Inside Super Wild Card Weekend numbers: This team has a surprising playoff losing streak
Using Pro Football Reference’s Stathead, Yardbarker highlights significant figures and names from Monday’s Super Wild Card Weekend action:
Steelers collapse once again: The Pittsburgh Steelers lost 31-17 after giving up a 21-0 lead to the Buffalo Bills. Although Mike Tomlin, the head coach of Pittsburgh, is praised as one of the greatest in the NFL for leading surprising teams to the postseason, Monday’s defeat extended a terrible run. The Steelers have not only dropped their last five postseason games, which is a franchise record, but they have also trailed by at least 21 points in each of those contests.
Josh Allen, the quarterback for the Bills, set a new postseason record with three touchdown passes in their victory over the Steelers. Allen was fast to sketch. With just nine playoff games in his career, Allen has already surpassed Daryle Lamonica for the record for most postseason passing touchdowns of any quarterback with fewer than ten playoff appearances (20 touchdown passes).
Wide receiver DeVonta Smith was among the few Philadelphia Eagles to put in any effort during a miserable 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Smitty sets a record in vain. Smith broke the previous record most receiving yards in a playoff game for the Eagles with eight receptions for 148 yards. Oddly enough, the six best receivers in Philadelphia in that area all had losses in their performances. The franchise record, achieved in 1979 by Hall of Famer Harold Carmichael, is 111 receiving yards in a playoff victory.
Bucs defense offers a shutout in a crucial area: The Buccaneers defense put on an incredible show, holding the Eagles to 0-for-9 third-down conversions and 0-for-2 fourth-down attempts despite quarterback Baker Mayfield throwing three touchdown passes. Tampa Bay is the only team to limit its opponent to zero conversions on both third and fourth down in a postseason game going back as far as Pro Football Reference’s third and fourth-down conversion data goes, dating back to 1991.
