NFL · 9 months ago

Ranking the 6 NFL Super Wild Card Weekend Losers

Grant White

Host · Writer

6. Minnesota Vikings
What the hell happened to the Minnesota Vikings? Three weeks ago, they looked like they could upset the Detroit Lions at home. They hardly looked like a playoff team after their Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Minnesota was out-classed in every facet of the game. The Vikings didn't score a touchdown until late in the third quarter, and by that time, the game was already out of reach.

Sam Darnold's tenure as the Vikings' starting quarterback has likely ended. Unfortunately, he'll be remembered more for his departure than the first 16 games of the season.

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1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made one mistake, which came back to haunt them. They had just held the Washington Commanders off the scoreboard on a crucial fourth-down conversion. Further, the Bucs could take more valuable time off the clock if they marched down the field and pad their lead. Instead, they turned the ball over, allowing Washington to take the lead and eventually pull off the unexpected upset in the Wild Card Round.

Tampa Bay had done its best to contain the Commanders, holding the wild card foes to 13 points through the opening three quarters. It likely would have ended that way if not for the late turnover. The Buccaneers will now spend the offseason dwelling on what might have been.

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2. Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers put together one of the most complete postseason efforts. Still, it wasn't enough to compete against the second-ranked Philadelphia Eagles.

Green Bay's defense stood out for most of the contest. They contained the Eagles to 290 yards of offense but couldn't overcome the injuries that impacted their offensive productivity.

Matt LaFleur's coaching abilities should be questioned, but that doesn't diminish the Packers' on-field accomplishments.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
An improved second half did little to absolve the Pittsburgh Steelers of their disastrous first half in their wild-card battle versus the Baltimore Ravens. Ultimately, they dropped their fifth straight decision en route to another unceremonious playoff exit.

Pittsburgh's success has never been built on offensive prowess, which makes their defensive blunder against the Ravens look even worse. The Steelers gave up over 300 yards and 21 points in the first half, allowing Baltimore to take its foot off the pedal in the second half.

Incomplete efforts became the hallmark of the Steelers' 2024 season. Not surprisingly, that netted them an early exit from Super Bowl contention.

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4. Los Angeles Chargers
We should have expected this from the Los Angeles Chargers. Not even Jim Harbaugh could use his shine to erase their playoff reputation.

As is typically the case, the Chargers were out of their element in the playoffs. Despite entering the contest as betting favorites, Los Angeles was playing at a deficit from the outset of their Wild Card matchup against the Houston Texans.

Some teams don't have it in the playoffs. The Chargers have fallen beneath that level and rank as one of the worst-performing playoff teams in NFL history.
5. Denver Broncos
Things looked promising after the Denver Broncos' opening drive. The wild card team marched 70 yards downfield, scoring a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills. That would be the height of their achievements as they would fail to gain traction beyond their opening drive.

The game-opening touchdown represented the only points the Broncos would put on the board. More concerningly, those 70 yards accounted for nearly a third of their total offensive production.

Alas, the Broncos defense fared no better, getting burned for 471 yards in defeat. In doing so, they cemented their position as one of the worst teams this Wild Card Weekend.
6. Minnesota Vikings
What the hell happened to the Minnesota Vikings? Three weeks ago, they looked like they could upset the Detroit Lions at home. They hardly looked like a playoff team after their Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Minnesota was out-classed in every facet of the game. The Vikings didn't score a touchdown until late in the third quarter, and by that time, the game was already out of reach.

Sam Darnold's tenure as the Vikings' starting quarterback has likely ended. Unfortunately, he'll be remembered more for his departure than the first 16 games of the season.

Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made one mistake, which came back to haunt them. They had just held the Washington Commanders off the scoreboard on a crucial fourth-down conversion. Further, the Bucs could take more valuable time off the clock if they marched down the field and pad their lead. Instead, they turned the ball over, allowing Washington to take the lead and eventually pull off the unexpected upset in the Wild Card Round.

Tampa Bay had done its best to contain the Commanders, holding the wild card foes to 13 points through the opening three quarters. It likely would have ended that way if not for the late turnover. The Buccaneers will now spend the offseason dwelling on what might have been.

Tackle the Odds with SportsGrid’s Expert NFL Game Picks and NFL Player Prop Picks.

Ranking the 6 NFL Super Wild Card Weekend Losers

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