This year’s wild-card weekend feels like a redo of the playoffs from two years ago. New Orleans and Minnesota meet again, post–Minneapolis Miracle; the Patriots see whether they can once again beat the Titans; and the Bills make it to the playoffs for the second time this century. The postseason has finally arrived. Make sure to check out all of The Ringer’s coverage below:
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January 6, 2020
The Starting 11: The Cowboys Could Have Hired Anyone, and They Picked Mike McCarthy
Jerry Jones went into this hiring season with the world at his fingertips, and instead of casting a wide net, he hired the second guy he interviewed. Plus: takeaways from the wildest of wild-card weekends.
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January 6, 2020
Wild-Card Weekend Recap With Chris Long
Russillo is joined by two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long to discuss Round 1 of the NFL playoffs
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January 6, 2020
DK Metcalf Is Becoming Exactly What the Seahawks Need
The rookie wide receiver fell in the draft due to concerns about his agility, but his performance in Seattle’s 17-9 win over the Eagles showed how his unique skill set can be used to break opposing defenses wide open
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January 6, 2020
The Winners and Losers of NFL Wild-Card Weekend
The biggest losers? All the olds under center in the first round of the playoffs. The biggest winners? Everyone who was hoping for something new.
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January 5, 2020
There Was No Magic to Save the Eagles From Postseason Injuries This Time
Carson Wentz suffered a head injury in the first half of Philly’s game against Seattle, and the skeleton-crew Eagles couldn’t make a miracle happen. But the 2019 season still represented progress for a team looking for its path back to the Super Bowl.
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January 5, 2020
Kirk Cousins Silenced His Doubters With One Deep Pass Against the Saints
The Vikings shocked the NFC South champs on Sunday after their quarterback came up big in overtime
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January 5, 2020
The Saints’ Playoff Run Ended in Heartbreak—Again
Drew Brees, Sean Payton, and Co. once again saw their season slip away in the final seconds. There is no one place to point the finger, but these tragic endings could now define the twilight of Brees’s career.
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January 5, 2020
The Patriots’ Playoff Hopes Are Done, and the Brady-Belichick Era Might Be Too
New England lost to Tennessee in the wild-card round. That not only raises questions about Tom Brady’s future—it’s caused the dynasty that’s defined the past two decades to consider its football mortality.
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January 5, 2020
Derrick Henry Could Almost Make You Believe Running Backs Matter Again
The Titans rusher put up 184 yards, sucked the oxygen out of Gillette Stadium, and may have ended Tom Brady’s Patriots career. For one game, he made us question what we think we know about running backs in the modern NFL.
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January 5, 2020
Did Tom Brady’s Patriots Career Just End on a Pick-Six?
The quarterback said he’s unlikely to retire this offseason, but he did little to diffuse the rumors that his days in New England are numbered
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January 5, 2020
The Patriots Face an Uncertain Future for the First Time in Decades
And that future may not include Tom Brady. What else does the offseason hold for New England?
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January 5, 2020
Power-Ranking Josh Allen’s Good, Bad, and Bewildering Plays Against the Texans
He did some things no quarterback had ever done before—and some that no QB ever should
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January 4, 2020
Can the Bills Fix Josh Allen’s Flaws?
The Buffalo passer was put under the spotlight in the team’s wild-card game, and he wilted. The team heads into 2020 with plenty of promise on the roster but a big question mark under center.
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January 4, 2020
Deshaun Watson Used All of His Magic to Drag the Texans Past the Bills
The Houston quarterback’s performance wasn’t always pretty, but he delivered when it mattered most in the wild-card round
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January 3, 2020
How Far Can Josh Allen and the Bills Go—This Season and Beyond?
Behind a stellar defense and overall offensive improvement, Buffalo has made it back to the postseason. But what’s even more exciting is how the Bills are set up for the future.
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January 3, 2020
Kirk Cousins Has the Chance to Redefine His Career Against the Saints
The Vikings quarterback has been dogged by a lack of signature wins. That could change if Minnesota beats New Orleans in the Superdome.
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January 3, 2020
The Keys to Every NFL Wild-Card Game
Is this the end of the road for the Patriots? How can the Vikings handle Michael Thomas? And can the Eagles’ rag-tag group survive another week?
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January 3, 2020
These Patched-Together Eagles Are Philadelphia’s Perfect Team
The 9-7, injury-plagued squad is the underdog in its wild-card game at home against the Seahawks. Believe it or not, to fans in the City of Brotherly Love, that’s an enviable position.
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January 2, 2020
Wild-Card Weekend Preview and Coaching Rumors
Jason Garrett is still Dallas’s head coach ... for now