The playoffs are here!

The commonly held wisdom among the football cognoscenti is that the Divisional Round is the best weekend in football, but the remaining teams vying for a Super Bowl berth will have to go a long way to pip a slate of Wild Card fixtures that delivered four nail-biters.

From the moment that underdog Carolina Panthers looked to course to upset the visiting Los Angeles Rams to that which saw the reigning champions dethroned on home soil, every one of the five opening round games had enough to keep even the most casual fan enthralled.

Until the late-night (in Europe at least) encounter in Foxboro’, none of the games had been decided by more than four points, with each decided at the death. There were comebacks, slugging matches and enough tension for a tightrope walk across the Grand Canyon. And people say next weekend will be even better?

Here are the winners and losers from every game thus far.

WILD CARD WEEKEND SCORES
(to Monday 12th January)

Saturday:

(#5) Los Angeles Rams 34 @ 31 Carolina Panthers (#4)

(#7) Green Bay Packers 27 @ 31 Chicago Bears 31 (#2)

Sunday:

(#6) Buffalo Bills 27 @ 24 Jacksonville Jaguars (#3)

(#6) San Francisco 49ers 23 @ 19 Philadelphia Eagles (#3)

(#7) Los Angeles Chargers 3 @ 16 New England Patriots (#2)

***

Los Angeles Rams 34 @ 31 Carolina Panthers

Winner: Matthew Stafford

In the immediate aftermath of the Rams’ come-from-behind victory in Charlotte, a slew of clips from the winning locker room extolled the virtues of their superstar quarterback. Time and again, Stafford’s team-mates reiterated their belief in ‘Number 9’, despite the seemingly perilous situation the franchise found themselves in.

The Panthers took a four-point lead with just 2:39 left on the clock thanks to a Jalen Coker seven-yard touchdown grab. While the Carolina fans in attendance rightly celebrated their young team coming up big down the stretch, they must have had the same nagging thought in the back of their head that the watching public at home: “There’s too much time left on the clock”.

Stafford matter-of-factly put together a seven-play 71-yard scoring drive that was capped with a 19-yard dime to tight end Colby Parkinson. It was the second long scoring drive of the quarter that the presumptive MVP authored in a standout game. Yet, while Stafford was brilliant, he did face some adversity. He started the matchup in outstanding form, hitting his first eight passes for 114 yards and a score. After a shaky middle period, where the Panthers seemed to wrest momentum away from their much-fancied foes, his 15 dropbacks in the final stanza produced 143 yards and those two vital touchdowns. The Rams are close to a complete team that were dragged into a fierce competition by a game Carolina outfit. However, their #9 simply had all the answers.

Losers: Carolina’s linebackers

The Panthers’ own #9 gave it his level best, and it shouldn’t be overlooked that Bryce Young was able to author two go-ahead drives of his own, completing tight window throws to his standout rookie Tetoira McMillan and the emerging Jalen Coker. Coker has become a viable second banana in the passing game, finishing the game with nine catches for 134 yards and a score.

However, If you could single out one area where the Panthers lost the game, it would have to be their coverage in the middle of the field. Mike Jackson was outstanding on the boundary, snagging a pick and playing a huge role in breaking up Stafford’s sideline throws. The veteran completed just one of his 11 throws outside the numbers that travelled beyond the line of scrimmage in the contest — the game-winning toss to Parkinson. Stafford instead peppered the middle of the field, completing 22 of his 30 passes for 275 yards and two scores. Former Ram Christian Rozenboom and Claudin Cherelus were put in a blender by Sean McVay and his QB, routinely falling for the maze of crossing routes and misdirection designed to avert their eyes from the Rams’ cadre of supreme pass-catching options.

Losing in the final throes of a tight back-and-forth matchup against one of the best teams in the league is no shame for Dave Canales’ side. Can they build on this first postseason trip in eight years, and push on towards another NFC South title next term?

***

Green Bay Packers 27 @ 31 Chicago Bears

Winner: Ben Johnson

Entering this season, we all knew Ben Johnson had the smarts to make it as an NFL head coach. After his rookie campaign, we know he has the leadership skills to go to the very top. Addressing his team after their latest harum-scarum come-from-behind win, Johnson stuck the boots in on the franchise’s oldest rivals.

“F*ck the Packers. F*ck them. F*cking hate those guys.”

Johnson used all of that vitriol, and every inch of his encyclopedic knowledge of the game, to author an 18-point fourth quarter comeback to down the Packers in the most embarrassing way imaginable.

