NFL Reactions Wild Card Weekend Fantasy NFL Recap & Key Takeaways

This year's playoff field appears to be one of the most wide open for Super Bowl hopefuls that we've seen in quite some time. The opening round certainly gave us plenty of reason to believe that we are in for one special postseason. Here are my reactions to the opening weekend.

Rams 34    Panthers 31

All week, the forecast called for heavy rain, but if weather played any role at all, it certainly didn't show up on the broadcast. From the opening possession, this game unfolded as if conditions were perfect. The Rams set the tone immediately after Carolina went for it (and came up short) on fourth down near midfield. Three straight completions to Puka Nacua followed, and it looked like a blowout might be brewing. Two drives later, Bryce Young threw an interception, and Nacua capped another Rams march with a five-yard rushing touchdown to make it 14-0.

To their credit, the Panthers refused to fold. Young responded with a 65-yard drive to cut the deficit in half, and the game shifted dramatically late in the second quarter when Matthew Stafford appeared to injure his throwing hand after colliding with D.J. Wonnum. From that point on, Stafford was clearly limited, and Carolina took full advantage, heading into halftime down just 17-14 with all the momentum.

That momentum carried into the second half. Stafford underthrew Davante Adams for an interception and narrowly avoided another turnover on a pass to Nacua. Early in the fourth quarter, a 52-yard completion to Jalen Coker set up the Panthers' first lead, 24-20, and it was genuinely stunning. I've argued all season that this playoff field is wide open, but I'll admit I never imagined the 8-9 Panthers would be this competitive. That assumption was clearly wrong.

Stafford eventually steadied himself enough to lead a touchdown drive, highlighted by a Kyren Williams receiving score, but Carolina still wouldn't go away. After a three-and-out that seemed to signal the end, the Panthers caught a massive break by blocking a punt with four minutes remaining. While Panthers fans saw opportunity, I immediately worried about the clock. Great field position often comes with a downside.

Sure enough, Coker's seven-yard touchdown gave Carolina a 31-27 lead with 2:39 left, plenty of time for Stafford. The Rams marched efficiently, draining the clock and finishing with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson. Carolina's final desperation attempt never materialized, sealing the Rams' narrow escape.

Close playoff games are always a gift, and this one delivered. Hopefully Stafford's finger continues to improve so we get the best version of the Rams as they travel to Chicago. As for the Panthers, they may have backed into the postseason, but their performance was fearless and impressive. They earned a lot of respect in defeat.

Bears 31    Packers 27

Few playoff games swing as violently as this one did. Green Bay dominated the first half, racing out to a 21-3 lead behind an offense that looked nearly flawless. Jordan Love completed just nine passes, but four went for 18-plus yards and three resulted in touchdowns. The Packers ran the ball with five different players, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, and Chicago generated almost no pressure. Green Bay had balance, explosiveness, and complete control.

Chicago, meanwhile, looked overwhelmed. Caleb Williams completed fewer than half of his passes for just 78 yards and an interception, while the rushing attack averaged 2.9 yards per carry. The Packers consistently forced obvious passing situations, and the Bears had no answers.

Everything changed after halftime. Green Bay's offensive creativity vanished as they shifted into a conservative, clock-killing mindset far too early. Over their first four second-half drives, the Packers ran 14 plays for nine total yards and punted each time, repeatedly slamming Josh Jacobs into a Bears front that was ready for it. Somehow, despite doing nothing offensively, Green Bay still led 21-9 midway through the fourth quarter.

That's when the Bears finally broke through. Williams leaned heavily on Colston Loveland, with DJ Moore contributing as well, as Chicago ripped off three straight touchdown drives of 66 to 76 yards. Williams was under pressure often, but his ability to extend plays and make difficult throws fueled the comeback.

Green Bay briefly responded, with Love hitting Matthew Golden for a 23-yard touchdown to seemingly restore control. However, Brandon McManus' missed extra point, following an earlier missed field goal, loomed large. What looked like a comfortable 11-point lead suddenly felt fragile.

Chicago capitalized immediately. A lightning-fast 76-yard drive took just over two minutes, and the Bears predictably converted the two-point attempt to pull within three. When the Packers' next drive stalled due to penalties and low-percentage deep shots, McManus missed another field goal, handing Chicago the ball with nearly three minutes left. Two chunk plays to Loveland and D'Andre Swift set up a 25-yard touchdown to a wide-open Moore, giving the Bears their first lead.

The Packers still had 1:43 remaining, but earlier wasted timeouts and the missed kicks removed any margin for error. Green Bay advanced the ball but couldn't finish, and Chicago's defense closed the door as time expired.

This was one of the most improbable playoff wins in recent memory. The Bears showed resilience, strong coaching, and elite playmaking when it mattered most. Green Bay, on the other hand, has no one to blame but itself. Conservative second-half play calling and avoidable mistakes turned a dominant performance into a stunning collapse.

