Fantasy Index

Factoid

Wild card weekend

Road teams have won almost half the time

All four of the home teams are favored this weekend, but if form holds, a road team or two will win. The NFL went to the eight-division format in 2002, with division champs hosting wild cards in the first round of the playoffs. In 10 of the 12 subsequent years, at least one road playoff team has won.

Since the move to this format, home teams are only 27-21 in these games. So the typical expectation for this weekend would be for probably two road teams to win.

WILD CARDS BEATING DIVISION CHAMPS
2002Atlanta 27, Green Bay 7
2003Tennessee 20, Baltimore 17
2004N.Y. Jets 20, San Diego 17 (OT)
2004St. Louis 27, Seattle 20
2004Minnesota 31, Green Bay 17
2005Pittsburgh 31, Cincinnati 17
2005Washington 17, Tampa Bay 10
2005Carolina 23, N.Y. Giants 0
2006 -- none --
2007Jacksonville 31, Pittsburgh 29
2007N.Y. Giants 24, Tampa Bay 14
2008Baltimore 27, Miami 9
2008Philadelphia 26, Minnesota 14
2009N.Y. Jets 24, Cincinnati 14
2009Baltimore 33, New England 14
2010N.Y. Jets 17, Indianapolis 13
2010Baltimore 30, Kansas City
2010Green Bay 21, Philadelphia 16
2011 -- none --
2012Seattle 24, Washington 14
2013San Diego 27, Cincinnati 10
2013New Orleans 26, Philadelphia 24
2013San Francisco 23, Green Bay 20

—Ian Allan

Fantasy Index