Categories Sports

2025 NFL Wild Card Recap

This year’s NFL Wild Card round has officially wrapped up, and the divisional round matchups are set for next weekend.

No. 5 Houston Texans def. No. 4 Los Angeles Chargers 32-12

The Houston Texans took advantage of a poor performance by Justin Herbert to beat the Los Angeles Chargers. Herbert entered the game having thrown only three interceptions all season but threw a career-high four interceptions, with All-Pro Derek Stingley grabbing two of them.

The Texans dominated defensively, holding the Chargers to 4.8 yards per play and sacking Herbert four times in addition to intercepting him four times. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud led the offense, throwing for 282 yards on 22-of-33 passing, with one touchdown, and 42 rushing yards on six carries. Nico Collins led their receivers with 122 yards on seven receptions for a touchdown, and Joe Mixon rushed for 106 yards on 25 carries for a touchdown.

Houston will play the Kansas City Chiefs next, aiming to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history.

No. 3 Baltimore Ravens def. No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14

The Baltimore Ravens dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers on the ground, racking up 299 rushing yards and two touchdowns, compared to the Steelers’ 29 yards and zero touchdowns. Derrick Henry led the Ravens with 186 rushing yards and scored both rushing touchdowns. Lamar Jackson rushed for 81 yards and threw for 175 yards on 16-of-21 passing, with two touchdowns.

The Steelers end their season with five straight losses and drop their sixth consecutive playoff game, despite another season with a winning record.

The Ravens advance to the divisional round for the third time in five years and will face the Bills next for a spot in the AFC Championship Game.

No. 2 Buffalo Bills def. No. 7 Denver Broncos 31-7

The Buffalo Bills secured their fifth consecutive trip to the divisional playoff round with a dominant win over the Denver Broncos.

Denver got on the board first, scoring a touchdown in the opening three minutes with a 43-yard pass. Despite the quick start, the Broncos’ offense stalled and failed to score again for the rest of the game.

Buffalo dominated the game, scoring on six of their first seven drives and finishing with a 23-minute advantage in time of possession. The 2024 NFL MVP frontrunner, Josh Allen, led the Bills, throwing for 272 yards on 20-of-26 passing, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and 46 rushing yards on eight carries.

The Bills will play the Baltimore Ravens next, aiming to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 2020.

No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles def. No. 7 Green Bay Packers 22-10

Jalen Hurts threw for 131 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 36 yards in his return from a three-week layoff after suffering a concussion at the end of the season in the Eagles’ win over the Packers. The Eagles’ defense won them the game, recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff, picking off Jordan Love three times, including two in the first half, and forcing a turnover on downs late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

The Packers’ offense struggled for most of the game, managing only a single touchdown drive. Love threw for 212 yards with zero touchdowns, three interceptions, and was sacked twice. Running back Josh Jacobs scored their only touchdown and rushed for 81 yards on 18 carries.

The Eagles will play the Los Angeles Rams next week for a spot in the NFC Championship Game.

No. 6 Washington Commanders def. No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20

The Commanders won their first playoff game since 2005 against the Buccaneers with a walk-off field goal. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels led the team, throwing for 268 yards on 24-of-35 passing with two touchdowns and rushing for a team-high 36 yards on 13 carries.

The Buccaneers tied the game with five minutes left, but Daniels led the Commanders down the field for the game-winning drive.

Washington will play the Detroit Lions next for a spot in the NFC Championship Game.

No. 4 Los Angeles Rams def. No. 5 Minnesota Vikings 27-9

The Rams’ defense dominated the Vikings, forcing two turnovers and sacking quarterback Sam Darnold nine times to tie the NFL playoff sacks record. A pair of touchdown passes by Matthew Stafford and a 57-yard fumble recovery returned for a touchdown by rookie Jared Verse gave the Rams a 24-3 lead at halftime, which the Vikings could not overcome.

The Vikings ended their season as the first NFL team with 14 or more wins to lose their final two games, by a combined margin of 40 points.

The Rams will play the Philadelphia Eagles next week for a spot in the NFC Championship Game.

Top Plays of the Wild Card Round!

The Rams defense picking up a playoff record nine sacks Jayden Daniel’s dime to Terry McLaurin Josh Jacob’s 31-yard rush Derrick Henry’s 44-yard rushing TD Josh Allen’s TD pass to Ty Johnson on 4th down Laad McConkey’s 86-yard TD on third and long

Divisional Round Picks (Wild Card Pick Results: 5-1)

  1. No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs over No. 4 Houston Texans
  2. No. 1 Detroit Lions over No. 6 Washington Commanders
  3. No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles over No. 4 Los Angeles Rams
  4. No. 3 Baltimore Ravens over No. 2 Buffalo Bills
Tags

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *