NFL Game Recaps: 2024 Playoffs

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Eagles 40, Chiefs 22

The Eagles knew that they would have to battle the two-time defending champions and the officials entering this game. It was apparent that the latter would be involved on the opening drive when a deep A.J. Brown reception was nullified by a horrendous offensive pass interference penalty.

Ultimately, however, the disparity between the two teams made this game too difficult to rig. The Chiefs didn’t even cross midfield until there were two minutes remaining in the third quarter. The reason for this was the same blueprint the 2007 Giants and the 2020 Buccaneers deployed when they beat the Patriots and Chiefs, respectively. They rushed four players with overwhelming pressure and didn’t blitz. That’s not an exaggeration, as they didn’t blitz a single time in this game, preventing Patrick Mahomes from taking advantage of fewer players dropped into coverage.

The two key moments in this game were results of this pressure. The first was when the Eagles were up 10-0. The Chiefs had possession on a drive that was a complete calamity. Mahomes was sacked twice, and on third-and-16, he was intercepted. The pick was returned for six by Cooper DeJean to expand the lead to 17. Mahomes threw a second pick when Josh Sweat, who had 2.5 sacks on the day, beat Joe Thuney and hit Mahomes as he released the ball. Zack Baun made a diving pick to set up an A.J. Brown touchdown.

Philadelphia’s ability to pressure a team with severe offensive line issues was not a surprise. What was shocking was that the Chiefs limited Saquon Barkley to just 57 rushing yards on 25 carries. Jalen Hurts, however, more than made up for it. He scrambled for 72 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts, and he completed all but five of his 22 pass attempts for 221 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Hurts’ best throw was an absolute beauty of a deep ball to DeVonta Smith for a 46-yard touchdown.

The Eagles ultimately went up 40-6. The Chiefs scored two late touchdowns in garbage time to make the final score look closer than the game really was.

The Eagles’ defense had one of the best performances in Super Bowl history, limiting the best quarterback in the NFL to just six points before meaningless late action. They sacked Mahomes six times, which was a career high for the Chief signal-caller.

The Chiefs’ three-peat was thwarted by their awful offensive line. They need to bolster their horrific blocking this offseason. Here’s a link to the 2025 NFL Draft Offensive Tackle Prospect Rankings.

Chiefs 32, Bills 29

The Bills always beat the Chiefs in the regular season, while the Chiefs always beat the Bills in the playoffs. It appeared as though history would repeat itself when Kansas City engineered a touchdown drive on its opening possession. The Chiefs eventually led 21-10, but Buffalo stormed back, with Josh Allen launching a 34-yard touchdown to Mack “Fred Flintstone” Hollins. The Bills then opened the third quarter with another touchdown drive, as James Cook reached the end zone to put his team up one.

The Chiefs, however, would inevitably receive extra help in this game. That, of course, came from the officials. Those who only look at the box score will point out that the penalties were about even in this game – Buffalo had six; Kansas City had five – but there were two horrible calls that went the Chiefs’ way. The first was when a Bills defender appeared to intercept Patrick Mahomes, but the refs ruled that Xavier Worthy caught the pass, to the dismay of CBS color analyst Tony Romo. The second occurred much later when Allen appeared to successfully sneak on fourth down. Instant replay clearly showed that Allen reached the first-down marker at the 40-yard line, but the officials, upon replay review, ruled that Allen was stopped at the 41. This befuddled CBS’ former official in the booth.

Both calls ended up giving Kansas City a combined 14 points. Despite this, the Bills had a chance to tie or win at the end of regulation. Down 32-29, the Bills had the ball with 3:30 remaining. They moved toward midfield, but were stuck in a fourth-and-5. Allen saw immense pressure from an exotic blitz, but launched a deep pass that floated right to Dalton Kincaid. The tight end dropped the ball.

This was the final time the Bills would see the ball. The Chiefs converted two first downs on passes to their running backs to clinch yet another Super Bowl appearance.

The NFL claims that it investigated the allegations behind the biased officiating with the Chiefs. They reported that they didn’t find anything neferious. This was shocking because when corporations investigate themselves, they often find plenty of wrongdoing.

This is a sad way for Buffalo’s season to end. The Bills had a great year, but once again choked in the playoffs against the Chiefs. Barring injury to Mahomes, it’s fair to wonder if the Bills will ever beat the Chiefs in the postseason.

