16 winners and losers from the first round of the NFL playoffs
- The first round of the NFL playoffs is in the books.
- The Cleveland Browns are the biggest winners of the weekend, upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers to get their first playoff win since 1994.
- Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears and Steelers are two big losers of the Wild Card round, delivering poor performances before getting eliminated from the playoffs.
- Take a look at our biggest winners and losers of the weekend below.
The first weekend of the NFL postseason is in the books, and now just eight teams remain in the fight to lift the Lombardi Trophy.
The Cleveland Browns were the biggest surprise winners, upending the Steelers' playoff hopes with a dominant win on Sunday night.
Conversely, the Steelers, Bears, and Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer were left to lick their wounds as some of the biggest losers of the Wild Card round.
Take a look below at the winners and losers of the first weekend of the NFL postseason.
WINNER: The Cleveland Browns
Last weekend, the Cleveland Browns punched their ticket to the playoffs for the first time in 18 years with a win over a Steelers team that was resting its starters.
The Browns recorded their first playoff win since 1994 over that same Steelers team playing at full force. More incredible was just how the Browns won - they dominated. On the first play from scrimmage, Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey sent a shotgun snap flying over Ben Roethlisberger's head, with the Browns defense pouncing on the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
From there, the Browns kept on rolling, scoring touchdowns on three successive drives to take a 28-0 lead in the first quarter and a 35-10 lead into halftime. Though there were some tense moments in the second half as it appeared the Steelers might find their footing and threaten a comeback, the Browns held firm, never letting Pittsburgh come within two scores.
They did all of this without Coach of the Year candidate Kevin Stefanski on the sideline, as he watched from home after a positive COVID-19 test earlier in the week. In his stead, special teams coordinator Mike Priefer served as acting head coach, leading the Browns to a win they've been waiting for more than two decades.
"I grew up (a Browns fan), so I know what this means," Priefer said after the game.
Next week, the Browns will travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. They'll be big underdogs again, but this was a season to remember for Cleveland regardless of what happens.
LOSER: Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger couldn't do much about the Browns' opening touchdown of the game, but he played a big role in allowing Cleveland to extend their lead from there. Roethlisberger threw three interceptions in the opening 20 minutes of play, helping the Browns take their lead from to 28-0 and stifling drives that could have helped the Steelers mount a comeback.
While his box score would look rather impressive by the end of the game - 501 passing yards, 4 touchdowns - the most important stat of the night was the four interceptions he threw. The Browns won the turnover battle 5-0 against the Steelers, and with that, the game. In what might have been Roethlisberger's final game with the Steelers, Big Ben was a big reason they came out losers.
LOSER: JuJu Smith-Schuster
Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is one of the more fun-loving players in the NFL. While his TikToks, comments, and overall antics come from a place of joy, they also sometimes provide opponents with quality locker room material to use as motivation.
Ahead of Sunday's game against Cleveland, Smith-Schuster had joked that "The Browns is the Browns," apparently laughing off the threat that the Steelers division rival posed to them in the elimination game. Ahead of the game, Baker Mayfield posted a hype video on Instagram using the quote as the caption.
After the game, the Browns celebrated the win by imitating Smith-Schuster's "Corvette, Corvette" dance in the locker room.
If you're going to talk smack, you have to be ready for it to come back and bite you.
WINNER: Tom Brady
In his first year away from the New England Patriots, Tom Brady has now led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a playoff win and has the team on the cusp of their first NFC Championship since 2002. Regardless of what happens in the future rounds, it's safe to say that Brady's move to Tampa Bay has been a success.
Further, Brady looked as good as he ever has in the Buccaneers' win over Washington on Saturday night, throwing for 381 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions. With the wide range of weapons at his disposal, Brady has a chance to take this team far - even as far as a home game in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium.
WINNER: Taylor Heinicke
While the Washington Football Team didn't come up with the win, quarterback Taylor Heinicke, thrust into the starting role after a series of injuries and departures, had himself quite a day.
