NFL 2025-2026 Wildcard Recap
The 2025 NFL regular season is in the history books.
The 2025-2026 NFL Playoffs are set.
AFC: 1) Denver Broncos (14-3) have the bye week off.
NFC: 1) Seattle Seahawks (14-3) have the bye week off.
Los Angeles Rams (12-5) at Carolina Panthers (8-9) was the Saturday afternoon game. The Panthers staggered into the playoffs. Although the Panthers beat the Rams in Week 13, the Rams are the better team and everyone knows it. The Rams have a pinball offense that at its best can score at will. Sean McVay remains an offensive wizard and Matthew Stafford is the reigning NFL passing leader. The Rams have the experience and the talent…practically everything…on their side. The Rams sometimes play down to the level of their competition, and this game was no exception. Early on Dave Canales went for it on 4th and 1 at their own 45. Bryce Young threw incomplete to give the Rams an early short field. Matthew Stafford went to Puka Nacua for 16, 10, and the 14 yard touchdown as the Rams took the 7-0 lead. An interception of Young gave the Rams another short field at the Carolina 48. Kyren williams ran for 8 and 6 sandwiched around a 15 yard completion from Stafford to Colby Parkinson. On 3rd and 2 from the Carolina 27, Stafford hit Nacua for 7. Nacuagot around the end for a 5 yard touchdown to have the Rams up 14-0 early in the second quarter. This had all the makings of a blowout.
The Panthers soon faced 2nd and 7 at their own 38 Young went to Coker for 15 and to McMillan for big gains of 14 and 22. On 3rd and 2 from the rams 3, Young threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. Chuba Hubbard got in to have the Panthers within 14-7. Harrison Mevis hit a 46 yard field goal to have the Ram up 17-7. With 3 minutes left in the half the Panthers fumbled a punt and the Rams recovered at the Carolina 43. Sean McVay gambled on 4th and 3 from the Carolina 19. Stafford threw incomplete. From that spot, defensive pass interference gifted the Panthers 28 yards. Young then hit Coker for 37. On 3rd and 10 from the Rams 16, Young scrambled and ra all the way for the touchdown. The Rams had every chance to make this game a blowout. One Stafford bomb to a wide open Davantae Adams was overthrown incomplete. Another Stafford bomb to a wide open Nacua was dropped. It just bounced off of Nacua’s fingertips. Despite being totally outplayed, the Panthers were only down 17-14. Fitzgerald hit a 46 yard field goal to have the game tied 17-17 midway through the third quarter.
With a little over 4 minutes left in the third quarter, Mevis hit from 42 to give the Rams the 20-17 lead. The Rams got the ball back but an interception of Stafford set up the Panthers at their own 36. Young went bombs away to Coker for a 52 yard gain. Hubbard banged in up the gut from 3 yards ut to give the Panthers their first lead all game 24-20 only seconds into the fourth quarter. The Rams took over at their own 33. Stafford fired over the middle to Adams on a crossing route for 23. On 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 30, Stafford went for it all and was lucky not to be intercepted again. At the last moment Nacua turned from receiver to defender and knocked the ball away incomplete. Sean McVay went for it on 4th and 1. Williams went straight up the gut for 2. On 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 19, Stafford took a rare quarterback sneak for 2. Stafford went to williams for a 13 yard touchdown to have the Rams back in front 27-24 with 9 minutes left in regulation.
