Wild Card Weekend has come to a close and the NFL has to be thrilled with what it got out of its six games. The expansion to six games in 2020 with the two additional playoff teams has produced more inventory but most of the games in this round have been blowouts, creating a lack of drama in what should be one of the most exciting weekends of the season.
A dramatic increase in parity in 2025 paid off in spades this weekend, with the first four games (Rams-Panthers, Packers-Bears, Bills-Jaguars and 49ers-Eagles) going down to the wire and tying an NFL postseason record with 12 lead changes in the final minutes. Before Seattle and Denver join the fray in a few days in the Divisional Round, let's look back at the Winners and Losers of Wild Card Weekend, headlined by Ben Johnson's legendary Bears.
Wild Card Weekend winners and losers
Winner - Ben Johnson
Things looked dire for Johnson, who made a big deal in his introductory press conference about how he loved to beat Green Bay Packers' head coach Matt LaFleur twice a year, as Chicago fell behind 21-3 in the first half. Johnson had some rough decisions as well, including a pair of blown fourth downs deep in Green Bay territory that cost Chicago points, but Johnson calmly told his troops in the locker room at halftime that this moment was their chance to be legendary.
The Bears, as they have done all season, responded to their coach's challenge with a stunning second half comeback to shock the Packers 31-27 and deliver a haymaker in a rivalry that has been one-sided for far too long. Even if the Bears can't advance past the Rams on Sunday, Johnson has earned a warm place in the hearts of Chicago's fan base by slaying Green Bay in epic fashion.
Loser - Matt LaFleur
Even though Green Bay's front office made it clear that the result of Saturday's game wouldn't impact LaFleur's future as head coach they could not have felt good about what they witnessed. The Packers seemed to ease off the gas after going up 21-3, which has been a trend for Green Bay this season, and LaFleur looked befuddled on the sideline as he seemed clueless about how to snap the Packers out of their funk.
There were certainly mistakes in execution, including two missed kicks from Brandon McManus that cost the Packers four big points late in the second half, but the Packers still had a 98 percent chance to win the football game halfway through the fourth quarter. Finding a way to cough up that lead should be enough to cost LaFleur his job as Green Bay has underachieved compared to expectations for a few years now, but it sounds as if he will get a reprieve due to the onslaught of injuries the Packers suffered down the stretch, when they dropped their final five games of the season.
Winner - Josh Allen
In a year when Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are all sitting on their couches in mid-January, the bar is set for Josh Allen to reach his first Super Bowl with the Buffalo Bills. A date with the red-hot Jacksonville Jaguars, who had won eight straight entering the postseason, was far from easy, but Allen put the Bills on his back when they needed him most in a 27-24 comeback victory on Sunday afternoon.
Allen led Buffalo on consecutive touchdown drives in the fourth quarter after Jacksonville retook the lead and delivered the game-defining play when his quarterback sneak on fourth-and-inches from the 10-yard line nearly went into the end zone. Buffalo scored on the very next play and survived a stiff test thanks to the reigning NFL MVP, who accounted for all three of the Bills' touchdowns: two on the ground and a 15-yard toss to Dalton Kincaid.
Loser - Jacksonville Jaguars
Your heart has to go out to the Jaguars, who were a clear Super Bowl threat but had the misfortune of drawing the best quarterback in the playoffs in the Wild Card round. Jacksonville played well enough to win the game and saw Trevor Lawrence go throw-for-throw with Allen, tossing three touchdowns to boot, but two ill-timed interceptions proved quite costly for Jacksonville.
Defense also let the Jaguars down as they had no answers for Allen, who averaged 7.8 yards per attempt and bulldozed their front on designed runs in key situations. It certainly feels like Jacksonville would have easily advanced against the Los Angeles Chargers, while Houston would have offered a more competitive game, but the bulldozer that was Allen was simply an unlucky draw for a Super Bowl-caliber team.
Winner - Brock Purdy
There were clear narratives for the 49ers entering Sunday's game against Philadelphia, with the most notable being a reference to the 2022 NFC Championship Game, which turned into a blowout when both Brock Purdy and backup Josh Johnson were too injured to attempt passes in the defeat. Purdy stayed upright on Sunday and got sweet revenge against a talented Eagles' defense, throwing for 262 yards and two touchdowns to help San Francisco snag a 23-19 upset of the reigning champs.
