PFSN wants to set you up to be a smarter fan this Wild Card Weekend. Whether you’re rooting for your team or placing bets, here are the most important stats, trends, notes, and insights for every NFL playoff matchup. We know gathering all the information can be time-consuming, which is why we’re doing the research for you so you don’t have to.
NFL Postseason Notes
The Houston Texans have won nine straight games, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are on an eight-game win streak. Since 1970, 26 teams have entered the playoffs on a win streak of at least eight games. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders in 1976 both entered the playoffs with win streaks of at least nine.
- 9: Lost the first playoff game
- 8: Won at least one playoff game but failed to reach the Super Bowl
- 5: Won the Super Bowl
- 4: Lost the Super Bowl
Turning to teams on losing streaks, the Green Bay Packers are entering the postseason on a four-game losing streak after finishing their regular season with these losses. Three other playoff teams finished their regular seasons with at least four consecutive losses. Of those, two teams managed to win their first playoff game, each benefiting from home-field advantage.
Meanwhile, there will be four quarterbacks who will start a postseason game who were selected first overall: Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Young, and Caleb Williams.
This marks the fourth time that four quarterbacks selected first overall started a playoff game. The same occurred in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Notably, Matthew Stafford was one of the four quarterbacks in 2014 when he played for the Detroit Lions.
In terms of postseason appearances, the Buffalo Bills are making their seventh straight, which is now the longest active streak. The Kansas City Chiefs had their ten-year postseason streak stopped this season. The defending Super Bowl champion, the Philadelphia Eagles, is playing in the postseason for the fifth straight season.
Looking at team records, the Seattle Seahawks (13-3), Los Angeles Rams (12-4), and San Francisco (12-4) have the top three in the NFC. It’s the first time since the merger (1970) that the three best records in a conference were from the same division.
As for playoff underdogs, the Carolina Panthers are the fifth team in NFL history in a non-strike year to make the playoffs with a losing record. Of the four previous teams in this position, two have won their first playoff game.
Switching to the AFC, the Denver Broncos have the top seed and have the bye this week. They won 11 of 13 one-score games this season. The 13 games are tied for the most in NFL history, and the 11 wins are tied for the most, alongside the 2022 Minnesota Vikings and the 2024 Kansas City Chiefs, both of which were undefeated in one-score games.
On the topic of playoff history, the New England Patriots’ last home playoff win was in the 2018 season when they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, their opponent this weekend. The Patriots went on to beat the Rams in the Super Bowl, which turned out to be the final playoff win for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick together.
Lastly, in terms of league rankings, the Broncos, Texans, and Seahawks led the league in PFSN’s Defense Impact (DEFi) this season, each posting scores that ranked highly since 2000: the Broncos were 8th, the Texans 10th, and the Seahawks 19th.
Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers
Los Angeles Rams
Team: The Rams committed three turnovers in a loss to the Panthers, 31-28, in Week 13. Matthew Stafford committed all three with two interceptions and a fumble. The Rams had the ball inside the Panthers’ 25 on two of the turnovers.
Playoffs: The Rams are 3-4 away from home, including Super Bowl LIII, in the postseason under Sean McVay. They are 5-1 when playing at home, including Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium, under McVay.
QB: Matthew Stafford had his best postseason PFSN’s Quarterback Impact (QBi) score of 85.5 (B) in the 2021 Wild Card game against the Arizona Cardinals. He has had a C or better in every postseason game with the Rams.
OFF: Puka Nacua finished the regular season with the best PFSN’s Wide Receiver Impact (WRi) for the second straight season. It’s the third-best WRi season since 2019; his 2024 is the fourth-best WRi.
DEF: The Rams had the fifth-best DEFi this season, which is impressive considering the top three teams have had a top 20 DEFi score since 2000. The last three seasons, the Rams have finished 19th or worse in DEFi.
Carolina Panthers
Team: The Panthers scored 19 points or fewer in ten games this season, which was second most behind three teams. Carolina lost eight of the ten games. The Eagles, with eight, have the next highest amount of games with 19 points or fewer by a playoff team.
Playoffs: Carolina hasn’t won a playoff game since 2015, when they defeated the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game.
OFF: Bryce Young had his best career QBi score (82.8, B-) against the Rams in Week 13.
OFF: Tetairoa McMillan led rookie WRs in catches (70), yards (1,014), and TDs (7), and ranked 44th in WRi.
DEF: The Panthers’ point differential was -69, the fourth-worst for a playoff team in NFL history.
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers
Team: The Packers have won 13 of their last 15 games in Chicago. In Week 16, the Packers had a 10-point lead at the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter. The Bears tied the game and went on to win in overtime.
