After an 18-week regular season that, for some, went down to the final game, we have reached the playoffs. 14 teams are still in the running to reach the Super Bowl. After the Wildcard round, this will be reduced to eight. So, who will continue their quest to reach the big game, and whose journey will end?
Let’s look back at the Wildcard round!
Packers vs Bears III
For the third time in as many weeks, the Green Bay Packers faced the Chicago Bears. However, this meeting was the most important of the three. The winner would progress to the next round of the playoffs, keeping their Super Bowl dreams alive. Defeat, and there is a chance that you have let your hated rivals win a championship. Both teams won once in their regular-season meetings, setting up another thrilling game. But who would advance?
The Bears had the first possession of the game and scored the first points. Starting from their 32-yard line, Caleb Williams led the offense down to the Packers’ nine-yard line. The drive stalled here, setting up Cairo Santos with a 27-yard field goal attempt that he would make. In response, Green Bay also got something on its first drive. A returning Jordan Love brought the Packers down to the Bears’seven-yard line. Here, he found Christian Watson for the touchdown pass to take the lead.
Things got better for the Packers on the next drive, when they intercepted Williams’ deep pass into their territory. This mistake from the number one pick of the 2024 NFL Draft would be costly. On the subsequent drive, Love and company moved down to the Bears’ 18-yard line. Here, he found Jayden Reed for the touchdown pass to add to their lead.
The lead grew further on the next Packers drive, when Love found Romeo Doubs for a one-yard touchdown pass. It could have become even bigger before halftime, but Brandon McManus’ field goal attempt from 55 yards out missed.
This meant that at halftime, the Packers had a 21-3 lead over the Bears.
Chicago was able to slightly close this lead on their first drive of the second half, with Santos finding the uprights from 34-yards out. But another interception from Williams on the next drive would make things a lot harder for them. Luckily, Green Bay was unable to capitalise on this mistake, but as the game entered the fourth quarter, things were looking bleak for the Bears.
Another field goal from Santos, this time from 51 yards out, again cut the gap to begin the fourth quarter. It was at this moment that the Bears’ offense finally woke up. On their next drive, D’Andre Swift would find the endzone for a six-yard rushing touchdown to make it a one-possession game. This did not last long, as Love found Matthew Golden on the following Packers drive to again restore their two possession led.
But the Bears appeared to have the momentum at this point. On their next drive, Williams found Olamide Zaccheaus for an eight-yard touchdown pass. This, paired with a successful two-point conversion, made it a three-point game with four minutes to go.
Green Bay next had possession and reached field goal range. McManus was faced with a 44-yard field goal attempt that, if made, would force the Bears to find the endzone with the final drive of the game to keep their playoff hopes alive. The kick missed. Now all Chicago had to do was score a touchdown, and the game could be theirs.
Starting from their 34-yard line, Williams and company made their way down to the Packers’ 25-yard line. Here, the quarterback found Moore for the touchdown pass to give them their first lead of the game. But, with one minute left on the clock, there was a chance that the Packers could come back.
The comeback never came, and the Packers’ offense collapsed at the Bears’ 28-yard line to end the game.
This meant the Chicago Bears had defeated the Green Bay Packers 31-27, sealing their spot in the divisional round.
This win means that Chicago wins the battle against the Packers two games to one. However, this is the win that they wanted and will care about. The Bears could very much be a Super Bowl winner. As for the Packers, their season comes to an end here.
The Reigning Champions are out
The Philadelphia Eagles are the reigning Super Bowl champions, and would begin their title defense with a Wildcard clash against the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams have struggled this year, but on paper, the 49ers appear to be the stronger team. Could they topple the reigning champions, or will the Eagles keep their defense alive?
The 49ers had the first possession of the game and took the lead on it. Starting from their 24-yard line, Brock Purdy led his offense down to the Eagles’ two-yard line. Here, he found Demarcus Robinson for the touchdown pass to take the lead. They did not have the advantage for long, as the Eagles would also find the endzone on their first drive of the game.
Jalen Hurts led his offense down to the 49ers’ one-yard line. At this point, we would all expect a tush push. But no. Dallas Goedert found the endzone for the rushing touchdown. The following PAT from Jake Elliot missed, giving the 49ers a slim one-point lead.
Philadelphia would be able to take the lead to begin the second half. On a drive that took nine minutes and involved the Eagles’ offense traveling down the entire field, Hurts would find Goedert for a nine-yard touchdown pass to cap the drive off and take the lead. In response to this, the best San Francisco could do was a 36-yard field goal from kicker Eddie Pineiro.
This meant that at halftime, the Eagles had a 13-10 lead over the 49ers.
San Francisco did not have the best start to the second half, as Purdy threw an interception near the 50-yard line. Luckily for them, the Eagles were unable to do anything with this new possession. However, a few drives later, Philly was able to extend their lead thanks to a 41-yard field goal from Elliot. This gave them a six-point lead coming into the final quarter.
The quarter began with the Eagles losing their lead, thanks to a 29-yard touchdown pass from Jauan Jennings to Christian McCaffrey. However, the 49ers would make a mistake on their next drive. Purdy threw his second interception of the game, and this time, the Eagles were able to get some points from the resulting drive. Luckily for them, it was only three points, thanks to a field goal, which gave Philly a two-point lead.
