The first round of the NFL playoffs are over and there were some blowouts, upsets and even close games. Three teams moved on from each division. From the AFC, the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs all took first round wins against their opponents. In the NFC, the Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers have also won their first playoff game.
One of the biggest upsets was the Green Bay Packers beating the Dallas Cowboys as a seven seed. This is the first time a seven seed had ever beaten a second in NFL history, with Jordan Love having a perfect passing rating. “I’m very happy with the Packer game, I see them going to the super bowl after a big win like that,” senior Matthew Hernandez said.
The closest NFL game was the Detroit Lions vs the Los Angeles Rams. The Lions took a 24-23 victory. The Lions went for it on 4th down, a very gutsy call and they converted it to seal the game and take the win.
Another upset in the NFC was the Buccaneers vs the Eagles. The Buccaneers may have been the higher seed, but the Eagles were heavily favored. Baker Mayfield played an amazing game to destroy the Eagles 32-9. “The Bucs played a very good game as an underdog team,” sophomore Zavier Castillo said. “I see them making an underrated push far in the playoffs.”
Now onto the AFC: The Texans also won as an underdog seed. They mauled the Browns as the final score showed 45-14 in the Texans favor. The Texans quarterback, CJ Stroud, had an amazing playoff game also having a perfect passer rating. “CJ Stroud has a lot of potential in this league,” senior Ryan Bilan said. “I can see a future MVP, especially when he played that good as a rookie.”
The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins in Kansas City in one of the coldest games in history with the weather feeling like it was -23 degrees. The Chiefs took the win 26-7.
Finally, the last playoff game to take place in the first round was the Bills vs the Pittsburgh Steelers. After this game got delayed because of the snow, the weather was also very cold with lots of snow in the stands.
One of the coolest moments is when the Bills scored a touchdown, the fans all threw snow in the air and it was special. Something interesting is the Bills hired fans to clear out the snow on the field for $20 an hour. The efforts paid off from the fans all because the Bills took a win 31-17.
