Wild Card Takeaways for the 2025 NFL Season

Now that we’ve said goodbye to more than half of the league’s teams, it was time for the remaining 14 squads to prove that they should advance in the playoffs. This week, 12 competed. Denver and Seattle earned the byes in their respective conferences, getting the week off. Mistakes are amplified in the postseason because there are no do-overs. One loss, and your season ends. There are no do-overs like in baseball and basketball. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how each (2) through (7) seed did in my wild card takeaways. The games are sorted based on when they occurred (earliest first), separated by conference.

AFC

(6) Buffalo Bills 27, (3) Jacksonville Jaguars 24

On paper, this was the most difficult outcome to predict. Jacksonville came in on an 8-game win streak and got to host the game, but Buffalo is the most playoff-tested team in the AFC field. The Bills’ defense started with an edge, nearly picking off a Trevor Lawrence pass on a deflection by WR Parker Washington. They say that the ball doesn’t lie though, and LB Shaq Thompson intercepted Lawrence’s very next pass. Jacksonville, the league’s #1 rushing defense, held Buffalo to 3 points off the takeaway. The unit lived up to its billing, with star RB James Cook running for just 46 yards on 15 carries against the Jags.

Conversely, run defense is Buffalo’s biggest weakness. It showed as soon as JAX got the ball back, but it was rookie backup RB Bhayshul Tuten (4/51) who powered the offense first. WR Brian Thomas Jr (2/21/1) scored on the possession but was otherwise a nonfactor. Jacksonville benefitted from some great luck on the ensuing kickoff, as KR Ray Davis fumbled after being the victim of some friendly fire. However, they wasted the turnover, failing on 4th-and-2 at the Bills’ 9. The huge defensive stand energized the offense, and Buffalo QB Josh Allen led a 92-yard TD drive, which he punctuated with a powerful TD run.

Allen took a hard hit on the play but never missed a snap, living up to his “Superman” moniker. Still Buffalo didn’t score again in the half, and Jacksonville failed on their scoring chance. Just before halftime, the Jags amazingly dashed to midfield and snapped the ball to spike it as the clock expired, and Buffalo hadn’t gotten back onside. After a long discussion by the officials, K Cam Little got to try a 54-yard FG, but he missed it. Those were important points to have, as the two defenses took charge in the 3rd quarter. Each team scored just 1 FG in the 3rd quarter, as Buffalo’s #1 pass defense lived up to its reputation.

The dam broke for good in the 4th quarter. Lawrence (18/30, 207 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs; 6/31 rushing) hit WR Parker Washington (7/107/1) for a go-ahead score. Since about midseason, Washington has developed into a real weapon. Buffalo got a midseason boost at WR as well, adding Brandin Cooks (3/58). He and Khalil Shakir (12/82) were the Bills’ only real weapons. Lawrence had Washington and an old friend, RB Travis Etienne (10/67; 5/49/1 receiving), who has looked reborn since the arrival of HC Liam Coen. The teams ultimately traded TDs for 4 straight drives, with the fourth and final score being decisive for Buffalo.

On that 66-yard march, the Bills faced 4th-and-1 at the JAX 11. They ran a tush push, and Allen (28/35, 273 yards, TD; 11/33/2 rushing) somehow earned 10 yards on the play. I hope the Packers re-introduce their proposal to ban that stupid thing. Jacksonville let Allen score on another tush push from the 1 to preserve time. With one last chance, Lawrence threw a pick to S Cole Bishop on the very first play of the drive, ending the Jaguars’ hopes. He’s still just a little bit shy of taking that proverbial next step, as his two INTs and turnover on downs (on a scramble that came up short) ended up deciding this game.

To say this ending makes Jacksonville’s season an unsuccessful one would be false. They took a monster step forward this year. Expectations only got heightened in the final 8 weeks. Before then, nobody had a division title in the cards for this team. They’re still young and have room to improve further. Buffalo notched its first road playoff win since 1992, and Allen made it happen. He was nearly flawless on the day. That’ll need to continue next week at Denver, where he’ll face the league’s #2 overall defense. The Bills are still the most seasoned playoff team left in the AFC, so perhaps this is their year to go on a deep run.

