Wildcard Weekend is officially in the books, and we saw some NFL teams dominate the competition. They are ready for the Divisional Round, whether at home or working for it on the road. Some teams immediately fell apart in Wildcard weekend, heading into the 2025 NFL off-season sunset, with a lot of work ahead of them to prepare for the 2025 regular season. As for the winners of Wildcard Weekend, it’s onto the Divisional Round.
Here are the grades for all 12 NFL teams after Wildcard Weekend.
Which NFL teams garnered high grades after Wildcard Weekend?
Baltimore Ravens: B+
No Zay Flowers, no problem! The Ravens played well, earned a nice 28-14 win over their divisional foes, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and advanced to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Lamar Jackson threw two touchdowns with no interceptions, Derrick Henry scored two rushing touchdowns, and Rashod Bateman and Justice Hill scored receiving touchdowns. On defense, the Ravens had four sacks but no interceptions.
The Ravens showed a lot of fight and dominance throughout the game and prevented their divisional rivals from having a good Saturday. The Ravens travel to Western New York for their divisional matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
Buffalo Bills: A-
The Bills had a tremendous Sunday afternoon, defeating the Denver Broncos 31-7 in the Wildcard Weekend Round of the NFL playoffs. Josh Allen threw two touchdowns with no interceptions, James Cook scored a rushing touchdown, and Curtis Samuel and Ty Johnson both scored touchdowns. On defense, the Bills had two sacks but no interceptions.
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The Bills came to life in the second quarter and didn’t look back, preventing the Broncos from getting into the end zone after the first quarter of the game. The team will host the Baltimore Ravens, coming to town in the AFC Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.
Denver Broncos: D
The Broncos started their Wildcard Weekend matchup on a strong note, with a 7-3 lead after the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills, but it all was not enough, as the Bills came back and defeated the Broncos 7-31. Bo Nix threw a touchdown to Troy Franklin with no interceptions, the Broncos’ rushing attack was held to a combined 79 yards on the ground, and Courtland Sutton had 75 receiving yards. On defense, the Broncos had two sacks but no interceptions.
Although it was very disappointing to see the Broncos exit the playoffs after one brutal game, this NFL team’s future is in good hands, thanks to Bo Nix leading the team on offense.
Green Bay Packers: D-
The Packers had a rough afternoon in the City of Brotherly Love, losing 10-22 against a fierce Philadelphia Eagles team. Jordan Love threw three interceptions against no touchdowns, Josh Jacobs scored this NFL team’s only touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Jayden Reed had 46 receiving yards. On defense, the Packers had two sacks but no interceptions.
It was a brutal afternoon for the Packers. Not having Christian Watson or Jaire Alexander hurt them on offense, and the passing attack struggled against the Eagles’ defense all game long.
Also Read: Which NFL Teams Are Most Likely To Win Their First Super Bowl This Postseason?
Houston Texans: B
Even without Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs, the Texans found a way to pull off an impressive statement victory in their 32-12 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Wildcard Weekend. C.J. Stroud threw a touchdown against an interception, Joe Mixon scored a rushing touchdown, and Nico Collins scored a receiving touchdown.
On defense, the Texans stepped up with four sacks and four interceptions (with Eric Murray returning an interception for a 38-yard pick-six). The Texans put up a strong fight on defense and pulled the plug on the Chargers season. The Texans return to Arrowhead Stadium for the Divisional Round against the one-seeded Kansas City Chiefs.
Los Angeles Chargers: D-
Where do we begin? After a somewhat successful 180 turnaround thanks to Jim Harbaugh’s coaching, the Chargers lost their electric spark in the playoffs and saw their season end in disaster, 12-32 against the Houston Texans. Justin Herbert threw a touchdown against four costly interceptions, the Chargers’ rushing attack was held to a combined 50 yards on the ground, and Ladd McConkey scored this NFL team’s only touchdown. On defense, the Chargers had three sacks, two fumble recoveries, and an interception.
The Chargers were also humiliated during their extra-point attempt when kicker Cameron Dicker’s kick was blocked and returned for two points by D’Angelo Ross in the Texans’ favor. The Chargers have a lot of work ahead of them in the 2025 season.