The Rams got it back with a chance to create some distance but could not. They punted and Isaiah Simmons blocked the punt. With 4:12 left the Panthers took over at the Rams 30. Young went to McMillan for 16. On 3rd and 3 from the Rams 7, a perfect throw to the corner from Young was caught by Coker over the defender for the touchdown. With 2:40 to play, the Panthers led 31-27. The Rams took over at their own 29. Stafford showed why he is a Super Bow champion and the current NFL passing leader. He put on a clinic when it mattered, hitting Nacua for 7, Adams for 10 and 6, Ncua for 18, Mumpfield for 11, and Naccua for a 19 yard touchdown. The Rams regained the lead with only 38 seconds remaining. The Panthers took over at their own 28 with 32 seconds left and all 3 timeouts, needing only a field goal to tie the game. Young threw 3 incompletions, leaving only 12 seconds. Young found Jimmy Horn past the first down marker. The ball was well thrown. Horn dropped it. The heavy underdog Panthers were game, but the Rams survived a thrilling football game to advance to the Divisional round road Playoff game. 34-31 Rams
Green Bay Packers (9-7-1) at Chicago Bears (11-6) was the Saturday night game. 15 years ago, the Packers were at the Bears in the NFC Title Game. Despite being on the road, the Packers were favored against what was seen as a soft Bears team. President Barack Obama, a Bears fan, said he was looking forward to his team winning it all. Packers cornerback Charles Woodson had other ideas. Before the game in the locker room, Woodson told his teammates, “If the President doesn’t want to see us, we’ll go see him. White House on 3! 1, 2, 3, White House! The Packers won it all. 15 years later in the Wildcard, the Bears again have the home field but the Packers are considered better. The Bears have gotten every lucky break this year. They trailed the Packers 16-6 with 3 minutes left a few weeks ago when a field goal and an onside kick led them to a shocking 22-16 overtime win. The Bears had to rookie head coach and second year quarterback in his first playoff game. The Packers had the experience.
The Bears began at their own 32 and moved 59 yards in 15 plays and 8 minutes. Yet on 3rd and 5 from the Green Bay 9, Caleb Williams threw incomplete. Cairo santos hit the 27 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Bears. The Packers took over at their own 15. Jalen Reed got around the end for 14. On 3rd and 1 from their own 38, rather than just move the chains, Jordan Love went deep to Romeo Doubs for 33. Josh Jacobs gained 9, 5 and 5. On 3rd and 2 from the Chicago 7, Love went to Christian Watson for the touchdown to make it 7-3 Packers. Early in the second quarter Ben Johnson gambled on 4th and 2 from his own 38. The Bears converted, but on 4th and 6 from the Green Bay 40, Johnson gambled again and Williams was intercepted. The Packers took over at their own 13. Jacobs ran for 7 and 13. Love went deep to Golden for 36. On 3rd and 8 from the Chicago 29, Love hit Doubs for 10. On 3rd and 9 from the Chicago 18, Love went to Reed for the touchdown to make it 14-3 Packers. Crossing the line from bold to reckless, Johnson gambled again on 4th and 5 from his own 32. William’s pass was knocked down incomplete.
Matt LaFleur went for it on 4th and 1 from the Chicago 23. Love found Christian Watson in the flat. Watson rumbled toward the goal line, went airborne, and had the ball hit a helmet, causing a fumble. The Packers recovered in the end zone, but by rule, because it was fourth down, the ball went to the spot of the fumble. The Packers were lucky to escape a touchback. They had 1st and goal at the one. 3 plays yielded nothing. LaFleur went for it on 4th and goal at the one at the 2 minute warning. Love found a wide open Doubs in the flat for the easiest touchdown of their season as the Packers built a 21-3 lead. The Packers scored a touchdown on their first 3 drives of the half. The Bears moved to a 4th and 4 at the Green Bay 37 with 37 seconds left on the half. Ben Johnson gambled again and acme up snake eyes again as Williams threw incomplete. The Packers missed a chance to pour it on even more when Brandon McManus missed a 55 yard field goal try to end the half. The Packers offense did nothing for much of the second half as the Bears tried to make a game of it.
In the third quarter Santos hit from 34 but the Bears still trailed 21-6. The Bears got it back and moved to a 4th and 1 at the Green Bay 6th. In what became a broken record, Ben Johnson gambled and lost as Williams was intercepted. Early in the fourth quarter Santos hit from 51 as the Bears trailed 21-9. The Bears got it back at their own 34. Williams ran for 11. Williams went deep to Loveland for 22 and again for 21. On 3rd and 3 from the Green Bay 5, Swift ran it in for the touchdown. With 10 minutes left in regulation, the Bears were right back in it down 21-16. This seemed to be a replica of their previous game a few weeks ago in Chicago where the Packers dominated most of the game but somehow lost. The Bears with virtually no offense had their defense keeping them in the game.
