Colston Loveland (Getty Images)
The 2026 NFL Wild Card Weekend was defined by historic comebacks and individual milestones. Here are the records that were broken or tied during the opening round of the playoffs:
Team Records
- Largest Comeback in Bears Postseason History: The Chicago Bears rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit (trailing 21-3) to defeat the Green Bay Packers 31-27. This surpassed their previous franchise playoff comeback record.
- Biggest Blown Lead in Packers Postseason History: Conversely, the Packers set a franchise record for the largest lead surrendered in a playoff game.
- Largest Home Underdog in Playoff History: The Carolina Panthers (8-9) made history as the biggest home underdog in NFL playoff history (+10.5) in their matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
- First Team to Make Playoffs Without a Win as a Favorite: The Panthers also became the first team in the Super Bowl era to qualify for the postseason despite not winning a single game in which they were the betting favorite during the regular season (all 8 of their wins were as underdogs).
- Fourth Quarter Lead Changes: The game between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars tied the record for the most lead changes in the fourth quarter.
Individual Records
- Colston Loveland (TE, Bears): The rookie tight end became the first rookie TE in NFL history to record at least 8 receptions and over 100 receiving yards (8 catches, 137 yards) in a playoff game.
- Caleb Williams (QB, Bears): His 361 passing yards were the second-most ever by a quarterback making his playoff debut in a win. He became the first Bears rookie quarterback to lead a second-half comeback in the postseason.
- Ben Johnson (Head Coach, Bears): Became the first coach in Bears history to win a playoff game in his debut season.
- Christian McCaffrey (RB, 49ers): With his performance against the Philadelphia Eagles, he secured his third career season with over 2,000 scrimmage yards (including regular season and playoffs), continuing his climb up the all-time versatile back rankings.
- Josh Allen (QB, Bills): Became the first player in NFL history to record three different playoff games with multiple rushing touchdowns. Allen also became the first player to record 25+ passing TDs and 8+ rushing TDs in a postseason career.
Notable Stats (Near Records)
- The “Losing Record” Club: The Panthers became just the seventh team in NFL history to make the playoffs with a losing record (8-9), winning the NFC South via tiebreakers.
