Sound Smart: 8 Observations From NFL Wild-Card Weekend

You saw each of the first four games of the weekend feature fourth-quarter lead changes and coem down to the final minute. You saw the inevitable heroics of Caleb Williams, Matthew Stafford and Josh Allen. You saw the San Francisco 49ers' improbable season continue and the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles' end.

So let's try to spin it forward, dive deeper and think outside the box about what we witnessed in the wildest of wild-card weekends. This is "Sound Smart," where we prepare you for Monday morning with eight observations from the opening round of the postseason. If I do my job, you’ll be fluent in the NFL’s playoff action so far.

1. IF THERE’S ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW FROM WEEK 18, IT’S THAT ….

Jalen Hurts couldn’t do what Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, Caleb Williams and Brock Purdy did.

Going into the Eagles and 49ers matchup, the three wild-card winners (Bills, Bears and Rams) trailed in the final two minutes of regulation. And of course, they all delivered a game-winning drive. That was already an NFL record for the most comeback wins inside the final two minutes in a single round in playoff history, per FOX Sports Research.

After Purdy guided the Niners to a go-ahead score with 2:54 remaining, it seemed like Hurts, trailing by four points inside the 2-minute warning, would be the next guy to get it done. Alas …

At the 20-yard line with 50 seconds left, Hurts finished the Eagles’ postseason with a sack and three incompletions. On fourth down, Hurts threw into triple coverage in the direction of Dallas Goedert. A.J. Brown was in single coverage near the right sideline on the play, but the star receiver had dropped a ball earlier in the drive (and two other catchable balls that would’ve gone for big plays earlier in the game). 

It made some sense Hurts wasn’t locked in on Brown. Both because of what happened in this game. And, to some degree, based on what happened this season.

The Eagles always seem to have a turbulent year in their locker room. Between Hurts, Nick Sirianni and Brown, Philly just makes headlines for the wild things they say — sometimes to each other. This game was no exception, with Brown and Sirianni screaming at each other on the sideline. And yes, they were winning at the time.

I expect big changes in personnel from the Eagles on offense. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo probably won't be back. Brown might not be either. Perhaps Saquon Barkley will be on the move (if GM Howie Roseman wants to sell a year early — rather than a year too late — on an aging RB). It’s feasible (though unlikely) the Eagles fire Nick Sirianni. Heck, it’s even within the realm of possibility that Hurts gets traded, though that’s a long shot. But I reiterate that possibility (which I wrote about earlier this week) because this postseason has already been defined by its quarterbacks who have had special fourth-quarter prowess. This postseason, and for the past two months, Hurts didn’t have it.

Here are this weekend's aforementioned winning QB’s stats from their go-ahead drives:

-Williams: 3-5 for 60 yards, 1 pass TD
-Stafford: 6-7 for 71 yards, 1 pass TD
-Allen: 5-5 for 53 yards, 10 rush yds, 1 rush TD
-Brock Purdy (just outside the final 2 minutes): 5-7, 42 passing yards, 5 rushing yards, 1 pass TD

Hurts went 5 of 9 for 45 passing yards. The missing ingredient, of course, was a touchdown.

The missing ingredient for the Eagles offense has (still) yet to be determined. That’s why it's the offseason — not the postseason — for Philly.

2. ONE PLAY THAT SAYS IT ALL

Speaking of Hurts’ final incompletion, let’s talk about the guy who broke up the pass: 49ers linebacker Erik Kendricks.

Kendricks — the guy whose pass breakup officially advanced the 49ers to the next round — didn’t sign with the club until late November. He didn’t get added to the 53-man roster until earlier this week. (They had been promoting him from the practice squad.) Sunday was just the third outing of the season for the 33-year-old linebacker. And it’s not because Kendricks is some wonderful story of a reclaimed star, fighting Father Time. With all due respect to the former All-Pro, at this point in his career, he’s just another dude.

So how did it come to this?