Jacobs fir the first time in his life was asked to return the kickoff in an effort to jolt the offense. Jacobs had a long kickoff return, fumbled the ball, and was lucky to have the Packers retain possession at their own 46. Love went to Doubs for 22. On 3rd and 9 from the Chicago 32, Love hit Doubs for just enough. Love fired sideways to Golden, who weaved through traffic back and forth for a 23 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Packers had breathing room up 27-16 with 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Love’s 4th touchdown pass tied a franchise playoff record. The Bears won the previous matchup between these teams by overcoming a late 2 score deficit. Now they would have to do it again. On 4th and 3 from their own 47 with 5 1/2 minutes left, the Bears suffered a false start. On 4th and 8, Williams rolled out, somehow avoided a sack, and fired a prayer between 2 defenders for a 27 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the Green Bay 30, Williams under heavy pressure hit Monangai for 22. Williams fired over the middle to Olamide Zaccheaus for the 8 yard touchdown. Ben Johnson went for 2 and Williams fired to Colston Loveland in the corner just past the front pylon successfully. With 4:18 to play, the Bears were within 27-24. Again, the Packers and to fail to close out a game against their arch rival. The Bears had all 3 timeouts left.
Jacobs was put in again to return the kickoff as the Packers took over at their own 31. The Bears had won 6 games this season when trailing with less than 2 minutes left. Yet the Packers had the ball. From 44 yards out to extend the lead, McManus was no good. His second miss on the day gave the Bears the ball at their own 34 with 3 minutes left. The Bears just never stay dead. Now a field goal would tie the game. The Bears took over at their own 34. Williams went to Loveland for 12. On 3rd and 4 from the Green Bay 48, Wiliams hit Swift for 23. Williams then went deep to Moore for a 25 yard touchdown. Just like that, once again, after trailing for most of the game, the Bears led 31-27. Yet 1:43 still remained. The Packers took over at their own 28 with one timeout left needing a touchdown. On 4th and 7, Love hit Golden for 13. On 3rd and 3 just past midfield, Love hit Golden for 6 as the Packers called their final timeout with 44 seconds left. Love fired to Reed for 20 but an injured Packers player on the play meant a 10 second runoff. The Packers were at the Chicago 23 but only 20 seconds remained after the runoff. A false start meant 2nd and 15 with 13 seconds left. Love got hit as he threw for an incompletion, leaving 7 seconds. Love fumbled the snap, recovered it, scrambled all over the place, and fired to the end zone incomplete. The Cardiac Bears did it again. The Packers choked again. McManus missed 2 field goals and an extra point. The Bears biggest playoff comeback before this game was 5 points back in the 1930s. This game they came back from being down 18 points, including 15 points in the fourth quarter. This was the first Bears playoff win in 15 years. The Bears will be home next week for the Divisional round. 31-27 Bears
Buffalo Bills (12-5) at Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) was the Sunday morning game. The Jaguars came in riding an 8 game wins streak. The Bills did not even win their division, snapping a 5 year stretch of dominance. All the pressure is on the Bills. With Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson out of the playoffs, Sean McDermott and Josh Allen are out of excuses. Trevor Lawrence is resilient. A few years ago he overcame a 27-0 playoff deficit to win 31-30 on the final play. The Bills have more weapons on offense and the better defense. An early interception of Trevor Lawrence was returned 19 yards to set up the Bills at the Jacksonville 33. Matt Prater hit a 50 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Bills.
The Jaguars took over at their own 35. Lawrence went to Strange for 9 and Trevor Etienne for 6. Tuten gashed the defense for monster gains of 20, 14 and 13 to end the first quarter. The second quarter began with Lawrence hitting Thomas for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Jaguars. The Bills fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Jaguars recovered at the Buffalo 17. Liam Cohen gambled on 4th and 2 from the 9. Lawrence gained only one yard. Josh Allen after the turnover own downs hit Shakir for 4 and 15. James Cook ran for 11 and caught a pass from Allen for 12. Allen went deep to Coleman for 36. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Allen got in to cap the 10 play, 92 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 10-7 Bills. On the last play of the half, Cam Little’s 54 yard field goal try to tie the game was wide left no good. Prater hit from 47 to extend the Bills lead to 13-7 midway through the third quarter.
Little answered from 43 to have the Jaguars with 13-10. The Jaguars got it back and soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 44. Lawrence went to Thomas ton right for 18. On 3rd and 2 from the Buffalo 30, Lawrence found Parker Washington for 14. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 7, Lawrence gained 2. Lawrence fired over the middle to Washington for a 6 yard touchdown to have the Jaguars up 17-13 with 13 minutes left in regulation. The Bills took over and soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 41. Allen went to Kincaid for 7. Allen went deep to Dawson Knox for 24. san McDermott went for it on 4th and 1 from the Jacksonville 19. Allen gained 4. Allen then went to Kincaid for the 15 yard touchdown and the 20-17 Bills lead wit 9 minutes left in regulation.
