Wild Card Weekend came to an exciting conclusion when six NFL teams advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs.
However, with great success also comes disappointment, as the losing teams grappled with teammates whose bad performances crumbled a potential run at a Super Bowl. These players are favorably called bobbleheads.
With a long road ahead for AFC and NFC contenders that advanced, here is a list of bobbleheads who helped buy their team a ticket to Cancun instead.
The Minnesota Vikings faced off against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, Jan. 13 in what should have been a close, nail-biting season conclusion.
Instead, what happened was nothing short of a Viking fail in State Farm Stadium. With a wildfire at home and in the heart of the makeshift Rams house, the Vikings were sorely defeated.
The first bobblehead of the week is Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, who struggled during the game.
Darnold threw for 245 yards on 25-of-40 passing with a touchdown and an interception. Darnold also seemed to hold onto the ball way longer than he should have, getting him sacked nine times, which is also partially on his offensive line.
In the 27-9 blowout loss against the Rams, Darnold was unable to capitalize on offense and played what looked like panicky football, pulling Vikings fans from one of their best regular season records in franchise history.
The Green Bay Packers fell to the Philadelphia Eagles Jan. 12, losing 22-10 on the road. One Packers player that earned the title as a bobblehead was cornerback and kick returner Keisean Nixon, who notably fumbled the opening kickoff return, leading to an early Eagles touchdown that set the tone for the night.
Nixon’s lost fumble was the first in a series of blunders in a 22-10 loss. Nixon also faced one of two unnecessary roughness calls during the game and was repeatedly outplayed on the field.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost what could have been a winnable game to the Washington Commanders at home Jan. 12 after a sea of mistakes.
One player who walked the plank into bobblehead recognition was quarterback Baker Mayfield, who fumbled on a simple jet sweep that set up the Commanders on the Tampa 13-yard line — a drive the Commanders capitalized on to score a touchdown.
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On top of that, Mayfield’s inability to gain offensive momentum cost his team a trip to the divisional playoff round and sent his team into unfamiliar waters.
The Los Angeles Chargers were dominated by an injury-ridden Houston Texans team Jan. 11, losing 32-12 in the first round of the playoffs.
The Chargers couldn’t get the offense kickstarted, and a big reason for that was quarterback Justin Herbert playing like a bobblehead.
Herbert played one of his worst games of the season, throwing four interceptions, which is more than he’s thrown in 18 weeks of the regular season. Herbert went 14-of-32 for 242 yards with one touchdown, along with the previously mentioned four interceptions.
His lackluster performance crippled the Chargers’ offense, which crumbled underneath the Texans’ defense for a weak first playoff appearance since 2022.
Izabella Kubiak-Reseigh is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobocom or on X @kubiakizabella