Well, every single linebacker who made the Niners' initial 53-man roster was on the injured list this week. That’s right: Fred Warner (ankle), Dee Winters (ankle), Tatum Bathune (groin), Nick Martin (concussion), Luke Gifford (quadriceps). All out.

Despite all that, a 49ers linebacker made the biggest play of the game.

That’s why there’s a tremendous amount of love around the league for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Statistically, this defense doesn’t stand out. Or, it does, but only because it’s so bad. It’s a testament to Saleh’s leadership and coaching that San Francisco has overcome its injuries enough to still be playing.

"[Saleh] was unbelievable today," Kyle Shanahan said after the game, via 95.7 The Game. "The plan that he put together, keeping it somewhat simple but still challenging. Anytime you have a quarterback with a running element and all the RPOs they do, and wideouts, their running back, and tight end, it was a huge challenge. They did a hell of a job all day with it."

It’s likely Saleh gets a head coaching job offer this offseason. I’m just not sure he’ll take it.

Given that he would be headed for his second go-round after a failed stint with the Jets, he might be more selective this time around, (and I’m dubious he’s getting the Ravens — or the Packers, if that gig opens up). If that’s the case and he returns to the Bay for another year, it's a coup for Shanahan and the 49ers.

3. THE SCREENSHOT WORTH 289 WORDS

Ben Johnson is just different. 

Following the Bears’ comeback victory over the Packers, all eyes fell on the coaches’ postgame handshake. And Johnson leaned into the moment like he was a Marvel Villain, a Slytherin, a WWE Heel. The theatrics were out of this world.

Just look at the photo!

And if you think: Hey, maybe that was just a weird angle. Maybe Johnson wasn’t being extra.

You’d be generous. And you’d also be wrong. Just listen to what he told his players in the locker room during his "good, better, best" postgame speech. 

"Man, f--- the Packers. F--- them. F---ing hate those guys," Johnson said, as captured in a video posted by the Bears.

Now, hear me out. This is awesome. It really is.

There are certainly things that are wrong with it. It’s entirely uncivil. It’s downright unnecessary. Johnson’s toxic masculinity is showing. After all, Matt LaFleur and Johnson barely knew each other when Johnson randomly said he "enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year" as the Lions OC.

Like … where did this come from?

No one knows. Maybe not even Johnson.

But, forgiving all that, it’s awesome. It’s clearly rooted in an NFC North rivalry. That makes the whole thing feel old school. The Bears and Packers should respect each other, but they definitely shouldn’t like each other. They shouldn’t be fighting after the whistle on the field, but I’ll be in the front row for any trash talk.

The Bears and Packers would’ve been appointment viewing, if only because of the quarterbacks Jordan Love and Williams, who are among the smoothest passers in the league. But Johnson created a new texture — friction — that makes this rivalry perfect. I can't get enough of it.

4. HE SAID WHAT?!

"Let’s go snatch these guys’ hearts." 

The Rams had underachieved for virtually the entire game. Quarterback Matthew Stafford didn’t look like the MVP, with an early interception. Puka Nacua dropped a would-be touchdown pass, and didn’t quite look like the Offensive Player of the Year candidate he is. Between penalties (nine for 83 yards) and special teams errors (admittedly a long-held issue for L.A.), even Sean McVay didn’t have the team looking sharp.

It wasn’t just that it felt a bit like a trap game. The Panthers were playing their best football. But their best football wasn’t good enough.

That’s because, finally, the Rams snapped out of it in the fourth quarter.

Trailing by four points with two minutes left in the game, Stafford stepped into his huddle with a message.

"I think [Stafford] said, ‘Let’s go snatch these guys’ hearts,’" Davante Adams told reporters after the game. 

Is anyone else thinking about that scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom? Just me? Alright, back to Adams.

"That was pretty cold. Just to hear that — and I actually smiled in the moment. That was like one of the most gangsta’ things you could say in that moment. And the look on his face. And then throw the touchdown," the star receiver said. "And then the look on his face after that. MVP stuff."

Stafford now has 54 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter/OT, the fifth-most in NFL history (regular season plus playoffs), per FOX Sports Research.

