What we learned from the wild card round By Matthew Engelhardt

We learned a lot about which teams are for real and which teams need to add more pieces in the offseason.

We learned in the Rams vs. Panthers game that the Panthers are good but the Rams are better. Matthew Stafford had 304 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, completing the winning drive with 38 seconds left. Puka Nacua had 10 catches, 111 yards, 1 receiving TD, and 1 rushing TD. Both players leading their team to victory. Key Stats:

  • Panthers converted just 5 of 12 third downs and went 0-for-3 on fourth down, compared to 10-of-18 in their Week 13 meeting.
  • The Panthers averaged 3.1 yards per carry on designed runs, their fourth-lowest mark of the season, according to Next Gen Stats
  • The Rams had 1 turnover (an interception) compared to the Panthers' 2 turnovers (1 interception, 1 fumble lost)
  • The Rams need to work on penalties if they want to go far because

they committed a season-high 9 penalties for 83 yards

Matthew Stafford had 304 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT, and controlled the field against the Panthers leading a game wining drive to put the Rams in the divisional round.

The Packers vs. Bears game was a wild one with the Bears coming back from down 18 points in the fourth quarter, which is the largest comeback in franchise history! DJ Moore caught the game sealing touchdown with 1 minute and 43 seconds left. And Caleb Williams threw for 361 passing yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs (283 of his yards came in the second half). Colston Loveland had 8 catches for 137 yards (Bears postseason record for a rookie TE). The Packers preformed well in the first half but only scored 7 points in the second half. Jordan Love had 323 passing yards, 4 TDs. And Romeo Doubs had 8 catches for 124 yards and a TD. Key Stats:

  • First win for the Bears this season without forcing a turnover, despite forcing four fumbles
  • The Bears defense held Josh Jacob’s to just 2.9 YPC (yards per carry)
  • Bears' lowest win percentage during victory over the Packers. From 6:51 in the second quarter to 2:59 in the fourth quarter, their win percentage never exceeded 25%. According to Next Gen Stats
Caleb Williams had 283 yds in the second half leading his team to comeback win over the Packers.

The Eagles vs 49ers game was a wild one with the game coming down to the wire! Erick Kendricks broke up Jalen Hurts pass to have the 49ers win the game! Brock Purdy haddock 262 yds, 2TDs, 2 INTs. Demarcus Robinson had 6 Rec, 111 yds, 1 TD who filled in for injured receivers, Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle (who tore his Achilles with around 6 minutes left in the second quarter.) Christian McCaffery had 2 receiving TDs, and 1 was thrown by Juan Jennings. Jalen Hurts had 168 yds and 1 TD. Dallas Goedert had 2 TDs (1 receiving and 1 rushing.) Key Stats:

  • Eagles outrushed 49ers 140-75, but the pass game was not good with only 168 pass yds and only 20 completions
  • The Eagles set an NFL playoff record with, 4 third-down dropped passes, ending drives
  • Quinyon Mitchell although had 2 INTs, and played great defense
Christian McCaffery hauled in the pass from Juan Jennings on a trick play to change the momentum.

The Bills vs Jaguars was also a wild one with the Bills winning 27-24 off a game winning pick by Cole Bishop! Josh Allen had 28/35, 273 Yds, 1 TD, 11 Car, 33 Yds, 2 TDs (rushing). Dalton Kincaid caught a 15 TD pass in the 4th quarter. Trevor Lawrence had 18/30, 207 Yds, 3 TDs, 2 INTs (including the game-sealer). Parker Washington had 7 Rec, 107 Yds, 1 TD. Key Stats:

  • The Bills converted 7 of 14 third downs to the Jags' 5 of 9 even though the Jags were more efficient but the Bills converted more
  • Jags had more total yards (359 vs 340) and a higher yards per play (6.6 vs 5.5)
  • The Bills won the turnover battle 2-0 (2 INTs by Trevor Lawrence)

Josh Allen had 2 rushing TDs leading his team in a narrow one vs the Jags.

The Patriots vs the Chargers was a blowout, the Pats won the game 16-3. Drake Maye had 17/29, 268 Yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, 66 Rush Yds (Led his team in rushing.) Rhamondre Stevenson had 75 Rec Yds, 53 Rush Yds, 128 total yards on 13 touches. Justin Herbert had 19/31, 159 Yds, 57 Rush Yds (also team high in rushing yds.) Key stats:

  • The Pats had 6 Sacks, held Chargers to 207 total yards, 1-for-13 on late downs, and 0-for-2 in red zone
  • Drake Maye despite a slow start and some mistakes (fumble, INT), made key plays with his legs and arm, including the crucial TD pass, to secure his first playoff win.
  • The Patriots generated only a 29.2% pressure rate, compared to 45% when they blitzed Herbert, showing that they needed to blitz a lot to get more pressure