2. TE T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
Super Wild Card Weekend was unkind to the Minnesota Vikings. Their offense did everything to put the team in a position to win the game as Kirk Cousins completed 80 percent of his passes and wasn’t sacked once. The team also didn’t turn the ball over. The Vikings were the 48th team in NFL history to achieve those feats but they are the first to lose the game.
Minnesota’s defense fell flat in the game as they had no answers for Daniel Jones and Co. The offense did what they could to keep up, with one of the standouts being tight end T.J. Hockenson.
Hockenson dominated the Giants in their matchup on Christmas Eve in Week 16, catching a career-high 13 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. He was just as good during the matchup Super Wild Card Weekend, catching all 10 of his targets for 129 yards and another score. He more than made up for the Giants taking Jefferson out of the game with their defensive scheme.
1. QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
What a difference two weeks can make for a player and his team. There arguably wasn’t a team in the NFL coming into Super Wild Card Weekend in worse form than the Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott.
Dallas was awful in Week 18 against the Washington Commanders and Prescott was in the middle of it. His streak of games throwing at least one interception reached seven, as he finished the season with 15 in 12 games. It was a listless performance all around that didn’t instill much confidence.
However, something clicked once the final game of Super Wild Card Weekend kicked off as the Cowboys and Prescott dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prescott put together one of the greatest performances in franchise history, an impressive feat given how successful the Cowboys have been in the past.
Prescott torched the Buccaneers, completing 25-of-33 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns. He added 24 yards on the ground and another score as Tampa Bay had no answers for him. Outdueling Tom Brady in the postseason is no easy task, but Prescott made it look like a breeze.
Tight end Dalton Schultz deserves some recognition for becoming the first Cowboys tight end to catch multiple touchdowns in a playoff game. He finished the game with a team-high seven receptions and a game-high 95 yards in addition to the touchdowns.
