Should the NFL be concerned with the on-field product after playoff blowouts?

Rams-Lions was lone playoff game decided by single digits

The NFL usually reigns supreme but it certainly didn’t feel like it after the final wild card game wrapped up. Is it fair to say the NFL playoffs have been an absolute dud so far? Five of the six games this weekend were blowouts with the Los Angeles Rams matchup with the Lions being the lone game decided by single digits.

Seriously, thank the high heavens for Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff or else this first weekend would’ve been a complete wash. Yes, LA painfully lose by a single point, but at least the game contained some excitement.

Each game in the Wild Card Round was decided by an average of just over 17 points. Here’s an idea of what fans had to endure aside from the outlier Rams-Lions matchup:

Texans over Browns 45-14

Chiefs over Dolphins 26-7

Packers over Cowboys 48-32 (this game was freaking hilarious so thanks Green Bay for doing the Lord’s work)

Bills over Steelers 31-17

Buccaneers over Eagles 32-9

So should the NFL be concerned with the on-field product following such blowouts?

After conning 23 million fans into subscribing to Peacock for one measly game, I’d say they’re probably not losing any sleep over it. As long as the league continues pumping out money at an astronomical rate, the on-field product will always take a backseat. I mean, why would the NFL care at all to begin with?

If the league was that worried about the action on the field, then the officiating problem would’ve been resolved eons ago. Unless the NFL magically loses an exodus of viewers, they’ll keep reeling in the fans who will watch the games no matter what. Fans are going to stay invested regardless of the crappy on-field product in relation to the Wild Card Round a year ago.

Last season, four of the six matchups that round were decided by one score. Two of those games were started by backup quarterbacks Tyler Huntley and seventh-round rookie Skylar Thompson. Their respective teams only lost by a combined 10 points.

Something has to give in the next round or this postseason will likely go as one of the worst in recent memory. Perhaps it’s fitting for one of the strangest campaigns of the last decade with few dominant teams that have solidified their case among the NFL’s best. The NFL at this time should be a tad concerned (again, if they cared), yet the next round might be the league’s saving grace.

Given the promising slate in the Divisional Round, I’m cautiously optimistic that the product should improve rather quickly.

Fingers crossed that we as NFL fans get more games like Rams-Lions rather than Cowboys-Packers. Although I would love it if Patrick Mahomes and/or the Whiners received an ass-kicking like the cheeseheads unleashed onto Dallas.