Eagles 55, Redskins 23

The Eagles demolished the Redskins in the first meeting between the teams, but this game initially appeared as though it would play out like the second clash. Jayden Daniels spent the opening drive pecking the Eagles to death with numerous third-down and two fourth-down conversions. Curiously, Wasington settled for a field goal on a fourth-and-short situation in the red zone, but it was able to take a 3-0 lead. This drive, which went 18 plays for seven minutes, and it seemed as though the Redskins wanted to control the time of possession. The Eagles took a different approach, with their first play going the distance, as Saquon Barkley ran 60 yards for a touchdown.

Philadelphia established a 14-3 lead, but the Redskins struck back with a field goal and a touchdown, thanks in part to a fake punt conversion. However, this game turned on Washington’s turnovers. Dyami Brown lost a fumble, and then Jeremy McNichols lost a fumble on a kickoff. The Eagles were able to transform the latter turnover into an A.J. Brown touchdown to go up 27-12.

Though the Eagles led by 12 at halftime, there was some concern with their ability to hold a lead because of injuries to their two centers. Landon Dickerson was knocked out of the game, forcing the injured Cam Jurgens into action. The Eagles went three-and-out on their initial possession in the third quarter, but their ability to force take-aways saved the day once again. Austin Ekeler fumbled, allowing the Eagles to continue to extend their lead.

There was a hilarious moment in this game when the Redskins were flagged for four encroachment penalties in a row while faced with a Philadelphia “tush push” at the goal line. The official warned Washington that he would award Philadelphia a score if it was guilty of the same infraction once again.

The Redskins’ season has come to an end, but their fans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Eighty-seven million reasons, in fact. That’s how much cap space the Redskins have entering this offseason. With $87 million, which is the third-best situation in the NFL, the Redskins can build a juggernaut roster and dominate the NFC for years to come.

Bills 27, Ravens 25

The Ravens were self-critical during the season about being sloppy in some of their losses. Their mistakes went away for a while, but re-surfaced at the worst time. This game was packed with Baltimore blunders that allowed the Bills to secure an upset victory.

Baltimore’s initial mistake came on the second drive of the night. Lamar Jackson launched a deep pass that was overshot because of Matt Milano pressure. The Bills didn’t score off the turnover, but were able to flip field position. The next turnover gave the Bills points, however. Jackson lost a fumble on a strip-sack on the ensuing drive, ultimately setting up the first of two Josh Allen rushing touchdowns.

The Bills took a 21-10 lead into the half and had a chance to extend the lead even further with the first possession in the third quarter. They went three-and-out, however, and Baltimore was able to respond with a field goal. The Ravens then took over and scored a touchdown on the next drive, but missed a two-point conversion.

The Ravens appeared to be charging back, but the mistakes were prevalent once again in the fourth quarter. Mark Andrews lost a fumble on a punch-out by a Buffalo linebacker, which nearly allowed the Bills to put the game away on the ensuing drive. However, they didn’t tush push on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line and gained nothing, so they settled for a field goal. This appeared to be a losing move, especially when the Ravens quickly flew down the field and scored a touchdown. However, the team’s final blunder of the evening, an Andrews dropped two-point conversion, allowed Buffalo to clinch the victory.

The Bills won, but Sean McDermott nearly cost his team a victory by not tush-pushing twice from the 2-yard line. Kicking seemed like a losing move, but the Bills were fortunate that Andrews dropped the two-point conversion.

It’s unclear why Jackson didn’t run as much. He failed to rush for 40 yards. Jackson didn’t run enough in the AFC Championship last year, and he once again failed to take advantage of his legs.

Eagles 28, Rams 22

We were promied 3-5 inches of snow in this game, but there was no evidence of that in the opening half. There were a trio of touchdowns in the perfect conditions before intermission, with Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts rushing for 62 and 44 yards, respectively. In between, the Rams drove down the field and Matthew Stafford found Tyler Higbee in the end zone.

The heavy snow arrived in the third quarter, which is when most of the action took place. The elements clearly had an impact on the game, as there were drops by both teams. Puka Nacua and A.J. Brown dropped deep passes, with Brown’s drop occurring near the goal line. Cooper DeJean also dropped a potential interception. Meanwhile, the Rams were impacted via a couple of turnovers, with Kyren Williams and Stafford both losing fumbles.

