With the NFL Divisional Round of the playoffs kicking off this weekend, we’re taking a look at some of the biggest upsets at this stage of the postseason.
History has shown that upsets, including some very big ones, often happen in the divisional round, and after some of the results in the wild card round, including the big upset of the Detroit Lions against the Minnesota Vikings, could we have another surprise in the round? cards this weekend?
January 5, 1986: Patriots 27-20 Raiders
In quite a historic season for the New England Patriots, they became the first team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl by winning three straight road games.
This victory in Los Angeles was significant, as the Raiders were 12-4 and one of the most dominant teams in the league. The Patriots also won on the road against the Miami Dolphins the following week, however they lost in the Super Bowl final to the Chicago Bears in a painful 46-10 loss.
January 13, 2008: Chargers 28-24 Colts
In a game in which the Chargers were punished with injuries, including to their quarterback Philip Rivers, they persevered to weather a huge upset and advance to the next round.
The Chargers went 11-5 in the regular season, while the Colts, led by Peyton Manning, were 13-3 and the reigning Super Bowl champions.
The San Diego (now known as Los Angeles) defense was the key to their victory, and they closed out two fourth-quarter drives by the Colts on fourth down and ultimately held on for the win.
December 30, 1979: Rams 21-19 Cowboys
In a game where the Dallas Cowboys took home the win, well, it was the complete opposite with the LA Rams progressing with a huge upset.
The Cowboys had already beaten the Rams 30-6 during the regular season, and in the previous year’s conference title game, Dallas beat Los Angeles 28-0 in a complete facelift.
Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo threw three touchdown passes, including a game-winner with just over two minutes remaining on the clock. It was also a game that turned out to be Dallas QB Roger Staubach’s last.
Jan. 11, 2009: Eagles 23-11 Giants
Going into the game, the New York Giants were the top seeds, the defending Super Bowl champions, and had home advantage on a fairly warm day.
However, the Philadelphia Eagles defense played a great game and stepped up forcing three turnovers, and kicker David Akers made three field goals, and it was the fifth time in eight seasons that the Eagles had made the game by the NFC title. Eli Manning and the Giants were stunned.
Jan. 16, 2011: Jets 28-21 Patriots
During the regular season, the Patriots went 14-2 and defeated the Jets 11-5 45-3 in a nationally televised game, allowing the entire nation to see what the Patriots could do.
The same was expected in this divisional round game, however it was far from it. In the end, the Jets pulled off an unlikely upset, with quarterback Mark Sanchez throwing for three touchdowns, and New York’s defense also sacked Patriots star Tom Brady five times, in a legendary defensive performance.
January 10, 2009: Cardinals 33-13 Panthers
The Arizona Cardinals were lucky to even clinch a playoff spot, after going 2-4 in their last six regular season games, and barely coming in with a 9-7 record.
They dispatched the Falcons in the wild card round and then faced a highly rated Carolina Panthers team in the divisional round that went 12-4 in the regular season and was a strong Super Bowl contender.
Led by Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona lived up to their “Shock the World” catchphrase, and beat the Panthers, eventually reaching the Super Bowl, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final hurdle.
Jan. 23, 2022: 49ers 13-10 Packers
On a snowy day in Green Bay, the Packers were outrageously beaten by the San Francisco 49ers in a huge upset and wild comeback.
The Packers were the top seed and 13-4 on the season with an 8-0 record at home as well. The 49ers’ 10-7 Robbie Gould helped complete an unlikely comeback, and the team scored 10 unanswered points in the final five minutes of the game to rally and knock out one of the Super Bowl favorites.
San Francisco’s victory, along with the Cincinnati Bengals’ 19-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans earlier in the day, marked the first time both No. 1 seeds had lost in the divisional round in the same season since 2010.
January 9, 1988: Vikings 36, 49ers 24
Joe Montana rarely played a bad game for San Francisco, however, in this particular game, he did and was punished by the Minnesota Vikings intercepting Montana four times at Candlestick Park, ultimately benching him.
However, the Vikings were on hand to pull off the upset and were led by Anthony Carter’s 227 receiving yards to defeat the 49ers, but then lost to the Redskins in the following NFC Championship Game.
January 7, 1996: Colts 10, Chiefs 7
The Indianapolis Colts were in the playoffs this year after winning their last five games to make the playoffs with a 9-7 record on the season, and were up against the No. 1 seed 13-3 Kansas City Chiefs.
It was expected to be an easy win for the Chiefs, however it didn’t turn out that way.
The Colts defense was on point, and they intercepted Steve Bono three times in the second half, and Kansas kicker Lin Elliot also missed three field goal attempts in a dismal performance for the Chiefs overall.
January 4, 1997: Jaguars 30, Broncos 27
The Jacksonville Jaguars only made it to the NFL as an expansion team the year before and surprised many by going 9-7 in the regular season.
They faced a strong Super Bowl contender in the Denver Broncos who were 13-3 going into the postseason. The Broncos started the game well and took a 12-0 lead, however, then seemed to lose all momentum and the Jags scored 23 straight points.
Mark Brunell three for 245 yards and two touchdowns, and Natrone Means rushed for 140 yards as the Jaguars advanced to the AFC Championship Game, capping off one of the biggest upsets in Divisional Round history before being blown out by New England.
