NFL Head Coach Appointment Rankings
Ranking of the NFL’s seven head coaching vacancies.
- Matt LaFleur’s position with the Packers has been in the spotlight following Green Bay’s massive collapse in the NFL playoffs.
- Caleb Williams led the Bears to the biggest playoff upset in franchise history.
- The Rams outplayed the Panthers’ push, but Los Angeles’ secondary could be an issue.
Despite starting with a rematch doubleheader, the NFL playoffs opened with a bit of a surprise.
The Saturday afternoon slot in the wild card round is often filled with misfires, but there have been very few of them this year. The Los Angeles Rams were heavy favorites and favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, but they faced a legitimate challenge from the Carolina Panthers and had to regroup in the final minutes for a 34-31 victory. But the biggest thrill will come from the Chicago Bears. The Chicago Bears came back from a 21-3 deficit to defeat the rival Green Bay Packers, 31-27. This result would not only give Chicago its first postseason victory in 15 years, but it would go down as the greatest playoff upset in Bears franchise history.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from Saturday’s NFL playoff wild-card action.
winner
After the first half, it looked like the second-year signal handler was destined to spend an offseason plagued by unfounded questions about whether he could deliver in the last minute. That’s all for now. Williams orchestrated one of the best comebacks in franchise history, further entrenching the idea that the Bears were never the same. Williams often had to build on his own, as the run game that normally paces the offense fizzled, and Chicago’s game plan was derailed by a significant early deficit. Even if his consistency wasn’t perfect yet, he certainly thrived in those situations, showing off his unique status among passers with his incredible fourth-down heave. Taking the lead with a 25-yard scoring attack was a fitting exclamation point for Williams, who threw for 195 yards and two scores in the fourth quarter alone. No matter how Chicago’s season ends, this is the kind of night that makes you believe the campaign was a huge success, and it’s the kind of night that makes you feel like anything is possible under the current regime.
ben johnson
From the off-kilter execution of the offense to questionable game management early on, Johnson received a lot of attention for the Bears’ lackluster start-up. However, he will be given a reprieve after making a historic breakthrough for the series. Despite facing difficult situations that forced the offense to become one-dimensional, Johnson helped the Bears rediscover their explosive form in the second half, with the team scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter alone. There’s been a fair amount of luck involved in Chicago’s seven fourth-quarter comebacks this season, and Green Bay certainly opened the door with a few missteps along the way. Still, Chicago is used to living on the margins, and Johnson helped a young, inexperienced core grow quickly to get through these situations. At his inaugural press conference, he raised some eyebrows by saying, “It was kind of fun to beat Matt LaFleur twice a year,” but he accomplished that in his first year at the top.
Forget about the offensive Rookie of the Year. The Bears tight end is wrapping up his first pro campaign as the league’s most lethal first-year weapon. Loveland gained a game-high 137 yards on eight catches and a two-point conversion, repeatedly burning Green Bay on outbreak routes. The Michigan native became the first rookie tight end to gain 100 or more receiving yards in a playoff game since Keith Jackson in 1988, marking a streak of three straight games with at least six catches and 90 yards. A rare opposition threat, he is being eyed as one of the biggest breakout candidates league-wide in 2026.
Green Bay’s overtime loss to Chicago in Week 16 was sparked by a Packers receiver’s botched onside kick. You can’t blame him for the Packers’ loss this time. Dubs led Green Bay with 124 yards and a touchdown on eight catches. He stepped up several times and got important first downs as the offense lagged behind. Don’t be surprised if he withdraws a large amount of money within a few months when he is considered one of the most attractive options in a burgeoning receiver market.
He shouldn’t have to hear anymore about going without a touchdown as a rookie. The Packers’ first-round receiver finally found the end zone on a spectacular 23-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter, slipping past several defenders along the way. Golden capped off a dominant year with four catches for 84 yards. Better things and a bigger role are in store for him in his second year.