The Eagles, however, couldn’t take advantage of both take-aways. Barkley appeared to score a touchdown following the Williams fumble, but replay review ruled him down inches shy of the goal line. Philadelphia had to settle for a field goal because of an ensuing Lane Johnson false start. After the Stafford fumble, the Eagles appeared to be set up at the Los Angeles 3-yard line, but Mekhi Becton was ruled illegally downfield on a big Dallas Goedert reception.

Making matters worse for the Eagles, Hurts hurt his leg on an awkward tackle. He gave the Eagles nothing after that, even taking a safety at one point. He also was sacked 12 yards behind the line of scrimmage when Philadelphia was running out the clock. If it weren’t for Barkley’s 78-yard touchdown run, the Eagles would have been in deep trouble because they had to fight off two furious drives from Stafford at the end. The first concluded with a touchdown to Colby Parkinson, but the second ended in the red zone thans to a sack to preserve the victory for the Eagles.

Philadelphia bettors should consider sending an invoice to Jake Elliott or his agent. Elliott missed two extra points in this game. Had he converted, the margin would have been eight instead of six, allowing the Eagles to cover the spread.

Redskins 45, Lions 31

The Lions figured that overcoming their defensive injuries would be their greatest challenge entering the playoffs, but little did they know that it would be turnovers. Detroit was very careless with the football, committing four turnovers prior to garbage time, including three in the opening half. Jared Goff lost a fumble on a strip-sack, then was pick-sixed on a high throw. And just before intermission, a potential scoring drive was ruined when Goff threw an interception into the end zone.

Thanks to the trio of turnovers, the Redskins led at halftime, 31-21. The Lions looked like they’d have a chance to claw back when they lucked into a touchdown drive, thanks to a terrible face mask penalty on a David Montgomery third-down run. Jahmyr Gibbs ran into the end zone to trim the margin to three. However, the Redskins bounced back with a Jayden Daniels fourth-down scramble conversion. Detroit then gifted the Redskins a first down because they had 12 men on the field on fourth down. Brian Robinson plunged into the end zone to extend the lead to 10.

The Lions had to try to draw to within three once again, but that’s when the fourth turnover occurred. Ben Johnson’s nifty play-calling finally backfired, as Jameson Williams threw a horrible interception into heavy coverage. Daniels responded by converting yet another fourth down on a pass to Terry McLaurin. Jeremy McNichols eventually carried defenders into the end zone to give the Redskins an insurmountable 17-point advantage.

This was a huge disappointment for the Lions. Their defense looked gassed without Aidan Hutchinson and the other missing players, but the offense sabotaged a potential victory with the four turnovers.

You can see the stats below to know that Daniels was incredible. He continued to be clutch on fourth down, converting 3-of-4 opportunities.

Chiefs 23, Texans 14

The Texans faced an impossible task. Not only did they have to travel to play a 15-2 team coming off tons of rest; they also had to battle the officials. Kansas City infamously receives help from the refs in big games, and that was the case once again.

There were two obvious instances of this. The first was a roughing the passer penalty where the officials ruled that a Houston defender hit Mahomes in the helmet, but replay showed this was not the case. This allowed the Chiefs to continue a drive and kick a field goal. Later, Mahomes slid and a Houston player hit him simultaneously. The game announcers pleaded for the officials to pick up the yellow flags, but the refs did not listen. The free 15 yards transformed into a touchdown for the Chiefs. These 10 points turned out to be the difference.

It’s a shame that the Texans were the latest team to be screwed by the officials in a game against the Chiefs. They were down 13-12 entering the fourth quarter, winning in most of the stats. However, in addition to the one-sided officiating, they also had issues with Steve Spagnuolo’s third-down blitz packages. Inept offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik constantly had C.J. Stroud in third-and-long situations, allowing the Chiefs to tee off on him.

This almost had a brutal bad beat for the Texans, as they lined up for a 35-yard field goal in the final minute. The kick was blocked. However, this turned into a bad beat for Kansas City supporters because the Chiefs took an intentional safety to run out the clock. This nine-point margin allowed the Texans to cover the +9.5.

Rams 27, Vikings 9

The Chargers looked like they were completely overwhelmed with the ramifications of the Los Angeles wildfires. They were completely unprepared to battle the Texans, and yet they didn’t even have to switch locations. The Rams, conversely, had to move their home game to Arizona, but perhaps the two extra days of preparation did the trick because they played with amazing energy, seeking to win a game for all the victims of the horrible disaster.

