After 18 weeks of the 2021 NFL season, the playoffs have finally arrived. The NFL’s first ever “Super Wild Card Weekend” was jam packed with stories and players that shined under the bright lights. The road to Super Bowl 56 started last weekend, and the dominoes aimed at the Lombardi Trophy are already starting to fall.
Las Vegas Raiders (10-8) @ Cincinnati Bengals (11-7)
Final: Bengals-26 Raiders-19
Player of the Game: Joe Burrow
Super Wildcard Weekend started off with a battle between the AFC North winning Cincinnati Bengals and a Las Vegas Raiders team that battled its way through every piece of adversity they faced to reach the playoffs. The Bengals were led by their dynamic duo of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase that have continued their dominance from LSU to the NFL. Burrow finished the day with 244 yards, and 2 TD on 24 completions, while Chase hauled in 116 yards on 9 receptions. The Bengals finally broke their long drought of not winning a playoff game and they are now set to travel to Tennessee to take on the #1 seed Titans next week.
After a season full of complications and roadblocks, the Las Vegas Raiders season came to an end on Saturday night, but they should be proud of what they accomplished. Many teams would have faltered and let the adversity overtake them, but interim head coach Rich Bisaccia had a mature presence that should get him a chance to take over as the full time coach for Las Vegas. Derek Carr finished his day with 310 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. Offensive weapons Josh Jacobs and Darren Waller helped the offense, Jacobs totaling 127 yards on 17 touches, and Waller hauling in 76 yards with 7 receptions. The Las Vegas Raiders, who have just fired GM Mike Mayock will go into the off-season with the momentum of a playoff berth and whoever helms the new regime will have an opportunity to take the Raiders back to the playoffs next year.
Game Highlights (All footage courtesy of the NFL): Raiders vs. Bengals Super Wild Card Weekend Highlights | NFL 2021
New England Patriots (10-8) @ Buffalo Bills (12-6)
Final: Bills-47 Patriots-17
Player of the Game: Josh Allen (Honorable Mention: Buffalo Bills Offense)
A reality that many around the AFC East will have to get used to was proved once again on Saturday night; Josh Allen is that guy. The guy that the three other teams in the division will spend free agencies and drafts to try and stop. Allen finished his day with 374 total yards, and 5 TD, throwing more TD than incompletions. The Buffalo Bills offense had arguably the greatest offensive performance in NFL history, with 7 drives resulting in 7 touchdowns, the only drive not ending in 6, being the game winning kneel down. The first team to ever finish a game with no 4th downs, no field goals, no punts, and no turnover, this all against a Bill Belichick coached team in the playoffs. The overall team performance from Buffalo is one that will give them a full head of steam of momentum going into Kansas City on Sunday Night to take on the Chiefs in the Divisional Round.
Last offseason made it evident that GM Bill Belichick was not content with losing seasons. He spent a ton of money to upgrade his roster and the team he crafted overachieved what many thought that they could do this season. Finishing with a 10-7 record and a playoff berth with a rookie QB is something to be satisfied with, but they have a lot of work to do if they are going to compete with Buffalo over these next few years. The New England Patriots will have yet another offseason to improve their roster and continue to groom Mac Jones as their QB of the future.
Game Highlights: Patriots vs. Bills Super Wild Card Weekend Highlights | NFL 2021
Philadelphia Eagles (9-9) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14-4)
Final: Buccaneers-31 Eagles-15
Player of the Game: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started off their postseason title defense by dominating the #7 seed Philadelphia Eagles. The Buccaneers defense overwhelmed Philadelphia for a majority of the game, forcing Jalen Hurts to make bad decisions and turn the ball over twice. QB Tom Brady finished the day with 271 yards, and 2 TD while Mike Evans had himself a nice game as well, hauling in 117 yards and 1 TD on 9 receptions. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Los Angeles Rams next week in the Divisional Round in a rematch from earlier this season.
