NFL wild-card playoffs: Big questions, judging overreactions - ESPN

The NFL wild-card round is complete after the Texans scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to defeat the Steelers on Monday night. To begin the playoffs Saturday, the Rams narrowly edged the Panthers before the Bears pulled off a wild comeback against the Packers. On Sunday, the Bills held off the Jaguars, the 49ers took down the defending champion Eagles and the Patriots won a low-scoring affair over the Chargers.

What are the main lessons and takeaways from each wild-card matchup, and what's next for these teams? We asked national NFL reporter Dan Graziano and NFL analyst Ben Solak to help size up every matchup from the opening round and look forward from all angles. For each wild-card game, Solak is answering one big remaining question and Graziano is judging the legitimacy of one potential overreaction.

Let's jump in, making sense of the potential offensive changes for the Chargers and Eagles, the Bills' Super Bowl window, the Jaguars' rushing attack, Caleb Williams' growth, Bryce Young's extension and Aaron Rodgers' future.

Jump to:
HOU-PIT | LAC-NE | SF-PHI
BUF-JAX | GB-CHI | LAR-CAR

'It won't matter who the Steelers' coach is until they get a real quarterback.' Overreaction?

No, not an overreaction. You can love Mike Tomlin, fire Mike Tomlin, give Mike Tomlin a lifetime contract or whatever. It's not going to matter until he or whoever succeeds him gets a real quarterback.

The Aaron Rodgers hive would have you believe that the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer elevated this offense, but he really didn't. He finished 23rd in Total QBR this season after finishing 25th last season and 26th in 2022, his final season in Green Bay. (Remember, he didn't make it past the fourth play in 2023.)

The Steelers did what they