The Rams wasted no time marching down the field in this contest, with Matthew Stafford throwing a touchdown to Kyren Williams to cap off the opening drive. The defense played to its peak ability as well, sacking Sam Darnold thrice in the opening quarter. The Rams were able to tack on a field goal to go up 10-0.

Not only were the Rams the far superior team in this game; they also had the better luck. Stafford appeared to lose a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, but the turnover was negated by replay review. Shortly later, in a 10-3 game, Darnold was strip-sacked. The Rams returned the loose ball for a touchdown, and this play stood.

This was never a single-digit margin from that point forward. The Rams didn’t do much scoring in the second half, but they didn’t need to because their defense kept swarming Darnold, who looked completely overwhelmed. Head coach Kevin O’Connell was also bewildered, as he inexplicably continued to call running plays despite being down 18 points in the fourth quarter. Before long, Stafford was kneeling down in victory formation.

The Rams probably would’ve had more offensive success throughout the second half had Tyler Higbee not gotten injured. Higbee had a monster first quarter, but left the game with a chest issue.

Darnold will not be re-signing with the Vikings. This was fairly obvious even prior to this game, but everyone will recognize that now. Minnesota can move forward with J.J. McCarthy, who will be playing on a rookie contract.

Redskins 23, Buccaneers 20

The Redskins dominated the time of possession in this game, but couldn’t quite pull away because of poor execution and play-calling in the red zone. The Redskins gave Brian Robinson Jr. far too many carries deep in Tampa Bay territory, and none of them worked. Washington settled for far too many field goals and even turned the ball over on downs on one occasion.

The Buccaneers, despite not having the ball nearly as much, were far more efficient in the first three quarters. Mike Evans dominated his matchup against Marshon Lattimore. Tampa Bay led 17-13 entering the fourth quarter.

Things flipped in the fourth quarter, as Tampa Bay imploded with horrible mistakes. The Buccaneers turned the Redskins over on downs, but gave the ball right back when Baker Mayfield lost a fumble while trying to get the ball to Jalen McMillan. The Redskins finally converted a touchdown off the take-away, with Jayden Daniels finding Terry McLaurin in the end zone. The Buccaneers took over, down 20-17, and drove down the field into the red zone. Bucky Irving ran for a 9-yard gain on a first-and-10, but a Mayfield designed run went nowhere, and the third-down play was ruined by a botched snap, forcing the Buccaneers into a tying field goal.

Tampa Bay made a huge blunder by kicking the field goal because it allowed the Redskins to seal the deal with a field goal of their own. Daniels hit Dyami Brown and Austin Ekeler for gains of 21 and 18 to set up Zane Gonzalez’s game-winning field goal, which hit off the upright and went through for the victory.

The Buccaneers only have themselves to blame for the loss. If Mayfield didn’t fumble and the snap wasn’t botched, the Buccaneers likely would have prevailed.

The Redskins will move on to the divisional round to battle the Lions. Their woeful run defense will be tested versus Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.

Eagles 22, Packers 10

The Packers had played sloppy football ever since shutting out the Saints on a Monday night. That erratic play continued in this game, and we saw signs of that immediately. The Packers lost a fumble on the opening kickoff return, allowing Jalen Hurts to throw a touchdown to Jahan Dotson to go up 7-0. Green Bay had some poor drives after that, including one possession that featured a terrific interception by Darius Slay.

Green Bay finally got its act together with a quality possession in the second quarter, yet another special-teams gaffe – a missed short field goal – ruined things again. Later, the Packers assembled their second solid drive of the half, but the possession concluded with another interception, with Love not seeing linebacker Zack Baun in coverage.

Despite these blunders, the Packers were able to hang around, trailing just 10-0 at halftime. They eventually drew to within 10-3, but had to overcome injuries on top of their mistakes. Elgton Jenins, Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs were all knocked out in the first three quarters, and Josh Myers exited in the final frame. All of these offensive injuries ruined Green Bay’s chances of sustaining consistent drives, while the Eagles eventually got their act together, as Saquon Barkley reached the 100-yard mark in the final minutes.

Though the Eagles prevailed, Hurts didn’t play a very good game. He missed some routine throws, showing lingering signs of his concussion.

The Packers showed so much promise just a few weeks ago, but countless injuries and poor special teams play derailed their chances.