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

Of all 6 games played this weekend, this one was the most dull. If you like defense, you probably enjoyed it, but most of the contest came down to bad offense. For the Chargers, the lack of RB Omarion Hampton hurt. The injured back was supposedly good to go for the game, but he played just 2 snaps and lost a yard on 1 carry. Given their already known offensive line issues, it was clear that the defense would have to do the heavy lifting. They started off great, with LB Daiyan Henley picking off a batted Drake Maye pass at the NE 10. However, the offense failed on 4th down, so they scored no points. What’s with these coaches?

Handing NE the ball at their own 2 didn’t even matter, as RB Rhamondre Stevenson (10/53; 3/75 receiving) took a short pass for 48 yards on 1st-and-10. His power and pass catching really helped in this game. NE converted on a 4th down of their own but only earned an FG off the 93-yard march. LA got back inside the Patriots’ 5 and faced a 4th-and-2, but they wisely kicked the FG to tie the game. Late in the half, LAC had a chance to go ahead. The officials assisted by wrongly giving them a 1st down on a tush push. Things evened out when Pats DT Milton Williams sacked QB Justin Herbert but wasn’t penalized for smacking his head.

LA had to punt, and Maye used a 37-yard scramble to set up an FG. The Patriots added another FG to start the 3rd, but Maye lost a fumble on a strip sack after a long drive a bit later. Finally, in the 4th quarter, NE finally reached the end zone. Maye (17/29, 268 yards, TD, INT; 10/66 rushing, FUM) found TE Hunter Henry (3/64) for a score, and the game felt out of reach. Herbert (19/31, 159 yards; 10/57 rushing) then lost a fumble of his own. He fumbled earlier, but RB Kimani Vidal (11/31; 2/20 receiving) recovered that one for a good gain. Los Angles never scored again, and Williams (2 sacks) sacked Herbert to finish LAC off.

Sacks were the name of this game. LA had 5 of them, with 3 coming from midseason pickup Odafe Oweh. New England totaled 6 sacks, as their stunts messed with the backup linemen of the Chargers all night. As much as I want to credit the Pats’ defense (and it was good!), LA imploded. Herbert’s playoff reputation is growing increasingly poor with each stinker. New England now gets to host Houston, which will be a MUCH stiffer challenge. If the Pats had trouble against the Chargers’ defense, Houston’s is 10x better. Maye will need to find a way to put up points against a team that is excellent at preventing them.

(5) Houston Texans 30, (4) Pittsburgh Steelers 6

If this was the last game for Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers, it was a sad way for a legendary career to end. He got WR DK Metcalf back from his 2-game suspension, but he had just 2 catches for 42 yards (both in the first half). Pittsburgh had no real offense, with just 175 total yards. They earned 6 points off two FGs: one following a putrid Texans punt and another following a Texans turnover. And yet, the Steelers trailed just 7-6 at halftime because Houston’s offense was in full meltdown mode. As I’ve mentioned numerous times this year, this offensive line can’t pass protect, and the issue came to a head in this game.

QB CJ Stroud was pressured within a second of the snap on most occasions. However, he also hurt his team with the worst game of his career. For some reason, Stroud dropped 3 different snaps but managed to recover two of them. He had lost 0 fumbles this season, but he coughed up the ball twice here. Stroud (21/32, 250 yards, TD, INT; 5 FUM, 2 lost) lost his first fumble on a flea flicker attempt that got blown up thanks to a busted protection. Steelers rookie DE Jack Sawyer came around and knocked the ball out of Stroud’s hand, ending a promising possession. However, the Steelers went 3-and-out after that due to a Metcalf drop.

In the second quarter, the Texans actually had a great 92-yard drive that was powered by the run. The beleaguered line got push in the ground game, springing RBs Woody Marks (19/112/1) and Nick Chubb to good gains. A TD catch by the game’s only ultra-productive receiver, WR Christian Kirk (8/144/1), gave Houston their only points through three quarters. At the end of the half, Stroud missed a wide-open Nico Collins (3/21) to blow a chance for an FG. More concerningly, Collins left early in the game, returned quickly, but then left on a cart in the second half with a concussion. His status for next week is unknown at this time.

