NFL: Wild Card Weekend summary

The wild-card round of the NFL playoffs demonstrated the league’s parity. The Bengals and Bills struggled more than expected, the Chargers shot themselves in the foot, Vikings fans' worst fears came true. Dak Prescott silenced doubters with a great game against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. The football world may have witnessed the final game of Brady’s legendary career, as the 45-year-old will surely contemplate retirement this offseason.

Seattle Seahawks, 23 - San Francisco 49ers, 41

After trailing by one point at halftime, the 49ers brought out the steamroller in the second half, scoring 25 points on their way to their third victory against Pete Carroll’s Seahawks this season.

The big question ahead of the game was whether rookie quarterback Brock Purdy would withstand the pressure of first playoff game. After a shaky start to game, Purdy completed nine of 11 passes for 185 yards in the second half, finishing the game with 332 yards passing and four touchdowns, one of them rushing.

Adding to this great performance was wide receiver Deebo Samuel, with 133 yards, and the entire San Francisco offensive line, which allowed only one sack and paved the way for the team’s 188 rushing yards (155 from Christian McCaffrey).

With this victory, the 49ers got their eleventh consecutive win and look like a strong candidate to win the Super Bowl, even more so after subdued performances from teams like the Bills and Bengals in their respective games.

Not all defeats are bitter, and the rebuilding Seattle Seahawks can be more than proud to have reached this stage of the season with such a young squad. The clock struck midnight for quarterback Geno Smith’s Cinderella season. Coach Carroll is surely aware that he will not be able to compete in the NFC West if he doesn't fix his front seven and the serious tackling issues suffered by their defense.

Los Angeles Chargers, 30 - Jacksonville Jaguars, 31

The Chargers and Jaguars played a truly crazy game. Jacksonville pulled off a 27-point comeback, the third largest in playoff history, after a dismal first half in which neither their offense nor their defense could get into rhythm.

Never in his worst nightmares did Trevor Lawrence imagine a worse start to his first playoff game. After Jacksonville's offense's first six possessions, the number one pick in the 2021 draft had completed as many passes to the Chargers as he had to his own team, with his primary target being Asante Samuel Jr, who caught three interceptions.

Coupled with this ineffectiveness on offense, Jacksonville's defense was unable to stop the Chargers, who, with a great start from quarterback Justin Herbert and running back Austin Ekeler, managed to take a 27-0 lead with just over four minutes left before halftime. However, from that point forward, the Hebert-led offense would do practically nothing at all. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi was unable to get his team going again, converting just one field goal in the entire remainder of the game.

Just after the two-minute warning of the first half, Lawrence led the Jags on a quick drive that ended with an Evan Engram touchdown, narrowing the score to 27-7 and giving Jacksonville some hope.

The Jaguars also managed to reach the end zone on their first two possessions of the second half. After the second, a penalty led them to try for a two-point conversion which was converted by Lawrence himself, leaving the Jaguars down just two points with just over 5 minutes to go.

Jacksonville's defense played at a high level in the second half. They came through when it mattered most, giving their offense the ball and a chance to win the game with just over three minutes to go. Lawrence led a strong drive to get the ball to the 26-yard line for Riley Patterson, who kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired.

While exciting, the victory does not change the fact that few are expecting Jacksonville to advance any further, especially as the face the Kansas City Chiefs in their next game. However it serves as a confidence builder for head coach Doug Pederson and his young star QB Trevor Lawrence, who the franchise sees as the cornerstone of its young foundation.

On the other hand, the Chargers' ineffectiveness has already cost offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and QB coach Shane Day their jobs.

Miami Dolphins, 31 - Buffalo Bills, 34

What looked like the most one-sided game turned into a test of survival for the Bills. Despite getting the win, serious doubt has been cast on their championship aspirations.

The game started as expected, with two touchdowns for Buffalo right out of the gate. Quarterback Josh Allen's connection with star wideout Stefon Diggs pounded the Miami secondary for 96 yards before the end of the first quarter.

All signs pointed to a comfortable win for Buffalo until a trigger-happy Josh Allen fired deep pass on a first-and-10 midway through the second quarter that was intercepted by the Miami defense. Josh Allen's standing as one of the game's elite will hinge on his ability to protect the ball in these key situations.

From that point on, the momentum swing, and Miami's next four possessions led by Skylar Thompson turned into three field goals and a touchdown. Miami converted the two-point conversion to come all the way back and tie the game at 17. A Buffalo field goal made the halftime score 20-17 in favor of the Bills.

