A Lot of Blowouts in the 1st Round of NFL Playoffs, and One With a Weird Ending

If the powers that be in the NFL thought the Wild Card round of the playoffs would have all the excitement that was seen in the last weekend of the regular season, when the final playoff slots were determined in overtime of the last game played, they were disappointed. Many of the games were one sided, which we’re sure didn’t bother fans of the winning teams.

The Cincinnati Bengals-Las Vegas Raiders game was one that wasn’t a blowout, with the Bengals winning 26-19. That was Cincinnati’s 1st playoff win in 31 years. In response, the Raiders fired their general manager.

The Buffalo Bills split their season series with New England, but the AFC East champs had no trouble dominating their division rival, blowing out the Patriots 47-17 in Buffalo. It was the largest margin of defeat in a playoff game for New England in the Bill Belichick coaching era, and there are more whispers that his success is inextricably related to Tom Brady.

Speaking of Brady, his defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers began their title defense with a 31-15 win over Philadelphia. That represented some sort of comeback on the Eagles’ part; they trailed 31-0 after three quarters.

In Dallas, the Cowboys trailed the San Francisco 49ers 23-7 entering the fourth quarter, but it was far from over. Dallas held the 49ers scoreless in the final frame, and got the ball back on their 20 yard line with 32 seconds to go, trailing 23-17. The Cowboys picked up 30 yards on three plays and the 49ers called timeout with 14 seconds left. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott then ran up the middle for a 17 yard gain with eight seconds left and no timeouts. The plan was for the Cowboys to get in formation and spike the ball to stop the clock with enough time on the clock for one shot at the end zone. However, an official, specifically the umpire, has to physically touch the ball and set the spot. Prescott and the umpire bumped each other in the process, delaying the spot enough for time to run out and the 49ers came away with a victory. A review confirmed that the umpire was acting properly in setting the ball, in what was the weekend’s strangest ending.

Here’s the highlight reel from the game.

It was back to the blowouts in the final two games of the weekend. In Kansas City, the Chiefs were all over the Pittsburgh Steelers 42-21. The announcers spent almost as much time talking about how this was probably Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger’s final game as they did talking about the game itself. Finally, in the first Monday night playoff game in NFL history, the Los Angeles Rams demolished the Arizona Cardinals 34-11. The Cardinals started the season 7-0 but were 4-7 after that.

That sets up the Divisional Round on January 22nd and 23rd. Top seeds Tennessee and Green Bay return to the field after bye weeks.

Games of Saturday January 22nd

Cincinnati at Tennessee. The teams did not meet in the regular season.
San Francisco at Green Bay. Green Bay won at San Francisco 30-28 in a thriller in Week 3.

Games of Sunday January 23rd

Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay. The Rams beat the Buccaneers 34-24 in Los Angeles in Week 3.
Buffalo at Kansas City. The Bills lost to the Chiefs in Kansas City 38-20 in Week 5.