4th & Monday: Upsets, missed calls and concussion protocol made NFL's wild card weekend just that
The NFL's wild card weekend was just that.
We saw the Kansas City Chiefs collapse, at home, by squandering an 18-point halftime lead. If you're counting at home, that's six straight playoff losses at home for the Chiefs.
We saw a QB throw a touchdown pass to himself. Well played, Marcus Mariota.
And we saw what's likely the biggest development of the weekend: the possible concussion rules violation by the Carolina Panthers in handling quarterback Cam Newton.
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Newton nearly led the Panthers to a remarkable comeback against the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome, but was halted in the game's waning moments with a questionable call on intentional grounding and a sack on the Panthers' last play.
Before that, however, Newton took a hit and seemed to struggle to stand on his own. But he never went in the locker room (as required by the NFL's concussion protocol) and was back on the field after missing just one play. Our Nancy Armour says the NFL needs to come down *hard* on the Panthers.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, meanwhile, prevailed due to a dominant defensive performance. In L.A., the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons kept the explosive Rams offense at bay.
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THE MUST-SEE MOMENTS YOU MISSED
— The Panthers might have violated the NFL's concussion protocol with their handling of Cam Newton during Sunday's loss to the Saints. Should the NFL deliver a severe penalty on the Panthers for the team's mockery of the concussion protocol? Nancy Armour thinks so.
— The referees in the Saints-Panthers tilt had to answer some questions of their own after some questionable calls down the stretch.
— Sean Payton enjoyed the Saints' first playoff win in four years so much that he joined the team's postgame dance party.
— Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue accused Bills offensive lineman Richie Incognito of using racial slurs during Sunday's wild-card game.
— Tony Romo has been a great addition to the broadcast booth, and his first season continued to be a joy to watch during wild-card weekend.
— There was only one touchdown in the Jaguars-Bills playoff game, and the owner's son celebrated that momentous occasion accordingly.
— O.J. Simpson, a Buffalo Bills legend, celebrated the team's first playoff game in 18 years at a bar in Las Vegas.
— Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota jump-started the comeback against the Kansas City Chiefs with an incredible touchdown reception of his own deflected pass. It was the former No. 2 overall pick's first postseason touchdown — as well as Tennessee's first touchdown on Saturday night in a game it was trailing 21-3 — and had other NFL players buzzing and a Nashville TV station being very complimentary.
— Mariota helped seal the Titans' victory over the Chiefs with an impressive block that freed Derrick Henry on the game's final series. Afterward, he was feeling the love from traveling Titans fans.
— Jon Gruden called his last game for ESPN, and his colleague Sean McDonough wished Gruden the best in his new gig with the Raiders.
— Rams owner Stan Kroenke lamented that his team lacks a true home-field advantage in games played in L.A. Maybe somebody should remind him that his Rams are borrowing the home field of the USC Trojans as a new stadium is constructed.
— The famed Bills Mafia broke their fair share of tables during the tailgate for the team's first playoff game since 1999. And even CBS analyst and former Steelers coach Bill Cowher got in on the action.
THE RUNDOWN
Titans 22, Chiefs 21: Kansas City continued its postseason home heartbreak, collapsing in the second half for its sixth straight playoff loss at Arrowhead Stadium.
Tennessee trailed 21-3 at halftime, but kick-started its comeback behind QB Marcus Mariota's touchdown completion to himself. The Titans scored 19 unanswered points in the second half to claim their first playoff victory since the 2003 season and earn a divisional playoff matchup against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Aiding the Titans' comeback effort was the concussion suffered by Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce that knocked him out for the game in the second quarter. Without the play-maker, who scored a touchdown earlier in the game, Kansas City's offense sputtered — and left the Chiefs still looking for their first home playoff win since the 1993 season.
Falcons 26, Rams 13: The defending NFC champion Falcons took advantage of two Rams special teams turnovers and played stout defense, limiting the NFL's highest-scoring offense in the regular season (29.9 points per game) to just 13 points.
Atlanta jumped out to a 13-0 lead, only to see Los Angeles cut the deficit to 13-10 just before halftime. But in their first playoff game since their Super Bowl LI collapse, the Falcons showed resiliency by putting the young Rams away.
Up next is a trip to the No. 1 seed Philadelphia Eagles for a Falcons team seeking to become the first NFL team since the 1993 Buffalo Bills to make it back to the Super Bowl after losing the big game the previous season.
Jaguars 10, Bills 3: In a playoff game that set a new bar for quarterback futility, the Jaguars earned their first playoff victory since 2007. The Jaguars did so against a Bills team making its first playoff appearance since 1999.
The Jaguars are known for their dominant defense, and that unit didn't disappoint, holding Buffalo to just 230 yards of total offense. As impressive as Jacksonville's defense can be, it will need more help from Blake Bortles if the team hopes to advance further through the AFC playoffs. Up next are the Pittsburgh Steelers, a playoff stalwart and heavy favorite to meet the New England Patriots in an AFC championship game rematch.
Bortles' passing stat line was hideous: 12-for-23 for 87 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for more yards (88) than he threw for in the win. On the other side of the field, many have to wonder what the future has in store for the Bills at quarterback.
Saints 31, Panthers 26: The Saints held off a frantic fourth-quarter rally by the Panthers to complete a season sweep of their division rival and set up an enticing divisional playoff matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.
Drew Brees was magnificent as the Saints built a 15-point first-half lead. The Saints' first score came on an 80-yard pass play from Brees to speedster Ted Ginn Jr.
Cam Newton nearly brought his team back, but the Panthers' final drive was thwarted by the Saints' aggressive defense. In the midst of that comeback, Newton was checked for a concussion but missed just one play.
INJURY UPDATE
—Saints OG Andrus Peat was carted off the field with what is believed to be a broken left fibula.
—Jaguars LB Paul Posluszny left Sunday's game with a hip injury, tried to return to the field but instead headed to the locker room.
—Jaguars WR/punt returner Jaydon Mickens left the game with a hamstring injury.
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS
Falcons at Eagles, Saturday at 4:35 p.m. ET (Fox): The Falcons will continue to try to cure their Super Bowl LI hangover with another road playoff win. The Eagles might be the NFC's No. 1 seed, but Nick Foles is the quarterback rather than Carson Wentz and that could be an issue.
Titans at Patriots, Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET (CBS): All eyes will be on the player-coach dynamic between Bill Belichick and Tom Brady after the two were main characters in an explosive report alleging dysfunction within the organization.
Jaguars at Steelers, Sunday at 1:05 p.m. ET (CBS): If Blake Bortles could only muster one touchdown against the Bills, how will he fare against the Steelers on the road?
Saints at Vikings, Sunday at 4:40 p.m. ET (Fox): Drew Brees vs. Case Keenum seems like a massive mismatch, but the Vikings' defense might be up to the task of stopping the Saints' potent offense.
COACHING MOVES
—The Oakland Raiders made the hire of former coach and ESPN analyst Jon Gruden official on Saturday, shortly after Gruden called the Titans-Chiefs game and received a nice send-off from play-by-play colleague Sean McDonough. Gruden and the Raiders have agreed to a monster 10-year, $100 million deal to fill the void of the fired Jack Del Rio.