Miami continued to put pressure on Allen in the second half, getting a touchdown after a great defensive play that forced an Allen fumble. This gave the Dolphins their first lead of the game.

As one of the biggest playoff upsets in recent history loomed on the horizon, Allen began to show the quality he is expected to have, throwing two touchdown passes midway through the third quarter to regain the lead.

However, after a 75-yard drive, the Dolphins again scored a touchdown with ten minutes remaining to pull within a field goal. Neither team was able to score the rest of the game, and the Bills escaped with a victory.

New York Giants, 31 - Minnesota Vikings, 24

The Giants got their first playoff win since 2011, while the Vikings' luck ran out on the wrong day.

The game was totally dominated by the Giants' offense, which scored two touchdowns and a field goal on its three first-half possessions and punted only once in the entire game. Minnesota's defense once again showed the lack of discipline it has struggled with all season and was unable to stop QB Daniel Jones, who finished the game with 78 rushing yards, 301 passing yards and two touchdowns.

The Vikings managed to stay within striking distance thanks to a solid game by Kirk Cousins and a good performance by tight end T. J. Hockenson, who would finish the game with 129 receiving yards.

Midway through the final quarter, a great drive by Jones that ended with a Saquon Barkley touchdown to extend their lead to 31-24. Minnesota had three possessions on offense to try to get closer, but the Giants' defense never gave the struggling Vikings' offense a chance.

The Giants pulled off the upset in Minneapolis and will face their division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, in the next round. Perhaps they will be disappointed in not having capitalized more on the Vikings' defense, which will surely be the topic of much scrutiny and change in the offseason.

Baltimore Ravens, 17 - Cincinnati Bengals, 24

Little was expected of the Ravens without star QB Lamar Jackson, but divisional rivalries are never easy, especially not in the playoffs. The Bengals had to scrap to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive.

Early in the game, Baltimore's defense tried to put pressure on Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow to contain Cincinnati's explosive offense, but he still managed to connect with his favorite target, Ja'Marr Chase, early in the second quarter for the game's first touchdown.

Meanwhile, quarterback Tyler Huntley was able to recover from an interception on the first possession of the game. He put together a long touchdown drive and led the Ravens to a field goal at the end of the first half to put Baltimore ahead at halftime.

In the third quarter, Burrow and the Bengals scored another touchdown, but the Ravens were quick to answer with a 41-yard pass from Huntley to Robinson on the next drive.

With the game tied and just 11 minutes remaining, Huntley led the Ravens to the Cincinnati two-yard-line. As he tried to reach the ball into the end zone with a QB sneak, he fumbled at Cincinnati's 1-yard line. The ball was picked up by the Bengals and returned for a touchdown. It was one of the more memorable plays in wild-card history, and the momentum of the game completely flipped.

After that, the Ravens didn't quit. Huntley led them down the field once more, even giving them a chance to score on the last play, with the final pass bouncing off a receiver's hands in the end zone.

The Bengals survived against an unexpectedly worthy opponent. They can take away from the game the certainty that they have a defense that can step up when their offense fails to move the chains. It will be a question of whether the Bengals' offensive line can overcome its numerous injuries. Baltimore, on the other hand, leaves the playoffs with the future of its star QB in question. Lamar Jackson, who did not travel with the team to Ohio. However, the Ravens can leave with their heads held high after giving one of the top Super Bowl contenders all they could handle.

Dallas Cowboys, 31 -Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 14

In a game where little was expected of either team, the Dallas Cowboys overwhelmed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom Brady's team was unable to compete with a Cowboys attack led by Dak Prescott.

Both the Buccaneers and Cowboys stumbled into the playoffs. The Tampa Bay team arrived with a below-.500 record in the regular season, and from the very first minute they showed the problems that have plagued their offense all season. At the end of the first half, the offense led by Tom Brady had just three points. Their best chance for a touchdown ended in an interception in the end zone. It was only at the end of the third period, when the game was practically decided, that Brady was able to score two touchdowns that tightened the score.

Dallas came into Wild Card Weekend with major concerns, almost all of them revolving around QB Dak Prescott. However, Prescott was able to silence doubters with an near-flawless game, passing for 305 yards and four touchdowns and one more rushing. Prescott dominated the Tampa Bay defense and played one of the best games of his career, giving Dallas fans hope for the next round.