NFL 2022-23 Wildcard Weekend Wrap Up

     

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Okay, so that takes care of the first Wildcard weekend. Two road teams managed to win and advance, and one home team overcame a huge deficit to achieve what now ranks as the third largest comeback in NFL playoff history. The first game of the weekend was a blowout, then there were four close games that went down to the wire, followed by lopsided game to close this Wildcard weekend out.  

One thing I’ll say: this season reminded me a bit of the nineties. Indeed, it was reminiscent of the NFL back then, at least a little bit. The last time that the Giants, Bengals, 49ers, and Bills all won playoff games in the same season? The 1990-91 season. Back then, it was common for the divisional round of the playoffs to consist of three NFC East teams and the San Francisco 49ers, and that is the case again this season. So in some weird ways, this all was reminiscent of football as I knew it as a young fan some thirty or so years ago. And while the 49ers and Cowboys do not have the hottest rivalry in the NFL, as they did for a while back in the nineties, they will be meeting next weekend for the second straight postseason. That should be interesting.  

So let’s take a closer look at the games from this Wildcard weekend: 

San Francisco 41, Seattle 23 – The first half was competitive. It looked at first like the Niners might ruin away with it, but then the Seahawks really got themselves back into the game, even taking a lead into the lockers with them by halftime. The second half, on the other hand, was all San Francisco. The 49ers have one of the best overall teams in the league, and they showed that side of them. The offense caught fire, and the defense clamped down on the Seahawks, who simply could not keep up. This was probably what most people expected to happen, including me. My pick: Accurate

Jacksonville 31, LA Charglers 30 -  I turned this on and tried to watch, even though I had worked two work shifts in a row, and had not slept much in about 24 hours. So I watched part of the game, and kept nodding off. But I was awake enough to see the Trevor Lawrence throw those three first quarter picks, which helped the Chargers take that commanding 17-0 lead. I woke up at one point to see that the Chargers had an even bigger lead, now 27-0. I allowed myself to just sleep, assuming that the game was over. But I did wake up, and saw that the score was 30-20 at some point. Think that it was late in the third or early in the fourth. Tried to stay awake, since it looked suddenly interesting, but did not manage it. Just fell asleep, and woke up well into Saturday Night Live. Watched a bit of that, and then turned the television off and slept the rest of the night. When I found out that Jax had actually pulled off the huge comeback win, it was a bit of a shock. They really are an up and coming team. As for the Chargers, that has to rank as one of the worst losses in that franchise's history. This game felt kind of like a microcosm of the season, from preseason expectations to the end reality, for both teams. The Chargers had ranked as a somewhat popular pick to make some noise in the AFC West, and possibly go as far as the Super Bowl, by some experts, but it all fizzled out. Meanwhile, most people expected another losing season in Jacksonville, and for a while this season, it looked like it was indeed heading in that direction. But the Jaguars kept pulling some magic out of their hats very late, although they might have outdone themselves with this one!  What a win!  My pick: Accurate - But Just Barely!

Buffalo 34, Miami 31 - My expectations, admittedly, would be that the Bills were going to win, and with a statement. Instead, these two teams really fought a classic back and forth battle that went right down to the wire. The Dolphins, at their best, have one of the most explosive offenses in the league. Of course, the same could be said of the Bills. Both teams put on a bit of a fireworks show and lit up the scoreboard. In the end, the Bills did pull off the win, although only just! The Fins had a solid season, and they should have something to build on in the coming years. As for the Bills, they advance and will next host the Bengals, in a very highly anticipated game next week.. My pick: Accurate

NY Giants 31, Minnesota 24 - This was the only pick that I actually got wrong. But man, I am glad to have gotten this one wrong! The G-Men reminded me of Big Blue teams of the past, performing well under pressure, the defense clamping down on an explosive offense and producing a solid win on the road for the first playoff win for this franchise in over a decade, since the G-Men won Super Bowl XLVI, which was obviously a while ago. An awesome job that validates the success that they enjoyed this season, and makes the future look very promising indeed! . My pick: Inaccurate

Cincinnati 24, Baltimore 17 - Much like with the Bills, I was kind of expecting the Bengals to get a statement kind of win, an exclamation point that wuld cement their elite status. Instead, they fought tooth and nail in a typically ugly and physical AFC North contest, with that stunning defensive touchdown by Sam Hubbard after the goa-line stand basically proving to be the difference. It feels like the Ravens could and maybe even should have pulled off this upset, but Cincy hangs on - again, just barely - and advances to a huge showdown at Orchard Park to meet the Bills.  My pick: Accurate

Dallas 31, Tampa Bay 14 - Well, this was not quite what I expected, although it is not really a shock. the Cowboys raced out to a huge lead and were actually shutting out Brady and the Bucs until late in the third quarter. But Tampa Bay just never really got back into this one. For the 'Boys, this was a huge win that absolutely validates their consistent success this season, despite the shadow of doubts after some flops, as well as past playoff failures. They earned a very solid and impressive postseason win on the road, the first road playoff win for this franchise since the days when they were still a dynasty in the 90's. Very impressive! As for the Bucs and Brady, this felt entirely in keeping with how their season played out. Now, they are left with only questions as a long off-season now begins sooner than expected and obviously wanted.  . My pick: Accurate