The 54th started in that huddle with that message. 

Epic.

5. WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS AFRAID TO SAY …

Part 1: The Bills have a fatal flaw that no one is discussing because … Josh Allen.

It’s a given that Allen can and will take control of the game in the fourth quarter, like he did in the Bills’ wild-card win over the Jaguars. Allen has done it all year. He did it again in the postseason. Somehow, it was his first postseason game-winning drive. But it feels like he has 50, because of how comfortable he looks operating the offense under pressure, even with an underwhelming supporting cast of skill players. 

He was asked how much his regular-season comebacks helped him against the Jaguars on Sunday.

"A lot. We felt like we’ve been in situations like this," Allen told reporters at the postgame presser. "But to understand the moment, to not ride the wave — that was stuff we learned the entire season. We were able to utilize that."

My sense is that they can ride Allen’s steady hand deep into the playoffs — maybe even to the Super Bowl. The fact that they always have to come back in the fourth quarter isn’t worrisome. Because … Josh Allen.

What’s worrisome is that they can’t defend the run. And no one seems to be talking about it, because they’re so preoccupied with the fact that Allen has a wide open path to win the AFC, without Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow in his way. It’s so easy to talk about quarterbacks. It’s so fun. I’m as guilty as anyone.

But if someone can build a comfortable lead against the Bills, that team could run the ball to victory against Buffalo, which allowed 136.2 rushing yards per game (fifth -ost in the NFL). It just so happened that the Jaguars had one of the least efficient rushing attacks in the NFL, with 4.0 yards per carry (sixth-worst in the NFL). Jacksonville might’ve been one of the hottest teams in the NFL (which was a tough draw for Buffalo), but the Jaguars also weren’t built to exploit the Bills’ biggest weakness.

Will the Broncos? 

Part 2: Even after the New England Patriots’ win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Mike Vrabel is probably going to rip Drake Maye and the offense to shreds in Monday’s all-team meeting

The Patriots' defense didn’t exactly win this game single-handedly. But man, it absolutely led the way, giving Drake Maye chance after chance — despite a handful of mental mistakes from the young QB in his first playoff appearance. 

Let’s start with the fact that the Pats held the Chargers to three points. I don’t care how many of L.A.’s offensive tackles were injured. Or how brutal Justin Herbert’s supporting cast has been. That’s a real achievement for New England.

It was incredible to watch this defense provide counterpunch after counterpunch. When Maye threw an interception at his own 8-yard line, his defense forced a four-and-out on the goal line, essentially nullifying the turnover’s impact.

When Maye later fumbled inside the red zone (a sack-fumble that was his fault for attempting a pass with a defender hanging off him for a prolonged period of time), the defense promptly forced a three-and-out.

When Maye overthrew tight end Austin Hooper for what would’ve been a kill-shot touchdown and, on the next play, receiver Demario Douglas dropped a pass on what would’ve been a first down, the Patriots settled for a field goal — but lost no momentum. Why? Because they allowed just 27 yards on six plays on the following drive.

The defense answered the call. All game long.

And the offense? Well, they’re going to be hearing it from Vrabel — who has earned a reputation in New England for his devastating honesty (and criticism), even when it's directed at Maye. And I have little doubt that Maye will bounce back next week against the Texans-Steelers winner. Maye is better than that.

One of Vrabel’s stated goals for the season was to compete for championships. This game proved the Pats can do that. But only if the offense plays up to its potential.

Part 3: Bryce Young was the biggest winner — among the losers.

Of all the teams that lost this weekend, the Panthers were the biggest underdog. No one gave them a chance. Young was the least-respected QB in the playoffs. And yet, there were long stretches where Young was the best quarterback in a game that featured an MVP front-runner. Matthew Stafford couldn’t handle the Panthers' pressure at any point Saturday (2 of 9 for 30 yards and an interception), and that opened the door for Young.

The Panthers QB threw a bone-headed interception in the first quarter, but perhaps that was him getting his jitters out. Because as the game wore on, he got better and better, eventually hitting a level of precision that made for some of his best throws of the season. 

