THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

Super Bowl LX (60) Recap

Sunday, February 8, 2026, 6:30pm 

AFC New England Patriots at NFC 14-3 Seattle Seahawks  —  The Patriots under first year head coach Mike Vrabel and second year quarterback Drake Maye built a good team with a great defense. They won the AFC East for the first time in five years. The Patriots went on the road and played the AFC Title Game in a blizzard. The Patriots survived Denver 10-7 in a winter wonderland slugfest. The Seahawks under second year head coach Mike McDonald and first year quarterback Sam Darnold built a team with a tenacious defense in winning the NFC West. While not as flashy as the vaunted Legion of Boom, this defense is brutal. After blasting San Francisco to pieces, the Seahawks survived the Rams 31-27 in the NFC Title Game. 

As fans know, these teams met in the Super Bowl 11 years ago. Rather than hand the ball to Marshawn Lynch at the one yard line, the Seahawks opted to throw an interception and lose the Super Bowl. These are two completely new teams that rebounded far quicker than rival fan bases wanted. With Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll elsewhere, these teams were supposed to go through long rebuilds. Instead, great coaching got them right back on top. Vrabel is a belichick disciple and former teammate of Tom Brady. 

Both teams love stone age football, running and defense. Maye and Darnold are both competent quarterbacks who will not lose a game for their team. Darnold was cast aside last year after going 14-3 in Minnesota. Vrabel was fired from Tennessee after injuries derailed them team one year after being the top seed. Minnesota and Tennessee both made big mistakes and became cellar dwellers. 

Vrabel, like Belichick and Belichick’s mentor Bill Parcells, know how to develop game plans to take down supposedly superior opponents. Parcells’s 1990 Giants stopped the supposedly unstoppable Buffalo offense. Belichick began the Patriots dynasty in 2001 by shocking the Rams Greatest Show on Turf. 

Yet those defeated teams won with offense. The Seahawks have a fast, tough and nasty defense. With weather not being a factor, the Seahawks were expected to utilize their speed. On offense, they love to pound the ball. The Patriots were playing in their NFL record 12th Super Bowl, with 10 of them being this century. The Seahawks were in their 4th Super Bowl.

The first three quarters were all defense, with the Seattle defense in particular suffocating the New England offense and sacking Maye multiple times. Jason Myers hit field goals of 33 three minutes into the game, from 39 in the second quarter, from 41 to end the half, and after a lengthy delay called a halftime show that has nothing to do with football, from 41 in the third quarter for a 12-0 Seahawks lead. At the end of the third quarter, Maye was hit and fumbled for the first turnover of the game. The Seahawks began the fourth quarter at the New England 37. Darnold went to AJ Barner for 11. On 3rd and 9 from the New England 25, Darnold went to Cooper Kupp for just enough. Darnold went to Barner for a 16 yard score. New England’s stout defense finally broke. The first touchdown of the game had the Seahawks up 19-0 only 90 seconds into the fourth quarter. 

The lowest scoring Super Bowl in history featured 16 points. This game now had 19 points. No team had ever been shut out in the Super Bowl. Two teams had been limited to 3 points and one team scored their only 7 points on a kickoff return touchdown. All those records quickly fell by the wayside. The Patriots took over at their own 35. Maye went deep to Mack Hollins between 4 defenders for a 24 yard gain. Maye then went deep to Hollins again for a 35 yard touchdown. That drive took only 60 seconds as the Patriots were on the board down 19-7 with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Patriots held on defense and had all the momentum when a great punt pinned the Patriots at their own 4 yard line. They moved to their own 44. Maye went deep over the middle and was intercepted by Jobe Love, who returned the pick 35 yards to the New England 38. With 8 1/2 minutes left, the Seahawks had another chance to finally put the game away. Myers hit his 5th field goal from 26 to make it 22-7 Seahawks with 5 1/2 minutes to go. 

One minute later came the exclamation point that made the vaunted Legion of Boom proud. This modern iteration is known as The Dark Side. On 1st and 10 from the Seattle 44, Maye was belted down hard and fumbled. The 7th sack of Maye tied a Super Bowl record. Witherspoon forced the fumble and Nwosu picked it up and rumbled 44 yards for the defensive touchdown. With 4 1/2 minutes left, the exclamation point had the Seahawks up 29-7. he Patriots got a garbage touchdown with 2:20 left, but this game was no contest. The Seahawks held up the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the second time in franchise history. The 2025 NFL Season is now in the history books. The NFL Draft is in 3 months. 29-13 Seahawks

Super Bowl LX (60) Prequel

Sunday, February 8, 2026, 6:30pm on NBC

AFC 14-3 (2) New England Patriots at NFC 14-3 (1) Seattle Seahawks (-4 1/2) 

How we got here:

AFC: The Patriots under first year head coach Mike Vrabel and second year quarterback Drake Maye built a good team with a great defense. They won the AFC East for the first time in five years. The Patriots went on the road and played the AFC Title Game in a blizzard. The Patriots survived Denver 10-7 in a winter wonderland slugfest. 

NFC: The Seahawks under second year head coach Mike McDonald and first year quarterback Sam Darnold built a team with a tenacious defense in winning the NFC West. While not as flashy as the vaunted Legion of Boom, this defense is brutal. After blasting San Francisco to pieces, the Seahawks survived the Rams 31-27 in the NFC Title Game. 

As fans know, these teams met in the Super Bowl 11 years ago. Rather than hand the ball to Marshawn Lynch at the one yard line, the Seahawks opted to throw an interception and lose the Super Bowl. 

These are two completely new teams that rebounded far quicker than rival fan bases wanted. With Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll elsewhere, these teams were supposed to go through long rebuilds. Instead, great coaching got them right back on top. Vrabel is a belichick disciple and former teammate of Tom Brady. 

Both teams love stone age football, running and defense. Maye and Darnold are both competent quarterbacks who will not lose a game for their team. Darnold was cast aside last year after going 14-3 in Minnesota. Vrabel was fired from Tennessee after injuries derailed them team one year after being the top seed. Minnesota and Tennessee both made big mistakes and became cellar dwellers. 

Vrabel, like Belichick and Belichick’s mentor Bill Parcells, know how to develop game plans to take down supposedly superior opponents. Parcells’s 1990 Giants stopped the supposedly unstoppable Buffalo offense. Belichick began the Patriots dynasty in 2001 by shocking the Rams Greatest Show on Turf. 

Yet those defeated teams won with offense. The Seahawks have a fast, tough and nasty defense. With weather not being a factor, the Seahawks should be able to utilize their speed. On offense, they love to pound the ball. 

The Patriots are in their NFL record 12th Super Bowl, with 10 of them being this century. The Seahawks are in their 4th Super Bowl.

The main difference between these teams is that the Patriots are a good team and the Seahawks are a great team. The Seahawks are a wrecking machine. They are the favorites, and will play like it. Seahawks cover

NFL 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Predictions:

Bill Belichick deserved to be denied for one and only one reason. He may not be done coaching Pro Football. This is what kept Bill Parcells out initially. Parcells kept retiring and unretiring. Once it is determined that Belichick is definitely done, he gets in. He is 15 wins shy of Don Shula. His coming back to break the record is plausible, delaying his enshrinement.

So who gets in?

Drew Brees. He is why we have a Hall of Fame to begin with.

Larry Fitzgerald: He is why we have a Hall of Fame to begin with. 

Both of these men are also exceptional human beings off the field and represent everything that is right about football. 

Terrell Suggs: The second iteration of the vaunted Baltimore defense got over the hump with him. 

Jason Witten: He was a true difference maker in Dallas, a rock of stability. 

The last one means other deserving nominees have to wait. Adam Vinatieri is the most clutch kicker of all time but he is still a kicker. Reggie wayne, Torry Holt and Frank Gore all face a logjam. 

Eli Manning was Hall of Very Good. 

The last name may be a shocker because of his short career, but on merit alone:

Luke Kuechly deserves to get in. He was the heart of the Carolina Panthers defense. 

eric

The NFL 2025-2026 Divisional Playoff Games are in the books.

The Conference Title Games are set. Both games are played on Sunday, January 25, 2026.

AFC Title Game: New England Patriots (2) at Denver Broncos (1) — The Patriots defense forced CJ Stroud into 4 interceptions in the first half alone. The offense was not flashy, but did enough. Drake Maye did not have his best game, but he is a confident leader. Mike Vrabel has built a physical squad. The Broncos won a controversial home game last week against Buffalo due to horrendous officiating in overtime. It was a costly victory that saw Bo Nix suffer a broken ankle on one of the final plays. Nix is done, and Jarrett Stidham started the biggest game of his life. Sean Payton is a quarterback whisperer, but Denver’s very stout defense would have to play better than they ddi last week. Just like 10 years ago, these teams seemed destined before the start of the playoffs to be on a collision course. The first half featured light snow but the second half was played in a blizzard. Field goal kicking was nearly impossible but both teams tried. This game turned into an old school stone age NFL boneblack.

A field position game in the first quarter had the Broncos facing 3rd and 10 at their own 41. Jarrett Stidham went bombs away to Marvin Mims for 52 yards. Stidham hit Cortland Sutton for a 6 yard touchdown. The Broncos led 7-0 but their offense took much of the next 55 minutes off. In the second quarter the Broncos held the ball on a 6 1/2 minute drive and moved to  4th and 1 at the New England 14. Rather than kick a 32 yard field goal and go up 10-0, Sean Payton gambled. He came up snake eyes when Stidham threw incomplete. With 3 minutes left in the half the Denver defense was dominating. New England’s offense did nothing. A key play in the game came on 3rd and 4 from their own 33. Stidham was sacked and fumbled. After a mad scramble the Patriots recovered all the way at the Denver 12. Two plays later Drake Maye ran for a 6 yard touchdown for a 7-7 ballgame. With 24 seconds left in the half, Wil Lutz missed a 54 yard field goal try that would have given Denver the lead. Alex Borregales missed a 63 yard kick to end the half. With the field blanketed in white, neither team would reach the end zone in a brutal second half.