Bills 31, Broncos 7

The Bills nearly lost to a Skylar Thompson-quarterbacked team in the playoffs two years ago. For a bit, it seemed as though history would repeat itself. The Broncos scored a quick touchdown on the opening drive when Bo Nix delivered a perfect bomb to Troy Franklin, making some of the fans in the stands nervous.

Buffalo managed to put together a scoring drive on the ensuing possession, but stalled in the red zone. The Bills needed to step up defensively so the offense could catch up, and they were able to do that by pressuring Nix and shutting down the run. Josh Allen, meanwhile, was able to lead a touchdown drive on the next possession to take the first lead of the afternoon. The Broncos went down the field just prior to halftime to potentially tie the game, but a 50-yard field goal was missed.

The Bills led just 10-7 heading into the third quarter, but it was all Buffalo following intermission. The Bills kicked a field goal on their initial drive of a half for the first time, but the ensuing possession was more fruitful. Allen took a deep shot toward the end zone on a fourth down, and Ty Johnson made a terrific diving catch to give the Bills a two-touchdown advantage. Buffalo then put this game away early in the fourth quarter when Allen launched a 55-yard bomb to Curtis Samuel.

Buffalo will take on the Ravens in the second round. The Bills’ fifth-ranked run defense will be tested.

The Broncos were an obvious fraud this year because six of their nine wins prior to Week 18 were against Group D and Group F teams. However, they have a bright future as long as Nix can develop.

Ravens 28, Steelers 14

The Steelers style themselves as a tough, defensive team, but there were no signs of that in the opening half. They looked pathetic when trying to stop Baltimore’s running game. The Ravens were so dominant with the rush that they scored a touchdown on a drive where they did nothing but run the ball on a 13-play, 85-yard touchdown stampede.

This game really turned on a decision that Mike Tomlin made in the second quarter. Pat Freiermuth caught a third-down pass and was tackled inches shy of the sticks. He was at his own 29-yard line, but given that the Steelers had gotten nothing out of their offense at that point, it made sense to go for it on fourth-and-inches. Instead, Tomlin punted. The Steelers, perhaps sensing that their head coach didn’t believe in their offense, gave up on the ensuing drive, which was that 85-yard possession that was nothing but runs.

Pittsburgh didn’t get on the board until the third quarter. Perhaps finally realizing that the Ravens have issues in their secondary, the Steelers began attacking downfield for the first time all evening. Mike Williams caught a deep pass, and then Van Jefferson scored a touchdown. The Steelers would’ve had a chance to get back into the game with a stop, but they didn’t get one. Derrick Henry sprinted into the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown to seal the victory for the Ravens.

The Steelers desperately need to find a new quarterback. Russell Wilson posted a decent stat line, but most of his production came in garbage time. He never gave the Steelers a chance to win despite being in a favorable matchup. Check out the 2025 NFL Draft Quarterback Prospect Rankings to see which quarterbacks Pittsburgh can acquire this offseason.

The Ravens will take on the Bills next week, assuming the Broncos don’t pull a major upset. Buffalo is fifth against the rush, so Baltimore won’t have as easy of a time running in the next round.

Texans 32, Chargers 12

The Chargers entered this game dealing with the wildfires and were almost certain to be distracted during their preparation. That didn’t seem to be the case on the opening drive when they marched down the field and kicked to take a 3-0 lead. That quickly turned into a 6-0 advantage after John Metchie lost a fumble on the ensuing possession.

That was the last time the Chargers scored until late in the game. They pinned the Texans at their own 1-yard line on one drive, but the Texans went 99 yards to finally get on the board, as C.J. Stroud found Nico Collins to go up 7-6. The Texans added a field goal on the ensuing possession to go up four going into halftime.

The Texans were up seven in the third quarter when this contest was broken up by a defensive play. Justin Herbert threw high toward Ladd McConkey and was picked by Eric Murray, who took the turnover back for six. The Chargers finally scored after that when McConkey broke past the defense, but even that was deflating because the Texans scored two points on a blocked extra point. Houston then failed to relinquish possession on a 14-play, 74-yard drive that spanned seven minutes, concluding with a Joe Mixon touchdown, which sealed the victory for the Texans.

The Texans will be looking to repeat what the 2008 Cardinals accomplished. That Arizona team was miserable at the end of the year and given up for dead, much like this Houston squad, but won three playoff games to advance to the Super Bowl.

The Chargers will be criticized for this ugly loss, but it’s fair to wonder if this game would have gone differently if it weren’t for the wildfires.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

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