Chicago produced seven explosive plays in the fourth quarter at Soldier Field on Saturday night. Their first scoring drive took just two minutes off the clock, their second elapsed over two minutes and 30 seconds, their third took a little over a minute. Caleb Williams peppered the deep left portion of the field, completing four of six passes outside the numbers along the boundary, including a touchdown. The signature play came on a 4th-and-8 in his own half. The signal caller rolled out to his left, zipping a dart over three defenders to Rome Odunze, setting up an eight-yard score to Olamide Zaccheaus a few plays later.

If Williams and Johnson can stay on the same page, this team will never be beaten. That’s a scary proposition for any potential adversary through the remainder of the postseason.

Loser: Matt LaFleur

Even if LaFleur comes out of this with his stock lowered, it’s worth noting that it was the Bears brilliance that created the comeback, rather than a Packers disaster class.

Green Bay held the ball for 7:33 in the final period, and added a score of their own when Matthew Golden turned a short pass into a 23-yard touchdown with a slaloming run after the catch.

However, questions will be asked over the coach’s marshalling of the Packers’ penultimate possession. With 4:12 remaining, the Packers led by three. Given the Bears had all three timeouts, ultra-conservatism would be insufficient to ice the game. The Packers started with a receiver screen, but followed up with three passing plays, all of which travelled more than 20 yards in the air. Green Bay targeted the perimeter, eschewing space over the middle that was certainly available against an all-out blitz on a second-and-10 deep shot to Luke Musgrave.

LaFleur is now 2-3 in postseason games where the Packers entered as favourites. Reports suggest the coach will be given a new contract to reflect his success as Packers head coach, but he will have to demonstrate more tactical nous in tight situations if Green Bay is to take the next step under his leadership.

***

San Francisco 49ers 23 @ 19 Philadelphia Eagles

Loser: Kevin Patullo

In his post-match presser, Jalen Hurts gave a telling statement. The dethroned Super Bowl MVP left a massive pause after his claim that the 49ers coaching staff ‘coached well’. The knowing look he gave the assorted media told the story: Our (offensive) coaches, got their pants pulled down.

The Eagles’ loss follows an all-too familiar story. The offense looked imperious in the early going, marching down the field behind a rampant rushing attack, notching 177 yards and two scores on their first three drives. Here’s how their ensuing possessions went:

3 plays, 1 yard — PUNT
3 plays, 7 yards — PUNT
4 plays, -4 yards — PUNT
10 plays, 23 yards — FIELD GOAL
3 plays, -3 yards — PUNT
8 plays, 47 yards — FIELD GOAL
10 plays, 44 yards — TURNOVER ON DOWNS

That’s 41 plays for 119 yards. A lethal combination of poor tempo, a drop off in run and pass blocking, a skittish Hurts performance in the pocket, brutal drops from A.J. Brown and a lack of imagination in the playcalling department consigned a talented group to another second half disaster class.

Patullo will likely lose his job, and with good reason. But questions must be asked of Nick Sirianni. Ostensibly an offensive-minded coach, Sirianni has proven to be a terrible talent spotter in playcallers. Brian Johnson was an unmitigated disaster in 2023, while Patullo has failed to build on Kellen Moore’s scheme from last season. Note that Moore was the pick of Howie Roseman and Jeff Lurie, not the head coach.

Regression on offense has been the story of the Eagles Super Bowl defence (if you can even call it that). Philly has to get the next offensive hire right, or it could spell the end of Sirianni’s successful tenure in the City of Brotherly Love.

Winner: Kyle Shanahan

Loathe as I am to compliment the San Francisco 49ers — a team that many Eagles fans now view as their primary rivals after a slew of high-profile matchups over the past few years — you simply have to give credit where it’s due. Kyle Shanahan has worked wonders this season.

But then, should we be surprised at this point? This supremely talented roster has been snake-bitten for years. This term, despite injuries to Brock Purdy, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and, once again, George Kittle — who left Sunday’s game with a suspected torn Achilles — they have battled to a 13-5 record. That takes grit, teamwork and football smarts.

Shanahan went into his bag to overcome Vic Fangio’s fierce defense in the fourth quarter. The Niners first go-ahead score in the final stanza came off a Jauan Jennings reverse and pass to a streaking Christian McCaffrey which left Reed Blankenship looking like a spinning top. The winning touchdown came on a McCaffrey Texas route, where the All-Pro running back came across the formation to then cut back sharply on the goal-line. It’s the kind of Xs and Os wizardry that separates the very best offensive minds from the pack. Whatever comes from their third tilt against the Seahawks in Seattle next weekend, we can safely say that this is the best coaching job Shanahan has put forward in a career defined by making the sweetest lemonade out of the most sour lemons.