The Eagles were not able to pull off the upset against the defending Super Bowl Champs, but their effort in the playoffs should not be their focus of the 2021-2022 season. The Philadelphia Eagles possess a future brighter than most thought that they would have at the beginning of this season. Having rookie head coach Nick Sirianni that led the team to the playoffs and a QB that continues to grow in certain aspects. The Eagles have 3 first round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft and a decent amount of cap space which will certainly help them continue to compete in the NFC if they can hit on the players they bring into the building.
Game Highlights:Eagles vs. Buccaneers Super Wild Card Weekend Highlights | NFL 2021
San Francisco 49ers (11-7) @ Dallas Cowboys (12-6)
Final: 49ers-23 Cowboys-17
Player of the Game: Deebo Samuel (Honorable Mention: Elijah Mitchell)
Being the only team that won on the road last weekend, the 49ers escaped the Lone Star State with a very close win. Deebo Samuel was the versatile weapon that he always is, totaling 110 yards and 1 TD, while 6th rounder RB Elijah Mitchell continued to be a bright spot for the SF offense, rushing for 96 yards and 1 TD on 27 rushes. The 49ers will travel to Lambeau to take on the team that they have had postseason success against in recent years, the Green Bay Packers.
A recurring theme in past years has been the Dallas Cowboys’ lack of postseason wins. Despite having an NFC East winning season, the Cowboys just couldn’t play a complete game of football, and were shut down by San Francisco. A questionable play call with seconds remaining cost the Cowboys a chance to win the game, because of a conflict involving the referee, but it was something that could’ve been avoided with better coaching and game awareness. The Dallas Cowboys will look to grow their roster and put themselves in a position to repeat as NFC East champions next year.
Game Highlights49ers vs. Cowboys Super Wild Card Weekend Highlights | NFL 2021
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8-1) @ Kansas City Chiefs (13-5)
Final: Chiefs-42 Steelers-21
Player of the Game: Patrick Mahomes
The Kansas City Chiefs seemed to have found some of their magic once again on Sunday night, overwhelming the Steelers for a majority of the game. While they were playing a Steelers team that hobbled its way into the playoffs, the performance from Kansas City was impressive, nonetheless. QB Patrick Mahomes threw for an impressive 404 yards and 5 TD, while backup RB Jerick McKinnon totaled 142 yards and 1 TD on 18 touches. The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Buffalo Bills in the most anticipated game of the divisional round weekend.
In what was QB Ben Roethlisberger’s last game in the NFL, this game was more of a good moment for Pittsburgh rather than a disappointment. Head coach Mike Tomlin continued his unreal streak of never having a losing season, due in large part to T.J. Watt cementing himself as one of the best players in the NFL, period. The Steelers will have question marks at a few positions heading into next season, the most prominent being QB. With a proud franchise like Pittsburgh that seems uninterested in slowly rebuilding, what they do at the QB position will be an intriguing story to watch this offseason.
Game Highlights: Steelers vs. Chiefs Super Wild Card Weekend Highlights | NFL 2021
Arizona Cardinals (11-7) @ Los Angeles Rams (13-5)
Final: Rams-34 Cardinals-11
Player of the Game: Matthew Stafford (Honorable Mention: L.A. Rams Defense)
Matthew Stafford earns player of the game honors for FINALLY earning his first career playoff win. Odell Beckham Jr. has revived his career in Los Angeles, scoring 6 TD already for the Rams, whereas he had 0 with the Browns this year. The return of RB Cam Akers was a boost for this already lethal offense, and should continue to help them make a deep postseason run. The Los Angeles Rams will travel to Tampa Bay next week to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This Arizona Cardinals led by Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury just did not seem ready for the moment on Monday Night. Murray seemed to be overwhelmed by the Rams’ defensive front from the very first snap, Murray totaling less than 10 passing yards going into the second quarter. The Cardinals were of course without star WR DeAndre Hopkins, which is something to be noted, but their performance proved that they were just not ready yet. The Cardinals possess a bright future with Kyler Murray at the helm, and the team will continue to grow as their young assets do. The impending status of soon to be free agents RB James Conner and RB Chase Edmonds will be something to watch.
Game Highlights: Cardinals vs. Rams Super Wild Card Weekend Highlights | NFL 2021