Stroud threw a red-zone INT to start the 3rd quarter, and he just rushed the throw. Having taken 3 sacks already, he felt phantom pressure, as the protection was actually great for once. He rebounded with a 46-yard pass to Kirk that set up an FG early in the 4th quarter, but it was still a 1-score game. That’s when the defense completely took over. Houston’s pass rush strip sacked Rodgers twice, and DT Sheldon Rankins (1.5 sacks) took one of them back for a score. The D-line clowned Pittsburgh’s tackles all game, and the Texans racked up 4 sacks and 8 TFLs. Houston also dominated 3rd down: 10/15 for them, and 2/14 for Pittsburgh.

S Calen Bullock put the cherry on top with a 50-yard pick six. In total, Houston’s defense scored double the output from Pittsburgh’s offense (14-6). Not having LT Broderick Jones hurt the Steelers, but Rodgers (17/33, 146 yards, INT, FUM) simply had no chance. Every lineman had a rough game, and he had few pass-catching options. Pittsburgh dropped their 7th straight playoff game, leading to another offseason of questions. Houston is no longer the only team to have never won a road playoff game. With that incredible defense, they might win another next week at New England. They’re historically exceptional.

NFC

(5) Los Angeles Rams 34, (4) Carolina Panthers 31

Most of us saw this game as the least-competitive matchup of the weekend. Yes, Carolina upset the Rams in week 13, but it took 3 turnovers and a career performance from Panthers QB Bryce Young to win by 3 in a fluky outcome. After all, this team couldn’t even win their way into the postseason. For about a quarter and change, our suspicions seemed to be coming true. Carolina opened the game with a failed 4th-and-1 at their own 45, which the Rams turned into a quick score. WR Puka Nacua, a unanimous All-Pro, caught 3 passes and the score on the drive from QB Matthew Stafford (also a first-team All-Pro).

Fellow WR Davante Adams (5/72) returned from his hamstring injury, though he didn’t have a catch for a while. He eventually got involved though, and his presence opened things up for Nacua (10/111/1; 3/14/1 rushing). The Panthers got more bad news when LT Ikem Ekwonu went down with a knee injury (he did not return). They managed to post a good drive, but it ended with an INT that came on a play that looked out of sorts. Naturally, that led to Nacua’s second TD. Carolina didn’t roll over like an 8-9 team could though. They immediately responded with a drive led by WR Tetairoa McMillan (5/81) that resulted in a TD.

Another mistake nearly cost the Panthers a bit later, as RB Trevor Etienne muffed a punt at his own 41. LA recovered, but they made a stupid decision to go on 4th-and-3, which they missed. Worst still, Stafford hit his finger on a defender’s arm, and whether it bother him or not, it clearly affected him. After an 8-8 start, he fell under 50% on his passes. Following the turnover on downs, a bad PI call against the Rams gave the Panthers new life. Young (21/40, 264 yards, TD, INT; 3/24/1 rushing) converted it into a TD. Right before the half, we saw the biggest stunner of them all: a drop by Nacua that would’ve been a long TD.

For some reason, the Rams have these lulls, especially against Carolina. It’s the reason they fell from the 1 seed to the 5 seed. Uncharacteristically, LA also committed 9 penalties for 83 yards. This was the least-penalized team in the NFL coming into the game. The Panthers utilized RB Chuba Hubbard (13/46/2; 2/13 receiving) to drive down for a tying FG, and after the Rams kicked an FG of their own, Carolina didn’t learn their lesson. They went on 4th-and-4 at the LAR 48 and missed. Luckily for them, Stafford threw it right back with an INT. His finger was really bothering him at that point, though he wouldn’t admit it.

