Ranking the Losers on Wild Card Weekend

The 2025-26 NFL Playoffs have already brought us plenty of drama. Four road teams won on Wild Card Weekend, and the first four games all had at least one fourth-quarter lead change. The Houston Texans and New England Patriots were the only two teams to win by more than four points, but Houston was only up by a single point entering the fourth quarter while New England only led 9-3 on the back of three field goals.

There are just eight teams left in the postseason, and while we have a look on the NFL betting markets for the playoffs, let’s take a look back at the best teams that were eliminated over Wild Card Weekend.

1. Philadelphia Eagles

Some things were amiss with the defending Super Bowl champions all year, but it seemed like Philadelphia would get it right in the playoffs. The Eagles took a lead into the fourth quarter at home against San Francisco, yet they were unable to close out the game.

Philadelphia was +2 in turnovers, and Saquon Barkley ran for over 100 yards. However, Jalen Hurts didn’t have his best game, and A.J. Brown was virtually nonexistent with a couple of key drops.

There’s little doubt that Philadelphia will be on the short list of favorites for Super Bowl LXI. The Eagles still have a ton of talent on defense, a proven ground game, and a shrewd front office. An easier first-round matchup could have led to the Eagles making a little more noise, but they were showing cracks all season.

2. Green Bay Packers

Head coach Matt LaFleur’s status is still in limbo despite leading the Green Bay Packers to six playoff appearances over the last seven seasons. LaFleur is 76-40-1 and led Green Bay to the NFC Championship Game in each of his first two years at the helm. This is a “What have you done for me lately?” NFL, though, so LaFleur’s job is in jeopardy as the Packers have won just one playoff game in the last five seasons and haven’t won an NFC North title since 2021.

We wouldn’t be having these discussions about LaFleur if Green Bay didn’t blow an 18-point halftime lead against arch-rival Chicago. Neither Jordan Love nor Caleb Williams was that accurate, but they both made big plays despite not having much of a run game. The lack of a Green Bay pass rush in the second half was the big difference at the end of the day, and that’s where the loss of Micah Parsons was really felt.

Green Bay has a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. The Parsons’ injury was a humongous blow that completely cripped the pass rush, and that pretty much doomed the Packers as Rashan Gary was the only other player with more than four sacks during the regular season. 

3. Los Angeles Chargers

When will we start seriously questioning Justin Herbert’s status as an elite quarterback? Herbert is now 0-3 in postseason starts, completing just 54.7% of his passes for 674 yards (6.4 YPA) with two touchdowns and four interceptions in those games. Additionally, he has been sacked a whopping 13 times in those games despite having a pretty good offensive line.

That has many people wondering if Jim Harbaugh will ever have a breakthrough with the Chargers. The team immediately improved after Harbaugh was hired, posting consecutive 11-6 seasons, but they have been one-and-done in each of their last two playoff appearances. The Chargers were completely inept on offense in both playoff losses, too, scoring just 12 points against Houston last year before finishing with a measly field goal against New England this season. 

4. Jacksonville Jaguars

By any metric, Liam Coen had a fantastic first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville finished 4-13 in 2024, and Coen was able to lead the Jaguars to a 13-4 record and their third AFC South title ever. Trevor Lawrence looked rejuvenated under his new head coach, while Travis Etienne had his most productive season yet.

Jacksonville has built a solid defense and has a quality left tackle to protect Lawrence, who was just signed to a long-term contract. However, there are real concerns about whether or not this season was a flash in the pan. Matt Nagy, Kevin Stefanski, and Brian Daboll were all named NFL Coach of the Year after leading their teams to big turnarounds in their first seasons, but all three coaches were unceremoniously fired a few years after their initial success.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s the end of an era in the Steel City. After 19 years without posting a losing record in a single season, Mike Tomlin resigned as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this week. Tomlin was just the third head coach for the franchise since 1969, so this will signal a dynamic shift for the Steelers going forward. However, it’s clear that something needed to change as the Steelers had lost seven straight playoff games and were largely content to tread water.

Pittsburgh is likely going to press the reset button in the offseason. The Steelers haven’t had a quality signal caller since Ben Roethlisberger retired, and their roster is filled with high-priced veterans. Aaron Rodgers probably won’t be back, and many experts believe Pittsburgh will finally use a high draft choice on a quarterback.

6. Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers made the playoffs with a losing record in one of the most absurd tiebreakers in modern history. Carolina had a very up-and-down season, yet the Panthers almost knocked off the Los Angeles Rams despite being a double-digit underdog per the NFL betting odds in the Wild Card Round. Bryce Young made some big plays to lead Carolina back from a two-touchdown deficit, showing that he could actually be the long-term answer.

It’s clear that Carolina still has a lot of work to do with its roster. The Panthers have some talent, but they have a lot of holes and only made the playoffs by playing in a weak division. Carolina could easily have the third-worst odds to win the NFC South next season behind Tampa Bay and Atlanta.