An eventful start to the 2023-24 NFL playoffs chugs along into the Divisional Round — but a recap of a wild Wild Card round can’t be skipped over. From wild wintry weather impacting games to unexpected blowouts, our NFL Wild Card Power Rankings have it all.
While half the games went the expected way, the underdogs took the other three games in the opening round. Snow impacted the Buffalo-Pittsburgh game, forcing the contest to be moved to Monday afternoon, which more evenly distributed the six games across three days.
More exciting football is upcoming in the next round of the playoffs, but for now, let’s re-rank our playoff teams as it stands after Super Wild Card weekend.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Helping kick off our NFL Wild Card Power Rankings, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took it to the Philadelphia Eagles, to the tune of a 32-9 throttling. The 337 yards and 3 TDs from Baker Mayfield helped lead the way for Tampa, who scored at least six points in each quarter.
Cade Otton was the star of the show for the Buccaneers, as he turned 11 targets into eight receptions for 89 yards. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin only combined for seven receptions and 93 yards, which is surprising based on Mayfield's 337-yard showing.
Having struggled to win the NFC South division this year, the Buccaneers now can say that they handily defeated a team that, at one point, was seen as one of the major threats to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Tampa Bay will head north to face the Dtroit Lions in a game that they certainly can compete in.
7. Detroit Lions
Welcoming Matthew Stafford back to the house he helped build certainly was a major storyline to follow this past weekend. And with the Lions and Los Angeles Rams stacking up pretty evenly on paper, it remained to be seen which team would come out ahead.
After a strong first half, the Lions struggled to score points in the second half — but they were able to milk away enough of the clock at the end of the game, holding off the pesky Rams for a 24-23 win. A fall down our NFL Wild Card Power Rankings is more of a testament to how every other team above the Lions played this past week and not how the Lions themselves performed.
Jared Goff, in a revenge opportunity, was solid for Detroit, finding rookie tight end Sam LaPorta for his only passing touchdown of the game. With the tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs running for 82 yards on 22 touches, ball control was huge for the Lions, even though they were outplayed in most offensive categories.
Another home game is on tap for the Lions, as they will host the Buccaneers in another great chance for some postseason magic in Motown.
6. Houston Texans
It’s fair to say that the Houston Texans were heavily doubted coming into their Wild Card game against the Cleveland Browns, but those feelings of doubt were quickly quelled.
With the rookie tandem of head coach DeMeco Ryans and CJ Stroud, Houston rode their strong offense and harassing defense to an easy win. While things were not expected to be this easy, it is very easy to understand just how well Stroud and the offense is playing.
Even with rookie Tank Dell out for the year, Stroud has not missed a beat, instead turning his attention to Nico Collins (6/96/1). Forcing two Joe Flacco interceptions showed that this Texans roster is more than just a strong offense – they are good on both sides of the ball.
Traveling to face the Baltimore Ravens next is no easy task, but as long as Stroud continues to ball out like he has, this matchup could be one of the most interesting of the entire Divisional Round weekend.
5. Buffalo Bills
While their 31-17 win over the PIttsburgh Steelers never looked all that close, it is important to note just how well balance the offensive attack was for the Buffalo Bills. While Josh Allen (277 total yards, 3 passing TDs) and James Cook (84 total yards) led the way on offense, five different players recorded two-plus receptions and three separate players recorded at least eight rushes.
Buffalo’s attack was methodical, as they won the time of possession battle by almost seven minutes. Averaging over five yards per carry helped set the tone in the trenches for the Bills, who played some of the most well-rounded football that they have all season.
Hosting the Kansas City Chiefs next week puts them in quite a precarious position, one that they have found themselves in in the past in this exact matchup. While both the Bills and Chiefs have their strong offenses, this game likely comes down to how the defenses show up and what they do to shut down their opposing quarterback.
4. Green Bay Packers
There comes a time where people need to admit their mistakes when it comes to player career predictions, and it is safe to say now is the right time to apologize for missing on Jordan Love.
His dominant streak of play to end his first season as a full-time starter continues into the playoffs, as he tore apart the hapless Dallas Cowboys defense. A 48- point effort against a defense that was a big reason why the Cowboys were undefeated at home was left in shambles by a team that has been embarrassed by this Packers franchise in the past.
Doing what he is doing without a bonafide WR1 talent speaks not only to the talent that Love has, but the masterful coaching job that Matt LaFleur has done. Putting his quarterback in a position to succeed with who he has around him and not trying to force things is exactly how you turn the youngest roster in the league and make them a playoff contender waaaaay before many expected.
Another road game awaits the Packers, as they now will travel out west to face the top-seed San Francisco 49ers in another tough test. Will this team run out of steam, or will they continue to play with house money and leave everything out there on the field?
3. Kansas City Chiefs
Never count out Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs, and he once helped lead the Chiefs to a postseason win, this time over the Miami Dolphins. The winter conditions worked in Kansas City’s favor, as they stymied the strong offensive attack from the Dolphins in their win.
While Mahomes didn’t put up a Mahomes-like performance (262 yards, 1 TD), he did enough to keep the team focused. The real star of the show was Rashee Rice, as the SMU rookie put up eight receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown.
The Chiefs will look to make it two in a row against AFC East opponents, as they will head up north to Orchard Park to face the Bills team hot off a convincing win over the Steelers. While another game in the elements likely benefits Buffalo, the Chiefs are more than capable of going on the road and chalking up another win as they try to make it back to the Super Bowl.
2. San Francisco 49ers
A bye week should do good for the 49ers, as they will be all rested up for a heavyweight bout with the seven-seed Packers. While they did not expect to be hosting the upset-minded Packers, it just goes to show that anything can happen in the NFL when the calendar flips to the playoffs.
As the second-ranked team in our NFL Wild Card Power Rankings, San Francisco still has a lot to prove, even though they are the top seed in the NFC.
Can Brock Purdy continue his strong play, or will the lights get too bright for him? Will Christian McCaffrey be at full health this week? Which big-3 target (Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, or Deebo Samuel) will show up and will the others have big enough impacts?
This San Francisco team is hard to stop, but there are elements to this team that Green Bay can exploit. But as long as the 49ers vary up their schemes and coverages, bring frequent pressure to get Love off his game, and use the run to their advantage, this game should be nothing more than a blip on their radar that has its course set to Las Vegas.
1. Baltimore Ravens
The #1 team in our NFL Wild Card Power Rankings is still the Baltimore Ravens, who, like the 49ers, were able to spend last week at home getting healthy for the AFC Divisional round. With the Texans next up for Lamar Jackson and company, it will be interesting to see if there is any rust that this team needs to get rid of next week — and how seriously they take their opponent.
It has been quite the dominant season for Jackson, who looks to be in the driver’s seat to win the NFL Most Valuable Player award this season. Once again putting the offense on his back, Jackson saw a massive jump in his passing yardage, exceeding his previous career best by over 500 yards.
Even though his passing touchdown and interception marks fit into his career averages, he has produced a career-high completion percentage (67.2) and average yards per completion (8.0). His play has helped Baltimore stem the loss of Mark Andrews, who has begun to practice with the Ravens in hopes of suiting up and adding yet another wrinkle to the Baltimore offense.
The Ravens should have the biggest target on their back of all eight remaining teams in the playoffs, but it’s for good reason. Top to bottom, this roster should be the most feared of all, and they look ready to hit their stride once again as the playoffs continue.
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