Playoffs: Matt LaFleur is 3-5 career in the postseason. Green Bay has scored at least 28 points in the three wins and 21 or fewer in four of the five losses.
QB: Jordan Love posted a QBi of 91.3 (A-) in his first postseason game against the Dallas Cowboys in the 2023 Wild Card round. Love has graded at a C level in his two other postseason starts.
OFF: The Packers committed six turnovers in the last five games after having seven in the first 12 games.
DEF: Green Bay received DEFi grades of C (Week 14) and C- (Week 16) against Chicago this season. The Packers had a D+ or worse in three of the final six games.
Chicago Bears
Team: Chicago is 7-4 in one-score games this season after being 3-7 in those games last season.
Playoffs: The Bears are seeking their first playoff win since the 2010 season. They have had two playoff appearances since 2010.
QB: Caleb Williams had two C QBi grades against the Packers this season. Last season, he recorded the second-best score of his rookie season against the Packers. Williams moved from a D+ in 2024 to a C this year.
OFF: In Ben Johnson’s first season, the Bears averaged 25.9 points per game. The fourth best for Chicago since 2000.
DEF: The Bears forced 33 takeaways, which led to a +22 turnover differential for the team. It’s the second-best in the last ten years, only behind last season’s Bills, which had a +24.
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars
Buffalo Bills
Team: Buffalo has a +127 point differential after halftime. It’s 35 points better than the Rams, who are in second. It’s the best in the NFL over the last five seasons, and Buffalo has had the top three after halftime point differentials in that span (2021, 2024, 2025).
Playoffs: The Bills are 3-4 in one-score postseason games with Josh Allen as the starting quarterback (7-6 overall).
QB: Josh Allen’s QBi score of 95.9 (A) in the 2021 Wild Card against the New England Patriots is the highest by a quarterback in a postseason game since 2000. It’s also the eighth-highest score in any NFL game since 2000.
OFF: Buffalo is 2-4 when committing at least two turnovers. In the other loss to the Eagles in Week 17, the Bills committed a turnover and missed an extra point.
DEF: Buffalo has allowed 221 points in the first half, which is 23rd in the league, and played a significant role in the Bills having a -11 point differential in the first 30 minutes. After halftime, the Bills have allowed the second fewest points (144) in the NFL.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Team: Since acquiring Jakobi Meyers, Jacksonville is 8-1 and is averaging 33.1 points per game, which is second-best in the NFL since Week 10. The Jaguars’ +146 point differential in that stretch leads the NFL.
Playoffs: Jacksonville made the playoffs four times in the franchise’s first five years. This is the fifth postseason appearance in the last 26 seasons.
QB: Trevor Lawrence’s first postseason start got off to a terrible start when he threw four interceptions on the team’s first six drives, and the Jaguars fell behind 27-0. He finished completing 23 of 29 passes for 253 yards and four touchdown passes as Jacksonville rallied to defeat the Chargers, 31-30.
OFF: Trevor Lawrence has 20 touchdowns and six interceptions with 8.1 yards per pass attempt in nine games since Jakobi Meyers arrived. He had nine touchdowns with six interceptions with 6.3 yards per attempt before Meyers joined the team.
DEF: During the current eight-game win streak, Jacksonville had a DEFi in the weekly top 12 each week. In the five games, the Jaguars ranked 23rd or lower four out of five weeks.
San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Team: San Francisco has a 5-1 record in one-score games this season, recording the fewest (six) such games among playoff teams. The Rams and Bills each have eight one-score games, the next lowest totals.
Playoffs: Kyle Shanahan is making his fifth playoff appearance as a head coach. The 49ers won two games in each of their first four appearances, including two trips to the Super Bowl.
QB: Brock Purdy’s top playoff QBi score is 86.0 (B), achieved in his first postseason game against the Seahawks in 2022. During the 49ers’ 2023 Super Bowl run, Purdy earned two C+ grades and one C grade.
OFF: San Francisco averaged 35.7 points per game during their six-game winning streak (Week 11-17), leading the NFL over that span.
DEF: The 49ers defense enters the playoffs after recent struggles. Last week, they earned a C+ against the Seahawks, following three straight weeks with D+ grades. San Francisco finished 18th in DEFi for the season, highlighting consistent defensive challenges late in the year.
Philadelphia Eagles
Team: The Eagles experienced a decline this season, averaging 22.3 points per game and allowing 19.1, compared to last season’s 27.2 points scored and 17.8 allowed.
Playoffs: The Eagles under Nick Sirianni are 5-0 at home in the postseason, winning by an average of 21.0 points per game.