Not letting their good fortune go to waste, the Panthers scored a TD for their first lead of the game. The key play on the drive was a 51-yard pass to WR Jalen Coker (9/134/1), who had quite the breakout game in this contest. LA retook the lead with a better commitment to the ground game, but then their biggest weakness struck. They allowed Carolina to block a punt, setting them up at the LAR 30. Shortly thereafter, the Panthers took a 31-27 lead but with 2:39 remaining. At that point, Stafford ignored whatever was going on with his finger and reverted to MVP form. In just 2:01, he led the Rams 71 yards down the field.

TE Colby Parkinson (2/34/1) made a tremendous grab for the go-ahead TD, and suddenly Carolina was desperate. A Rams defense that struggled to get pressure all game harassed Young and forced a 4-and-out, preserving the upset. These Panthers, as inconsistent as they can be, played their hearts out. If nothing else, they proved that they belonged. LA needs to hope that this is just a bad matchup for them. More importantly, Stafford (24/42, 304 yards, 3 TDs, INT) needs to be healthy. As he goes, so do the Rams. They’ll next head to Chicago, where their second-half swoons will not be acceptable. I suspect they’ll be ready.

(2) Chicago Bears 31, (7) Green Bay Packers 27

Despite this being the NFL’s oldest rivalry, Green Bay and Chicago have only faced one another twice before in the playoffs. Number 3 was a tale of two halves. The first half was a dominant showing by the Packers. QB Jordan Love returned from his concussion at a critical time. Green Bay entered the postseason on a 4-game losing skid, and their run defense has been the NFL’s worst since OLB Micah Parsons tore his ACL (lines don’t have to double-team him anymore). Also aiding in the Pack’s cause was a much healthier-looking RB Josh Jacobs (19/55), whose burst looked better than it has in a while.

Chicago opened with a 16-play FG drive, but the rest of the half was all Green Bay. They responded with an 85-yard TD drive and allowed the Bears to self-destruct. Chicago went for a gutsy 4th-and-2 at their own 38 and converted, but a 4th-and-6 on the same drive ended in an INT. The Packers scored on an 87-yard drive, and then Chicago made the same mistake. This time, they threw an incompletion on 4th-and-5 at their own 32. For all the good HC Ben Johnson has done this year, the former Lions OC learned the wrong lessons from his old team about going for it on 4th down. A third GB touchdown created a 21-3 hole.

For good measure, the Bears missed on another 4th down right after that, but at least this one was in Packers territory. QB Caleb Williams (24/48, 361 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs; 4/20 rushing) was under duress and inaccurate for much of this game, making the 4th-down decisions even more baffling. Conversely, Green Bay fared better on that crucial down. On their 3rd TD drive, they went on 4th-and-1 at the CHI 23, and WR Christian Watson (4/36/1) converted but fumbled at the goal line. Fellow receiver Romeo Doubs (8/124/1), the Packers’ best wideout on the day, saved the ball. Four downs later, GB scored on 4th-and-goal.

Love (24/46, 323 yards, 4 TDs) was sensational in the first half because he faced almost no pressure. Chicago struggled to rush even without Packers RT Zach Tom available. They then got shredded in man coverage. Green Bay’s only error was a missed 55-yard FG by K Brandon McManus to end the half. However, Chicago wasn’t deterred by the 21-3 deficit. These two teams split their first pair of meetings this year, but both of them involved furious Chicago comebacks. To start the 3rd quarter, the Bears had a different defense. Whatever DC Dennis Allen did, he completely flipped a switch and clamped down on Love and Jacobs.

Offensively, it took a bit more time to get going. They scored an FG on their first possession, but another 4th-and-1 failure (in the red zone) ended in an INT. Special teams helped spur them. PR Devin Duvernay ran a punt back 37 yards to set up another FG to start the 4th quarter. He followed that up with a 22-yard runback, and Chicago finally scored their first TD of the game. Leading by just 1 score, GB had Jacobs return a kick. He got to the 45 but nearly lost the ball. Rookie WR Matthew Golden (4/84/1), who had 0 regular-season TDs, earned his first career score here. Crucially though, McManus missed the subsequent PAT.

