By: Cameron Kobara
The NFL playoffs have come and gone. After a regular season filled with exhilarating excitement for some teams, and straight disappointment for others, the field has narrowed to the league’s best teams of the season. All who’ve sought after the coveted Lombardi trophy, so let’s go into a deep dive of all the playoff games of the 2024-2025 season and take a look at the future Super Bowl matchup on February 9th
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Houston Texans
The NFL playoffs began with a Saturday matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers with the number five seed, and the Houston Texans with the fourth seed. Both teams ended the regular season with an 11-7 record. The Chargers entered the game as three-point favorites and kicked off with six points in the first quarter. However, L.A. could not keep the momentum going as Texans Quarterback C.J Stroud completed multiple passes to Nico Collins late in the second quarter, giving Houston the lead they’ll never give up for the rest of the game. Chargers Quarterback, Justin Herbert threw four interceptions which is more than the total number of interceptions he had during the entire regular season. Luckily for the Texans, they were able to capitalize off Herbert’s mistakes and turn 2/4 of the interceptions to 10 points each.
The game ended with the Chargers adding another six points to their score. However, it was too little, too late. The Texans had won 32-12 and were ready to move on to the divisional round.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens
Later that day the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens went head-to-head at M&T Bank Stadium. In a dominant performance, the Ravens came out on top with a score of 28-14. Baltimore took the early lead 21-0 by halftime. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry shined as they have all season with excellent performances on one of their biggest games of the year. The best play came from Lamar Jackson with 11 seconds remaining, Jackson weaved through steeler defenders and threaded a pass to Justice Hill for a touchdown. Baltimore’s dominance against the Steelers pushed them to the divisional round as they waited to see who they’d go up against next!
Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills
The first game on Sunday morning consisted of the powerhouse that is the Buffalo Bills vs. the Denver Broncos who barely scraped by for the playoffs during their final game of the regular season against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Denver Broncos answered first with a touchdown to start the game, then went on to get absolutely demolished by the Bills as Josh Allen and company bulldozed through Broncos defenders. Josh Allen completed 20 of 26 passes for over 272 yards and two touchdowns. Running Back James Cook had several big runs with 120 yards and a rushing touchdown, and wide receiver Curtis Samuel had a total of 68 yards and a touchdown, showcasing the electric playoff performances that we were bound to see from the Buffalo Bills offense.
The defense dominated as well, only allowing one touchdown and forcing multiple turnover-on-downs in the fourth quarter, this performance moved the bills on to the divisional round as the clock hit zero leaving the score 31 to 7.
Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles were up next with a game filled with turnovers and injuries for multiple Packers players. Sadly for the Packers, their season finally came to an end the same way it began, a loss to the Eagles broadcasted to the world.
This game could not have been worse for Green Bay as they started the game off with a fumble from Keisean Nixon which helped the Eagles put seven points on the board. Luckily Green Bay’s defense kept them in the game until half. However, the defense could only do so much as Jordan Love ended up throwing three interceptions in the game, which was one of the many reasons that cost the Packers the win. The Philadelphia Eagles managed to move on to the divisional round after their 22-10 win.
Washington Commanders vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Wild Card weekend ended with rookie QB Jayden Daniels and the Washington commanders V.S Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This Sunday night game was the best during wild-card weekend, it ended with history being made after Jayden Daniels became the 4th rookie Quarterback in history to win a playoff game on the road. The game was filled with back-and-forth scoring from both teams until Jayden Daniels was able to scramble for a first down, allowing Kicker Zane Gonzalez to doink in the game-winning field goal bringing the score to 23-20 moving the commanders to the divisional round and allowing their fans to enjoy their first playoff win in over 20 years.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams
The NFL Wild Card round came to an end on Monday when the Minnesota Vikings went up against the Los Angeles Rams. The game was originally scheduled to happen in SoFi stadium but was moved to Arizona amid the Los Angeles wildfires. Although the Rams were supposed to host the game at their home stadium they still felt and looked right at home with total domination against the Vikings. The Vikings entered the game as 2.5 point favorites after having an impressive 14-4 record in the regular season, however, things looked different in the postseason as the Rams beat the Vikings 27-7, many fans and experts criticized Sam Darnold after he was sacked nine times mainly due to holding on to the ball for too long in the pocket. This game sprouted doubts about Sam Darnold’s longevity in Minnesota as he approaches the end of his contract, This game was over quickly and boosted the Rams to the Divisional round.