QB: Jalen Hurts’ QBi of 87.2 (B+) in last season’s NFC Championship game was the best score in his nine career postseason games. He registered an 81.2 (B-) in the Super Bowl.
OFF: In his first three seasons with the Eagles, A.J. Brown averaged 5.6 receptions on 8.5 targets for 85.8 yards per game. This season, while his receptions (5.2) and targets (8.1) per game remained close to those averages, his yards per game dropped to 66.9.
His WRi grade was B+ or better, which was good for a top-nine finish the first three seasons in Philadelphia. However, this season, his grade was B- and he finished 21st.
DEF: The Eagles finished with a DEFi score of 83.0 and a final ranking of seventh. They had five weeks ranked in the top five in DEFi.
Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots
Los Angeles Chargers
Team: Justin Herbert is 0-2 in the postseason with losses to the Jaguars in 2022 and the Texans in 2024. In his playoff debut, he completed 15 of his 24 passes (62.5%) as the Chargers jumped out to a second quarter 24-0 lead over the Jaguars in a 2022 Wild Card game. They’ve been outscored 63-15, and Herbert has completed 47.1% of his passes in the next 6+ quarters.
Playoffs: Jim Harbaugh has made the playoffs in five of six seasons as head coach. Last season was the only time his team didn’t win at least one game.
QB: Justin Herbert finished 11th in the season QBi after having a top ten weekly finish in eight of 16 games.
OFF: The Chargers allowed four or more sacks in at least eight games, becoming the 20th team to do so since 2015. They were one of only six such teams with a winning record. The Chargers finished 30th in PFSN’s Offensive Line Impact (OLi).
DEF: Los Angeles finished the season with an 83.2(B), which was seventh in the league and the second-best defensive performance by a Jim Harbaugh-coached team. Harbaugh has had a top-seven DEFi in five of six seasons.
New England Patriots
Team: The Patriots’ win against the Bills in Week 5 stands as their only victory this season against a team with a .500 or better record. Notably, New England played just three games against teams finishing at least .500, the fewest of any playoff team.
Playoffs: Mike Vrabel holds a 2-3 record as a postseason coach, with one of his two wins coming on the road against the Patriots in what turned out to be the final game of the Brady-Belichick era.
QB: Drake Maye improved his QBi score from 74.1 (C) as a rookie to 91.1 (A-) this season.
OFF: New England scored at least 24 points in an NFL-high 14 games. Impressively, this ties for the most in the league over the last five seasons. The Patriots also finished second in PFSN’s Offense Impact (OFFi) with a score of 86.6.
DEF: The Patriots recorded a DEFi score of 78.2 (C+), ranking 12th in the league. Last season, New England placed 30th with a 66.1 (D), their lowest score since 2000.
Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers
Houston Texans
Team: The Texans started the season with three straight one-score losses by a combined 13 points. Houston went 7-2 the rest of the season in one-score games. All the Texans’ losses were by eight points or fewer.
Playoffs: Houston is 6-8 all-time in the postseason and has won at least one game in six of eight appearances. Six of the eight losses were by at least 13 points.
QB: C.J. Stroud posted a QBi grade of C in both postseason games last season. He posted an 86.2 (B) against the Browns in the 2023 Wild Card game.
OFF: Houston finished the regular season 23rd in the OFFi rankings. They were ranked in the top eight for three weeks; however, there were six weeks when they finished 25th or lower.
DEF: Will Anderson Jr. finished third behind Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett in PFSN’s EDGE Impact (EDGEi) ranking this season. The three were the only players to reach a grade of A- or better. Anderson was ranked in the top 15 in his first two seasons.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Team: Pittsburgh gave up a league-high 10.4 points per game in the fourth quarter. The next highest amount allowed by a playoff team was the Packers at 7.8 points per game.
Playoffs: Mike Tomlin has lost six straight playoff games since his last win in 2016. He is 8-11 in his postseason career and won the Super Bowl in the 2008 season.
QB: Aaron Rodgers’ best QBi score in the postseason is 87.2 (B+) against the Atlanta Falcons in the 2010 postseason. In his last postseason game in 2021, he registered a 71.9 (C-) in a loss to the 49ers.
OFF: Including playoffs, the Steelers have gone 69 straight games without scoring more than seven points. The last time Pittsburgh scored more than seven points was Week 1 in 2022. Pittsburgh has a -118 first quarter point differential in that span.
DEF: In three postseason games since 2019, T.J. Watt has recorded two B- grades (ranked fourth in the league both weeks) and a D+ in three EDGEi rankings. The D+ was in last season’s Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens.
