WILDCARD WEEKEND

In a brand new playoff schedule, twelve teams faced off in the NFL WildCard Weekend, the first matchups of the 2021 playoffs. The playoff games were held throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday with each team facing off in single elimination matches that determine the advancement to the divisional matchups. 

“I was really excited for this year’s playoffs especially with the new format. I think WildCard Weekend was really fun to watch especially with a lot of the really close games like the Bills vs the Colts. Overall I’m really excited to watch playoff football” (Mark Lester ‘21)

On Saturday morning, the first game of the weekend, the Buffalo Bills faced off against the Indianapolis Colts. Led by Quarterback Josh Allen, a current MVP Candidate, the Bills managed to narrowly beat the Colts 27-24. This playoff win marked the end of the Bill’s 25 year playoff-win drought that has been ongoing since 1995.  

In the next matchup of the day, The Los Angeles Rams faced off against the Seattle Seahawks. While the Seahawks were the favorites for the games, the Los Angeles Rams defense stepped up, shutting down Seahawks QB Russel Wilson, helping the Rams win 30-20. It was a game of sweet revenge for the Rams who choked the top spot in the division to the same Seahawks team just two weeks prior.   

In the last game of the night, the Buccaneers veteran QB, Tom Brady, faced off against the Washington Football team’s backup QB Taylor Heincke. Despite Heincke having only one prior start, he managed to put up an impressive 300 passing yards along with a touchdown. However, the Buccaneers, led by the three time MVP Tom Brady, beat the Washington Football team 31-23. 

A day later, on Sunday morning, the Tennessee Titans played the Baltimore Ravens. Throughout the game, the Ravens defense stepped up, managing to hold MVP candidate Derrick Henry to only 40 yards in 18 carries, his worst performance of the season. On the other hand, Raven’s QB Lamar Jackson played a phenomenal game with over 130 rushing yards, leading the Ravens to a 20-13 win. 

The next game of the day, the Chicago Bears faced off against the New Orleans Saints. With the Bears unable to create any offense throughout the game, Veteran QB Drew Brees would lead the New Orleans Saints to a 21-9 win against the Bears. The New Orleans Saints will face off against the Buccaneers on Sunday Jan 17.

In the last game of Wildcard Weekend, the fierce rivals, the Browns and the Steelers battled it out in the Pittsburgh cold. In the biggest upset of the weekend, the Browns defeated the Steelers 48-37. For the Steelers, it was a disappointment that marked the first loss to the Browns at home in 17 games. Browns fans were ecstatic, as this victory marked the first playoff win since 1995. 

DIVISIONAL WEEKEND

Just last weekend was the next rounds of the playoffs, the NFL Divisional matchups. This round, four games were played to determine who would be advancing to the Conference Championships. On Saturday the games played included the Rams vs Packers and Ravens vs Bills. The next day the games included the Browns vs Chiefs and Buccaneers vs Saints.  

“I thought this year’s divisional matchups were really interesting. I was pretty surprised about how a lot of the games went, and overall I thought the games were exciting and fun to watch. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing who will end up in the Super Bowl” (Grace Chen ‘21)

In the first matchup of the weekend, the Los Angeles Rams faced off against the Green Bay Packers. While the Los Angeles Rams boasted one of the best defenses this season they were unable to stop Packers Qb, Aarron Rodgers. In a highly anticipated matchup, top cornerback on the Rams, Jalen Ramsey, was unable to stop Green Bay Wide Receiver, Devante Adams, who received 9 catches and scored a touchdown. The Packers would end up winning the game 32-18 and are moving on to the Conference finals.  

Later in the afternoon, the Baltimore Ravens faced off against the Buffalo Bills. Early on, this game shaped up to be a defensive showdown. By the end of the first half, the score remained tied at just 3-3. Yet, in the third quarter, the Bills offense found a spark and with 2 touchdowns, they secured a strong lead. With a quarter to go the Ravens still had a chance to comeback, but after Ravens QB Lamar Jackson was pulled out of the game due to a concussion, the Bills managed to win 17-3. 

The next day the returning Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, played against the underdogs the Cleveland Browns. In this matchup the Chiefs were the strong favorites in this matchup. With Super Bowl MVP, QB Patrick Mahomes, leading the Chiefs they asserted a strong lead early on in the game. Yet, a concussion later in the game placed Mahomes on the sideline. The Browns quickly scored a touchdown bringing the score to a nail biting 22-17. But Chief’s backup QB Chad Henne managed to keep the ball out of the Browns hands and secure a win for the Kansas City Chiefs.  

In the last game of the weekend, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced off against the New Orlean Saints. This game was a battle between the two legendary Quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Drew Brees. Despite the anticipation, both QB’s put up disappointing numbers. Tom Brady threw for only 199 yards, although he did score two touchdowns. Drew Brees put up even worse numbers, going 19-34 on passes and throwing for a mere 134 yards. However, the Buccaneers capitalized on the run game, and pulled off a 30-10 win. 

This year’s playoffs have been filled with upsets, heartbreakers, and standout players. As the Superbowl creeps even closer, it will be exciting to watch some of the NFL’s best teams get even closer to the coveted Superbowl. With all the great teams remaining, it will be a battle for all the teams to take home the NFL’s Super Bowl Championship.