The Patriots began the second half with a staggering 16 play, 64 yard drive that took 9 1/2 minutes off of the clock. This was Mike Vrabel smash mouth football. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 3, Maye was sacked. Borregles hit the 23 yard field goal to give the Patriots the lead. The final 20 minutes of football were w winter wonderland slog. Late in the third quarter, Borregales missed a 46 yard field gaol try that would have extended the lead. Midway through the fourth quarter the Patriots punted on 4th and 11 from their own 7 yard line. A shanked 26 yard punt gave the Broncos gift field position at the New England 33. Yet all the Broncos could muster was 5 yards. With 4:46 to play Lutz came in for a 45 yard field goal try. Blocked! The Broncos got the ball back with 3 minutes left at their own 32. Two plays later Stidham went deep and was intercepted. The Broncos defense had played lights out all game and needed a stop to give their offense one more chance. The Patriots took over at their own 36 with 2:11 left needing one first down to win. With 1:57 left, everything came down to 3rd and 5. Maye rolled out, faked a pass, and went with a naked bootleg that gained 7 yards. Denver was dead. The Patriots came in on the road in a hostile environment and gutted out a brutal win. The Patriots won the Lamar Hunt Trophy. They will be playing in their NFL record 12th Super Bowl. mike Vrabel’s first season coaching the team he played for was successful, and Maye in only his second season has a chance to be a New England legend. For Denver, it was a gut-wrenching defeat. With a backup quarterback who had not played in 2 years, they came up one field goal short. 10-7 Patriots

NFC Title Game: Los Angeles Rams (5) at Seattle Seahawks (1) — The Rams showed that a warm weather team can go on the road in cold conditions and gut out a win. The Rams ended Chicago’s season last week in overtime. Matthew Stafford is playing as well as anyone. Sean McVay is an offensive wizard, but he showed that he can go from pinball to ugly smash mouth when necessary. The Seahawks obliterated San Francisco with a defense less flashy than the Legion of Boom but  still very tough. Mike McDonald likes to pound the ball, which may be tougher with Zac Charbonnet now injured. These teams split the season series. In the late regular season game in Seattle, the Rams dominated for most of the game in building a 30-14 lead. The Seahawks stormed back for a 38-37 overtime win. Last year Sam Darnold started 14-2 before losing the regular season finale, and the division. The first 14-3 team to play a road Wildcard game was bounced out of the playoffs in the opening round by the Rams. Minnesota got rid of Darnold. Now after a second consecutive 14-3 season with 2 different teams, Darnold had the home field advantage that eluded him last year. With much of the nation suffering snowstorms, the weather in Seattle was balmy and pleasant. The rubber match was another classic. The 12th man was as loud as expected.

The Seahawks began their opening drive at their own 19. On 3rd and 5, Darnold went bombs away to Rashid Shaheed for 51 yards. Darnold then hit Jaxon Smith-Nigba for 16. Kenneth Walker III did the rest, running for 3, 4, and the 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Seahawks. Harrison Mevis hit a 44 yard field goal to get the Rams on the board.  The Seahawks embarked on a 7 1/2 minute drive that reached the Rams 9 yard line, but offensive holding killed the drive. Jason Myers hit a 27 yard field goal to have the Seahawks up 10-3, but 14-3 would have been a bigger deal. The Seahawks had the momentum, but the Rams showed resiliency.  In the second quarter Mevis hit from 50 to get the Rams within 10-6. The Rams got the ball back  at their own 13. Blake Corum ran for 8, 3 and 5. Stafford went to Puka Nacua for 21. Corum ran for 19. On 3rd and 1 from the Seattle 16, Kyren Williams gained 5. Stafford went to Williams for a 9 yard touchdown. The 12 play, 87 yard drive chewed up 7 1/2 minutes and had the Rams up 13-10 with 1:55 left in the half. The Seahawks went 3 and out, taking only 22 seconds off the clock. The Rams had the ball at their own 28. They could have just run the ball and gotten to the half with the lead, but Sean McVay decided to keep his foot on the gas.

Sean McVay is a phenomenal coach, but this time his strategy backfired. Incompletions kept stopping the clock and took only 30 seconds off the clock. The Seahawks got another chance at their own 26 with 54 seconds left in the half. Darnold went to Smith-Nigba for 10. Arnold then went deep to Smith-Nigba for a 42 yard gain. Darnold hit Holani for 13. With 20 seconds left in the half, Darnold went to Smith-Nigba for  14 yard touchdown. The Seahawks seized momentum back and took a 17-13 lead to the locker rooms. The key play in the game came early in the third quarter. The Seahawks went nowhere on offense and punted. Smith stumbled and fell backward trying to catch the punt and fumbled it. The Seahawks recovered at the Rams 17 yard line. One play and 5 seconds later, Darnold went to Bobo for the touchdown as the Seahawks built a comfortable 24-13 lead.

The Rams took over at their own 25 and struck quickly. Stafford went deep to Colby Parkinson for 40 yards. Stafford then hit Davantae Adams for 29. Stafford went back to adams for a 2 yard touchdown to quickly get the Rams within 24-20. The Seahawks took over at their own 35. Darnold went to former Rams receiver Cooper Kupp for 12. Walker ran for 11. Darnold went to Holland for 9 and to Smith-Nigba for 12. On 3rd and 3 from the Rams 13, Darnold went to Kupp for the touchdown and the 31-20 Seahawks lead. The Rms took over at their own 13 and again moved quickly. Stafford went deep to Adams for 35. On 3rd and 12 just past midfield Stafford threw incomplete. The Rams were ready t punt when defender Woolen lost his mind. He talked trash to the entire Rams bench in a long victory lap. He was flagged for a 15 yard taunting penalty. Instead 4th and 12 and a punt, the Rams got a second chance. On the very next play, Stafford went deep to Nacua for  34 yard touchdown. Instead of being on the verge of getting iced, the Rams were again right back in it down 4 points.

The third quarter was a track meet with 4 straight touchdowns, 2 by each team. Yet after a third quarter that was all offense. The fourth quarter was all defense. The Rams got it back at their own 10 and moved 84 yards in 14 plays, taking 7 1/2 minutes off the clock. The Rams had 2nd and 4 from the Seattle 6. Looking for the lead, a run went nowhere and then Stafford threw incomplete. The decision was a no-brainer. With 5 minutes left, there was plenty of time to kick a chip shot 23 yard field goal, get within 31-30, get a stop, and win the game 33-31 with another field goal. Instead,  Sean McVay went for it all. This was a high risk strategy that has become far too common in recent years. The right call is to kick the field goal. McVay gambled and again lost as Stafford again threw incomplete. 

Yet while grinding down the clock was definitely now the right move for Mike McDonald, he also went high risk. On 2nd and 6 from his own 10, he gambled on a pass play. Darnold hit Walker for 15. Another incompletion stopped the clock. On 3rd and 7 from his own 28, McDonald again went aggressive. Darnold hit Kupp for just enough by maybe an inch. Sean McVay wanted to challenge the slo but could not afford to risk losing a critical timeout. The call was that close and could have gone either way. McVay decided not to challenge the spot and the Seahawks had a key first down. Again the rams ere expecting a run, and again McDonald called a pass. Darnold hit Smith-Nigba for 14. By the time the Rams got a stop, they were in dire straits.

A great punt pinned the Rams at their own 7 yard line. Only 25 seconds remained. Because the Rams were down by 4, a field goal would not cut it. They had to go 93 yards in 25 seconds with 0 timeouts. Stafford went to Nacua for 23 and spiked the ball to stop the clock with 11 seconds left. From his own 30, Stafford needed about a 15 to 20 yard completion to have a shot at a Hail Mary. Stafford found Nacua near the sideline for a 21 yard gain just past midfield. Nacua was desperate to get out of bounds and defender Witherspoon was equally desperate to keep him in bounds. Nacua initially appeared to get out of bounds with 2 seconds remaining. Yet there would be no Hail Mary. On further review, Ncua’s knee clearly landed just in bounds before sliding out. The clock kept running. The game was over. The Rams were game, but the Seahawks survived a wild and woolly one. They held up the George Hals NFC Championship Trophy and are headed to the Super Bow. 31-27 Seahawks

Super Bowl XVL (60 is set, a rematch of the game 11 years earlier. 

Sunday, February 8, 2026, 6:30pm

AFC New England Patriots at NFC Seattle Seahawks 

The NFL 2025-2026 Divisional Playoff Games are in the books.

The Conference Title Games are set. Both games are played on Sunday, January 25, 2026.

3pm on CBS:

AFC Title Game: New England Patriots (2)(-5 1/2) at Denver Broncos (1) — The Patriots defense forced CJ Stroud into 4 interceptions in the first half alone. The offense was not flashy, but did enough. Drake Maye did not have his best game, but he is a confident leader. Mike Vrabel has built a physical squad. The Broncos won a controversial home game last week against Buffalo due to horrendous officiating in overtime. It was a costly victory that saw Bo Nix suffer a broken ankle on one of the final plays. Nix is done, and Jarrett Stidham will start the biggest game of his life. Sean Payton is a quarterback whisperer, but Denver’s very stout defense will have to play better than they ddi last week. Just like 10 years ago, these teams seemed destined before the start of the playoffs to be on a collision course. Home field does not matter in this series since both teams play in tough cold weather. Both teams are young and inexperienced, but the loss of Nix is the difference. Patriots win but fail to cover

6:30pm on FOX:

NFC Title Game: Los Angeles Rams (5) at Seattle Seahawks (1)(-2 1/2) — The Rams showed that a warm weather team can go on the road in cold conditions and gut out a win. The Rams ended Chicago’s season last week in overtime. Matthew Stafford is playing as well as anyone. Sean McVay is an offensive wizard, but he showed that he can go from pinball to ugly smash mouth when necessary. The Seahawks obliterated San Francisco with a defense less flashy than the Legion of Boom but  still very tough. Mike McDonald likes to pound the ball, which may be tougher with Zac Charbonnet now injured. These teams split the season series. In the late regular season game in Seattle, the Rams dominated for most of the game in building a 30-14 lead. The Seahawks stormed back for a 38-17 overtime win. Home field does not matter in this series, although a typical rainy Seattle night could affect the passing game. As great as the Seahawks are, the Rams have the experienced coach, quarterback and overall team. Upset special, Rams win outright

NFL 2025-2026 Divisionals Recap

AFC: (6) Buffalo Bills at (1) Denver Broncos was the Saturday afternoon game. The Bills won a thriller at Jacksonville while the Broncos had the bye week off. The Bills came in with the better offense and the Broncos the better defense. Weather and home field were not going to be a factor. Josh Allen and Bo Nix are both playing well. Sean Payton has a Super Bowl ring, but the Broncos are a young and inexperienced team. The Bills know this may be their last and best shot to win it all with this team. Yet by the time this game was over, both teams felt like they lost. The Broncos began at there own 26 and moved 64 yards in 14 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. On 1st and 5 from the Buffalo 9, a run lost a yard and Nix threw incomplete twice. Wil Lutz hit a 28 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Broncos. 

