The NFL, in a rare display of humility, isn’t calling this “Super Wild Card Weekend” anymore. So, welcome to plain-old wild-card weekend, where 12 teams with a combined 137 wins — an opening-round record — will fight to join the NFC’s top-seeded Lions (15-2) to see if anyone on God’s green earth can prevent Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and the AFC’s top-seeded Chiefs (15-2) from claiming a historic Super Bowl three-peat when the 59th chapter of the grand game is held in New Orleans on Feb. 9.
“I think the Ravens and what Lamar [Jackson] has been able to do this year has been something to watch,” said Vikings edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel. “They got a shot against the Chiefs, I think.”
Everyone has taken their best shot. But the Chiefs — good, bad or ugly — are 11-0 in one-score games. They beat the five-win Panthers on a walk-off field goal by a backup kicker. They beat the four-win Raiders twice by a combined nine points. They beat the Ravens on a walk-off booth review that overturned a Jackson touchdown pass on opening night.
Throw out the 38-0 Week 18 loss to Denver when they rested their starters (and made darn sure the red-hot Bengals missed the playoffs), and the only team to beat the Chiefs was the Bills with Josh Allen outplaying Mahomes at the end of a 30-21 win.
“I’ve seen a lot of crossover film of Josh Allen this year and, wow,” said Vikings center Garrett Bradbury. “He’s at an unreal level. That’s a team in the AFC that can beat Kansas City.
“As for the NFC? Man, there’s a lot of good teams that can reach the Super Bowl. We got to bring our A game, for sure.”
Yes, Vikings fans, it only feels like your season is over after that soul-crushing loss at Detroit. The reality is the playoffs can’t end until they first begin. And right now the Vikings, Broncos, Chargers and Commanders should be celebrating that the NFL has now reached 35 straight seasons of having at least four teams reach the playoffs that didn’t do so the year before.
Here are some things to watch as the playoffs begin with two games Saturday, three Sunday and the Vikings and Rams on Monday in Glendale, Ariz.