NFL wild-card Sunday ended with a bang — or rather, a doink — as the Washington Commanders beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and became the only wild-card team over the weekend to win on the road.
Otherwise, thanks to home-team dominance, the Texans, Ravens, Bills and Eagles all advanced, ending the seasons of the Chargers, Steelers, Broncos and Packers, respectively.
But there’s still one more game to be played, as the Vikings and Rams face off Monday night in Glendale, Arizona due to the ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
Here’s a look at next weekend’s divisional-round matchups:
Saturday, Jan. 18
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans: 4:30 p.m. ET
Detroit Lions vs. Washington Commanders: 8 p.m. ET
Sunday, Jan. 19
Rams/Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 3 p.m. ET
Buffalo Bills vs. Baltimore Ravens: 6 p.m. ET
Meanwhile, the coaching carousel is still going round, with the Patriots being first off the board with the hiring of Mike Vrabel on Sunday. The Jets, Bears, Raiders, Saints and Jaguars are still interviewing candidates, while Mike McCarthy is reportedly out as Cowboys head coach.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports as we track the latest coaching news and look toward the divisional round.
Live9 updates
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A look at the NFL playoff bracket
Here’s where things stand going into Monday night’s matchup.
The NFL playoff bracket headed into the divisional round. (Yahoo Sports)
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Troy Aikman rips Cowboys after Mike McCarthy decision
Troy Aikman doesn’t quite agree with the Dallas Cowboys’ decision to part ways with Mike McCarthy. The longtime Cowboys quarterback and Hall of Famer ripped the organization on ESPN on Monday night.
“It suggests that there’s not a real plan … To say that it’s a coveted job, I’m not sure I would necessarily agree with that.”
Troy Aikman on the Dallas Cowboys: “I thought Mike McCarthy would be the head coach, so this is a bit of a surprise for me today… It suggests that there’s not a real plan… To say that it’s a coveted job, I’m not sure I would necessarily agree with that.” 🏈🔥🎙️#NFL pic.twitter.com/M6cmb1dOaO
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 13, 2025
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Cowboys parting ways with Mike McCarthy just another baffling decision by Jerry Jones
After denying the Chicago Bears’ request to interview Mike McCarthy last week, the Cowboys and their coach parted ways on Monday. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Mike McCarthy will not re-sign as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, NFL Network reported and sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein on Monday. (His original five-year deal expires Tuesday.)
For championship-starved Cowboys fans, the news was a bit infuriating — why the delay of a week, if not months, in making a coaching change? That’s a time period when top potential candidates have either come off the market or gone far down the road in the interview process with more aggressive franchises.
Then came the truly baffling, if telling, news. The reason for the parting was that after a week of meetings between McCarthy and team owner Jerry Jones, “the two sides could not come to terms on an agreement on the length of a new contract.”
The length of a new contract?
The length of a contract, from the ownership side, is twofold. One is to keep a coach from leaving if he is successful. The second is it sets the initial terms of a potential buyout if he needs to be fired early (either pay it all or perhaps negotiate down).
It’s a money equation.
Any consideration on the length of the deal suggests that Jones believed McCarthy was the best guy for the Cowboys job in 2025, but was prohibitively concerned about potentially doling out millions if he was wrong about it.
Read the full column here.
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Patriots introduce Mike Vrabel as new head coach
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Cowboys, head coach Mike McCarthy reportedly part ways after contract negotiations stall
Mike McCarthy’s contract with the Dallas Cowboys ran out, and his time with the team has run its course.
McCarthy, whose contract expired after the 2024 season, won’t return as Dallas’ coach next season. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the two sides were unable to come to terms on the length of contract, and decided to part ways.
The Cowboys finished 7-10 with several blowout losses, including a 41-7 defeat against the rival Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17 as Saquon Barkley surpassed 2,000 yards rushing for the season. McCarthy helped turn things around late in the, with winning four of five games after falling to 3-7. But it was time for a change.
Read more here.
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Mike McCarthy could become free agent as negotiations with Cowboys stall: Report
The Dallas Cowboys and head coach Mike McCarthy reportedly haven’t begun negotiations on a new deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. McCarthy’s contract expires after midnight on Tuesday, when he’ll be free to talk to any team that wishes to interview him.
The Chicago Bears had requested to interview McCarthy for their vacant head coaching job, but the Cowboys denied that request last week. Schefter reported the New Orleans Saints are also expected to be interested if McCarthy does become a free agent. Both teams fired their coaches during the season.
Read more here.
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Eagles lose LB Nakobe Dean for playoffs with torn patellar tendon
The Eagles won their wild card game over the Packers on Sunday, but they lost an important member of their defense during the action: linebacker Nakobe Dean.
According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Dean tore his patellar tendon while trying to bring down Packers TE Tucker Kraft early in the second quarter. He left the game and was taken to the locker room on a cart, and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
The injury looked bad on sight, and the reality could be even worse as it’s possible the recovery could cause Dean to miss the start of the 2025 season.
#Eagles LB Nakobe Dean, at the tail end of a breakout season, suffered torn patellar tendon in his knee and is out for the playoffs, per me and @MikeGarafolo.
A tough blow for Philly and for Dean, who has a long road to recovery. He’ll likely miss the start of next season. pic.twitter.com/xtNdv5ttEQ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 13, 2025
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How will a neutral site impact Vikings-Rams matchup?
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Commanders pull off thrilling wild-card win over Bucs
Generations went by in the NFL and one thing held true for all but a few outliers: Rookie quarterbacks struggled, they didn’t carry their teams to the playoffs and they surely didn’t go on the road in the playoffs and win.
There were some rookie QBs who started for very good teams and were parts of playoff appearances and even some wins. Few were the driving force behind those clubs. Not many rookie quarterbacks throughout NFL history have been Jayden Daniels.
He helped the Washington Commanders beat the Tampa Bay Bucs 23-20 on a Zane Gonzalez field goal that bounced off the upright and in as time expired in Sunday’s wild-card playoff game.
Daniels looks nothing like a rookie and hasn’t since very early this season. He looks like a superstar already. Daniels was a key, yet again, in the Commanders’ win that sent Washington to the divisional round where they’ll face top-seeded Detroit on Saturday night. Daniels completed a fourth-down pass for a touchdown in the fourth quarter for the lead, and after the Buccaneers tied the game 20-20 with 4:41 left, he calmly led a drive for the win. As was the case all season, Daniels was completely unaffected in pressure situations.
Read more here.
