• Lamar Jackson And Derrick Henry pave the way: Baltimore RavensThe superstar backfield duo rushed for 267 yards in a 28-14 win over the Steelers.
• Jayden Daniels was great in his first playoff game: Washington commanders The defensive back was instrumental in the 23-20 win over the Buccaneers.
• The 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Experience the best in class from PFF Draft mock simulator and learn about Main prospects for 2025 while trading and drafting for his favorite NFL team.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes.
Houston Texans 32, Los Angeles Chargers 12
Why the Texans won: The Texans are on fire Justin Herbert for four quarters, completely shutting down the Chargers quarterback and passing game in the process. Herbert was sacked five times on 40 tackles, had pressure on 51.4% of his tackles and completed just four of 15 pass attempts on those tackles, while also throwing two interceptions under pressure. In total, the Texans pressured Herbert 25 times, with Will Anderson Jr. led the team with six pressures and two sacks.
Beating the Chargers with two great tackles will be key for the Texans as Joe Alt And Rashawn Slater both allowed four pressures each. However, three of the Texans’ five sacks came from a weaker interior offensive line.
Why the Chargers lost: Justin Herbert In the regular season, he threw only three interceptions, but in the playoffs, the Chargers quarterback threw four interceptions against the Texans. Those interceptions, however they happened, played a major role in the Chargers’ demise. One interception, overthrow meant for Ladd McConkeywas returned by the Texans’ quarterback, Eric Murrayfor a touchdown, while another was fumbled late in the fourth quarter, punted Derek Stingley.
However, two of Herbert’s interceptions came as a result of poor execution by Chargers receivers. Quentin Johnston was blocked by a significantly smaller defender on his first interception, while Will Dissly failed to grab the ball and handed it off to a Texans defender on Herbert’s third down. Poor execution throughout, and turnovers were more than costly for the Chargers.
Baltimore Ravens 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 14
Why the Ravens won: The Crows, with their excellent record all season, are banking on the fast-paced duo Lamar Jackson And Derrick Henry lead the team to victory. Henry and Jackson combined for 267 yards on the ground, with Henry adding two rushing touchdowns. The Ravens averaged 6.0 yards per carry as a team, outscoring the Steelers to open up a 21-0 lead at halftime.
Henry led the team with 186 yards on 26 carries, and he added four rushes for more than 10 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown in the third quarter, while also making seven missed tackles. It received a score of 80.9. Jackson added 15 carries for 81 yards and took advantage of a sellout by the Steelers defense to stop Henry early in the game, setting up an early touchdown.
Why the Steelers lost: This performance was not synonymous with the way the Steelers play football. There was a clear lack of guts and drive at times, particularly in the first half when the Crows opened up a 21-0 lead. But what stood out was the number of missed tackles the Steelers missed on defense. The defense had 14 missed tackles in the game, their third-most in a game this season, and while half of those missed tackles were forced Derrick HenryIt was an uncharacteristically sloppy tackle from a defense that always plays tough. Five Steelers defensive backs finished with a grade below 30.0, including TJ Watt.
Buffalo Bills 31, Denver Broncos 7
Why the Bills won: The 2024 Bills offense ran the ball much better. The offensive line plays harder James Cook improved, and Josh Allen is still one of the best dual-threat backs in the NFL. They put it all together to put together a great game against the Broncos on Wild-Card Weekend. Collectively, the Bills carried the ball 44 times for 210 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
Cook led the way as the team’s cow, carrying the ball 23 times for 120 yards and a touchdown, earning a 69.9 grade and making four missed tackles, while the offense as a whole produced nine missed tackles and four runs of over 10 yards. , with Cook stopping three such runs.
Why the Broncos lost: The Broncos offense got off to a hot start: Bo Nix throwing a 43-yard touchdown on the first drive of the game. The offense failed to produce another point after that and the Bills ran away with the game. The passing game was difficult, with Nix completing just 13 of 22 pass attempts for 144 yards. The Broncos’ passing game had issues with drops, giving up four drops. Devon Vale there were two drops while Courtland Sutton And Troy Franklin each received one – a serious drop of 23.5% by the end of the season.
Philadelphia Eagles 22, Green Bay Packers 10
Why the Eagles won: The Eagles continued the trend of teams winning on Wild-Card weekend, letting their fast-paced play take care of business. It wasn’t Saquon BarkleyIt was the most devastating performance yet, but the Eagles running back carried the ball 25 times for 119 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. The fact that these numbers seem frankly modest in the catalog of Barkley’s season is a testament to how good he was.
But as a team, the Eagles outscored the Broncos, rushing for 169 yards and averaging 5.0 yards per carry. They also had eight missed tackles and returned four rushes for more than 10 yards, with Barkley clinching the win with a 17-yard gain.
Why the Packers lost: The Packers suffered injuries to several key pass rushers, but Jordan Love was excited about the Eagles defense all day, especially when he had to push the ball down the field. Love finished 17 of 21 on throws of 0 to 9 yards, but he struggled on throws of 10 yards or more, completing just three of 10 passes and throwing three interceptions.
Love had a total of four throws that were graded as turnover-worthy plays, and he earned a grade of 28.7 on intermediate throws ranging from 10 to 19 yards and a 54.9 on deep throws. Bad day for the Packers quarterback.
Washington commanders 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20
Why “Commanders” won: Jayden Danielsthe rookie’s fairytale continued with a great performance against the Buccaneers. Daniels completed 24 of 35 pass attempts for 268 yards and two touchdowns, earning a grade of 76.7. However, Daniels really stepped up when he was pressured by the Buccaneers defense. He was pressured on 37.5% of his throws and completed 58.3% of his pass attempts for 97 yards and two touchdowns.
The scene wasn’t too difficult for Daniels in those moments, and he had an 8.3 percent effective throw rate on shots under pressure and earned a 90.8 grade for his efforts. The Buccaneers were only able to sack Daniels once in 15 forced defenders as the rookie quarterback showed off his ability to avoid sacks.
Why the Buccaneers Lost: The Buccaneers defense struggled to get Daniels, but it also struggled to get the Commanders receivers, mostly Terry McLaurin And Dami Brown. McLaurin and Brown combined for 178 yards and two touchdowns on 12 catches, giving the Buccaneers secondary problems all night. Brown was able to showcase his ability to create after the catch, averaging 9.0 yards after the catch per reception, while McLaurin made a great contested catch in the backfield and had more contested catches than any other receiver in the NFL in 2024 .
Both players also received excellent marks. McLaurin received a team-high 88.1 grade for his efforts, while Brown earned a 79.1. Their effort was too much for the Buccaneers’ secondary.
Editor’s Note: Los Angeles Rams vs. Minnesota Vikings game coming soon!
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