The Wild Card round of the playoffs featured a lot of blowouts. Which outcome caught you by surprise?
I wish I could come here and say Wild Card weekend did not disappoint, but that wasn’t the case. We only got one truly close game in the Buccaneers-Commanders game, and most of the rest were fairly one-sided.
After the AFC started the weekend off with some landslides, I really expected the NFC to do better. The Packers’ December performances made them look like one of the most threatening Wild Card teams we’ve seen in years. Meanwhile, the 14-win Vikings seemed able to beat anyone but the Lions and Rams—unfortunately, that’s exactly who they drew in the playoffs.
Question of the day: Which Wild Card outcome surprised you the most?
My answer: It was definitely the Packers-Eagles game.
Don’t get me wrong, I would have been at least a bit surprised if the Eagles lost this one. However, I expected a competitive, high-scoring game and we got the opposite. Jordan Love looked dazed and confused while the Eagles got ahead early and coasted to victory.
It’s hard to watch that game and not think the Packers had a real shot if it weren’t for Love making some real boneheaded throws to serve the game up to Philly on a silver platter. After all the jokes about Jordan Love being a “Toyotathon quarterback,” and him leaning into the joke on Instagram, it’s hard not to notice how this timing lines up.
On the flipside, Sam Darnold did his best to sell the game against the Rams, but that’s the same Sam Darnold we saw fold against the Lions last week. This wasn’t a surprise, in spite of the Vikings’ record.
All in all, it was a disappointing weekend across the board. I figured the Eagles would likely win, given they’re one of the strongest teams in the league right now, but I really expected more fight out of the Packers. Props to Tampa Bay and Washington for keeping us entertained. Hopefully everyone else does better next week. Which Wild Card outcome caught you by surprise the most? Let us know your thoughts.