***

Buffalo Bills 27 @ 24 Jacksonville Jaguars

Winner: Josh Allen

Before we get into the narratives, let’s just address the play on the field. Josh Allen was near-faultless in the Bills’ exhilarating win in Duval County on Sunday. The reigning regular season MVP went 28-for-35, 273 yards and a touchdown through the air. He added two more on the ground. According to Pro Football Focus, Allen didn’t offer up a single turnover-worthy play, while logging just two off-target throws on 35 attempts. Despite taking a beating from a fierce Jaguars front, he took just one sack on 39 dropbacks.

There were signature plays. On a 4th-and-1 at the Jags’ 10, with just 1:10 left on the clock and facing a four-point deficit, the Bills lined up for a sneak. Allen comfortably got the yardage, but managed to stay upright, combining his own unnatural running strength with the help of his offensive line, landing inches short of the goalline. Who else is making that play?

Not Patrick Mahomes, nor Lamar Jackson. Certainly not Joe Burrow. The absence of Allen’s elite quarterbacking rivals in the AFC playoffs has already been used as a stick to beat the Bills quarterback. If he can’t get to the big game with those superstars sitting at home, then some will view it as a failure. I’d rather look at it as another feather in the cap of the league’s best quarterback. Mahomes, Jackson and Burrow couldn’t drag faltering rosters to the postseason; Allen could. Better than that, he’s led an incomplete team to a road playoff win.

Losers: Jarrian Jones and Greg Newsome

Jacksonville’s run defense did their job. The number one unit in the league, which hadn’t given up 75 rushing yards to a single player all season, lived up to their billing, holding the league’s rushing champion James Cook to a measly 46 yards on 15 attempts. The Jags’ front seven were flying to the ball throughout the whole 60 minutes, landing punishing blows on Allen and Cook without losing their discipline.

But the passing defense could not hold up their end of the bargain. The Jags’ boundary corners, Jarrian Jones and Greg Newsome, allowed 13 of the 14 attempts sent their way to be completed. Given the Bills offense was relying heavily on the veteran Brandin Cooks and the unheralded Tyrell Shavers, that’s a game-breaking return for a well-rounded unit that had many believing they could facilitate a deep run.

Some of the blame should still rest with Trevor Lawrence. While the fifth-year signal caller showed flashes of the brilliance that dragged him into the MVP discussion on the franchise’s nine-game winning streak, two costly interceptions — including a game-ending pick to Cole Bishop — were back-breaking missteps against Allen’s near-perfect display.

***

Los Angeles Chargers 3 @ 16 New England Patriots

Loser: Justin Herbert

Yikes.

Justin Herbert has long-served as something of a Roschach Test for football fans. Tape grinders and talent evaluators view him as a prototypical quarterback, under-served by organisational mishaps and poor offensive line play. Meat-and-potatoes ball-knowers question his moxie in the crucial moments. There was plenty in this performance for both parties to feel they were right.

Herbert logged 159 passing yards on 31 attempts. However, he lost 39 of that paltry return on six sacks. There were wildly inaccurate throws, and quick escapes out of the pocket, regardless of whether a sack was imminent. The 27-year-old simply did not stand up to the pressure, resulting in the third loss of his playoff career. He is still yet to taste victory in the postseason.

Winner: New England’s secondary

In our latest digital mag, I took a look at the Patriots re-emergence in the 2025 season. While I was largely positive on New England’s worst-to-first showing this term, I did suggest they would struggle in the postseason due to their defensive issues from Week 8 onward. New England had generated just 11 sacks in their past nine games. They notched six in this game alone.

Rather than the pressure coming from impressive stunts or individual brilliance on the line, despite the return of Milton Williams, Mike Vrabel’s defense played a disciplined game, hemming Herbert in behind a leaky offensive line that has undergone repeated personnel changes throughout the year. When he did escape, they were able to mitigate disaster, rallying to the ball quickly and efficiently.

They were aided and abetted by a lock-down performance in the back end. Even with their impressive sack total come game’s end, Herbert still had more than three seconds per dropback, according to TruMedia. That’s plenty of time to throw, not that Herbert could do anything with it. His dropbacks that lasted more than three seconds resulted in a loss of 10.5 EPA according to TruMedia.

New England’s soft schedule has garnered legitimate questions over their readiness for the postseason. They answered their first challenge adequately.