Chicago led another TD drive, this time enjoying a 4th-down success with WR Rome Odunze (2/44), who just came back from injury. Williams seemed otherwise fixated on TE Colston Loveland (8/137), who responded with his best pro performance. A 2-point conversion to Loveland brought the Bears within 3 points. Green Bay drove 43 yards but only burnt 1:27 of clock. Worse still, a delay of game following a timeout (that’s inexcusable) pushed them back, and McManus missed a 44-yard FG. It would’ve been good from 39 yards out. The Cardiac bears struck again, and WR DJ Moore (6/64/1) gave Chicago its first lead with a TD.

Love botched the Packers’ last-ditch drive, reaching Bears territory but misfiring on key passes. A lineman going down and incurring a 10-second runoff didn’t help, but neither did Love’s dropped snap on the game’s final play. As a result, the Bears got their first postseason win in 15 years. The future of GB HC Matt LaFleur is now in doubt due to this epic collapse. Meanwhile, Chicago gets to host the LA Rams, which isn’t a great draw for them. OT Ozzy Trapilo (torn patellar tendon) and LB TJ Edwards (broken leg) are both done for the year, and those are two key guys. Williams will need to be even more special to advance.

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

The defending champs are out. This game was a rematch of the NFC conference championship game for the 2022 season. In that game, the fight was completely unfair, as 49ers QB Brock Purdy tore his UCL early on and backup Josh Johnson left with a concussion. San Francisco came into this year’s edition with plenty of injuries yet again, but they still had Purdy. On the second play of the game, he hit WR Demarcus Robinson for a 61-yard catch and run and then found the veteran for a TD a few plays later. With so many weapons out for Niners, Robinson (6/111/1) stepped up in a big way, and he was sorely needed.

Philadelphia responded with a heavy dose of RB Saquon Barkley (26/106; 3/25 receiving), though TE Dallas Goedert (4/33/1; rush TD) finished the drive with a rushing TD. In a continuation of a worrying trend, Jake Elliott missed the PAT, which would matter greatly later. On their next drive, Philly failed on 4th down, extending their multi-week streak of not having converted on 4th-down plays. This offense remained as mercurial as they’ve been all year. To start the second quarter, they had a 16-play, 94-yard, 9-minute TD drive that included a classic 4th-down tush push. Then, they went quiet for more than 15 game minutes.

San Francisco’s second quarter couldn’t have gone much worse. Though they only got outscored 7-3 during the period, star TE George Kittle went down and left on a cart. He’d be diagnosed shortly thereafter with a torn Achilles. To end the half, the 49ers burnt a timeout because of a wrong formation and then let the clock burn for an eternity before snapping the ball a bit later in the drive. Purdy ran a good QB keeper to get into FG range, but he fumbled the ball before reaching the sideline. That incurred a 10-second runoff, and the half ended. A Purdy INT by CB Quinyon Mitchell also killed a promising drive to start the 3rd quarter.

Many problems likely stemmed from the heavy Philly wind. Normally reliably P Thomas Morstead kicked a bad 25-yard punt, and the Eagles earned an FG off of it. Still trailing 16-10, Niners HC Kyle Shanahan dialed up a doozy of a play to begin the 4th quarter. He called a double reverse and a pass from WR Jauan Jennings (1/45) to RB Christian McCaffrey (15/48; 6/66/2 receiving) for a go-ahead 29-yard TD. It was a brilliant play, but Purdy (18/31, 262 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs; 9/24 rushing) threw another INT to Mitchell, and the Eagles retook the lead with an FG. They only scored because of a horrid roughing call on a sliding QB Jalen Hurts.

Regardless, Purdy and the 49ers responded, and he threw a TD to McCaffrey (because who else was left?). This time, K Eddy Pineiro missed a PAT. San Francisco’s banged-up defense didn’t fail though. Thanks to a drop from WR AJ Brown (3/25) and some misfires under pressure by Hurts (20/35, 168 yards, TD), the Eagles’ comeback attempt came up short. Their late-season collapse wasn’t 2023-esque, but their 1st-round flameout was. Offensively, these Eagles never had it. SF, resilient as can be, now heads to Seattle for a rematch, this time without Kittle. My hopes aren’t very high, but doubt this team at your own risk.