The Bills took over at their own 33. James Cook ripped off gains of 24 and 10. Allen hit Khalil Shakir for 11. On 3rd and 1 from the Denver 13, Allen gained 2. On 4th and 1 from the Denver 2, Sean McDermott went for it and Allen got the yard. After a loss, Allen threw a 4 yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman. The 12 play, 67 yard drive also took 7 1/2 minutes and had the Bills up 7-3 after the first quarter. In the second quarter the Bills forced a 3 and out and got the ball back at their own 37. A 26 yard run by Allen had the Bills at the Denver 32 with all the momentum. Yet this time Cook got blasted, fumbled, and the Broncos recovered at their own 31. McLaughlin ran for 13. Harvey added 12. Nix went deep to Marvin Mims for 27. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 7, Nix went to Crum for the touchdown to make it 10-7 Broncos. The Bills took over at their own 27 and moved 65 yards in 13 plays and 7 1//2 minutes. On 2nd and 9 from the Denver 14, Allen gained nothing and then threw incomplete. Matt Prater hit a 33 yard field goal for a 10-10 tie with 2:13 left in the half. 

The Broncos took over at their own 30. On 3rd and 3, Nix hit Mims for 6. On 3rd and 3 from midfield, Nix ran for 6. On 3rd and 10 from the Buffalo 44, Nix went to Mims for 15. Nix then went deep to Humphrey for a 29 yard touchdown. With only 22 seconds left in the half, the Buffalo defensive breakdown had the Broncos up 17-10. In the third quarter, the Buffalo offense self-destructed. Twice, Allen fumbled the ball away to give the Broncos a short field. Twice the Broncos settled for Lutz field goals of 50 and 33. The Broncos led 23-10, but they had not slammed the door shut.  

The Bills took over at their own 27. Allen went to Kincaid for 25. On 3rd and 1 from the Denver 39, Allen gained 2. Allen hit Knox for 7. Shakir for 9, and Coleman for a 10 yard touchdown to have the Bills within 23-17. Nix was then intercepted to give the Bills a short field at the Denver 26 with a golden chance to take the lead. Two play later Allen’s nightmarish game continued as he was also intercepted. The Bills got the ball back at their own 15. On 3rd and 1, Allen gained 2. Cook gained 12 as the Bills began the fourth quarter at their own 38. Allen connected with Shakir for a 46 yard gain. On 3rd and 8 from the Denver 14, Allen went to Kincaid for the touchdown. Allen shook off his 3 turnovers and the Bills overcame 4 total turnovers at that point to take a 24-23 lead 90 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Buffalo defense forced another 3 and out. The Bills took over at their own 20 and moved 68 yards in 13 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. Yet with all the momentum and a chance to deliver a potential knockout blow, on 3rd and 8 from the Denver 12, Allen threw incomplete. Prater hit a 31 yard field goal to have the Bills up 27-23 with just over 4 minutes left in regulation. Yet this game was far from over. The Broncos took over at their own 27. Nix hit Cortland Sutton for 11. On 3rd and 11 from their own 37, Nix went deep to Sutton for 25. On 3rd and 4 from the Buffalo 32, Nix gained six. Nix ten went deep to Mims for a 26 yard touchdown. The Bills late in the second half repeated their blinder of the end of the first half. Another defensive breakdown had the Broncos up 30-27 with 55 seconds left in the game. 

The Bills took over at their own 27. On 3rd and 1, the defense jumped into the neutral zone. With 32 seconds left from their own 41, Sean McDermott went for the hook and lateral. Allen went to Shakir, who lateraled to Davis. The play gained 27 yards. With 24 seconds left on 1st and 10 from the Denver 32, Allen went deep for the win in regulation. Yet he threw 3 straight incompletions. The Bills have a heartbreaking history of losing games on missed field goals in the final moments. With 10 seconds left, Prater came in for a 50 yard try to tie the game. If there was a Buffalo kicker curse, Prater was unaware of it. His kick was good. This game was headed to overtime.

The Bills missed the playoffs for about 20 years before Sean McDermott arrived. He turned them into perennial contenders who kept coming up just short of reaching the Super Bowl. So it was very curious that McDermott after winning the coin toss chose to defer. Nevertheless, McDermott appeared vindicated when the defense held. The Bills got the ball at their own 7 yard line in overtime needing only a field goal to win. On 3rd and 11 from their own 36 came the key play of the game. Allen went for it all and appeared to connect with Brandin Cooks for a 44 yard gain. The Bills were celebrating, believing they were in short field goal range. Yet the Broncos were also celebrating, believing McMillan had intercepted the ball Chaos ensued. 

Officials initially ruled an interception, but replay showed that McMillan ripped the ball out of Cooks’s hands only after Cooks had already hit the ground. At worst, both men with hands on the ball would be a tie, which goes to the receiver. The officials made a horrendous call, upholding the interception. Rather than being on the ropes, the Broncos were gifted the ball. The 5th turnover, 4 by Allen, was simply awful officiating. Nix then went deep and drew a 17 yard defensive pass interference call that was also terrible. A roughing the passer call was declined. Nix then went deep incomplete again and drew a 30 yard defensive pass interference call. While this call was less horrendous than the previous calls, it was borderline. Rather than letting the players play, the officials were gifting the Broncos key calla and affecting the outcome. The last defensive pass interference call was on White, which led him to slam his helmet in frustration on the field. That led to an unsportsmanlike conduct call. On 1st and goal at the 5, Sean Payton immediately brought in Lutz for the 23 yard try to win it. Lutz was good.

For the Bills, it was another gut-wrenching playoff loss. It may be the end of their window. The one year all of their biggest rivals were eliminated, the Bills could not have asked for an easier path to the Super Bowl. Some will call this another choke job. While it would be a mistake to fire Sean McDermott and blow up the team, the fan base may have had enough in a year where top coaches are getting fired. Blame the officials. They were awful. Yet Allen blamed himself. In his postgame press conference, he openly sobbed and took full responsibility for the loss. Yet for the Broncos, it was a very costly victory. It was revealed until after the game, but on one of the final plays of the game, Nix suffered a broken ankle. His season is finished in as cruel a manner as possible. The Broncos will be in the AFC Title Game, one game from the Super Bowl. They will be at home. Yet they will be without Nix. Allen and Nix are both done for the year. 33-30 Broncos, OT

NFC: (5) San Francisco 49ers at (!) Seattle Seahawks was the Saturday night game. In Week 1, the 49ers went into Seattle and beat them 17-13. Two weeks ago with the top seed on the line in San Francisco, the Seahawks defense suffocated the 49ers offense in a 13-3 Seahawks win. The 49ers are the more experienced team but they are also injured. They lost George Kittle in their tough Wildcard win last week at Philadelphia. These teams know each other inside out. The Seahawks got the bye week off and are rested and healthy. Both defenses can hit the other one in the mouth. Yet in this rubber match, one team did all the hitting in a game that was never competitive. 13 seconds into the game, the Seahawks had a 7-0 lead when Shaheed returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. Kyle Shanahan soon gambled on 4th and 1 from the Seattle 40. An end around to Kyle Juszczyk was blown up by the Seattle defense for a 3 yard loss. Jason myers hit a 31 yard field goal for a 10-0 Seahawks lead. The 49ers then fumbled to give the Seahawks another short field at the San Francisco 42. On 2nd and 20 after a sack, Sam Darnold went to Cooper Kupp for 21. Defensive pass interference added 23. Darnold went to Jaxon Smith-Nigba for a 4 yard touchdown to have the Seahawks up 17-0 after the first quarter. 

The 49ers managed a pair of second quarter field goals but after that the Seahawks blasted them to pieces. On 3rd and 2 from their own 28, a Seahawks run came up short but defensive holding gifted them a first down. Shaheed got around the end for a 30 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the San Francisco 36, Darnold went to Bobo for 16. Kenneth Walker ran for 9, 4 and the 7 yard touchdown to have the Seahawks up 24-6 at the half. The second half was a romp. The 49ers turned it over on downs in the third quarter and Myers hit a 24 yard field goal to make it 27-6 Seahawks. Purdy was intercepted to give the Seahawks yet another short field at the San Francisco 47. Walker ran for a 15 yard touchdown to make it 34-6 Seahawks. It was deja vu all over again as the 49ers turned it over on dowss again and the Seahawks had a short field again at the Frisco 37 to start the fourth quarter. Walker did it all, gashing the defense for 13, 15, 6, and the 6 yard touchdown to complete the scoring. The 49ers lost to the Seahawks for the second time in 3 weeks to end their season. Shanahan and John Lynch see coming close but have yet to win it all. As for the Seahawks, the ageless John Schnedier keeps producing standout defenses. The Seahawks will host the NFC Title Game. 41-6

AFC: (5) Houston Texans at (2) New England Patriots was the Sunday afternoon game. 24 years after the patriots played a Divisional game with The Patriots won their Wildcard match with little offense and a suffocating defense that is built Mike Vrabel tough. Their offense did just enough against Jim Harbaugh’s tough defense. Now they host Demeco Ryans and the top defense in the league. CJ Stroud is playing well but defense is carrying the Texans. Cold weather benefits the Patriots. The Texans dispatched Pittsburgh, but New England is a far sterner test. It is hard to go against New England’s toughness at home, but Houston has more playoff experience than this New England team. CJ Stroud has to be more careful with the football, but his defense can get to Drake Maye. In the first quarter the Patriots took over at their own 34. Drake Maye went to Raimondre Stevenson for 9. Stevenson ran for 20. Mike Vrabel gambled on 4th and 1 from the Houston 28. made fired a laser over the middle to Douglas, who split the seams and raced for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Patriots. The Texans took over at their own 29 and moved to a 3rd and goal at the one. A rushing touchdown was nullified by illegal motion. The Texans settled for a 25 yard Kaimi Fairbairn t-shirt to trail 7-3. 

