Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
The Green Bay Packers made NFL history with their Wild Card win.
The Green Bay Packers just accomplished something that has never happened before in NFL history.
As a No. 2 seed, they defeated a No. 7 seed on Super Wild Card Weekend.
Since the NFL expanded the playoff field to 14 teams ahead of the 2020-2021 season, six No. 7 seeds have had the chance to pull off the upset on Wild Card Weekend. And before Sunday, all six of those teams lost.
2020-2021
New Orleans Saints 21, Chicago Bears 9
While this game saw the seventh-seeded Chicago Bears lose to the New Orleans Saints, it still made NFL history, or perhaps more accurately, “NFL on Nickelodeon history.” An alternate broadcast of the game was aired on Nickelodeon and Mitchell Trubisky, the quarterback for the Bears, was named “NVP” in a losing effort.
Buffalo Bills 27, Indianapolis Colts 24
The 2020-2021 playoffs began with the Buffalo Bills hosting the Indianapolis Colts, and this game was competitive until the final play. As with so many Philip Rivers games, the veteran quarterback had one final drive with a chance to win, but his final desperation heave toward the end zone fell incomplete as time ran out.
2021-2022
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Philadelphia Eagles 15
In his first season in Philadelphia, Nick Sirianni guided the Eagles to the No. 7 seed in the NFC and a playoff appearance. However, their reward for such a surprising season was a trip to Tampa Bay to take on Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champions. Tampa Bay rolled, scoring the game’s first 31 points en route to their 16-point win.
Kansas City Chiefs 42, Pittsburgh Steelers 21
With three wins over their final four games, the Pittsburgh Steelers grabbed the final spot in the AFC with a 9-7-1 record. Yet that meant a road game against the team they lost to in that final four-game stretch, the Kansas City Chiefs. Pittsburgh actually got on the board first, with T.J. Watt scooping up a fumble and returning it for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. But Kansas City scored the next 35 points, turning the game into a rout. Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass late to make the final score 42-21, in what would be his final NFL game.
2022-2023
San Francisco 49ers 41, Seattle Seahawks 23
With Geno Smith at the helm, Seattle made a surprising run to the 2022-2023 playoffs. But that set up their third game of the season against the San Francisco 49ers, a team they had already lost to twice during the regular season. On the first game of Wild Card weekend, the 49ers dealt them their third loss in three chances, as San Francisco came back from a 17-16 deficit at halftime to score 25 unanswered points en route to their 41-23 win.
Buffalo Bills 34, Miami Dolphins 31
Two things were working against the Dolphins as they traveled to Buffalo to take on the Bills. First, the weather. Miami entered the game having lost nine-straight contests when the temperature was below 40 degrees, and at kickoff it was a balmy 28 degrees that afternoon in Buffalo. Second was the fact that the Dolphins were down to their third-string quarterback, rookie Skylar Thompson.
Still, the Dolphins managed to keep it close and they had the ball with just over four minutes remaining with a chance to either tie the game or take the lead. But an offsides penalty on a 4th-and-1 situation forced Miami into 4th and long, and Thompson’s pass fell incomplete, ending the upset bid.
2023-2024
Green Bay Packers 48, Dallas Cowboys 32
Finally, the upset happens.
The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2023-2024 playoffs as one of the best teams in the league when playing at home. Dallas posted an unblemished 8-0 record at AT&T Stadium this year, averaging 37 points when playing a home game.
However, it seems that nobody told the Green Bay Packers that.
Green Bay won the coin toss, elected to receive, and went right down the field, scoring on an Aaron Jones touchdown run to take the early 7-0 lead. Their lead would be 27-0 right before halftime, when the Cowboys scored on the final play of the first half to make it a 27-7 game at the break. Dallas scored again on the first possession of the second half to cut the Green Bay lead to 27-10, but the Packers answered with a touchdown of their own, making it a 34-10 contest midway through the third quarter.
Ultimately, the Dallas defense could not get the stops they needed to spark a comeback. The Packers were able to lean on their running game in the second half, and when combined with some perfectly timed throws downfield, Green Bay was able to salt away the win.
Making some NFL history in the process, as the Packers became just the first No. 7 seed in league history to defeat a No. 2 seed.
Can the Pittsburgh Steelers join them on Monday?