Los Angeles Rams: A-
The Rams came into the playoffs ready to roll, as they easily dismantled the Minnesota Vikings 27-9. Matthew Stafford threw two touchdowns with no interceptions, Kyren Williams rushed for 76 yards and scored a receiving touchdown, and Davis Allen scored a touchdown.
On defense, the Rams had a fumble recovery returned for a 57-yard touchdown by Jared Verse, a whopping nine sacks, and an interception against Sam Darnold. The Rams looked extremely dominant on defense and should strike fear in their opponents moving forward in the playoffs.
Minnesota Vikings: D
The Minnesota Vikings season came to a close, losing 9-27 against the Los Angeles Rams. Sam Darnold threw a touchdown against an interception, Aaron Jones rushed for 48 yards, and T.J. Hockenson scored a touchdown. On defense, the Vikings had two sacks but no interceptions. It was a brutal night for Darnold, who lost a fumble, which was recovered for a 57-yard touchdown by Jared Verse, and was sacked a whopping nine times.
The Vikings had a wild ride during the regular season, but when it came time for the NFL playoffs, this team’s ride came to an end, and the Rams took advantage of the Rams’ miscues for most of the night.
Philadelphia Eagles: B+
The Eagles played a dominating Wildcard Weekend game against the Green Bay Packers and won 22-10, advancing to the Divisional Round. Jalen Hurts threw two touchdowns with no interceptions, Saquon Barkley rushed for 119 yards, and Dallas Goedart and Jahan Dotson both scored touchdowns. On defense, the Eagles had two sacks, three interceptions, and a fumble recovery.
The Birds looked dominant and ready for a strong playoff run thanks to Barkley and Hurts leading the way on offense, while Vic Fangio’s defense dismantled the Packers’ passing attack. The Eagles will remain home in the NFC Divisional Round. It was that kind of a game when Eagles’ wide receiver A.J. Brown was seen on the sideline reading a book titled, “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy.
Pittsburgh Steelers: C-
The Steelers played okay and showed some fight against the Baltimore Ravens in the third quarter of their playoff matchup, but they couldn’t get anything going for most of the game in their 14-28 loss. Russell Wilson threw two touchdowns with no interceptions, the Steelers’ rushing attack was held to a combined 29 rushing yards on the ground, and George Pickens and Van Jefferson scored touchdowns.
On defense, the Steelers had a sack but no interceptions. The Steelers once again exit the playoffs early after a winning season. This team haven’t had a playoff win since the 2016 NFL season when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 18-16 in the Divisional Round (the same game where Antonio Brown live-streamed the Steelers locker room after the game and lost 17-36 against the New England Patriots).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B-
The Buccaneers played an intense neck-and-neck Wildcard Weekend battle against the Washington Commanders but fell 20-23 in the final seconds of the game due to Commanders’ kicker Zane Gonzalez kicking the game-winning field goal as time expired. Baker Mayfield threw two touchdowns with no interceptions, Bucky Irving rushed for 77 yards and scored a receiving touchdown, and Mike Evans scored a touchdown.
On defense, the Bucs had a sack but no interceptions. The Bucs couldn’t get those offensive plays going, and failing to make key tackles on defense led to this NFL team’s downfall. The Bucs head into the 2025 offseason with more work ahead of them, while the Commanders advance to the Divisional Round.
Washington Commanders: B+
The Commanders played a very competitive neck-and-neck contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won 23-20 thanks to Zane Gonzalez kicking the game-winning field goal in the final seconds. Jayden Daniels threw two touchdowns with no interceptions, the Commanders’ rushing attack was held to a combined 82 yards on the ground, and Dyami Brown and Terry McLaurin both scored touchdowns.
On defense, the Commanders had a sack and a fumble recovery by Bobby Wagner. The Commanders are in great hands with Jayden Daniels leading the offense on the field, Dan Quinn coaching the team, and owner Josh Harris taking charge in the post-Dan Snyder era.
Also Read: Final Grades For All 32 NFL Teams’ After The Final Week Of The 2024 Season
