B/R
NFL Wild Card Weekend came to a close on Monday, with one final spot in the divisional round in each conference getting secured.
The Buffalo Bills took down the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-17, as Buffalo’s offense shredded Pittsburgh’s sixth-ranked scoring defense.
The Bills have now advanced to the divisional round in four consecutive seasons.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took care of business at home, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 32-9 to advance to the second round. After winning 10 of their first 11 games of the regular season, the Eagles had a swift postseason exit.
Here’s an updated look at the current playoff picture following both results, as well as a brief recap of each game.
(4) Houston Texans def. (5) Cleveland Browns, 45-14
(3) Kansas City Chiefs def. (6) Miami Dolphins, 26-7
(7) Green Bay Packers def. (2) Dallas Cowboys, 48-32
(3) Detroit Lions def. (6) Los Angeles Rams, 24-23
(2) Buffalo Bills def. (7) Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-17
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers def. (5) Philadelphia Eagles, 32-9
(4) Houston Texans vs. (1) Baltimore Ravens 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
(7) Green Bay Packers vs. (1) San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. ET, Fox
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (3) Detroit Lions, 3 p.m. ET, NBC
(3) Kansas City Chiefs vs. (2) Buffalo Bills, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS
AFC Championship Game, TBD, 3 p.m. ET, CBS
NFC Championship Game, TBD, 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox
AFC vs. NFC, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS
The AFC’s wild-card action has come to a close, with the divisional round set following Buffalo’s victory.
The Bills’ offense jumped out to an early 21-0 lead thanks to an impressive 52-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Josh Allen.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
JOSH ALLEN 52-YARD TD RUN 🤯😱
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/uIGkClm9SW
Buffalo’s defense held strong throughout the contest, picking off Steelers signal-caller Mason Rudolph in the Bills’ own end zone to maintain a 14-point first-half lead.
Pittsburgh’s rushing attack also struggled, as Pro Bowl running back Najee Harris was only able to muster 37 yards on 12 carries.
NFL @NFL
Kaiir Elam picks it off in the end zone for Buffalo 🔥
📺: #PITvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/rnjmj1Pg4j pic.twitter.com/TKW0kThk6g
The Bills will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 21, as Allen and Patrick Mahomes are set to face off in the playoffs for the third time in their respective careers.
On the other side of the AFC bracket, the No. 1 seed Baltimore Ravens will host the Houston Texans after a first-round bye.
The Texans easily dispatched the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, winning 45-14 due to three touchdown passes from rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. The win set up a matchup with Lamar Jackson and a stout Ravens defense that led the NFL in sacks in the regular season.
For the NFC, the matchups were decided prior to Monday night’s game. With the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers defeating the Dallas Cowboys, they are now locked into a matchup with the No. 1 seed San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.
Baker Mayfield shined during Tampa Bay’s victory, passing for 337 yards and three touchdowns without recording an interception. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers defense pressured Eagles signal-caller Jalen Hurts all night. Tampa Bay’s front seven was especially dominant, stopping Philadelphia on a “tush push” to deny a two-point conversion in the first half.
NFL @NFL
.@Buccaneers stop the 2-pt tush push!!
📺: #PHIvsTB on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/rFlj59UzNi pic.twitter.com/Lpl1piR1IY
As the team began to pull away in the fourth quarter, a 23-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield to wide receiver Chris Godwin ended any hopes of a potential comeback by the Eagles.
NFL @NFL
TD GODWIN! @Buccaneers putting this game on 🧊
📺: #PHIvsTB on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/rFlj59UzNi pic.twitter.com/YYuieKDTBK
The Buccaneers will travel to face the Lions on Sunday afternoon following Detroit’s first playoff victory since January 1992.
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