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Matthew Adams
Staff Writer
As the first round of the 2023 National Football League (NFL) playoffs began, players and diehard fan bases entered their intense journey to the 57th Superbowl.
The Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and the Buffalo Bills are all the teams that are participating in the unpredictable first round.
On Jan. 14, 2023, the NFL Wild Card week started off with the Seattle Seahawks taking on the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers were able to breeze past the Seahawks with a score of 41-23.
The story of that game was Brock Purdy, a rookie quarterback for the Niners. Purdy finished his playoff debut in the history books, becoming the first rookie in the Super Bowl era to throw and run for a touchdown in their first career playoff start.
He put up a total of 332 yards and four touchdowns, which is the most touchdowns recorded by a rookie quarterback in a postseason game.
Jalen Brown, a sophomore biology/pre-physical therapy major from Houston, Texas praised the big time performance from the rookie.
“The fact that Brock Purdy is a rookie and was able to defeat a great Seahawks team is astonishing,” said Brown.
Shortly following the 49ers victory, the Jacksonville Jaguars matched up against the Los Angeles Chargers. This game concluded in a nail-biting ending, with the Jaguars walking away victorious. The final score was 31 to the Chargers’ 30.
In the first half, the Chargers were completely in control. Their defensive efforts caused Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence to throw four first-half interceptions and limited him to one touchdown. Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. was accredited with three of those interceptions.
Despite a rough first half, Lawrence and the Jaguars were able to rally together and make this game interesting. In the second half, the Jaguars were able to go on a historic run to secure the victory over the dominant Chargers.
Trevor Lawrence was able to throw for 3 touchdowns in the second half, which led to a 27-point comeback win in Jacksonville.
Vance Linton, a sophomore marketing major from Atlanta, Ga., was amazed by the heroic comeback from the Jaguars.
Linton stated, “I can’t believe the Jaguars came back. I was dead set on the Chargers winning.”
The NFL Wild Card drama continued as the New York Giants faced off against the Minnesota Vikings.
This game was a battle of the quarterbacks, as Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins and Giants quarterback Daniel Jones traded blows throughout the entire matchup.
Cousins was able to throw for 273 yards with 31 completions but it wasn’t enough compared to Daniel Jones’ 319 yards with 24 completions. Although both quarterbacks ended up with two touchdowns a piece, Jones and the Giants were able to send home the Vikings, 31-24.
Two other matchups in Wild Card Week were the Baltimore Ravens vs Cincinnati Bengals and the Miami Dolphins vs the Buffalo Bills.
The Bengals vs Dolphins matchup had extreme intensity on the defensive end, which made for an interesting game.
In the first half, Cincinnati was able to acquire a field goal and a touchdown off a Ravens interception. Afterwards, Cincinnati and Baltimore were both able to have two scoring drives, pushing the score to 7-9 Cincinnati’s way.
A fumble recovery by Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton led to a field goal which pushed the score to 10-9 at halftime.
The second half started with a Ravens punt which resulted in a go-ahead Bengals score off a 12-play drive.
The Ravens quickly evened the score to 17-17, after a touchdown from wide receiver Demarcus Robinson.
This sparked an all-out defensive battle between both teams. After several possessions, Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard was able to recover a fumble and score off this fumble, putting the score at 24-17. This would be the last score of the game due to some stellar defense on both ends.
The Miami Dolphins vs Buffalo Bills was yet another controversial and intense game. The first half of this game was an offensive showcase with a bit of defensive grit on display.
Buffalo was able to dominate with two back-to-back touchdowns and a field goal, establishing a 17-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The Dolphins were able to tie the score thanks to three total first-half field goals and 1 touchdown, after forcing an interception.
Before time expired in the first half, Buffalo was able to sneak in a field goal and this ended the half with a score of 17-20.
The second half was mainly used as a defensive display with 8 punts, a fumble touchdown, and an interception.
Buffalo was able to come out on top thanks to multiple touchdowns and defensive stops, forcing Miami to turn the ball over on downs. This display of grit helped Buffalo win the game, 34-31.
The final matchup of the Wild Card round was the Dallas Cowboys vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This game was nothing short of a blowout. The Cowboys advanced to the next round after a 31-14 blowout against Tom Brady’s Buccaneers, spoiling any hopes for an eighth ring.
With the Wild Card round behind us, the NFL prepares for the road to Super Bowl LVII to officially begin.
