Wild Card Weekend is halfway complete, with three games being played on Saturday. The No. 2 Bills advanced with a 27-24 win over the Colts, the No. 6 Rams upset the rival Seahawks, and the No. 5 Buccaneers took care of business against the Washington Football Team.
Wild Card Saturday: Bills-Colts
The first game of the weekend featured star quarterback Josh Allen and the dynamic Bills offense against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts, led by Philip Rivers, rookie running back Jonathan Taylor, and a strong defense, were 6.5-point underdogs.
Allen did it all for Buffalo, throwing for 324 yards and two touchdowns, adding 54 rushing yards and another score.
It was 17-10 favoring the Bills heading into the fourth quarter when Allen launched a perfectly placed deep ball into Stefon Diggs' hands for a 35-yard touchdown and a two-score lead.
The third-year quarterback spread the ball out to his weapons all day - Diggs finished with six catches for 128 yards, and rookie Gabriel Davis finished with 85 yards.
The Colts were able to score touchdowns on back-to-back possessions, with a Tyler Bass field goal for the Bills in between, giving Indianapolis the ball with 2:30 left and a chance to tie or win the game.
Ultimately, a Rivers hail mary fell short, and Buffalo advanced to the divisional round.
The Colts covered the spread, and the over was a push.
Wild Card Saturday: Rams-Seahawks
Backup quarterback John Wolford started the game for Los Angeles but was knocked out early - forcing Jared Goff and his injured throwing thumb to play the remainder of the game.
It was a 30-20 win for the Rams, as their defense halted Russell Wilson from getting anything going.
Rookie running back Cam Akers had a big game - finishing with 131 rushing yards, 45 receiving yards, and a touchdown.
The Rams sacked Wilson five times, led by Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd with two apiece. Darious Williams' pick-six midway through the second made it 13-3 for the Rams, who never looked back.
Goff looked hindered by his broken thumb, throwing wonky passes throughout the game. He ultimately did enough to help the Rams win - completing nine passes for 155 yards and a touchdown.
Wilson struggled, completing just 40% of his passes, two touchdowns, and the aforementioned interception.
The Rams were three-point underdogs, and the over at 42 points hit.
Wild Card Saturday: Buccaneers-Washington
The highest-scoring game of Saturday was the night game, a 31-23 win for Tampa Bay.
Playoff Tom Brady was in full force, distributing the ball with ease throughout the game to his weapons. Brady finished with 381 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Mike Evans, his top weapon, who was questionable to play, finished with six catches for 119 yards.
Running back Ronald Jones did not see the field due to injury, leading to Leonard Fournette’s big night. The former first-round pick finished with 93 yards and a touchdown on the ground, tacking on four catches for another 39 yards.
Alex Smith wasn’t healthy enough to play, which meant Taylor Heinicke would be making his first playoff start.
The former AAF quarterback kept Washington in it - highlighted by an eight-yard touchdown run in which he dove for the pylon from the four, a full-extension dive that just got the ball into the end zone. Heinicke finished with 306 yards, one touchdown, one interception, 46 rushing yards, and that score.
The Bucs were eight-point favorites, which led to a push, while the over of 45 points hit.
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