5 best Wild Card games in NFL playoff history feat. 2022's epic Jaguars vs Chargers thriller

AFC Wild Card Playoffs - Los Angeles Chargers v Jacksonville Jaguars
5 best Wild Card games in NFL playoff history feat. 2022's epic Jaguars vs Chargers thriller

Best NFL Wild Card playoff games

#3 2010: Seattle Seahawks 41, New Orleans Saints 36

The game famously dubbed the 'Beast Quake' was one of the best Wild Card playoff matchups of all time.

The Seahawks came into the game as underdogs after winning the NFC West with a dire 7-9 record. They were facing a Saints team that finished 11-5 and had won the Super Bowl the previous season.

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Drew Brees and the Saints battled back from 34-20 down to 34-30. But Lynch's 'Beast Quake' run capped off an excellent Wild Card result for an up-and-coming Seattle Seahawks team.

#2 1999: Tennessee Titans 22, Buffalo Bills 16

The 'Music City Miracle' of 1999 gave us arguably the most dramatic ending to an NFL game in league history.

In this Wild Card matchup, the Titans went 12-0 up before Buffalo scored 13 straight points of their own. Both teams exchanged field goals giving the Bills a 16-15 lead with just 16 seconds left.

Buffalo kicked off to Tennessee, and FB Lorenzo Neal handed the ball off to TE Frank Wycheck, who threw the ball to an open Kevin Dyson. The latter ran the ball all the way back for a touchdown as time expired. The pass was ruled a lateral and the score was allowed to stand, and the 'Music City Miracle' was born.

#1 - 1992: Buffalo Bills 41, Houston Oilers 38

A game simply known as 'The Comeback' lands at the top of the list of best Wild Card games ever.

The Buffalo Bills were down 28-3 to the Houston Oilers back in 1992. But when Bubba McDowell scored a pick-six for the Oilers in the third quarter, this game looked all but done.

However, Buffalo mounted a monumental comeback scoring 35 unanswered points - including star WR Andre Reed scoring three touchdowns. Houston managed a field goal to send the game to OT, but Bills K Steve Christie won it with a 32-yard kick.

The 35-point comeback is the most in playoff history. It was the biggest comeback in league history until the Minnesota Vikings came back from 33-0 down to beat the Indianapolis Colts 39-36 in 2022.

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Edited by Akshay Saraswat
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