
This Given Sunday +: Commanders, Rams upset chalk
The opening week of the 2024-25 NFL playoffs did not provide the close battles many were anticipating, with just one outcome in the balance as the final seconds played out.
In the end, four of the expected winners — based on home advantage — came out victorious, while another played up to their superior regular season numbers to down a higher seed, leaving just Monday night’s relocated finale to go against the grain. And it wasn’t close.
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WILD CARD WEEKEND SCORES
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) 12 @ Houston Texans (10–7) 32
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) 14 @ Baltimore Ravens (12-5) 28
Denver Broncos (10-7) 7 @ Buffalo Bills (13-4) 31
Green Bay Packers (11-6) 10 @ Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) 22
Washington Commanders (12-5) 23 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7) 20
Minnesota Vikings (14-3) 9 @ Los Angeles Rams (10-7) 27
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Game of the Week:
Washington Commanders 23 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20
This repeat of Jayden Daniels’ debut as a Washington Commanders might have had a different outcome to the Week 1 encounter at Raymond James Stadium, but brought the biggest element of familiarity of the Commanders comeback season: a nailbiting conclusion that could have gone either way.
While the hometown Buccaneers cruised to victory, 37-20, on opening weekend, capitalising on the miscues and lack of cohesion of a Washington team still finding its rhythm under new head coach Dan Quinn, this time around the crucial errors fell in favour of the Commanders, none moreso than QB Baker Mayfield’s fourth-quarter fumble that gave Washington the chance seize the advantage in a nip-and-tuck battle shortly after the Bucs had turned them away on fourth-and-goal from the three-yard line. The muffed exchange between Mayfield and rookie WR Jalen McMillan was pounced on by veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner to secure a change of possession at the Tampa Bay 13-yard line, and it took Daniels and the Commanders just four plays to find the end zone for a 20-17 lead.
The drama wasn’t done there though and, when the Buccaneers levelled the game with a field goal on their next drive, a time-consuming Commanders drive came down to a last-gasp attempt for three points from Zane Gonzalez. Washington has made a habit of leaving things late this season and, for a brief moment, it appeared that they may, once again, be heading for overtime as the kick drifted towards the upright. The subsequent heavy ‘doink’ had all eyes turning to the ball which, to the Commanders’ delight, dropped just the right side of the crossbar to seal a first playoff victory in nearly 20 years.
The error was particularly galling for Mayfield, who has shown some of his best qualities in dragging the Bucs to the postseason, but should not take away from another exemplary performance from his counterpart on the other sideline, as Daniels again exuded calm in extending not only the time of possession but also Washington’s dream season. Wagner and the defense played their part in limiting Tampa to just 20 points for the first time since Week 10, and came to the fore by stuffing RB Bucky Irving behind the line of scrimmage to force the home team to take a field goal and tie the game at 20-apiece rather than concede a touchdown that would have put greater pressure on the rookie phenom under center.
“There’s been a lot of tell-the-truth Mondays where it went down to the end,” Quinn told reporters afterwards. “We talked about why it went right or why it didn’t. And, in that space, collectively, you can feel the belief from the team on the sideline. It took a lot of work to get into that space, [but] this team has now bonded and connected. And, in these winning-time moments, they have a lot of faith.”
The Commanders’ reward for winning on the road is another trip, this time to top-seeded Detroit in the Divisional round.
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MVP of the Week
Lamar Jackson
If it was possible for this award to be shared, it would surely go to both Jackson and Ravens team-mate Derrick Henry for the way they carved up a Steelers team that should have been yearning for revenge just weeks after going down to Baltimore in a key AFC North matchup. Instead, Jackson gets the nod based on previous ‘antsy’ playoff implosions that scuppered his team on the biggest stage.
Playing with the confidence of a man who feels assured of a third NFL MVP accolade, Jackson did a bit of everything on Saturday night, feeding both himself and Henry on the ground while picking out his receivers when it mattered to keep the Ravens’ offense ticking over. Between them, Jackson and Henry bludgeoned an already-timid Pittsburgh unit (see below) into submission, securing a must-see Divisional matchup with Josh Allen (the only other realistic candidate for NFL MVP) and the Buffalo Bills. The quarterback will need to find the same mojo as he exuded against the Steelers if the Ravens are to move on again but, with his new backfield buddy rumbling on, anything is possible.