The Jaguars took over at their own 23. Lawrence went to Etienne for 14. On 3rd and 8 from their own 39, Lawrence threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. Lawrence then went deep ti Washington for 31. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 16, Etienne took the direct snap 2 yards. Lawrence then went to Etienne for the 14 yard touchdown. With 4 minutes left, the Jaguars led 24-20. The Bills soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 43. Allen got the tough yard. Allen then went deep to Cooks for 36. With 1:10 left, the Bills faced 4th and 1 at the Jacksonville 11. The entire world knew the tush push was coming, but Allen runs it better than nano outside of Philadelphia. This was a particularly violent tush push. The officials did not blow the whistle, so the Buffalo offensive line kept pushing for a 10 yard gain down to the one. The Jaguars took their final timeout.
If the Bills purposely failed to score on first down, the clock would tick down to 15 seconds. Jacksonville needed the full minute. So on the next tush push attempt, the Jacksonville defense just let Allen score. The Jaguars trailed by 3, but they had a full minute and the kicker who has this season made the two longest kicks in NFL history. The Jaguars took over at their own 23. On the first play from scrimmage, Lawrence’s pass was deflected and intercepted by Bishop. Bishop smartly immediately went to the ground rather than risk fumbling the ball back. Both of these teams had Super Bowl potential. For the Jaguars, they will have to wait until next year to find out. The Bills snapped their streak of 8 straight road playoff losses. 27-24 Bills
San Francisco 49ers (12-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) was the Sunday afternoon game. The last two NFC Champions face off. Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts are both solid quarterbacks. Both teams have good defenses. Both teams can run the ball. 3 years ago in the NFC Title Game, the 49ers came into Philadelphia and ran into a buzzsaw that had them down to their 4th string quarterback. Now they returned looking for revenge, as tempers flared between these teams in recent years. The 49ers began the game at their own 24. On the second play from scrimmage, Purdy fired deep to Robinson, who weaved back and forth for a 61 yard gain. Brock Purdy hit Christian McCaffrey for 11. Purdy hit Robinson for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 49ers only 3 minutes into the game. The Eagles took over at their own 37. Saquon Barkley ripped off a 29 yard gain and then 5 more. Jalen Hurts went to AJ Brown for 10. On 3rd and 3 from the San Francisco 10, Barkley gained just enough. On 3rd and goal at the one, Dallas Goedert got in for the touchdown. On a heavily windy day, Jake Elliott’s extra point doinked off the left upright no good as the Eagles trailed 7-6.
The Eagles took over to start the second quarter at their own 6 yard line. Runs and short passes had the Eagles facing 4th and 1 at their own 43. Nick Sirianni gambled on the tush push. Hurts gained 3. Hurts went to Barkley for 20. Bigsby gained 4, 9 and 7. Sirianni gambled again on 4th and 2 from the san Francisco 9. Hurts went to Goedert for the touchdown. The Staggering 16 play, 94 yard drive took 9 minutes off the clock and had the Eagles up 13-7 with 6 minutes left in the half. The 49ers quickly moved from their own 23 to a 3rd and 1 at the Philadelphia 17. McCaffrey got taken down for a one yard loss. On 4th and 2, Kyle Shanahan was not in a gambling mood. Eddie Pineiro hit the 36 yard field goal to have the 49ers within 13-10 with 2:50 left. A 49ers blunder at the end fo the half prevented them from trying the tying field goal. A 41 yard Elliott field goal had the Eagles up 16-10 late in the third quarter.
