Biggest Upsets in NFL Wild Card Weekend History

Sports and unexpected outcomes seem to go hand in hand. Whether it’s a stunning underdog victory or a head-scratching defeat for the favorites, there's no shortage of storylines to keep NFL fans engaged. Wild Card weekend has recently concluded and there were plenty of shockers across the board with huge Super Bowl LVIII implications.

But despite that, the oddsmakers remain unmoved.

Super Bowl LVIII

The reason we say this is because as the six wild-card games conclude and the playoffs roll into the divisional round, the San Francisco 49ers remain the +200 favorites in the Super Bowl winner odds list. They are closely followed by the Baltimore Ravens, who have Lamar Jackson firing on all cylinders. The American football odds providers have made the former Louisville Cardinal the short-priced +350 favorite to be named the Big Game MVP, closely followed by the Niners' Brock Purdy at +400.

But with the wildcard round now in the books for another year, we have decided to take a look at years gone by and determine the biggest shockers in the opening round of the postseason. Without further ado, here they are.

Tennessee Titans 22 – New England Patriots 12 (2020)

The 2020 wild-card game between the Tennessee Titans and the New England Patriots will go down in the NFL history books as one of the biggest underdog victories. The Titans headed into the game as 5.5-point underdogs against the reigning champion Pats that had reached the Super Bowl in each of the last three seasons and had made it to at least the AFC Championship game in each of the last eight campaigns.

However, Tom Brady and Co. had no answer for running back Derrick Henry, with the powerhouse picking up a mighty 182 yards on the ground, building on the mighty 1,540 rushing yards he amassed throughout the regular season. His stellar displays were enough to help his side toward a 22-12 victory, and the Titana would then go and stun the top-seed Ravens in the Divisional Round before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the conference championships.

Seattle Seahawks 41 – New Orleans Saints 36 (2011)

In 2011, the Seattle Seahawks pulled off a major upset over the New Orleans Saints in the opening round of playoffs. The Saints were widely tipped to win the game with the likes of Drew Brees, and it seemed like they would cruise to victory when they took a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. However, the Seahawks managed to storm ahead and score a remarkable victory thanks to quarterback Marshawn Lynch, who produced one of the greatest runs in NFL history.

Indianapolis Colts 45 – Kansas City Chiefs 44 (2014)

During the 2014 Wild Card weekend, the Indianapolis Colts staged an improbable comeback to win the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Colts were down 38-10 in the third quarter – nobody expected them to come back against the Chiefs. But Andrew Luck went into overdrive, with an incredible 443-yard, 4-touchdown performance. The Colts ended up completing one of the most extraordinary comebacks in NFL history, with a 45-44 win.