The final stat line – 24-of-42 for 304 yards with three touchdowns and one interception – was certainly much prettier than most of the actual plays that day. After a strong start, Stafford spent a good portion of the day either misfiring or struggling to find an answer against Carolina’s defense, and a finger injury suffered late in the first half seemed to exacerbate the problem. But with the Rams trailing by four points with three minutes remaining, Stafford completed 6 of 7 throws, increasing the offense for 71 yards and capping it off with a nice scoring shot to tight end Colby Parkinson. With things not going well on the perimeter, Stafford did the most significant damage by crushing the Cover 3 look the Panthers used in the opener, but for some reason came back late. It’s not the kind of effort a quarterback or his team wants to get back at, especially considering how volatile things were when Carolina applied pressure. But only a select few signal callers can pull themselves out of the predicament and deliver that result.
For a team that has spent a first-round draft pick on wide receivers every year, the former undrafted free agent was the driving force behind the Panthers’ aerial attack, which at times looked lackluster this season. Coker’s 134 receiving yards were not only a career high, but more than half of the Panthers’ total receiving yards (264 yards) in that category. The second-year wideout perfected Bryce Young’s go-ahead touchdown throw on a corner route late in the fourth quarter. His day wasn’t without mistakes, as Coker’s separation from Young in the first quarter led to an interception, deepening the Panthers’ early hole. Still, he looks like the perfect complement to offensive rookie of the year front-runner Tetailoa McMillan in Carolina’s passing game, which is expected to take off in 2026.
loser
matt lafleur
Before the game, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Saturday that LaFleur and Packers leaders will meet after the season to discuss a contract extension, and that LaFleur’s contract is currently set to expire after next season. It’s no exaggeration to say that the current summit is bound to be a little more awkward. Green Bay’s late decline is at least somewhat understandable, given that a roster that was thought to have a shot at a title was crippled by injuries. But ending the losing streak at four and ending the regular season with a multi-faceted disaster against a rival is a devastating way to go. Jordan Love dominated Chicago with play-action from the start, and the offense scored a touchdown on each of its first three drives. Green Bay struggled from there, at times barely moving the ball. Yes, the defense and special teams also dwindled after halftime. But Lafleur also bears ultimate responsibility for these failures. Although his status as one of the NFL’s best play callers and offensive architects is impeccable, LaFleur has too often been at the center of these types of setbacks. Parting ways with a coach who is 76-40-1 and has made the postseason in six of seven seasons will probably not sit well with Packers president and CEO Ed Policy, who is in his first full offseason on the job. But as LaFleur said after the game, “This fight is going to hurt for a really, really long time.”
Brandon McManus
The Packers would not have collapsed if special teams didn’t play a prominent role. McManus missed two field goals and missed an extra point. It was a brutal outcome for a player who signed a three-year extension just 10 months ago.
After the game, McManus said, “It was an embarrassing performance…the most disappointing thing of my career to this point.”
Rams secondary
There were a myriad of problems with the team that seriously diminished its status as a viable Super Bowl threat. But while the penalties and special teams meltdowns should be easier to fix, despite the latter firing coordinator Chase Blackburn in late December, the back-end issues seem as pressing as ever, no matter how deep a theme they are. The return of standout safety Quentin Lake, who missed the regular season tilt against Carolina, didn’t make a dramatic difference to a group that faltered late, especially in terms of allowing big plays. Even on days when the Rams’ front office frequently dictated terms and wreaked havoc, the secondary was unable to live up to its responsibilities and now looms as a major liability in the divisional round.
Ikem Ekwonu
A brutal result for the Panthers’ left tackle who buckled under the bull rush of Rams rookie Josiah Stewart. Panthers coach Dave Canales said after the game that Ekwonu appeared to have suffered a “significant” knee injury, and Ekwonu was ejected. The 2022 first-round pick has a fully guaranteed fifth-year option in 2026. But the injury complicates his financial future, at least beyond that point.