The 49ers took over at their own 33. Purdy went to Kyle Juszczyk for 27. On 3rd and 1 from the Philadelphia 31, Purdy gained 2. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Kyle Shanahan went to his bag of tricks. A double lateral led to Jennings throwing the halfback option pass to McCaffrey for a 29 yard touchdown and a 17-16 49ers lead. The 49ers got the ball back but this time Purdy was intercepted by Mitchell. The Eagles took over at their own 38. On 3rd and 10 from the San Francisco 21, Hurts hit Shipley for only 6. Elliott’s 33 yard field goal was dead center as the Eagles reclaimed the lead 19-17 midway through the fourth quarter. The 49ers took over at their own 34. Purdy hit Robinson for 16 and McCaffrey for 11. McCaffrey ran for 10. On 3rd and gal at the 4, Purdy fired over the middle to McCaffrey for the touchdown. This time it was Pineiro who missed the extra point as the 49ers by 4 with 3 minutes left in regulation. The Eagles took over at their own 35 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the San Francisco 20 with 90 seconds left. With everything on the line, Hurts was taken down for a one yard loss. He then threw 3 straight incompletions. The defending champions are out. The 49ers are off to a bone crunching rematch at Seattle. 23-19 49ers
7) Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) at 2) New England Patriots (14-3) was the Sunday night game. Both teams have excellent coaches, solid quarterbacks, and brutally tough defenses. The defenses dominated this game as the first quarter was scoreless. In the second quarter Borregales hit from 23 for the Patriots and Cameron Dicker answer from 21 for a 3-3 game at the half. Borregales hit from 35 late in the half and from 39 late in the third quarter for a 9-3 Patriots lead. The Patriots began the fourth quarter at their own 20. Drake Maye went to Westover for 8 and to Boutte for 16. Maye ran for 8 and Raimondre Stevenson added 13. Maye went deep to Hunter Henry for the only touchdown of the game. Although 10 minutes still remained, this game was over. The Patriots defense battered Justin Herbert into submission. The Patriots are at home next week in the Divisional round. This was an ugly win, which is fine with Mike Vrabel. 16-3 Patriots
5) Houston Texans (12-5) at 4) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) is the Monday night game. One missed Baltimore kick separated the Steelers from the offseason. The Texans have the top defense in the conference if not the entire league. CJ Stroud and Aaron Rodgers can both sling it. Yet Rodgers this week faces a buzzsaw. The defenses dug in early on as expected. Chris Boswell hit a 32 yard field goal for a 3-0 Steelers first quarter lead. The Texans began the second quarter at their own 8. On 3rd and 2 Stroud hit Kirk for 4. Stroud found Nico Collins for 13. On 3rd and 3 from their own 40, Stroud hit Dalton Schultz for 6. Nick Chubb ran for 9 and 6. Marks gashed the defense for gains of 20 and 7. Stroud hit Kirk for a 6 yard touchdown to cap the 14 play, 92 yard, 7 minute drive and make it 7-3 Texans. Stroud suffered two fumbles in the first half but Houston’s defense bailed him out. The second one led to a 35 yard Boswell field goal at the 2 minute warning as the Steelers trailed 7-6. A scoreless third quarter saw the Texans drive deep only for Stroud to throw an interception.
On the last play of the third quarter, the Texans faced 3rd and 15 from their own 18. Stroud uncorked a bomb to Christian Kirk for a 46 yard gain. Kaimi Fairbairn hit a 51 yard field goal dead center to make it 10-6 Texans with 13 minutes left in regulation. The key play of the game came with the Steelers facing 3rd and 12 at their own 43. Rodgers went back to pass and got belted by two defenders, forcing a fumble. Sheldon Rankins picked up the fumble and returned it 33 yards to pay dirt. The defensive touchdown had the Texans up 17-6 with 12 minutes left. There was nothing Rodgers could do. The defense overwhelmed his offensive line and just belted him. The texans got it back and just ground the Steelers into dust. The 11 play, 87 yard, 6 minute drive culminated with Marks running up the gut for a 13 yard touchdown. The Pittsburgh defense was jut out of gas. The exclamation dagger was an interception of Aaron Rodgers that bullock returned 60 yards for a defensive touchdown. Rodgers may have played his final game. Mike Tomlin after 19 years has never had a losing season, but his Steelers have lost 7 straight playoff games. The Texans won their first ever road playoff game. The Texans with the win are off to New England in a battle of two brutally tough defenses. 30-6 Texans
The Divisional Playoff are set:
AFC: (6) Buffalo Bills at (1) Denver Broncos
AFC: (5/4) Houston Texans at (2) New England Patriots
NFC: (5) Los ángeles Rams at (2) Chicago Bears
NFC: (5) San Francisco 49ers at (!) Seattle Seahawks
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