To this day, no other playoff game, let alone a regular-season game, has ever come close to surpassing the 35 points the Bills came back from on that fateful afternoon.
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