DIVISIONAL ROUND
The next round of the NFL playoffs began on Saturday, January 18th, when the Houston Texans took on the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Washington Commanders took on the Detroit Lions. The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs skipped the wildcard round of the playoffs because they both had the best record in their conferences, giving them the number one seed and automatically giving them a spot in the NFL divisional round. Now, let’s dive in and take a look at this year’s divisional round winners.
Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs came out swinging with a 63-yard kickoff return, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from Texans player Kris Boyd helped the Chiefs get to the Texan’s 13-yard line, however, the Chiefs were shut three and out and settled for a field goal, making the score 3-0. Texans answer back with their own field goal, tying the score. The Chiefs are unable to convert on third down, however, a roughing the passer penalty gets the Chiefs another set of downs, which was one of many controversial penalties that infuriated fanbases all across the NFL during this Saturday evening’s game. This game ended with the Chiefs coming out on top 23-14, This outcome was the result of great performances on one side, poor performances on the other, and a multitude of controversial calls from the officials.
The Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship for the seventh year in a row. Later, after the game, Texans player Will Anderson Jr. stated, “We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game.” This statement showcased a sentiment of frustration shared among many NFL fans after this controversial game.
Washington Commanders vs. Detroit Lions
The next divisional round game involved the Washington Commanders vs. the Detroit Lions. If you told me at the beginning of the season that the Washington Commanders would make it to the NFC championship round I would have probably called you crazy; however, that’s exactly what happened as the Commanders won against Detroit 45-31, absolutely discombobulating the entire NFL. Going into this game Detroit was seen as a powerhouse in the NFC however, the injured Lion’s defense struggled greatly as the commanders never punted the ball in the first half of the game. Rookie QB Jayden Daniels, prevailed as he was on a mission to certify himself as one of the best Rookie QBs of all time, Commanders moved on to the NFC championship round for the first time since 1992…where they coincidentally faced off and won against the Detroit Lions.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills
The Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills battled it out on Sunday in a complete shootout. Star Buffalo QB Josh Allen didn’t have the best game by his standards, however, his teammates stepped up as Bill’s defense managed to keep the Ravens at bay, although not by much. The score was 27-19, as Isaiah Likely managed to take the ball past the pylons, bringing the score up to 27-25. There were just minutes left as the Baltimore Ravens had the opportunity to bring the game into overtime with a 2-point conversion to tie the game, unfortunately, Ravens fans experienced a soul-crushing sight as star tight end Mark Andrews dropped a wide-open pass, ending the Ravens season. This loss was the result of multiple turnovers by Lamar Jackson and a string of luck for the Bills.
Josh Allen and company get to move on to the AFC championship where they got to face off against The Kansas City Chiefs.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The NFL divisional round came to an end with the Los Angeles Rams vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, the Eagles managed to secure a hard-fought 28-22 win over the Rams in a snowy Sunday game. This propelled the Eagles to the NFC championship where they’ll be going against the Washington Commanders. Running back Saquon Barkley delivered an exhilarating performance with over 205 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 78-yard run that helped seal the game. The Eagles’s defense also performed well, limiting the Rams’s offense. Mathew Stafford, despite Stafford throwing for 200+ yards and two touchdowns, was sacked two times by Jalen Carter, effectively throwing him off his course just enough for the Eagles to advance.
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Washington Commanders vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Championship Sunday began with a dominating performance from the Philidelphia Eagles as they beat the Washington Commanders, 55 to 23. Although rookie QB Jayden Daniels managed to break history throughout the playoffs and practically secure his spot for Offensive Rookie of The Year, he could only watch as Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts had a combined total of 364 yards and 6 touchdowns. Commanders were also unsuccessful at holding on to the ball as the Eagles managed to force four turnovers and multiple fumble recoveries. The game ended with the Eagles punching their way to the Super Bowl. Even though Jayden Daniels’ history-breaking streak was finished, the commanders have a bright future with Daniels at the helm, after they went from four wins and 13 losses without Daniels, to 12 wins and five losses the year they drafted him.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills
The playoffs ended with the final game of the playoffs, the back-to-back Super Bowl champions, The Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen and company were zero to three against the Chiefs in the playoffs and unfortunately for them, their streak continued with another loss against the legendary Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs won in a close-fought battle, 32-29 which helped boost them to their third straight Super Bowl and their second Super Bowl in three years against the Philidelphia Eagles. This game was filled with great performances from the Chiefs, both on the offensive and defensive sides, However much like their last game, this Sunday night was sprinkled with angry fans as there were many questionable calls in favor of the Chiefs. These calls helped the Chiefs receive the ball on crucial third downs for the Bills, which could lead to the first-ever three-peat in NFL history, leading to many upset fans as it is their third Super Bowl in a row and fourth in five years.
SUPER BOWL LIX, February 9th, 2025