Young was playing for broke. Nothing to lose. And the aggressive attitude suited him.

Just look at where Young placed the football on his touchdown to Jalen Coker. Just a beauty.

The touchdown put the Panthers ahead with roughly two and a half minutes left (which, as mentioned, proved to be just enough time for Stafford to snatch "these guys' hearts").

Young threw a higher tight-window percentage (27.5%) than Matthew Stafford (21.4%). Young might have completed just 21 of 40 on the game, but he had 288 total yards and two touchdowns (one rushing and one passing) with the interception. He did that despite 20 (!!!?) QB pressures.

This is the same guy who the Panthers benched in the middle of last year.

Young won’t give up. Young won’t go away.

6. STATS DON’T LIE — OR DO THEY?

The Bears have seven comeback wins in the final 2:00 of the 4th quarter/OT this season; that is the most in a single season all time (regular season + playoffs).

There was a time when I was skeptical of Williams’ late-game heroics. Given his completion percentage and his off-target throwing and his obsession with playing out of structure in Johnson’s highly structured system, I just didn’t see him continuing to take teams down in comebacks. I am done with all that doubt. Williams is special. Period. 

Get a load of this throw (below). Given the context (degree of difficulty, fourth down, fourth quarter, down 11 points), it was the most outstanding throw of the season. Bar none.

The seven comebacks encapsulate what the QB and coach have done together in their first year as a tandem. They will be a force to be reckoned with, and that’s in part because I think Williams can get significantly better. Which is a wild prospect for a guy who was the No. 1 pick just two years ago and now is the most dangerous quarterback in the NFL in the fourth quarter. Scarier even than Stafford and Josh Allen. This stat is no lie.

7. FOR TEXANS-STEELERS, I’M MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO … 

The schematic battle between Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Texans coach DeMeco Ryans.

Before the snap, Rodgers is still the best quarterback in the NFL at the line of scrimmage. That’s why I found myself skeptical that the QB’s helmet headset wasn’t working in Week 18. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I think it was a case of selective hearing. The QB was ignoring OC Arthur Smith so that Rodgers could call his own plays. 

Would anyone be surprised? (Nope!)

The point is, Rodgers’ pre-snap recognition is incredible. And it’ll be of the utmost importance against Ryans, who calls plays for a Houston defense that was sixth-best in passing yards allowed per game (18.35) and ninth in sacks (47) despite blitzing on just 21.9% of downs (11th lowest). That’s in part because edge Will Anderson and cornerback Derek Stingley are among the best players at their position. But it’s also because Ryans runs a fierce and savvy defense that he can wield in dangerous ways.

Rodgers isn’t mobile anymore. He doesn’t want to run on the move — he has just 3.2 expected points added on scrambles all season. (To give you a sense of how bad that is, it’s on par with … Dillon Gabriel (3.11).) So Rodgers will need to know what he’s looking at before the snap. And Ryans will do everything he can to make the picture hazy for one of the fastest-thinking QBs to ever do it.

8. FOR NERDS ONLY

Tom Brady breaks down how his throwing mechanics changed in heavy winds.

With the gusts blowing up to 28 mph in Philadelphia on Sunday, Purdy and Hurts had to deliver the ball with a little extra zip to cut the ball through the wind to their pass-catchers. But it’s not just about throwing harder. It’s about adjusting how you throw the ball altogether.

Please, let Tom Brady explain.

"When you're throwing into the wind, [the point of the ball] has to be neutral," Brady said on the FOX broadcast. "If the point of the ball is up, any wind friction's going to push that ball up over the top. So as a quarterback, you don't really like that you throw underneath because naturally that's going to point the tip of the ball up. You'd like more of a C or an inverse, a reverse C. That's how you kind of control the point of the ball and then you can kind of just snap it off as you throw it. 

"But in these windy conditions, you can't be underneath the ball. There's too much wind surface of the ball to knock it off its path."

Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna. 

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