The Rams rested starters in Week 18, not caring whether they wound up in the 3 or 4 seed. They lost, fell to the 4 seed, had to play the 14-win Vikings...and won convincingly. The Eagles, Bills, and Texans also all rested starters in Week 18. They all won. Meanwhile, the Packers played starters in an attempt to maybe move up from the 7 to the 6 seed. Multiple players got injured and they lost in the Wild Card Round.
While Sean Payton and Mike Tomlin put on clinics about how not to coach, Dan Quinn stuck to his process. The Commanders went for it on fourth down after fourth down, not backing down after failing. Ultimately, those decisions won them the game, as they gained more points than they lost. Also, Jayden Daniels looked like a 10-year veteran in his first postseason game. He's a superstar.
The Rams and Texans were both field goal home underdogs against teams with better records than them. Not only did both of them win, neither game was even remotely competitive, as both won by three scores.
Already one of the greatest regular season QBs of all time, Lamar Jackson's playoff stats leave something to be desired. In the Wild Card round, he threw for 175 yards an 2 TDs, while rushing for 81 more. It was a flawless performance en route to an easy victory over a division rival that has given him trouble in the past.
After posting one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, C.J. Stroud took a step back as a sophomore. However, the young Texans QB is probably going to be just fine. Despite being down two receivers behind a porous offensive line, C.J. Stroud stepped up when it mattered most, winning a playoff game for the second consecutive season. Who had the Texans as the highest scoring Wild Card team on their bingo card?
Losing a playoff game obviously hurts. But it doesn't always mean something negative for the losers. In Sam Darnold's case, it is likely going to cost him millions. Darnold will still be starting somewhere next season. However, when the last thing teams remember is 245 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, and 9 total points, that leaves the wrong impression.
You really couldn't paint a worse picture for Justin Herbert. Considered one of the best QBs in the NFL, he's now 0-2 in the postseason with 2 TDs against 4 INTs. All four of those picks came against the Texans and were more than he had in the entire regular season. Herbert has only started two playoff games, but he's quickly earning a reputation of being unable to win when it matters.
The anti-Dan Quinn. Mike Tomlin may be an incredible coach in terms of getting the most out of his players, but someone get this guy help for in-game management. Tomlin proved, once again, to have no concept of coaching differently based on opponent. Intentionally giving the ball to Lamar Jackson rather than ask your offense to get one inch on 4th down is one of the many indefensible transgressions from Tomlin in a noncompetitive loss to the Ravens. The Steelers have not won a playoff game in nearly a decade.
The NFL will never go back to six teams because money, but let's not pretend like adding a seventh team has made the games better. No. 7 seeds are now 1-9 all time. This year, the two 7 seeds combined to score 17 points.
In what will easily go down as one of the worst Wild Card rounds in NFL history, just one of the six games was competitive. The Bucs and Commanders put on a thriller for the ages. Everyone else...not so much. The Bucs/Commanders game was the only one where both teams scored more than 14 points. Every other game was decided by a margin of at least two scores.
