Four football playoff games were decided by a cumulative score of 64 to 154, a difference of 90 points and an average margin of victory of 22.5 points. Two games were decided by single digits. The 2021 Wild Card weekend had something for everyone. What happened in the six win-or-go home games that took place last weekend?
Since the addition of an extra playoff team into the NFL’s playoff system, the No.7 seed hasn’t fared well in back-to-back seasons. The No.7 seeds, the Steelers and Eagles, were both dominated from start to finish in their matchups, losing by a difference of 37 combined points. In 2020, the No. 7 seeds lost by a combined score of 15 points. The No. 7 seed is now 0-4 in two seasons.
Despite those three games being decided by multiple scores, the matchups between the Raiders vs. Bengals and the 49ers vs. Cowboys went down to the final whistle.
The No.5 seeded Raiders fell to the No.4 seeded Bengals when quarterback Derek Carr threw an interception to Germaine Pratt on fourth-and-goal with just 12 seconds remaining. In a well-balanced matchup, the Bengals jumped out to a 20-6 lead in the second quarter. The Raiders shot back, lowering the deficit to just seven points with 14 minutes left, though they couldn’t complete the comeback.
The No.6 seeded 49ers took down the No.3 seeded Cowboys in a game that had controversy at the final whistle. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott ran up the middle with just 14 seconds left and the team couldn’t spike the ball before the clock hit triple zeroes. The rule says that the ball cannot be snapped unless the umpire touches the ball. In this case, the ball was handed to the center instead of the umpire, resulting in an extra delay that would end up costing the Cowboys a chance at a final play Hail Mary.
The Divisional Round is set. The No. 4 Bengals will travel to Tennessee to take on the No. 1 seeded Titans. In the matchup of the weekend, the No. 3 Bills are heading to Kansas City to face the reigning AFC champion, No. 2 seeded Chiefs. The NFC will have the Rams heading to Tampa to play Tom Brady’s Buccaneers. The other matchup has the 49ers meeting with the Packers, a rematch of the 2019 NFC Championship. The 49ers ran for 285 yards in their 37-20 victory.