After going undrafted in 2015, Heinicke bounced around NFL practice squads for a few seasons and took a few snaps with the Carolina Panthers in 2018. In 2019, he was drafted to the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL to serve as a backup quarterback before finding his way back to the NFL with a spot on the Washington practice squad.
It's safe to say that Saturday night was the biggest game of Heinicke's life by a wide margin, and he rose to the occasion with poise. Heinicke finished the day with 306 yards passing, 1 touchdown, and 1 pick. He also made the biggest play of the day for Washington, turning a broken pocket into a brilliant touchdown.
Heinicke wasn't able to complete Washington's comeback. Still, his performance was that of an NFL professional, and chances are his game was worth at least a couple million to him in future contracts.
LOSER: Cowardly decisions to punt
The debate over analytics and their role in NFL decision-making is tiring. Some advocate to trust the numbers and play aggressively, going for it on fourth down to try and turn the odds of the game in your favor, and there are those of an old-school mindset who are against taking what they see as unnecessary risks.
These two sides never agree on anything, so it's difficult to start a conversation on the topic. But here we will try.
Over the weekend, coaches who opted to punt rather than go for it in big moments had a terrible time. The Steelers chose to kick from their 46-yard line while facing fourth-and-one and trailing 35-23 at the start of the fourth quarter. In response, the Browns drove the field's length and scored a touchdown, taking a 42-23 lead and never allowing Pittsburgh to cut their deficit to less than two scores.
The Titans chose to punt from their 44-yard line facing fourth-and-two while trailing in the third quarter and then kicked again from the Ravens 40-yard line facing fourth-and-two in the fourth quarter.
That latter decision was met with absolute shock from the ESPN+ broadcast of the game.
According to the Surrender Index, a formula created by Jon Bois of SB Nation meant to show how cowardly a specific decision to punt was, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel called the worst punt of the year.
No one has to give themselves over to analytics completely. Every decision is different, and even most supporters of a more analytics-driven NFL aren't arguing for the total elimination of the human element in decision-making. That said, if you are in the playoffs and punting the most cowardly punt of the NFL season, maybe take another look at the spreadsheet next time.
WINNER: Buffalo Bills fans
While the Cleveland Browns held the record for the longest playoff drought, Bills fans were right alongside them in terms of long-suffering NFL supporters. With their win over the Colts, though, the Bills showed that they are a real threat to make noise this postseason, thanks mostly to quarterback Josh Allen, one of the top three quarterbacks in the league all season.
Bills fans had been banned from attending games during the regular season due to COVID-19 restrictions, but on Sunday, a group of nearly 7,000 Bills fans were in attendance to watch the team's first home playoff game in 25 years.
WINNER: Stefon Diggs
Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs made the most of his first playoff performance with the Bills, finishing the game with six receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown.
Diggs was the biggest offseason acquisition for the Bills heading into the 2020 season and a sign that the team was looking to make the leap from good to great. He's proven well worth his asking price all year, and on Saturday, helped Buffalo to its biggest win of the past two decades.
LOSER: Frank Reich
While those who went against the numbers in punt decisions got crushed, those who play to win sometimes fall short also. Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich made some aggressive decisions, and on Saturday against the Bills, playing the odds didn't work out for him.
Late in the first half, with the Colts leading 10-7 and facing fourth-and-goal from the Bills four-yard line, Reich kept his offense on the field. It was an aggressive move, and worth noting, one with which the analytics disagreed.
The play failed, and the Bills would take the ball and drive 96 yards for a go-ahead touchdown before halftime. After the game, the decision to go for it was even more frustrating for fans, as the Colts lost by just three points.
Coaches making more aggressive calls is a good thing for the sport, but sometimes big moves don't work out the way you want them.
WINNER: Revenge
There's no other way to say it: revenge had a big weekend. The Browns seemingly unleashed two decades' worth of aggravation at the Steelers in the first quarter of their game en route to a knockout win over their division rivals.