The performance was even more impressive since the 49ers lost yet another key player as tight end George Kittle tore his Achilles tendon in the first half, taking away Purdy's most dynamic weapon at a critical point. Purdy was nonplussed, helping journeyman Demarcus Robinson exceed 100 yards receiving for the first time in almost three years while connecting with running back Christian McCaffrey for one of his two touchdown passes.
Loser - Philadelphia Eagles' Offense
The Eagles' loss on Sunday felt both stunning and expected thanks to another inconsistent performance from Kevin Patullo's offense. Things looked great when Philadelphia scored touchdowns on two of their first three drives but the Eagles only generated six points the rest of the way, going three-and-out or turning the ball over on downs on five of their final seven possessions.
San Francisco's undermanned defense dared Jalen Hurts to throw the ball and he was not up to the task, completing only 20-of-35 passes for 168 yards on the afternoon. Frustration also continued to boil over for A.J. Brown, who dropped two passes while being held to three catches for 25 yards, as he got into a sideline confrontation with head coach Nick Sirianni that will add fuel to the rumors that he will ask for a trade in the offseason.
Winner - Dave Canales
It may seem counterintuitive to call the losing coach in a playoff game a winner but Dave Canales deserves a ton of credit for how well the Panthers played on Saturday. Carolina was the biggest underdog of the round, entering their matchup against the Los Angeles Rams as 10.5-point dogs, only to find themselves going blow-for-blow with the 12-win Rams as they took the lead with 2:39 to go.
That was simply too much time left for MVP candidate Matthew Stafford, who took advantage of a Carolina secondary minus star Jaycee Horn (who was ruled out with a concussion earlier in the half) to drive down the field and score the winning touchdown. Panthers' fans will surely wonder if a healthy Horn could have sealed a massive upset but Canales got as much as he could out of this team, setting the stage for an intriguing offseason to build around Bryce Young.
Loser - Justin Herbert
Sunday night's performance offered progress for Chargers' star Justin Herbert, who didn't toss an interception after throwing four in last year's Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans. That stat was the only good part of Herbert's performance as he looked like a deer in the headlines against a swarming Patriots' pass rush, taking six sacks and throwing for only 159 yards in a 16-3 loss.
Herbert had a ton of trouble finding open receivers all night as New England took away the running game, forcing Los Angeles to rely on Herbert to move the football. The end result was another playoff disappointment for Herbert, who is now 0-3 in postseason games and has yet to elevate his game in any of them.
Winner - Seattle Seahawks
Aside from the fact that they got to sit on the couch and avoid having to play in this round, Seattle scored a big win thanks to the NFL's scheduling for the Divisional Round. The Seahawks do have a tough draw against San Francisco, which split their season series, but the league opted to schedule the rubber match on Saturday instead of Sunday, meaning the 49ers will have short rest ahead of this game.
That is a rough situation for San Francisco, which had to fly across the country for the Wild Card round and suffered even more injuries in their win over the Eagles. The argument could be made that the NFL should have scheduled Rams-Bears for Saturday since both teams played on Saturday in the Wild Card round but the NFL opted against it in pursuit of better TV ratings, offering a significant competitive advantage to the Seahawks in the
Loser - Pittsburgh Steelers
All of the good vibes from Pittsburgh's wild Week 18 win to reach the postseason went up in smoke as the offense didn't bother to show up in a humiliating loss to the Houston Texans. The Steelers' defense made life miserable for C.J. Stroud, who fumbled five times (losing two) and threw an interception, but Aaron Rodgers looked like a legend at the end of the road against a ruthless defense, losing a fumble on a strip sack that was returned for a touchdown and throwing a pick six to effectively end the game.
Mike Tomlin's run of finishing above .500 with the Steelers deserves a ton of respect but Pittsburgh has lost seven consecutive playoff games under his watch in the past nine years. Only six NFL teams have longer active streaks without a postseason win than Pittsburgh, which could lead to calls for a new voice to lead the franchise forward.