Bills  27 Jaguars 24

Anyone who follows my work knows how much I value detailed matchup-based analysis, especially when it comes to betting and fantasy angles. In hindsight, my pregame breakdown here was admittedly simple, almost lazy. The logic boiled down to a familiar AFC theme: when a team has a truly elite quarterback facing a very good but still mortal one, the superstar usually wins. In this case, that meant trusting Josh Allen over Trevor Lawrence. When the game ended, it's hard to argue with that premise.

On paper, Jacksonville appeared to have a significant rushing advantage against a shaky Buffalo run defense. While the Jaguars averaged over six yards per carry, that number was misleading. Outside of one three-play stretch where Bhayshul Tuten ripped off roughly 50 yards, the ground game never truly dictated the action. Instead, Jacksonville's offense flowed almost entirely through Parker Washington, who emerged as the lone consistent weapon with 107 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets. No other Jaguars receiver saw more than four targets. It raises real questions about why Washington wasn't featured more prominently earlier in the season. Whether it's coverage-related or simply chemistry, Lawrence clearly trusts him, and Washington looked extremely difficult to cover.

From a statistical standpoint, Lawrence's three touchdown passes were encouraging, but my expectation was always that he'd make at least one costly mistake against a well-coached defense that disguises coverages effectively. That moment came on Jacksonville's final drive, when Lawrence threw an interception on the first play, ending any chance at a comeback.

On the other side, James Cook faced one of the league's best run defenses, and while I expected Buffalo to lean on edge runs out of heavier personnel, they repeatedly attacked the middle with little success. Cook finished at just three yards per carry, making the Bills' approach puzzling. Instead, the passing game carried the load. Khalil Shakir was the unsung hero, catching all 12 of his targets for 82 yards, while Dalton Kincaid hauled in Josh Allen's lone passing touchdown.

Allen absorbed plenty of punishment, as Jacksonville consistently pressured him and delivered hard hits throughout the game. He didn't make much impact as a runner overall, but his two rushing touchdowns, including the game-winner, were decisive. His playoff experience showed, particularly in critical moments.

That said, Buffalo was fortunate to escape. The decision not to drain the clock before Allen's late touchdown was baffling. The Bills could have run the clock down near 20 seconds and still had multiple chances to punch it in while having all three timeouts. Had Lawrence not thrown that immediate interception, overtime was very much in play. Buffalo advanced, but mistakes like that may not be survivable in later rounds.

49ers 23   Eagles 19

The wind was a major factor throughout this game, with steady gusts frequently pushing past 30 mph. It never let up, but importantly, it affected both teams equally, so there was no built-in advantage either way.

I went against public sentiment by backing San Francisco to not only cover, but win outright, and even predicted a six-point victory. The coaching advantage felt significant, and I expected the 49ers to attack Philadelphia's defensive soft spots: the second cornerback, the safeties, and defending running backs as receivers.

San Francisco opened the game aggressively, featuring Demarcus Robinson on the first drive. Robinson caught a long pass and finished the drive with a touchdown to give the 49ers an early lead. Shortly after, however, George Kittle tore his Achilles, which dramatically limited an already constrained offense. Without Kittle, the 49ers managed just three additional points through the end of the third quarter. The running game lacked consistency, and Brock Purdy was repeatedly forced into obvious passing situations against an elite defense.

Trailing 16-10 entering the fourth quarter, San Francisco adjusted by leaning heavily on Christian McCaffrey, especially in the passing game. A trick play with Jauan Jennings throwing to McCaffrey resulted in a sensational 29-yard touchdown and briefly gave the 49ers the lead. After Philadelphia answered with a field goal, the 49ers put together another long, impressive drive, capped by McCaffrey's second touchdown. Given the conditions, the opponent, and the loss of Kittle, it was a remarkable late-game offensive effort.

I warned all week that the Eagles' offense was not as strong as recent box scores suggested. A couple of decent games against the Raiders and Commanders didn't change that evaluation. Philadelphia struggled offensively even against poor defenses this season, and despite San Francisco fielding one of the league's weakest and most injury-depleted units, starting Eric Kendricks, who wasn't even on a roster a week earlier, the Eagles still couldn't capitalize.

Saquon Barkley posted 106 rushing yards, but the production was misleading. Most of it came on a handful of big runs, while the majority of his carries were stuffed near the line of scrimmage. That left the Eagles in too many obvious passing situations, which was a problem in the wind and with Jalen Hurts, who remains limited as a pure drop-back passer. A.J. Brown's frustrations showed up again. After a couple early catches, he disappeared, argued with his coach on the sideline, and later dropped an easy third-down conversion in the fourth quarter.

This was an embarrassing loss for the defending Super Bowl champions, but one that felt inevitable based on everything we've seen from this Eagles team all season.

Conclusion

We'll soon move onto the divisional round of eight teams. Let's hope we have just excitement to break down in next week's article. Keep an eye on RotoWire's NFL depth charts and Injury Report to stay ahead as the fantasy season winds down.