Who says the NFL playoffs have to have a dull opening?
The wild-card round has produced its fair share of duds in recent years, with the expanded playoff field often yielding matchups that quickly prove to be as uneven as they appeared to be when the field was first set. But this year's postseason has been captivating throughout the weekend, with each of the first four tilts being decided by no more than four points.
Sunday saw the Buffalo Bills prevail over the AFC South-champion Jacksonville Jaguars before the injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers outlasted the Philadelphia Eagles. To cap the night, the New England Patriots overwhelmed the Los Angeles Chargers, leaving only the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers to claim the last divisional-round spot on Monday.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from Sunday's action:
With New England hosting its first home playoff game in seven years, it was only appropriate that Mike Vrabel's crew authored something of a throwback performance. The defense dictating terms hasn't exactly been the Patriots' calling card all season, but the unit coalesced and held the Chargers to just 207 total yards, a 1-for-10 mark on third downs and a 0-for-2 red-zone rate. And even though Milton Williams bloodied Vrabel, the coach probably won't be bothered so long as the defensive tackle keeps turning in disruptive nights like this, as the marquee free-agent signing netted two sacks and helped stymie the Bolts' rushing attack. Injuries to starting cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez (head) and Carlton Davis III (toe) bear watching for a group that will see the level of difficulty ratcheted up in the next round, but the bottom line was very encouraging for something of an unknown entity.