This lead was short-lived. Shaking off the mistake from the previous drive, Purdy led his offense down to the Eagles’ four-yard line. Here, he found McCaffrey for the touchdown pass. This meant, with three minutes left to play, the Eagles had to find the endzone on their next drive if they wanted to keep their title defense alive.
Hurts and company would make it down to the 49ers’ 21-yard line, where they were faced with an important fourth-down attempt. Anything other than an 11-yard gain would mean that it’s game over for them. Hurts pass was incomplete, meaning that the San Francisco 49ers had defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 23-19.
The reigning champions are out! Not really a surprise considering the way that they have been playing all season. As for San Francisco, they advance to the divisional round in an NFC playoff bracket that is 75% NFC West.
A road win for Allen
For years, the Buffalo Bills have been the nearly team in the NFL. Josh Allen has made the team relevant but, never taken them to the Super Bowl. One reason for this has been the Bills’ playoff performances on the road. They have not been good. Add in the likelihood of meeting the Baltimore Ravens or Kansas City Chiefs, and a playoff run becomes harder. This year, the Ravens and Chiefs have not made the postseason, giving the Bills a good path to the Super Bowl. To begin it, they had to travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars. Could they get the road win, or will the Jags continue their strong season?
The first two drives of the game ended in punts, but the action would soon come in droves. On the Jags second drive of the game, quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s pass was intercepted by the Bills’ defense around the 50-yard line. This mistake would prove costly, as the Bills would convert this into points. Matt Prater kicked a 50-yard field goal to give the Bills an early lead.
This lead would be short-lived. Shaking off his interception from the previous drive, Lawrence moved the Jags offense down to the Bills’ three-yard line. Here, he found Brian Thomas for the touchdown pass. They would again challenge the endzone on their next drive, making it down to the Bills’ nine-yard line, where an important fourth-down attempt took place. It was originally ruled that Lawrence had traveled the two yards required for the first down. Buffalo challenged this decision, and it paid off. Lawrence was ruled 1 yard short, turning possession over to the Bills.
This challenge would help the Bills, as on the next drive, Allen and company would drive down the field to reach the Jags’ two-yard line. Here, Allen found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to retake the lead before halftime.
This meant that as the teams went into the locker rooms, the Bills had a 10-7 lead over the Jaguars.
Buffalo had the first possession of the second half and would use it to extend their lead. The drive stalled at the Jags’ 29-yard line, with Prater finding the uprights from 47-yards out for the field goal. Jacksonville would respond to this with a field goal of its own. Cam Little scored a 43-yard field goal to keep it a three-point game going into the final quarter.
The Jags would open the quarter by taking the lead. Down at the Bills’ six-yard line, Lawrence would find Parker Washington for the touchdown pass. In response to this, the Bills would find the endzone when Allen found Dalton Kincaid for a 15-yard touchdown pass to keep the lead three points.
The scoring would continue with another set of touchdowns. First, Lawrence found Travis Etienne for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Then, Allen scored a one-yard rushing touchdown with one minute left to play. This meant that the Jags had to get into field goal territory and find the uprgiths in the final minute to take the game to overtime. Could they do it?
The drive started on the Jaguars’ 23-yard line. On the first play, Lawrence’s pass was intercepted, ending the contest.
This meant that the Buffalo Bills had defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-24.
This gives Josh Allen his second road playoff win and keeps his quest for a Super Bowl alive. As for the Jags, they have had a good season, but it ended with one mistake. We could see them back in the playoffs next year.
What Happened in the other Playoff Games?
The Los Angeles Rams are among the NFC West teams with a genuine chance of winning the Super Bowl. They began their playoff run with a trip to Carolina to face the Panthers, a team that made the playoffs with a losing record. This game was a lot closer than many expected. With under a minute to play, it looked like the Panthers would be able to get a massive upset. But a 19-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Colby Parkinson was enough to secure a 34-31 win for the Rams. They are likely to need a much better performance in the next round if they want to stay in the postseason.
The New England Patriots (who, in my eyes, should have been the number one seed in the AFC) faced the Los Angeles Chargers in their wildcard round game. Unlike the other games on this slate, this was a very defensive game, with only one touchdown scored. The Chargers’ offense struggled in this game, and a late 28-yard touchdown pass from Drake Maye to Hunter Henry was all the Patriots needed to record a 16-3 win over the Chargers.
For the first time in their history, the Houston Texans played a Wildcard round game at a time other than 4:30 pm on a Saturday. On Monday night, they faced the Pittsburgh Steelers. Going into the fourth quarter, this was a very close, low-scoring game that could have gone either way. However, a trio of touchdowns from the Texans, including two scores taking advantage of mistakes from the Steelers’ offense, gave the Texans a 30-6 win to put them into the Divisional rounds.
After the game, the Steelers announced that longtime headcoach Mike Tomlin would be stepping down. He had never had a losing season with the team, and the Steelers will now join many teams in the hunt for a new head coach.
So, that was a look back at the Wildcard Round of the 2025 NFL playoffs. It was a good slate of games. One can hope that the Divisional round can bring the same quality, where the following games will be played:
AFC:
Buffalo Bills @ Denver Broncos
Houston Texans @ New England Patriots
NFC:
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
Los Angeles Rams @ Chicago Bears