After an interception of Stroud, a fumble by Maye gave the ball back to the Texans at the New England 27. On 3rd and 1 to start the second quarter, Stover gained 2. On 3rd and 4 form the New England 10, Stroud went to Christian Kirk in the from corner of the end zone for the touchdown and the 10-7 Texans lead. The Texans got the ball back at their own 25 and disaster immediately struck. Stroud was intercepted by Jones, who returned the pick 26 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 14-10 Patriots lead. Stroud’s next pass went off the receiver’s fingertips and was intercepted. 3 turnovers were killing the Texans and giving the Patriots the game. The Patriots faced 2nd and 7 at their own 47. Maye went to Boutte for 25 and 18. Maye then fired a laser over the middle to Stefan Diggs, who somehow hung on despite getting sandwiched between two defenders. The touchdown had the Patriots up 21-10 with 3:12 left in the half. Stroud there 4 interceptions in the first half and the Texans had only 8 yards rushing.

In the third quarter the Texans moved from their own 35 to a 2nd and 2 at the New England 7. A run went nowhere and Stroud then threw incomplete. Fairbairn hit from 25 to get the Texans within 21-13. Then came Maye’s 3rd fumble, which set up the Texans at the New England 33 with a chance to tie the game. Yet inside the red zone, the Texans fumbled it back. The teams at this point combined for 8 turnovers, 5 by Houston. The Texans got it back and in the snow Fairbairn somehow hit a 51 yard field goal to have the Texans within 21-16. he Patriots took over at their own 29. Maye went to Austin Hooper for 14. On 3rd and 8 from their own 45, defensive pass interference gave the Patriots 17 yards. On 3rd and 4 from the Houston 32, Maye went deep and Boutte made a leaping  one handed catch  in the end zone. Every time the Texans seemed about to close the gap, the Patriots responded. The Patriots led by 12 with 13 minutes left in regulation. With 4 minutes left on 4th and 18, Demeco Ryans made the curious decision to punt. By the time the Texans got the ball back, only 1:45 remained. On 4th and 4 form their own 47, A deep bomb by Stroud appeared to be caught but was punched out at the last moment for an incompletion with one minute left. The Texans still don’t have enough offensive firepower to match their defense. The Patriots after a 6 year absence are in their billionth or so AFC Title Game, this time at Denver. 28-16 Patriots

NFC: (5) Los Angeles  Rams at (2) Chicago Bears was the Sunday night game. The Rams offense at its best is a pinball machine. The Bears offense tends to play like garbage for three quarters as their defense keeps them in the game. Sean McVay and Ben Johnson are both offensive masterminds, but McVay has the more experienced team. The Bears looked awful against Green Bay, falling behind 21-3. Yet they scored 25 points in the fourth quarter. The Rams barely survived a Carolina team with a losing record. Matthew Stafford is the 2025 regular season passing leader. Every time the Bears are called frauds, they go out and win. Either the experts are all wrong or at some point that luck has to run out. tHE bears began at their own 37 and moved to a 4th and 2 at the Rams 21. Ben Johnson went for it and Caleb Williams was intercepted. 

The Rams took over at their own 15. Stafford hit Puka Nacua for 15 and Washington for 15 more. On 3rd and 3 from the Chicago 48, Stafford went to Nacua for 5. Stafford hit Whittington for 20. On 3rd and 4 from the Chicago 10, Stafford hit Kyren Williams for 6. Williams ran for a 4 yard touchdown to cap the 14 play, 85 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive and make it 7-0 Rams.  The Bears soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 29. Monangai gained 2. On 3rd and 1 from their own 40, Deandre Swift gained 13. Williams went deep to Loveland. for 23. Monangai gained 15. Ben Johnson gambled again on 4th and goal at the 3 to start the second quarter. Williams fired over the back middle of the end zone and DJ Moore made a leaping catch for the touchdown and the 7-7 game. Cairo Santos hit a 48 yard field goal for the Bears with 1:10 left in the half. Harrison Mevis answered from 32 to end the half for a 10-10 deadlock. The third quarter was scoreless. 

The Rams began the fourth quarter at their own 9 yard line. Williams ran for 7 and 4. Stafford connected with Colby Parkinson for a 35 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Chicago 41, Stafford went to Nacua for 13. Stafford hit Davantae Adams for 12. On 4th and 1 from the Chicago 7, Sean McVay passed up the short field goal and gambled big. Nacua gained 2. Williams ran for a 5 yard touchdown. The warm weather team went into Chicago and knocked the cold weather team back in a 14 play, 91 yard, 6 minute smash mouth drive. The Rams led 17-10 with 9 minutes left in regulation. The Bears took over at their own 37 and moved to a 3rd and goal at the 2. . Swift tried to go wide and then go airborne. He was blasted by 3 defenders after getting one yard. Everything came down to 4th and goal at the 2 with 3 minutes left. Williams went over the middle and it was knocked away incomplete. 

After the goal line stand, the Rams needed to play power football to close out the game. The Bears had all 3 timeouts. Williams ran for a 10 yard gain but was knocked out of bounds, preventing the Bears from taking a timeout. On 3rd and 10 from their own 14, Sean McVay played it ultra-safe, running up the middle for a few as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. The Bears defense did its job, and the Bears offense got the ball back at midfield with 1:45 left. In a season of miracle comebacks, the Cardiac Bears needed another one.  The Bears moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Rams 14 with 30 seconds left. Williams threw incomplete. On 4th and 4, Williams faded back about 30 yards with 3 defenders chasing him. He heaved a prayer to the end zone and found Cole Kmet for the touchdown. Are? You? Kidding? Me!?!?! The game was tied 17-17 and headed to overtime. 

The Rams began overtime at their own 27. On 3rd and 1, Blake Corum was blown up for a 2 yard loss. The Bears took over at their own 15 needing only a field goal to win. The Bears faced 4th and inches at their own 48. Ben Johnson risked it all, knowing a stop would give the Rams a short field. Williams got the yard. On 2nd and 8 from the Rams 48, the Bears had all the momentum and were closing in on field goal range. Williams went deep and was intercepted for the third time. The home crowd was shellshocked and the Rams took over at their own 22. The Rams took immediate advantage by going no huddle. With 3 minutes left in overtime, rookie kicker Harrison Mevis came in for a 42 yard try to win it. The kick snuck just inside the left upright good. The Bears magic carpet ride was over. The Rams are off to Seattle for their rubber match in the NFC Title Game. 20-17 Rams 

The Conference Title Games are set:

AFC Title Game: New England Patriots (2) at Denver Broncos (1)

NFC Title Game: Los Angeles Rams (5) at Seattle Seahawks (1)

NFL 2025-2026 Divisionals Prequel

The 2025-2026 NFL Wildcards are in the history books.

The Divisionals  are set.

Saturday, January 18, 2026, 4:30pm on CBS

AFC: (6) Buffalo Bills at (1) Denver Broncos (-1 1/2) — The Bills won a thriller at Jacksonville while the Broncos had the bye week off. The Bills have the better offense and the Broncos have the better defense. Weather and home field will not be a factor. Josh Allen and Bo Nix are both playing well. Sean Payton has a Super Bowl ring, but the Broncos are a young and inexperienced team. The Bills know this may be their last and best shot to win it all with this team. Go with the team under pressure to produce right now. Upset special, Bills win outright

8pm on FOX

NFC: (5) San Francisco 49ers at (!) Seattle Seahawks (-7 1/2) — In Week 1, the 49ers went into Seattle and beat them 17-13. Two weeks ago with the top seed on the line in San Francisco, the Seahawks defense suffocated the 49ers offense in a 13-3 Seahawks win. The 49ers are the more experienced team but they are also injured. They lost George Kittle in their tough Wildcard win last week at Philadelphia. These teams know each other inside out. The Seahawks got the bye week off and are rested and healthy. These teams are too competitive to justify the high spread. Both defenses can hit the other one in the mouth. Even without Kittle, Kyle Shanahan will pull out all the stops. Upset special, 49ers win outright

Sunday, January 19, 3pm ON ESPN

AFC: (5/4) Houston Texans at (2) New England Patriots (-3) — The Patriots won their Wildcard match with little offense and a suffocating defense that is built Mike Vrabel tough. Their offense did just enough against Jim Harbaugh’s tough defense. Now they host Demeco Ryans and the top defense in the league. CJ Stroud is playing well but defense is carrying the Texans. Cold weather benefits the Patriots. The Texans dispatched Pittsburgh, but New England is a far sterner test. It is hard to go against New England’s toughness at home, but Houston has more playoff experience than this New England team. CJ Stroud has to be more careful with the football, but his defense will get to Drake Maye. Upset special, Texans win outright

6:30PM on NBC

NFC: (5) Los Angeles Rams (-3 1/2) at (2) Chicago Bears — The Rams offense at its best is a pinball machine. The Bears offense tends to play like garbage for three quarters as their defense keeps them in the game. Sean McVay and Ben Johnson are both offensive masterminds, but McVay has the more experienced team. The Bears looked awful against Green Bay, falling behind 21-3. Yet they scored 25 points in the fourth quarter. The Rams barely survived a Carolina team with a losing record. Matthew Stafford is the 2025 regular season passing leader. Every time the Bears are called frauds, they go out and win. Either the experts are all wrong or at some point that luck has to run out. Go with the experience of the Rams, but this will not be a blowout. Rams win but fail to cover

 eric

NFL 2025-2026 Wildcard Recap

The 2025 NFL regular season is in the history books.

