Well…that was insane.
We are Any Given Sunday because it sounded cool…and because it fits the league as a whole. On any day, anything can happen. In the Wildcard Round, we saw things we expected but also some things we couldn’t have imagined.
Colts upset #2 Texans 49-17
Yeah…that happened. The Colts came into the game hot and left the field in flames. Anthony Richardson (4 TD and 0 INT) and the Colts offense would play great, but the defense shined the brightest. They forced CJ Stroud to throw 7 interceptions! The Texans looked like a completely different team without Mixon, but CJ Stroud’s performance was inexcusable. Great season for the Texans, but a very early exit. The Colts will play the #1 Raiders in hopes of another upset.
Bengals shock the league by beating the Jags 38-28
As stated in a previous article, no one expected the Bengals to win this game. But from the start of the game, it was clear that the Bengals had a real shot at winning. The offense clicked from the start and the defense made some key stops. Chase Brown would rush for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns. Joe Burrow would also play near-perfect football. Big shout out to Mike Gesicki who made some clutch catches down the stretch. For the Jags, their defense was exposed. Offensively, they played great beside a fumble, but their defense continued to try to blitz even after constantly getting picked up. The Bengals will host the #6 Chiefs at home.
Chiefs complete the third upset of the playoffs winning 31-10
This game was never really close. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs always play on a higher level come playoffs and this game was no different. The Chiefs pounded the rock all game with no resistance from the Jets. Pacheco would go for 227 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns! Insanity! For the Jets, offense was hard to come by, only having 116 total yards. Aaron Rodgers threw 3 interceptions in what may be his last game in the NFL. The Chiefs will play the Bengals in the Divisional Round.
Saints win nail-biter against Rams in Overtime 34-35
This game did not disappoint. Absolute cinema. But as we have come to see, Coach Sasuke backs up his trash talk. This game saw PJ Walker look like a seasoned veteran. No Derrick Carr, no problem. Alvin Kamara would not let his team lose as he did everything you can imagine. The Rams’ offense would get down the field with no problem, but once in the red zone, they would make some costly mistakes. Stafford’s hesitation in throwing a wide-open touchdown left 7 points off the board. Another play in the redzone saw Stafford throw to a covered receiver instead of throwing the ball away leaving 3 points off the board. But even then, the Rams still had a chance. Late in the fourth, the Saints would score a touchdown and go up by four…never mind Blake Grupe would miss the extra point. And with 12 seconds left, the Saints would give up a bomb in prevent defense. The Rams would make the field goal and we had overtime. Rams would quickly score, but their defensive weakness was exposed once again. The Saints would easily march down the field and score. And for the 2-point conversion, they would throw a slant for the win. Tough loss for the Rams but a huge win for the Saints. The Saints will play the Commanders in the Divisional Round.
Eagles handle business in Chicago winning 49-26
This game was closer than expected for most of the game. But as expected, Caleb Williams would make various rookie mistakes. He would throw three horrible passes that led to interceptions. And one thing you don’t want to give a high-powered offense is more possessions. The Eagles played near-perfect offense. Jalen Hurts would throw for 292 yards with 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Barkley would rush for 125 yards while adding a touchdown of his own. The Eagles will face the tough task of beating the 16-1 Seahawks.
In all my time covering this OG league, I think this has been the wildest Wildcard Round yet. And with some great teams and coaches left, I imagine we haven’t seen the best yet. Will we see more upsets? Will we see more overtime thrillers? Time will tell. Our first matchup will be aired tonight at 9 PM. The #1 Raiders will go up against the #7 Colts, who will try to complete another step in their Cinderella story.
© Any Given Sunday