NFL wild-card weekend came and went and swept away six teams in the first season with an expanded playoff. Most lost to superior clubs, while others made their own crippling mistakes or were perhaps the victim of questionable officiating.
Now, these six teams head into the offseason looking for answers about why their season ended with a first-round playoff exit. Some solutions will be easier to solve, while others may have a hard time returning to the postseason after the NFL's first 18-week season ever. Free agency and the draft offer prime chances to correct mistakes of the past, but that alone won't be enough to deliver another trip to the playoffs.