The 2025-2026 NFL Playoffs are set.

AFC: 1) Denver Broncos (14-3) have the bye week off.

NFC: 1) Seattle Seahawks (14-3) have the bye week off.

Los Angeles Rams (12-5) at Carolina Panthers (8-9) was the Saturday afternoon game. The Panthers staggered into the playoffs. Although the Panthers beat the Rams in Week 13, the Rams are the better team and everyone knows it. The Rams have a pinball offense that at its best can score at will. Sean McVay remains an offensive wizard and Matthew Stafford is the reigning NFL passing leader. The Rams have the experience and the talent…practically everything…on their side. The Rams sometimes play down to the level of their competition, and this game was no exception. Early on Dave Canales went for it on 4th and 1 at their own 45. Bryce Young threw incomplete to give the Rams an early short field. Matthew Stafford went to Puka Nacua for 16, 10, and the 14 yard touchdown as the Rams took the 7-0 lead. An interception of Young gave the Rams another short field at the Carolina 48. Kyren williams ran for 8 and 6 sandwiched around a 15 yard completion from Stafford to Colby Parkinson. On 3rd and 2 from the Carolina 27, Stafford hit Nacua for 7. Nacuagot around the end for a 5 yard touchdown to have the Rams up 14-0 early in the second quarter. This had all the makings of a blowout.

The Panthers soon faced 2nd and 7 at their own 38 Young went to Coker for 15 and to McMillan for big gains of 14 and 22. On 3rd and 2 from the rams 3, Young threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. Chuba Hubbard got in to have the Panthers within 14-7. Harrison Mevis hit a 46 yard field goal to have the Ram up 17-7. With 3 minutes left in the half the Panthers fumbled a punt and the Rams recovered at the Carolina 43. Sean McVay gambled on 4th and 3 from the Carolina 19. Stafford threw incomplete. From that spot, defensive pass interference gifted the Panthers 28 yards. Young then hit Coker for 37. On 3rd and 10 from the Rams 16, Young scrambled and ra all the way for the touchdown. The Rams had every chance to make this game a blowout. One Stafford bomb to a wide open Davantae Adams was overthrown incomplete. Another Stafford bomb to a wide open Nacua was dropped. It just bounced off of Nacua’s fingertips. Despite being totally outplayed, the Panthers were only down 17-14. Fitzgerald hit a 46 yard field goal to have the game tied 17-17 midway through the third quarter.

With a little over 4 minutes left in the third quarter, Mevis hit from 42 to give the Rams the 20-17 lead. The Rams got the ball back but an interception of Stafford set up the Panthers at their own 36. Young went bombs away to Coker for a 52 yard gain. Hubbard banged in up the gut from 3 yards ut to give the Panthers their first lead all game 24-20 only seconds into the fourth quarter. The Rams took over at their own 33. Stafford fired over the middle to Adams on a crossing route for 23. On 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 30, Stafford went for it all and was lucky not to be intercepted again. At the last moment Nacua turned from receiver to defender and knocked the ball away incomplete. Sean McVay went for it on 4th and 1. Williams went straight up the gut for 2. On 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 19, Stafford took a rare quarterback sneak for 2. Stafford went to williams for a 13 yard touchdown to have the Rams back in front 27-24 with 9 minutes left in regulation. 

The Rams got it back with a chance to create some distance but could not. They punted and Isaiah Simmons blocked the punt. With 4:12 left the Panthers took over at the Rams 30. Young went to McMillan for 16. On 3rd and 3 from the Rams 7, a perfect throw to the corner from Young was caught by Coker over the defender for the touchdown. With 2:40 to play, the Panthers led 31-27. The Rams took over at their own 29. Stafford showed why he is a Super Bow champion and the current NFL passing leader. He put on a clinic when it mattered, hitting Nacua for 7, Adams for 10 and 6, Ncua for 18, Mumpfield for 11, and Naccua for a 19 yard touchdown. The Rams regained the lead with only 38 seconds remaining. The Panthers took over at their own 28 with 32 seconds left and all 3 timeouts, needing only a field goal to tie the game. Young threw 3 incompletions, leaving only 12 seconds. Young found Jimmy Horn past the first down marker. The ball was well thrown. Horn dropped it. The heavy underdog Panthers were game, but the Rams survived a thrilling football game to advance to the Divisional round road Playoff game. 34-31 Rams

Green Bay Packers (9-7-1) at Chicago Bears (11-6) was the Saturday night game. 15 years ago, the Packers were at the Bears in the NFC Title Game. Despite being on the road, the Packers were favored against what was seen as a soft Bears team. President Barack Obama, a Bears fan, said he was looking forward to his team winning it all. Packers cornerback Charles Woodson had other ideas. Before the game in the locker room, Woodson told his teammates, “If the President doesn’t want to see us, we’ll go see him. White House on 3! 1, 2, 3, White House! The Packers won it all. 15 years later in the Wildcard, the Bears again have the home field but the Packers are considered better. The Bears have gotten every lucky break this year. They trailed the Packers 16-6 with 3 minutes left a few weeks ago when a field goal and an onside kick led them to a shocking 22-16 overtime win. The Bears had to rookie head coach and second year quarterback in his first playoff game. The Packers had the experience. 

The Bears began at their own 32 and moved 59 yards in 15 plays and 8 minutes. Yet on 3rd and 5 from the Green Bay 9, Caleb Williams threw incomplete. Cairo santos hit the 27 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Bears. The Packers took over at their own 15. Jalen Reed got around the end for 14. On 3rd and 1 from their own 38, rather than just move the chains, Jordan Love went deep to Romeo Doubs for 33. Josh Jacobs gained 9, 5 and 5. On 3rd and 2 from the Chicago 7, Love went to Christian Watson for the touchdown to make it 7-3 Packers. Early in the second quarter Ben Johnson gambled on 4th and 2 from his own 38. The Bears converted, but on 4th and 6 from the Green Bay 40, Johnson gambled again and Williams was intercepted. The Packers took over at their own 13. Jacobs ran for 7 and 13. Love went deep to Golden for 36. On 3rd and 8 from the Chicago 29, Love hit Doubs for 10. On 3rd and 9 from the Chicago 18, Love went to Reed for the touchdown to make it 14-3 Packers. Crossing the line from bold to reckless, Johnson gambled again on 4th and 5 from his own 32. William’s pass was knocked down incomplete. 

Matt LaFleur went for it on 4th and 1 from the Chicago 23. Love found Christian Watson in the flat. Watson rumbled toward the goal line, went airborne, and had the ball hit a helmet, causing a fumble. The Packers recovered in the end zone, but by rule, because it was fourth down, the ball went to the spot of the fumble. The Packers were lucky to escape a touchback. They had 1st and goal at the one. 3 plays yielded nothing. LaFleur went for it on 4th and goal at the one at the 2 minute warning. Love found a wide open Doubs in the flat for the easiest touchdown of their season as the Packers built a 21-3 lead. The Packers scored a touchdown on their first 3 drives of the half. The Bears moved to a 4th and 4 at the Green Bay 37 with 37 seconds left on the half. Ben Johnson gambled again and acme up snake eyes again as Williams threw incomplete. The Packers missed a chance to pour it on even more when Brandon McManus missed a 55 yard field goal try to end the half. The Packers offense did nothing for much of the second half as the Bears tried to make a game of it.

In the third quarter Santos hit from 34 but the Bears still trailed 21-6. The Bears got it back and moved to a 4th and 1 at the Green Bay 6th. In what became a broken record, Ben Johnson gambled and lost as Williams was intercepted. Early in the fourth quarter Santos hit from 51 as the Bears trailed 21-9. The Bears got it back at their own 34. Williams ran for 11. Williams went deep to Loveland for 22 and again for 21. On 3rd and 3 from the Green Bay 5, Swift ran it in for the touchdown. With 10 minutes left in regulation, the Bears were right back in it down 21-16. This seemed to be a replica of their previous game a few weeks ago in Chicago where the Packers dominated most of the game but somehow lost. The Bears with virtually no offense had their defense keeping them in the game. 

Jacobs fir the first time in his life was asked to return the kickoff in an effort to jolt the offense. Jacobs had a long kickoff return, fumbled the ball, and was lucky to have the Packers retain possession at their own 46. Love went to Doubs for 22. On 3rd and 9 from the Chicago 32, Love hit Doubs for just enough. Love fired sideways to Golden, who weaved through traffic back and forth for a 23 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Packers had breathing room up 27-16 with 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Love’s 4th touchdown pass tied a franchise playoff record. The Bears won the previous matchup between these teams by overcoming a late 2 score deficit. Now they would have to do it again. On 4th and 3 from their own 47 with 5 1/2 minutes left, the Bears suffered a false start. On 4th and 8, Williams rolled out, somehow avoided a sack, and fired a prayer between 2 defenders for a 27 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the Green Bay 30, Williams under heavy pressure hit Monangai for 22. Williams fired over the middle to Olamide Zaccheaus for the 8 yard touchdown. Ben Johnson went for 2 and Williams fired to Colston Loveland in the corner just past the front pylon successfully. With 4:18 to play, the Bears were within 27-24. Again, the Packers and to fail to close out a game against their arch rival. The Bears had all 3 timeouts left. 