The Baltimore Ravens also got a fair bit of revenge against the Tennessee Titans. Last year, the Titans beat the Ravens in the playoffs in a shocking upset. In their regular-season matchup this year, the Titans made a show of standing on the Ravens logo ahead of their overtime win against Baltimore.
On Sunday, the Ravens returned the favor to the Titans with a bit of pettiness. After cornerback Marcus Peters came up with the game-sealing interception, the Ravens stormed onto the Titans logo to celebrate. Then when quarterback Lamar Jackson knelt the game away, he jogged off the field as the final seconds ticked off the clock, rather than sticking around for some post-game handshakes.
Stay petty, Lamar, that energy will serve you well.
LOSER: Lamar Jackson haters
Not only did Lamar Jackson get his first playoff win, but he also killed one of the biggest arguments of his doubters.
Despite three brilliant NFL seasons, Lamar Jackson had gone 0-2 in the playoffs, with particularly dreadful performances in both of his postseason appearances. The narrative of "Playoff Lamar" lingered over him despite a small sample size, and another loss wouldn't have helped.
Instead, Jackson had a brilliant game like only he can have, throwing for 179 yards and rushing for 136 more, including a 48-yard touchdown run that erased an early 10-0 deficit.
With Jackson firing on all cylinders, the Ravens can go as far as his legs and arm will carry them.
WINNER: Nickelodeon
There wasn't much to look forward to about the game between the Saints and Bears, one which New Orleans controlled from whistle to whistle without much threat from Chicago. Thankfully for those watching, the game was being broadcast not only on CBS but also with a kid-centric commentary team at Nickelodeon.
Nate Burleson of NFL Network worked the booth during the game and helped explain the matchup's rules and situations in simple terms - Saints utility man Taysom Hill was described as the kid at recess who can play every sport. The broadcast was peppered with other Nick-isms as well, from references to Nickelodeon shows old and new to the end zone being dubbed the "Slime Zone" with CGI slime cannons erupting to celebrate touchdowns.
The whole thing was a light-hearted affair that brought some fun to football and likely sparked some younger viewers' interest in the sport. It also gave a great template for memes while watching what turned out to be a dreadful game.
Let's give cheers to Nickelodeon on an impressive broadcast, and let's do it again next year.
LOSER: Chicago Bears
The Bears are likely lucky that their game was broadcast on Nickelodeon. Otherwise, plenty more people would have spent the game roasting their performance.
Chicago couldn't get anything going against the Saints defense, scoring three points through the first 59 minutes and 59 seconds of game action. The one interesting play they made came on a bit of trickeration. Mitch Trubisky lined up at wide receiver, took a pitch from Cordarrelle Patterson, and lofted a dream pass to wide receiver Javon Wims in the end zone, only to have the ball fall through his hands.
It was likely the best play the Bears made all game.
LOSER: Bears bettors
Despite their game-long slog of mediocrity, the Bears actually had a chance to cover the spread for Chicago bettors in the final minutes of the game. The Bears entered the game as 10.5- or 11-point underdogs to the Saints. Trailing 21-3 in the final seconds of the game, a touchdown and two-point conversion would have gotten Bears bettors home.
On the game's final play, Mitch Trubisky connected with tight end Jimmy Graham for a stellar one-handed touchdown catch with no time remaining on the clock.
For a second, it looked as though Bears bettors had a chance. But because there was no time left on the clock, and the extra point attempt wouldn't impact the outcome of the game, the extra point was called off, leaving Bears backers just shy of saving their bets.
WINNER: Los Angeles Rams
The Rams entrusted their offense to backup quarterback John Wolford due to Jared Goff's broken thumb. Then after a scary injury to Wolford, Goff had to step into the game for the Rams anyway.
While the offense was somewhat limited, the Rams defense stepped up in a big way to contain the Seahawks and lead Los Angeles to an impressive playoff win. That defense will need to be brilliant once again this weekend to stop Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense.
LOSER: Brian Schottenheimer
The Seahawks' loss to the Rams was mystifying to many, and Seattle offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer wound up getting much of the blame for the disappointing performance.
Better luck next year.