NFL wild-card winners and losers from Saturday’s playoff openers: Rams, Bills and Taylor Heinicke
Backup quarterbacks played leading roles – as did grizzled vets and passers either entering or reaching their primes. All three games were fairly close, though only one produced an upset … and a mild one at that.
But there was ample drama and plenty of open-ended questions – Rams stars Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp couldn’t finish in Seattle due to injuries – and none of Saturday’s victors know who they’ll face next weekend since the league reseeds the field.
But we do have a few answers, i.e. Saturday’s winners and losers …
Winners
Bills Mafia: The ardent fans of Buffalo, the AFC’s version of Green Bay, got to enjoy their first playoff win in a quarter century – and some of them even attended the Bills’ defeat of the Colts in Orchard Park, N.Y. Good news: Bills Stadium will host another game next weekend.
Brady’s 31st postseason victory extended his own record among quarterbacks.
Jared Goff: Saturday’s relief appearance was the former No. 1 draft pick’s first playoff action since he and the Rams were stifled 13-3 by the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. In the interim, Goff was the focus of L.A.’s offensive struggles – his numbers tumbling as the team missed the postseason in 2019 before a 2020 resurrection largely credited to the defense. But he came through in Seattle, providing a gutty performance 12 days after the broken thumb on his throwing hand was surgically pinned together. Under the circumstances, a 155-yard day that included a backbreaking TD pass to Robert Woods in a 30-20 defeat of the Seahawks seems pretty good.
New York Jets: Seattle’s loss means the Seahawks will be picking earlier in each round of the 2021 draft … except the Jets own their selections in Rounds 1 and 3 by virtue of the Jamal Adams trade. Adams had a pretty rough game against the Rams, and the team he forced to deal him benefited.
Josh Allen: This season’s coming-out party for the third-year Bills quarterback is now complete. Allen threw for 324 yards and a pair of scores and ran for 54 yards and another TD. Quite a redemptive performance after he flinched in his playoff debut at Houston last year.
Valiant effort by Washington’s emergency quarterback, who passed for 306 yards and a TD and ran for a club-high 46 yards and another score. Heinicke even played through an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, revealing after the game he had suffered an AC joint separation. He likely ensured he’ll have a job in the NFL next year … and could even get a look as Washington’s starter depending on how things pan out.left Lumen Field in an ambulance for further observation at a Seattle hospital but eventually rejoined his victorious teammates. Was that a wrap for one of the greatest players in league history to never reach a Super Bowl? Rivers, who ranks fifth all time in passing yards (63,440) and TDs (421) – he overtook Hall of Famer Dan Marino in both categories in 2020 – and just turned 39, was playing on a one-year, $25 million deal with the Colts. According to NFL Network, he will need foot surgery this offseason as he and the team weigh their options. Rivers has already been named head coach of St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama, effective upon his retirement. But many of the men who played with Rivers during an NFL career that’s spanned 17 years to this point want to see him hoist a Lombardi Trophy before he’s done. But Saturday’s loss clearly took an emotional toll on No. 17.
Chase Young: Great as his first NFL campaign was, a reminder that rookies are meant to be seen and not heard. The defensive end shouted “Tom Brady! Tom Brady, I’m coming. I want Tom!” after Washington escaped the tanking Eagles in Week 17. Careful what you wish for, Chase … but if it’s what you want, make sure you walk the walk next time.
CenturyLink Field home-field advantage: The Seahawks entered the weekend with a 10-game playoff winning streak at home, much of it under CenturyLink’s corporate flag. However, their stadium was renamed two months ago amid CenturyLink’s rebrand. The Seahawks are now 0-1 in postseason at Lumen Field, where they weren’t so luminous. Their last playoff loss in Seattle occurred nearly 16 years ago to the day … to the St. Louis Rams – when this building was known as Qwest Field.
Officials: They failed to penalize Adams for what seemed a pretty clear-cut illegal blow to Wolford. But the zebras in Buffalo nearly cost the Bills a victory, giving the Colts a second chance to win or tie when they failed to correctly award a fumble by Indianapolis WR Zach Pascal with 26 seconds remaining that would have sealed the outcome without further drama.
Frank Reich gambled quite a bit Saturday. He lost a key second-half timeout on a questionable challenge. He went for two points when a PAT would’ve cut Buffalo’s fourth-quarter lead to seven (though the analytics bore this one out when the Colts converted on a subsequent two-point play that cut the deficit to three). But Reich’s decision to eschew a 22-yard field goal right before halftime – if converted, Indianapolis would have taken a 13-7 lead – backfired when Rivers missed WR Michael Pittman Jr. in the back of the end zone on fourth down. Definitely would have been nice to have that timeout and those points at the end, but it must be noted Reich’s aggressive style has typically served the Colts well and earned his players’ respect. injured Smith. Instead, Haskins, a first-round pick in 2019, was planning to visit the Panthers in a bid to rekindle his nascent career after falling out of favor in Washington.
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