Jacobs was put in again to return the kickoff as the Packers took over at their own 31. The Bears had won 6 games this season when trailing with less than 2 minutes left. Yet the Packers had the ball. From 44 yards out to extend the lead, McManus was no good. His second miss on the day gave the Bears the ball at their own 34 with 3 minutes left. The Bears just never stay dead. Now a field goal would tie the game. The Bears took over at their own 34. Williams went to Loveland for 12. On 3rd and 4 from the Green Bay 48, Wiliams hit Swift for 23. Williams then went deep to Moore for a 25 yard touchdown. Just like that, once again, after trailing for most of the game, the Bears led 31-27. Yet 1:43 still remained. The Packers took over at their own 28 with one timeout left needing a touchdown. On 4th and 7, Love hit Golden for 13. On 3rd and 3 just past midfield, Love hit Golden for 6 as the Packers called their final timeout with 44 seconds left. Love fired to Reed for 20 but an injured Packers player on the play meant a 10 second runoff. The Packers were at the Chicago 23 but only 20 seconds remained after the runoff. A false start meant 2nd and 15 with 13 seconds left. Love got hit as he threw for an incompletion, leaving 7 seconds. Love fumbled the snap, recovered it, scrambled all over the place, and fired to the end zone incomplete. The Cardiac Bears did it again. The Packers choked again. McManus missed 2 field goals and an extra point. The Bears biggest playoff comeback before this game was 5 points back in the 1930s. This game they came back from being down 18 points, including 15 points in the fourth quarter. This was the first Bears playoff win in 15 years. The Bears will be home next week for the Divisional round. 31-27 Bears

Buffalo Bills (12-5) at Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) was the Sunday morning game. The Jaguars came in riding an 8 game wins streak. The Bills did not even win their division, snapping a 5 year stretch of dominance. All the pressure is on the Bills. With Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson out of the playoffs, Sean McDermott and Josh Allen are out of excuses. Trevor Lawrence is resilient. A few years ago he overcame a 27-0 playoff deficit to win 31-30 on the final play. The Bills have more weapons on offense and the better defense. An early interception of Trevor Lawrence was returned 19 yards to set up the Bills at the Jacksonville 33. Matt Prater hit a 50 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Bills. 

The Jaguars took over at their own 35. Lawrence went to Strange for 9 and Trevor Etienne for 6. Tuten gashed the defense for monster gains of 20, 14 and 13 to end the first quarter. The second quarter began with Lawrence hitting Thomas for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Jaguars. The Bills fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Jaguars recovered at the Buffalo 17. Liam Cohen gambled on 4th and 2 from the 9. Lawrence gained only one yard. Josh Allen after the turnover own downs hit Shakir for 4 and 15. James Cook ran for 11 and caught a pass from Allen for 12. Allen went deep to Coleman for 36. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Allen got in to cap the 10 play, 92 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 10-7 Bills. On the last play of the half, Cam Little’s 54 yard field goal try to tie the game was wide left no good. Prater hit from 47 to extend the Bills lead to 13-7 midway through the third quarter. 

Little answered from 43 to have the Jaguars with 13-10.  The Jaguars got it back and soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 44. Lawrence went to Thomas ton right for 18. On 3rd and 2 from the Buffalo 30, Lawrence found Parker Washington for 14. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 7, Lawrence gained 2. Lawrence fired over the middle to Washington for a 6 yard touchdown to have the Jaguars up 17-13 with 13 minutes left in regulation. The Bills took over and soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 41. Allen went to Kincaid for 7. Allen went deep to Dawson Knox for 24. san McDermott went for it on 4th and 1 from the Jacksonville 19. Allen gained 4. Allen then went to Kincaid for the 15 yard touchdown and the 20-17 Bills lead wit 9 minutes left in regulation. 

The Jaguars took over at their own 23. Lawrence went to Etienne for 14. On 3rd and 8 from their own 39, Lawrence threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. Lawrence then went deep ti Washington for 31. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 16, Etienne took the direct snap 2 yards. Lawrence then went to Etienne for the 14 yard touchdown. With 4 minutes left, the Jaguars led 24-20. The Bills soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 43. Allen got the tough yard. Allen then went deep to Cooks for 36. With 1:10 left, the Bills faced 4th and 1 at the Jacksonville 11. The entire world knew the tush push was coming, but Allen runs it better than nano outside of Philadelphia. This was a particularly violent tush push. The officials did not blow the whistle, so the Buffalo offensive line kept pushing for a 10 yard gain down to the one. The Jaguars took their final timeout. 

If the Bills purposely failed to score on first down, the clock would tick down to 15 seconds. Jacksonville needed the full minute. So on the next tush push attempt, the Jacksonville defense just let Allen score. The Jaguars trailed by 3, but they had a full minute and the kicker who has this season made the two longest kicks in NFL history. The Jaguars took over at their own 23. On the first play from scrimmage, Lawrence’s pass was deflected and intercepted by Bishop. Bishop smartly immediately went to the ground rather than risk fumbling the ball back. Both of these teams had Super Bowl potential. For the Jaguars, they will have to wait until next year to find out. The Bills snapped their streak of 8 straight road playoff losses. 27-24 Bills

San Francisco 49ers (12-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) was the Sunday afternoon game. The last two NFC Champions face off. Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts are both solid quarterbacks. Both teams have good defenses. Both teams can run the ball. 3 years ago in the NFC Title Game, the 49ers came into Philadelphia and ran into a buzzsaw that had them down to their 4th string quarterback. Now they returned looking for revenge, as tempers flared between these teams in recent years. The 49ers began the game at their own 24. On the second play from scrimmage, Purdy fired deep to Robinson, who weaved back and forth for a 61 yard gain. Brock Purdy hit Christian McCaffrey for 11. Purdy hit Robinson for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 49ers only 3 minutes into the game. The Eagles took over at their own 37. Saquon Barkley ripped off a 29 yard gain and then 5 more. Jalen Hurts went to AJ Brown for 10. On 3rd and 3 from the San Francisco 10, Barkley gained just enough. On 3rd and goal at the one, Dallas Goedert got in for the touchdown. On a heavily windy day, Jake Elliott’s extra point doinked off the left upright no good as the Eagles trailed 7-6. 

The Eagles took over to start the second quarter at their own 6 yard line. Runs and short passes had the Eagles facing 4th and 1 at their own 43.  Nick Sirianni gambled on the tush push. Hurts gained 3. Hurts went to Barkley for 20. Bigsby gained 4, 9 and 7. Sirianni gambled again on 4th and 2 from the san Francisco 9. Hurts went to Goedert for the touchdown. The Staggering 16 play, 94 yard drive took 9 minutes off the clock and had the Eagles up 13-7 with 6 minutes left in the half. The 49ers quickly moved from their own 23 to a 3rd and 1 at the Philadelphia 17. McCaffrey got taken down for a one yard loss. On 4th and 2, Kyle Shanahan was not in a gambling mood. Eddie Pineiro hit the 36 yard field goal to have the 49ers within 13-10 with 2:50 left. A 49ers blunder at the end fo the half prevented them from trying the tying field goal. A 41 yard Elliott field goal had the Eagles up 16-10 late in the third quarter. 

The 49ers took over at their own 33. Purdy went to Kyle Juszczyk for 27. On 3rd and 1 from the Philadelphia 31, Purdy gained 2. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Kyle Shanahan went to his bag of tricks. A double lateral led to Jennings throwing the halfback option pass to McCaffrey for a 29 yard touchdown and a 17-16 49ers lead. The 49ers got the ball back but this time Purdy was intercepted by Mitchell. The Eagles took over at their own 38. On 3rd and 10 from the San Francisco 21, Hurts hit Shipley for only 6. Elliott’s 33 yard field goal was dead center as the Eagles reclaimed the lead 19-17 midway through the fourth quarter. The 49ers took over at their own 34. Purdy hit Robinson for 16 and McCaffrey for 11. McCaffrey ran for 10. On 3rd and gal at the 4, Purdy fired over the middle to McCaffrey for the touchdown. This time it was Pineiro who missed the extra point as the 49ers by 4 with 3 minutes left in regulation. The Eagles took over at their own 35 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the San Francisco 20 with 90 seconds left. With everything on the line, Hurts was taken down for a one yard loss. He then threw 3 straight incompletions. The defending champions are out. The 49ers are off to a bone crunching rematch at Seattle. 23-19 49ers

7) Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) at 2) New England Patriots (14-3) was the Sunday night game. Both teams have excellent coaches, solid quarterbacks, and brutally tough defenses. The defenses dominated this game as the first quarter was scoreless. In the second quarter Borregales hit from 23 for the Patriots and Cameron Dicker answer from 21 for a 3-3 game at the half. Borregales hit from 35 late in the half and from 39 late in the third quarter for a 9-3 Patriots lead. The Patriots began the fourth quarter at their own 20. Drake Maye went to Westover for 8 and to Boutte for 16. Maye ran for 8 and Raimondre Stevenson added 13. Maye went deep to Hunter Henry for the only touchdown of the game. Although 10 minutes still remained, this game was over. The Patriots defense battered Justin Herbert into submission. The Patriots are at home next week in the Divisional round. This was an ugly win, which is fine with Mike Vrabel. 16-3 Patriots

5) Houston Texans (12-5) at 4) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) is the Monday night game. One missed Baltimore kick separated the Steelers from the offseason. The Texans have the top defense in the conference if not the entire league. CJ Stroud and Aaron Rodgers can both sling it. Yet Rodgers this week faces a buzzsaw. The defenses dug in early on as expected. Chris Boswell hit a 32 yard field goal for a 3-0 Steelers first quarter lead. The Texans began the second quarter at their own 8. On 3rd and 2 Stroud hit Kirk for 4. Stroud found Nico Collins for 13. On 3rd and 3 from their own 40, Stroud hit Dalton Schultz for 6. Nick Chubb ran for 9 and 6. Marks gashed the defense for gains of 20 and 7. Stroud hit Kirk for a 6 yard touchdown to cap the 14 play, 92 yard, 7 minute drive and make it 7-3 Texans. Stroud suffered two fumbles in the first half but Houston’s defense bailed him out. The second one led to a 35 yard Boswell field goal at the 2 minute warning as the Steelers trailed 7-6. A scoreless third quarter saw the Texans drive deep only for Stroud to throw an interception. 

