of green bay packers We just accomplished something that has never happened before in NFL history.
As the 2nd seed, they defeated the 7th seed in the Super Wild Card Weekend.
Since the NFL expanded the playoff field to 14 teams ahead of the 2020-2021 season, six seventh-seeded teams have had a chance to pull off an upset during Wild Card Weekend. And by Sunday, all six of those teams had lost.
2020-2021
new orleans saints twenty one, chicago bears 9
Although the seventh-seeded Chicago Bears lost to the New Orleans Saints in this game, it still made NFL history, or more accurately, the “NFL of Nickelodeon history.” An alternate broadcast of the game aired on Nickelodeon, with Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky named “NVP” for the losing game.
buffalo bills 27, indianapolis colts twenty four
The 2020-2021 playoffs began with the Buffalo Bills taking on the Indianapolis Colts, and the game was evenly matched until the final play. Like many of Philip Rivers' games, the veteran quarterback had one last drive with a chance to win, but his final desperate drive toward the end zone fell incomplete and time expired. .
2021-2022
tampa bay buccaneers 31, philadelphia eagles 15
In his first season in Philadelphia, Nick Sirianni led the Eagles to the No. 7 seed in the NFC and a playoff berth. But their reward for such an amazing season was a trip to Tampa Bay to face Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champions. Tampa Bay scored the first 31 points of the game and cruised to a 16-point victory.
kansas city chiefs 42, pittsburgh steelers twenty one
The Pittsburgh Steelers won three of their last four games and clinched the final spot in the AFC with a record of 9 wins, 7 losses, and 1 draw. But that means a road game against the Kansas City Chiefs, a team they lost their last four games to. Pittsburgh actually came out first, with TJ Watt scooping up a fumble and returning it for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. However, Kansas City scored another 35 points and the game ended in a rout. Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass late in what would be his final NFL game, making the final score 42-21.
2022-2023
san francisco 49ers 41, seattle seahawks twenty three
With Geno Smith at the helm, Seattle has made a surprising run to the 2022-2023 playoffs. However, this will be their third game of the season against the San Francisco 49ers, a team they have already lost to twice during the regular season. In the weekend's Wild Card Game 1, San Francisco rallied from a 17-16 halftime deficit to score 25 unanswered points en route to a 41-23 victory, but the 49ers scored three points on three chances. I suffered a defeat.
Buffalo Bills 34, miami dolphins 31
Two things were working against the Dolphins when they traveled to Buffalo to play the Bills. First is the weather. Miami entered the game on a nine-game losing streak in temperatures below 40 degrees, but the afternoon temperature in Buffalo at kickoff was a mild 28 degrees. The second is the fact that the Dolphins were losing a third-string quarterback in rookie Skylar Thompson.
Still, the Dolphins managed to get close, had possession of the ball with just over four minutes left, and had a chance to tie or take the lead. However, an offside penalty in a 4-on-1 situation forced Miami to fourth and long, Thompson's pass fell incomplete, and the upset bid ended.
2023-2024
Green Bay Packers 48, dallas cowboys 32
At last, an upset occurs.
The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2023-2024 playoffs as one of the best teams in the league when playing at home. Dallas had an unblemished 8-0 record at AT&T Stadium this year, averaging 37 points per home game.
However, no one told the Green Bay Packers that.
Green Bay won the coin toss, elected to receive, went to the right side of the field and scored on Aaron Jones' touchdown run, taking an early 7-0 lead. Their lead was 27-0 just before halftime, and the Cowboys scored on the last play of the first half to make it a 27-7 game at halftime. Dallas scored again on the first possession of the second half, cutting Green Bay's lead to 27-10, but the Packers responded with a touchdown of their own, making it a close 34-10 midway through the third quarter.
In the end, Dallas' defense was unable to make the stops needed to spark a comeback. The Packers were able to rely on their run game in the second half, and when combined with perfectly timed throws downfield, Green Bay was able to salt away the win.
The Packers became the first No. 7 seed in league history to defeat a No. 2 seed, making NFL history in the process.
Will the Pittsburgh Steelers be available on Monday?
