–The NFL playoffs are getting too predictable, especially in the wild card round. And the games tend to be one-sided. The average margin of victory this year was 18 points. Last year the average was 20.8. Last year the only close game in the wild card round was Detroit’s one point win over Rams. This year, it was Washington beating Tampa Bay on a field goal that hit the uprights and bounced in on final play.
–Although Green Bay upset the Cowboys last year when they were the seventh seed, it was back to business as usual this year as both second seeds easily beat the two seventh seeds as the Bills beat the Broncos 31-7 and the Eagles beat the Packers 22-10. Adding a seventh wild card team hasn’t made much difference except for helping the league make even more money.
–The home teams also have a big edge. Last year, of the four AFC division winners, the first seed got a bye and the other three division winners won. The year these same four teams are in the divisional round in the AFC – Kansas City, Buffalo, Baltimore and Houston although last year Baltimore and Buffalo were the top two seeds and Kansas City repeated as the third seed. The last three years the home teams were 14-4 in the wild card round. They were 10-2 last two years and 5-1 this year.
— This year, the Chiefs are going for a three peat as the top seed. This year in the NFC, Detroit is the only team to make the divisional round the way the Lions did last year. San Francisco and Dallas were the top two seeds last year and didn’t make the playoffs this year while Tampa Bay won the NFC South and lost to the Rams, who didn’t make it last year.
–The big losers in the wild card round were the Vikings, Steelers and Chargers. The Vikings were 14-1 and then lost regular season finale to Detroit to become a wild card team and were routed by the Rams, 27-9 in the wild card round . The Steelers lost their last four regular season games and were smoked by the Ravens, 28-14 and the Chargers lost to the Texans 32-12. All three defenses weren’t good but there are questions about the three quarterbacks Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson and Justin Herbert. It is a question whether Darnold and Wilson will be back and the Chargers need to get Herbert a better supporting cast and protect him better. The Chargers have lost in the wild card round twice in the last three years and blew a 27-0 lead to the Jaguars in 2022.
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