On the last play of the third quarter, the Texans faced 3rd and 15 from their own 18. Stroud uncorked a bomb to Christian Kirk for a 46 yard gain. Kaimi Fairbairn hit a 51 yard field goal dead center to make it 10-6 Texans with 13 minutes left in regulation. The key play of the game came with the Steelers facing 3rd and 12 at their own 43. Rodgers went back to pass and got belted by two defenders, forcing a fumble. Sheldon Rankins picked up the fumble and returned it 33 yards to pay dirt. The defensive touchdown had the Texans up 17-6 with 12 minutes left. There was nothing Rodgers could do. The defense overwhelmed his offensive line and just belted him. The texans got it back and just ground the Steelers into dust. The 11 play, 87 yard, 6 minute drive culminated with Marks running up the gut for a 13 yard touchdown. The Pittsburgh defense was jut out of gas. The exclamation dagger was an interception of Aaron Rodgers that bullock returned 60 yards for a defensive touchdown. Rodgers may have played his final game. Mike Tomlin after 19 years has never had a losing season, but his Steelers have lost 7 straight playoff games. The Texans won their first ever road playoff game. The Texans with the win are off to New England in a battle of two brutally tough defenses. 30-6 Texans

The Divisional Playoff are set:

AFC: (6) Buffalo Bills at (1) Denver Broncos

AFC: (5/4) Houston Texans at (2) New England Patriots

NFC: (5) Los ángeles  Rams at (2) Chicago Bears

NFC: (5) San Francisco 49ers at (!) Seattle Seahawks

eric

NFL 2025-2026 Wildcard Recap

The 2025 NFL regular season is in the history books.

The 2025-2026 NFL Playoffs are set.

AFC: 1) Denver Broncos (14-3) have the bye week off.
NFC: 1) Seattle Seahawks (14-3) have the bye week off.

Los Angeles Rams (12-5) at Carolina Panthers (8-9) was the Saturday afternoon game. The Panthers staggered into the playoffs. Although the Panthers beat the Rams in Week 13, the Rams are the better team and everyone knows it. The Rams have a pinball offense that at its best can score at will. Sean McVay remains an offensive wizard and Matthew Stafford is the reigning NFL passing leader. The Rams have the experience and the talent…practically everything…on their side. The Rams sometimes play down to the level of their competition, and this game was no exception. Early on Dave Canales went for it on 4th and 1 at their own 45. Bryce Young threw incomplete to give the Rams an early short field. Matthew Stafford went to Puka Nacua for 16, 10, and the 14 yard touchdown as the Rams took the 7-0 lead. An interception of Young gave the Rams another short field at the Carolina 48. Kyren williams ran for 8 and 6 sandwiched around a 15 yard completion from Stafford to Colby Parkinson. On 3rd and 2 from the Carolina 27, Stafford hit Nacua for 7. Nacuagot around the end for a 5 yard touchdown to have the Rams up 14-0 early in the second quarter. This had all the makings of a blowout.

The Panthers soon faced 2nd and 7 at their own 38 Young went to Coker for 15 and to McMillan for big gains of 14 and 22. On 3rd and 2 from the rams 3, Young threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. Chuba Hubbard got in to have the Panthers within 14-7. Harrison Mevis hit a 46 yard field goal to have the Ram up 17-7. With 3 minutes left in the half the Panthers fumbled a punt and the Rams recovered at the Carolina 43. Sean McVay gambled on 4th and 3 from the Carolina 19. Stafford threw incomplete. From that spot, defensive pass interference gifted the Panthers 28 yards. Young then hit Coker for 37. On 3rd and 10 from the Rams 16, Young scrambled and ra all the way for the touchdown. The Rams had every chance to make this game a blowout. One Stafford bomb to a wide open Davantae Adams was overthrown incomplete. Another Stafford bomb to a wide open Nacua was dropped. It just bounced off of Nacua’s fingertips. Despite being totally outplayed, the Panthers were only down 17-14. Fitzgerald hit a 46 yard field goal to have the game tied 17-17 midway through the third quarter.

With a little over 4 minutes left in the third quarter, Mevis hit from 42 to give the Rams the 20-17 lead. The Rams got the ball back but an interception of Stafford set up the Panthers at their own 36. Young went bombs away to Coker for a 52 yard gain. Hubbard banged in up the gut from 3 yards ut to give the Panthers their first lead all game 24-20 only seconds into the fourth quarter. The Rams took over at their own 33. Stafford fired over the middle to Adams on a crossing route for 23. On 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 30, Stafford went for it all and was lucky not to be intercepted again. At the last moment Nacua turned from receiver to defender and knocked the ball away incomplete. Sean McVay went for it on 4th and 1. Williams went straight up the gut for 2. On 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 19, Stafford took a rare quarterback sneak for 2. Stafford went to williams for a 13 yard touchdown to have the Rams back in front 27-24 with 9 minutes left in regulation.

The Rams got it back with a chance to create some distance but could not. They punted and Isaiah Simmons blocked the punt. With 4:12 left the Panthers took over at the Rams 30. Young went to McMillan for 16. On 3rd and 3 from the Rams 7, a perfect throw to the corner from Young was caught by Coker over the defender for the touchdown. With 2:40 to play, the Panthers led 31-27. The Rams took over at their own 29. Stafford showed why he is a Super Bow champion and the current NFL passing leader. He put on a clinic when it mattered, hitting Nacua for 7, Adams for 10 and 6, Ncua for 18, Mumpfield for 11, and Naccua for a 19 yard touchdown. The Rams regained the lead with only 38 seconds remaining. The Panthers took over at their own 28 with 32 seconds left and all 3 timeouts, needing only a field goal to tie the game. Young threw 3 incompletions, leaving only 12 seconds. Young found Jimmy Horn past the first down marker. The ball was well thrown. Horn dropped it. The heavy underdog Panthers were game, but the Rams survived a thrilling football game to advance to the Divisional round road Playoff game. 34-31 Rams

Green Bay Packers (9-7-1) at Chicago Bears (11-6) was the Saturday night game. 15 years ago, the Packers were at the Bears in the NFC Title Game. Despite being on the road, the Packers were favored against what was seen as a soft Bears team. President Barack Obama, a Bears fan, said he was looking forward to his team winning it all. Packers cornerback Charles Woodson had other ideas. Before the game in the locker room, Woodson told his teammates, “If the President doesn’t want to see us, we’ll go see him. White House on 3! 1, 2, 3, White House! The Packers won it all. 15 years later in the Wildcard, the Bears again have the home field but the Packers are considered better. The Bears have gotten every lucky break this year. They trailed the Packers 16-6 with 3 minutes left a few weeks ago when a field goal and an onside kick led them to a shocking 22-16 overtime win. The Bears had to rookie head coach and second year quarterback in his first playoff game. The Packers had the experience.

The Bears began at their own 32 and moved 59 yards in 15 plays and 8 minutes. Yet on 3rd and 5 from the Green Bay 9, Caleb Williams threw incomplete. Cairo santos hit the 27 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Bears. The Packers took over at their own 15. Jalen Reed got around the end for 14. On 3rd and 1 from their own 38, rather than just move the chains, Jordan Love went deep to Romeo Doubs for 33. Josh Jacobs gained 9, 5 and 5. On 3rd and 2 from the Chicago 7, Love went to Christian Watson for the touchdown to make it 7-3 Packers. Early in the second quarter Ben Johnson gambled on 4th and 2 from his own 38. The Bears converted, but on 4th and 6 from the Green Bay 40, Johnson gambled again and Williams was intercepted. The Packers took over at their own 13. Jacobs ran for 7 and 13. Love went deep to Golden for 36. On 3rd and 8 from the Chicago 29, Love hit Doubs for 10. On 3rd and 9 from the Chicago 18, Love went to Reed for the touchdown to make it 14-3 Packers. Crossing the line from bold to reckless, Johnson gambled again on 4th and 5 from his own 32. William’s pass was knocked down incomplete.

Matt LaFleur went for it on 4th and 1 from the Chicago 23. Love found Christian Watson in the flat. Watson rumbled toward the goal line, went airborne, and had the ball hit a helmet, causing a fumble. The Packers recovered in the end zone, but by rule, because it was fourth down, the ball went to the spot of the fumble. The Packers were lucky to escape a touchback. They had 1st and goal at the one. 3 plays yielded nothing. LaFleur went for it on 4th and goal at the one at the 2 minute warning. Love found a wide open Doubs in the flat for the easiest touchdown of their season as the Packers built a 21-3 lead. The Packers scored a touchdown on their first 3 drives of the half. The Bears moved to a 4th and 4 at the Green Bay 37 with 37 seconds left on the half. Ben Johnson gambled again and acme up snake eyes again as Williams threw incomplete. The Packers missed a chance to pour it on even more when Brandon McManus missed a 55 yard field goal try to end the half. The Packers offense did nothing for much of the second half as the Bears tried to make a game of it.

In the third quarter Santos hit from 34 but the Bears still trailed 21-6. The Bears got it back and moved to a 4th and 1 at the Green Bay 6th. In what became a broken record, Ben Johnson gambled and lost as Williams was intercepted. Early in the fourth quarter Santos hit from 51 as the Bears trailed 21-9. The Bears got it back at their own 34. Williams ran for 11. Williams went deep to Loveland for 22 and again for 21. On 3rd and 3 from the Green Bay 5, Swift ran it in for the touchdown. With 10 minutes left in regulation, the Bears were right back in it down 21-16. This seemed to be a replica of their previous game a few weeks ago in Chicago where the Packers dominated most of the game but somehow lost. The Bears with virtually no offense had their defense keeping them in the game.

Jacobs fir the first time in his life was asked to return the kickoff in an effort to jolt the offense. Jacobs had a long kickoff return, fumbled the ball, and was lucky to have the Packers retain possession at their own 46. Love went to Doubs for 22. On 3rd and 9 from the Chicago 32, Love hit Doubs for just enough. Love fired sideways to Golden, who weaved through traffic back and forth for a 23 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but the Packers had breathing room up 27-16 with 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Love’s 4th touchdown pass tied a franchise playoff record. The Bears won the previous matchup between these teams by overcoming a late 2 score deficit. Now they would have to do it again. On 4th and 3 from their own 47 with 5 1/2 minutes left, the Bears suffered a false start. On 4th and 8, Williams rolled out, somehow avoided a sack, and fired a prayer between 2 defenders for a 27 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the Green Bay 30, Williams under heavy pressure hit Monangai for 22. Williams fired over the middle to Olamide Zaccheaus for the 8 yard touchdown. Ben Johnson went for 2 and Williams fired to Colston Loveland in the corner just past the front pylon successfully. With 4:18 to play, the Bears were within 27-24. Again, the Packers and to fail to close out a game against their arch rival. The Bears had all 3 timeouts left.

