A first for the NFL took place During the weekend of January 9-10. This first was called the Super Wild Card weekend.
The change to the playoff structure that has seven teams from each conference making the postseason set up a weekend of six games where there used to be four. This means we saw three games on each day, giving us a new playoff structure and results that move to the Divisional Round.
Looking at the Saturday Games During Super Wild Card Weekend
Indianapolis Colts vs. Buffalo Bills
The Colts had to travel to Buffalo for the first playoff game for the Bills in a long time. With a small crowd and cold weather, the Colts had to face a few challenges.This game was billed as a slugfest and one that would be played in the trenches and it found a way to live up to the billing. The result was the Bills won with a score of 27-24.
Los Angeles Ram vs. Seattle Seahawks
The Ram brought in one of the toughest defenses in the NFL while the Seahawks leaned on their prolific offense to play the game. This game took place in Seattle and was a tough game for both teams. One unique aspect was the fact that the Ram started with a backup quarterback but hadto switch to the starter due to injury. The Ram came away with the win by a score of 30-20.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Football Team
Down their starting quarterback, the Washington Football Team welcomed the Buccaneers to their home and played them tough for most of the game. Washington featured a tough defense and the Buccaneers brought in Tom Brady with his winning history. Unfortunately for Washington, their run in the playoffs ended in a 31-23 loss to the Bucs.
Super Wild Card Weekend Continued on Sunday
Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans
Both the Ravens and Titans came in with teams that were built to grab a lead and hang onto it. After going down 10-0 early, the Ravens looked like they were in trouble. Somehow, this team shut down the Titans the rest of the way and found their footing to come out with a win. The final score in this slugfest was Baltimore 20, Tennessee 13.
Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints
From the start, the Bears were overmatched in New Orleans and couldn’t find a way to catch up. Even though the Saints only scored three times it was more than enough to fight off the mostly hapless Bears. The final score in this game was 21-9 in favor of the Saints. One interesting note, this game was broadcast on Nickelodeon, which made it an interesting game for the kids.
Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The highest-scoring game of Super Wild Card Weekend was the final game and a rematch of AFC North foes. The Browns traveled to Pittsburgh without their head coach, a few other coaches, and a couple of players due to COVID-19 issues. The Steelers imploded early and often going down to the Browns 28-0 in the first quarter. The final score was 48-37 in favor of the Browns.
Setting Up the NFL Divisional Matchups
On the road to the Super Bowl, the six teams that won during Super Wild Card Weekend are playing again on January 16-17. There will be four games during the Divisional round which will feature the two top seeds in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs who were waiting to find out which teams they would play.
Saturday’s Games
The Divisional Round will begin with the Green Bay Packers playing host to the Los Angeles Rams. This game will take place at 4:35 Eastern and will showcase the highest-scoring offense in the league against the stingiest defense. The second game on Saturday will give us the Baltimore Ravens against the Buffalo Bills at 8:15 Eastern. This should be a slobber-knocker of a game with both teams bringing in tons of hitting power.
Sunday’s Games
Starting at 3:05 Easter, we will see the first Sunday NFL game which gives us the Cleveland Browns at the Kansas City Chiefs. This game could go a few different ways and is hard to predict, but there should be a lot of points. The final game of the Divisional Round will feature the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visiting the New Orleans Saints at 6:40 Eastern. This game will be the third time these two teams have played each other this year and will offer a pair of Hall of Fame quarterbacks, which will make it an interesting game to watch.
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