NFL Super Wild Card Weekend breakdown: Bengals set up showdown vs. Bills; Jags have huge comeback
"Super Wild Card Weekend" is (almost) in the books. Here are the highlights with one more wild-card playoff game to play:
- An NFL playoff-record fumble return touchdown vaulted the Bengals past the Ravens.
- Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley pushed the Giants through to the divisional round.
- The Bills outlasted the Dolphins in a slog of a playoff game.
- The Jaguars pulled off the third-largest comeback win in NFL playoff history.
- An embarrassment of riches at the skill positions helped Brock Purdy and the 49ers put away the Seahawks.
Super Wild Card Weekend analysis
- As Tom Brady makes his long goodbye, young QBs ready to fill the void: After commandeering the NFL playoff spotlight for two decades, Brady isn’t the main attraction this season.
- 32 things we learned: The 49ers' rout of the Seahawks was an outlier during a Super Wild Card Weekend that featured close contests.
- Brandon Staley out? The Chargers underachieved this season, highlighted by blowing a 27-0 lead in their wild-card playoff loss. Is it time for big changes?
- From 'Mr. Irrelevant' to 'Brock Star': 49ers rookie QB Brock Purdy certainly didn't look like the last pick in the draft on Saturday, showing poise in directing a demolition of the Seahawks.
- Josh Allen's turnovers could be big problem for Bills in playoffs: Allen was electric with three touchdown passes and an enigma with three turnovers against the Dolphins.
- Giants' key players on offense prove their worth: Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley made their playoff debuts and engineered a victory over the Vikings.
- Trevor Lawrence adds to his legacy: It looked bleak for the Jaguars as they trailed the Chargers 27-0 in the AFC playoffs, but the resilient Lawrence came through again.
Super Wild Card Weekend's biggest moments
- The Vikings' season ended on a hopeless fourth-down throw by Kirk Cousins.
- Doug Pederson delivered a great postgame speech to the Jaguars after their wild win over the Chargers.
- Jaguars legend Maurice Jones-Drew predicted the comeback during a halftime show on NFL Network.
- The 49ers' Brock Purdy had a priceless reaction to learning that LeBron James loved his NFL playoff debut.
- Damar Hamlin tweeted his support for the Bills in their wild-card game against the Dolphins.
NFL playoff schedule
SUPER WILD CARD WEEKEND
Saturday
San Francisco 49ers 41, Seattle Seahawks 23
Jacksonville Jaguars 31, Los Angeles Chargers 30
Sunday
Buffalo Bills 34, Miami Dolphins 31
New York Giants 31, Minnesota Vikings 24
Cincinnati Bengals 24, Baltimore Ravens 17
Monday
Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC, ESPN2)
DIVISIONAL ROUND
Saturday, Jan. 21
Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m. ET (FOX)
Sunday, Jan. 22
Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills, 3 p.m. ET (CBS)
Dallas Cowboys-Tampa Bay Buccaneers winner at San Francisco 49ers, 6:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sunday, Jan. 29
NFC championship game, 3:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
AFC championship game, 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Feb. 12
AFC winner vs. NFC winner, State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (FOX)
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