Jacobs was put in again to return the kickoff as the Packers took over at their own 31. The Bears had won 6 games this season when trailing with less than 2 minutes left. Yet the Packers had the ball. From 44 yards out to extend the lead, McManus was no good. His second miss on the day gave the Bears the ball at their own 34 with 3 minutes left. The Bears just never stay dead. Now a field goal would tie the game. The Bears took over at their own 34. Williams went to Loveland for 12. On 3rd and 4 from the Green Bay 48, Wiliams hit Swift for 23. Williams then went deep to Moore for a 25 yard touchdown. Just like that, once again, after trailing for most of the game, the Bears led 31-27. Yet 1:43 still remained. The Packers took over at their own 28 with one timeout left needing a touchdown. On 4th and 7, Love hit Golden for 13. On 3rd and 3 just past midfield, Love hit Golden for 6 as the Packers called their final timeout with 44 seconds left. Love fired to Reed for 20 but an injured Packers player on the play meant a 10 second runoff. The Packers were at the Chicago 23 but only 20 seconds remained after the runoff. A false start meant 2nd and 15 with 13 seconds left. Love got hit as he threw for an incompletion, leaving 7 seconds. Love fumbled the snap, recovered it, scrambled all over the place, and fired to the end zone incomplete. The Cardiac Bears did it again. The Packers choked again. McManus missed 2 field goals and an extra point. The Bears biggest playoff comeback before this game was 5 points back in the 1930s. This game they came back from being down 18 points, including 15 points in the fourth quarter. This was the first Bears playoff win in 15 years. The Bears will be home next week for the Divisional round. 31-27 Bears

Buffalo Bills (12-5) at Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) was the Sunday morning game. The Jaguars came in riding an 8 game wins streak. The Bills did not even win their division, snapping a 5 year stretch of dominance. All the pressure is on the Bills. With Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson out of the playoffs, Sean McDermott and Josh Allen are out of excuses. Trevor Lawrence is resilient. A few years ago he overcame a 27-0 playoff deficit to win 31-30 on the final play. The Bills have more weapons on offense and the better defense. An early interception of Trevor Lawrence was returned 19 yards to set up the Bills at the Jacksonville 33. Matt Prater hit a 50 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Bills.

The Jaguars took over at their own 35. Lawrence went to Strange for 9 and Trevor Etienne for 6. Tuten gashed the defense for monster gains of 20, 14 and 13 to end the first quarter. The second quarter began with Lawrence hitting Thomas for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Jaguars. The Bills fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Jaguars recovered at the Buffalo 17. Liam Cohen gambled on 4th and 2 from the 9. Lawrence gained only one yard. Josh Allen after the turnover own downs hit Shakir for 4 and 15. James Cook ran for 11 and caught a pass from Allen for 12. Allen went deep to Coleman for 36. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Allen got in to cap the 10 play, 92 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive and make it 10-7 Bills. On the last play of the half, Cam Little’s 54 yard field goal try to tie the game was wide left no good. Prater hit from 47 to extend the Bills lead to 13-7 midway through the third quarter.

Little answered from 43 to have the Jaguars with 13-10. The Jaguars got it back and soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 44. Lawrence went to Thomas ton right for 18. On 3rd and 2 from the Buffalo 30, Lawrence found Parker Washington for 14. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 7, Lawrence gained 2. Lawrence fired over the middle to Washington for a 6 yard touchdown to have the Jaguars up 17-13 with 13 minutes left in regulation. The Bills took over and soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 41. Allen went to Kincaid for 7. Allen went deep to Dawson Knox for 24. san McDermott went for it on 4th and 1 from the Jacksonville 19. Allen gained 4. Allen then went to Kincaid for the 15 yard touchdown and the 20-17 Bills lead wit 9 minutes left in regulation.

The Jaguars took over at their own 23. Lawrence went to Etienne for 14. On 3rd and 8 from their own 39, Lawrence threw incomplete but defensive holding meant a new set of downs. Lawrence then went deep ti Washington for 31. On 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 16, Etienne took the direct snap 2 yards. Lawrence then went to Etienne for the 14 yard touchdown. With 4 minutes left, the Jaguars led 24-20. The Bills soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 43. Allen got the tough yard. Allen then went deep to Cooks for 36. With 1:10 left, the Bills faced 4th and 1 at the Jacksonville 11. The entire world knew the tush push was coming, but Allen runs it better than nano outside of Philadelphia. This was a particularly violent tush push. The officials did not blow the whistle, so the Buffalo offensive line kept pushing for a 10 yard gain down to the one. The Jaguars took their final timeout.

If the Bills purposely failed to score on first down, the clock would tick down to 15 seconds. Jacksonville needed the full minute. So on the next tush push attempt, the Jacksonville defense just let Allen score. The Jaguars trailed by 3, but they had a full minute and the kicker who has this season made the two longest kicks in NFL history. The Jaguars took over at their own 23. On the first play from scrimmage, Lawrence’s pass was deflected and intercepted by Bishop. Bishop smartly immediately went to the ground rather than risk fumbling the ball back. Both of these teams had Super Bowl potential. For the Jaguars, they will have to wait until next year to find out. The Bills snapped their streak of 8 straight road playoff losses. 27-24 Bills

San Francisco 49ers (12-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) was the Sunday afternoon game. The last two NFC Champions face off. Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts are both solid quarterbacks. Both teams have good defenses. Both teams can run the ball. 3 years ago in the NFC Title Game, the 49ers came into Philadelphia and ran into a buzzsaw that had them down to their 4th string quarterback. Now they returned looking for revenge, as tempers flared between these teams in recent years. The 49ers began the game at their own 24. On the second play from scrimmage, Purdy fired deep to Robinson, who weaved back and forth for a 61 yard gain. Brock Purdy hit Christian McCaffrey for 11. Purdy hit Robinson for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 49ers only 3 minutes into the game. The Eagles took over at their own 37. Saquon Barkley ripped off a 29 yard gain and then 5 more. Jalen Hurts went to AJ Brown for 10. On 3rd and 3 from the San Francisco 10, Barkley gained just enough. On 3rd and goal at the one, Dallas Goedert got in for the touchdown. On a heavily windy day, Jake Elliott’s extra point doinked off the left upright no good as the Eagles trailed 7-6.

The Eagles took over to start the second quarter at their own 6 yard line. Runs and short passes had the Eagles facing 4th and 1 at their own 43. Nick Sirianni gambled on the tush push. Hurts gained 3. Hurts went to Barkley for 20. Bigsby gained 4, 9 and 7. Sirianni gambled again on 4th and 2 from the san Francisco 9. Hurts went to Goedert for the touchdown. The Staggering 16 play, 94 yard drive took 9 minutes off the clock and had the Eagles up 13-7 with 6 minutes left in the half. The 49ers quickly moved from their own 23 to a 3rd and 1 at the Philadelphia 17. McCaffrey got taken down for a one yard loss. On 4th and 2, Kyle Shanahan was not in a gambling mood. Eddie Pineiro hit the 36 yard field goal to have the 49ers within 13-10 with 2:50 left. A 49ers blunder at the end fo the half prevented them from trying the tying field goal. A 41 yard Elliott field goal had the Eagles up 16-10 late in the third quarter.

The 49ers took over at their own 33. Purdy went to Kyle Juszczyk for 27. On 3rd and 1 from the Philadelphia 31, Purdy gained 2. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Kyle Shanahan went to his bag of tricks. A double lateral led to Jennings throwing the halfback option pass to McCaffrey for a 29 yard touchdown and a 17-16 49ers lead. The 49ers got the ball back but this time Purdy was intercepted by Mitchell. The Eagles took over at their own 38. On 3rd and 10 from the San Francisco 21, Hurts hit Shipley for only 6. Elliott’s 33 yard field goal was dead center as the Eagles reclaimed the lead 19-17 midway through the fourth quarter. The 49ers took over at their own 34. Purdy hit Robinson for 16 and McCaffrey for 11. McCaffrey ran for 10. On 3rd and gal at the 4, Purdy fired over the middle to McCaffrey for the touchdown. This time it was Pineiro who missed the extra point as the 49ers by 4 with 3 minutes left in regulation. The Eagles took over at their own 35 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the San Francisco 20 with 90 seconds left. With everything on the line, Hurts was taken down for a one yard loss. He then threw 3 straight incompletions. The defending champions are out. The 49ers are off to a bone crunching rematch at Seattle. 23-19 49ers

7) Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) at 2) New England Patriots (14-3) was the Sunday night game. Both teams have excellent coaches, solid quarterbacks, and brutally tough defenses. The defenses dominated this game as the first quarter was scoreless. In the second quarter Borregales hit from 23 for the Patriots and Cameron Dicker answer from 21 for a 3-3 game at the half. Borregales hit from 35 late in the half and from 39 late in the third quarter for a 9-3 Patriots lead. The Patriots began the fourth quarter at their own 20. Drake Maye went to Westover for 8 and to Boutte for 16. Maye ran for 8 and Raimondre Stevenson added 13. Maye went deep to Hunter Henry for the only touchdown of the game. Although 10 minutes still remained, this game was over. The Patriots defense battered Justin Herbert into submission. The Patriots are at home next week in the Divisional round. This was an ugly win, which is fine with Mike Vrabel. 16-3 Patriots

5) Houston Texans (12-5) at 4) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) is the Monday night game. One missed Baltimore kick separated the Steelers from the offseason. The Texans have the top defense in the conference if not the entire league. CJ Stroud and Aaron Rodgers can both sling it. Yet Rodgers this week will face a buzzsaw.

The Divisional Playoff are set:

Saturday, January 18, 2026

AFC: (6) Buffalo Bills at (1) Denver Broncos
NFC: (5) Los ángeles Rams at (2) Chicago Bears

Sunday, January 19:

NFC: (5) San Francisco 49ers at (!) Seattle Seahawks
AFC: (5/4) Houston Texans/Pittsburgh Steelers at (2) New England Patriots