Winner
C.J. Stroud
The Houston Texans quarterback had appeared a pale imitation of his rookie self for much of the 2024 season, but returned to the fore when needed against a Chargers team coming in to the playoffs on a roll under Jim Harbaugh. With an O-line that has long showed signs of leaking and a receiver corps decimated by injuries to Stefon Diggs and, much to the detriment of Stroud’s own emotions, Tank Dell, the second-year QB was not on the favoured team at NRG Stadium in (once again for Houston) the first of the weekend’s matchups. Things didn’t appear too encouraging early on, but Stroud kept plugging away and his morale will undoubtedly be boosted by a second career playoff scalp as the Texans won going away, scoring 23 unanswered points as their defense came up big — with four interceptions — in support of the QB.
Loser
Russell Wilson
He will probably be back in black (and gold) next season, and has already insisted that there is ‘unfinished business’ in Pittsburgh, but the final five games of Wilson’s 2024 campaign did little to salve a reputation still recovering from the battering it took in Denver. A lacklustre first half against the Ravens put the Steelers behind the eight ball early on and, even though he was able to open it up and put both yards and points on the board after the interval, it was too little too late for both Wilson and Pittsburgh. The veteran is a free agent at the end of the season (as is backup Justin Fields) and the Steelers might have been tempted to start over if there had been a wealth of talent in the Draft.
Winners
Rams and Vikings fans
The NFL’s early call to relocate the final game of Super Wild Card Weekend 370 miles east to Glendale, Arizona, ensured that there was enough space for fans of both sides to re-engineer the logistics of getting to support their team. Granted, Vikings fans may wish that they hadn’t made the effort, but the purple hordes narrowly outshaded the45,000 fans their rivals had at State Farm Stadium on Monday night after Cardinals’owner Michael Bidwell went beyond the call of duty to not only ensure the game was played, but also give it everything it needed to feel like a playoff game in the midst of a rescue operation that saw players and their families (as well as the occasional pet!) flown out of the danger zone created by the multiple wildfires engulfing L.A.. Within six days of getting the call to help, both end zones were accurately painted in the Rams’ blue-and-yellow colours and the team’s logo adorned midfield as the Cardinals’ reputation as emergency host received another boost so soon after providing temporary home to the San Francisco 49ers during the COVID epidemic of 2020. The team — Rams divisional rivals, don’t forget — provided not only a contingency home for the game but also their Tempe practice facility for the Rams to use from midweek and two airliners from their personal fleet to ferry those that wanted to come from California.
“It’s always a good time to do the right thing,” Bidwill acknowledged. “If we can do something to help — and maybe this is the only thing we can do — let’s put our energy into it, focus on it and make it a great experience. It’s what’s best for the league, it’s what’s best for the team, and we have to do everything we can to make sure we have a great game.”
Loser
Steelers notoriety
In similar vein to Russell Wilson’s poor showing over the final weeks of the season, the Steelers as a whole did little to live up to their reputation as a hard-nosed football team. Whether injuries or fatigue were taking their toll, there was also a clear case for accusations of a lack of heart at times, especially as the Ravens ran the defense ragged and found it easy to limit the offense’s gains in what turned out to be a lopsided affair. Mike Tomlin may have bolstered his record with yet another year without a losing record, but is that enough when his team’s go one-and-done with the season on the line?
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Stats of the Week
- Commanders QB Jayden Daniels became the first rookie to lead his team in both passing and rushing yards in a playoff victory as he went 24-of-35 for 268 yards passing, throwing two touchdowns in the process, as well as adding 36 yards on the ground despite a backfield that welcomed Austin Ekeler back alongside Brian Robinson.
- Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, who will meet in this weekend’s AFC Divisional round, continue to extend the record for QB career rushing yards in the postseason, with Allen’s 42 on the ground against Denver edging him ahead of his Ravens counterpart by seven going into their head-to-head.
- The Rams’ nine sacks of Vikings QB Sam Darnold on Monday night tied the league record for takedowns in a playoff game and cost the visitors an unwanted claim to fame as they conceded 80+ yards on those nine plays.
- Chargers QB Justin Herbert had thrown only three interceptions through 17 games in the regular season. He gifted four such takeaways to the grateful Texans on Saturday afternoon.