NFL wild card overreactions: Josh Allen is the biggest X ...

What’s Happening

Here’s the thing: Which overreactions from Day 2 of Wild Card Weekend of the NFL playoffs are valid and which are overblown?

NFL wild card overreactions: Josh Allen is the biggest X factor of playoffs; A. By Tyler Sullivan & Garrett Podell Jan 12, 2026 at 12:01 am ET • 8 min read Join the Conversation comments Wild Card Weekend fr emphasized the wild aspect of the opening round of the NFL playoffs . (plot twist fr)

Saturday’s doubleheader saw both contests come down to the wire, capping off with the Chicago Bears rallying from a double-digit deficit to take down the Green Bay Packers .

The Details

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams fended off an upset on the road at the hands of the Carolina Panthers in the earlier window. Before we could even catch our breath, Sunday’s action carried the baton and continued to raise everyone’s collective blood pressure.

The tripleheader kicked off in Jacksonville, where Josh Allen was able to will the Buffalo Bills to a road win over the Jaguars , scoring a touchdown in the final minute. That gave the franchise its first road playoff win since the 1992 AFC Championship.

Why This Matters

Then, San Francisco stormed into Philly and took down the defending champion Eagles thanks to a 13-point fourth quarter. To conclude Sunday’s action, the Patriots’ defense threw the Chargers’ offense in a locker in a 16-3 New England victory : Los Angeles’ three points scored and 207 total yards of offense are both the franchise’s playoff worsts since 1992. Well, we have even more on deck along with Monday’s showdown between the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers .

Players and coaches will be watching how this unfolds closely.

Key Takeaways

• With the dust starting to settle on Wild Card Weekend, how do we make sense of all the madness that just unfolded?
• Which storylines are concrete and which are mere overreactions?
• Below, we’ll dissect some of the biggest items from Day 2 of Wild Card Weekend and determine which storylines are legit and which are overblown.

The Bottom Line

Which storylines are concrete and which are mere overreactions? Below, we’ll dissect some of the biggest items from Day 2 of Wild Card Weekend and determine which storylines are legit and which are overblown.

Sound off in the comments.