Wild Card chaos: NFL postseason records broken in stunning weekend of fourth-quarter drama
Fans were treated to multiple fourth-quarter lead changes, clutch touchdowns, and record-breaking playoff drama in the Wild Card round.
NFL fans were treated to an unforgettable Wild Card weekend, as a postseason record for fourth-quarter lead changes was shattered in just four games.
Playoff record smashed in only four games
According to Elias Sports Bureau, the 2007 playoffs saw the lead change hands in the final quarter 10 times, including three occasions in Super Bowl XLII, when the New York Giants edged the New England Patriots.
Last weekend’s Wild Card round blew that record out of the water. The lead changed hands 12 times across six games, although only four games actually saw a fourth-quarter flip.
Matthew Stafford's game-winning 19-yard TD to Colby Parkinson had a completion probability of 27.3%, the 2nd-most improbable completion of the game, behind only Bryce Young's go-ahead TD to Jalen Coker (19.7%) two minutes earlier.#LARvsCAR | #RamsHousepic.twitter.com/FkaOPmpT13
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 11, 2026
A rollercoaster weekend
Before this weekend, there had only ever been four lead changes in the final quarter in four playoff games. That number doubled to six after it happened Saturday in the Los Angeles Rams’ 34-31 win over the Carolina Panthers, and Sunday, when the Buffalo Bills narrowly defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-24.
Sunday’s late game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles added three more lead changes, with the 49ers ultimately claiming a 23-19 victory.
Saturday’s other matchup, between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, “only” had one fourth-quarter lead change, allowing Chicago to erase a 15-point deficit.
The New England Patriots and Houston Texans did not need any late heroics, comfortably dispatching the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers in the weekend’s remaining games.
Game-winning TDs at the death
The Wild Card round also set a new postseason record for touchdowns in the final three minutes of regulation. There were four memorable game-winners:
- Matthew Stafford’s TD pass to Colby Parkinson for the Rams against the Panthers
- Josh Allen’s push TD for the Bills against the Jaguars
- Brock Purdy’s TD pass to Christian McCaffrey for the 49ers against the Eagles
- Caleb Williams’ TD pass to D.J. Moore for the Bears against the Packers
Fans were reminded why they love playoff football: anything can happen in the fourth quarter, and this weekend proved it in spectacular fashion.
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