NFL Wrapup: Wildcard teams dominate Wildcard Weekend
January 11, 2019
This weekend was the opening round of the NFL playoffs, where there were the matchups in which the 3 seeds play the 6 seeds and 4 seeds play the 5 seeds in their respective conferences. There were three instances when the lower seeds came out on top, while only one time when the higher seed was victorious. That being said, let’s take a look at what unfolded during this season’s Wildcard Weekend:
AFC
#6 Indianapolis Colts @ #3 Houston Texans
For the third time this season, the Colts and Texans went up against each other, except that this time was the most important meeting of the year. In this AFC South encounter, the Colts came out on top with a score of 21-7 to move on to the Divisional round. Andrew Luck threw for 222 yards and 2 touchdowns, and despite throwing an interception, the Colts came away with the win.. The Colts were the hottest team in the NFL coming into this point of the season, finishing the last 10 games with a record of 9-1. They will now be faced up against by the #1 seed Kansas City Chiefs, which sets up an intriguing QB matchup between Luck and Kansas City’s standout Patrick Mahomes. That game will be at 4:35 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12 on NBC.
#5 Los Angeles Chargers @ #4 Baltimore Ravens
In their second encounter in the last three weeks, the Chargers pulled out victorious 23-17. Kicker Michael Badgley accounted for 15 of L.A.’s 23 points in the win. This game was first postseason start for Ravens’ rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, and nerves were definitely in their air. n the first half,he completed only two of his eight passes for 17 yards, along with an interception. Jackson picked it up in the second half, but it was a little too late at that point. His poor play was seen as the reason for the loss, in a game where the Chargers definitely did not play their best ball. At the end of the day, though, the Chargers won the game and will meet with the #2 seed New England Patriots at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 13 on CBS.
NFC
#6 Philadelphia Eagles @ #3 Chicago Bears
In a game where many expected Chicago’s #1 ranked defense to toy with backup quarterback Nick Foles, it was the Eagles that got the win 16-15. Foles threw for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns, but did throw 2 interceptions. Chicago’s offense, however, was unable to capitalize on these opportunities given to them by their defense. Despite Mitchell Trubisky throwing for 303 yards, he only threw 1 touchdown. The game came down to the wire, as on the last drive the Bears’ offense went down the field to set up a potential game winning 43-yard field goal with five seconds left on the clock. That kick was blocked by Eagles DT Treyvon Hester, bringing the defending Super Bowl champions to victory, setting up a date with the #1 seed New Orleans Saints, a rematch of a regular season meeting between the teams. This game will be played at 4:40 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 13 on FOX.
#5 Seattle Seahawks @ #4 Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys beat the Seahawks 24-22 on Saturday night, making them the only divisional champion who played this weekend to advance to the next round of the playoffs. QB Dak Prescott and RB Ezekiel Elliott put on a show, with Prescott passing for 226 yards and a touchdown and a rushing touchdown, and Zeke rushing for 137 yards and a score. Many blame Seattle’s questionable play calling for their loss, but Dallas did indeed play to the best of their ability behind their two big playmakers. They will play the #2 seed Los Angeles Rams at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12 on FOX.
