Here is the NFL 2013-2014 Wildcard Recap.
Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Colts—Alex Smith led a 14 play, 82 yard drive to start the game. Jamal Charles got injured on the drive and did not return, but on 3rd and goal from the 5, Alex Smith fired to Dwayne Bowe, who got just past the plane of the goal to make it 7-0 Chiefs. Andrew Luck came back and went 7 for 7 with a touchdown pass to TY Hilton to tie the game 7-7.
A catch-and run to Bowe went for a 63 yard gain down to the 2, but on 4th and goal from the 1 Walrus Lite Andy Reid went for the field goal on the road. Ryan Succop made it 10-7 Chiefs.
Alex Smith is known for being a West Coast Offense dink and dunk game manager, but in the second quarter he looked more like a real NFL quarterback when he went bombs away to Donnie Avery for a 79 yard touchdown and a 17-7 Chiefs lead. Trent Richardson then fumbled and the Chiefs recovered. A 10 yard shovel pass from Smith to Anthony Sherman had the Chiefs leading 24-7.
Needing a spark, Chuck Pagano gambled on 4th and 1 and Andrew Luck scrambled for a big gain to set up an Adam Vinatieri field goal and a 24-10 Colts deficit. The Chiefs kept coming as Smith moved them 81 yards in 15 plays in 7 1/2 minutes. Kenneth Davis took it in from 4 yards out to make it 31-10 Chiefs. Luck was then intercepted but the Colts dodged another bullet when Smith’s hail mary fell incomplete.
The third quarter continued the thrashing as another interception of Luck meant another short touchdown pass from Smith to Davis and a 38-10 Chiefs lead. Luck gave the Colts a ray of hope when he went bombs away to set up a short Donald Brown touchdown run, but the Colts still trailed 38-17.
Smith had the Chiefs driving again but then got hit and fumbled. The Colts took the recovery and moved quickly, with Donald Brown getting in again to get within 38-24 with more than a quarter to play.
The Colts got it back with a chance to close even further when a routine pass by Luck bounced off of the receiver’s hands and was intercepted by Husain Abdullah. Luck’s third interception led to a 42 yard Succop field goal to give the Chiefs more breathing room up 41-24. Luck kept coming back, and a short touchdown pass to Cory Fleener had the Colt within 41-31 still in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter Andrew gave new meaning to his last name. Luck led the Colts down the field to the 2 yard line. Brown got the carry and got blasted, resulting in a fumble. The ball bounced straight to Luck. who corraled it and dove over the goal line to get the Colts within 41-38 with a full 10 1/2 minutes left in regulation.
Smith moved the Chiefs to a 3rd and 11 at the Colts 30. Andy Reid took no chances as a safe short pass led to a 43 yard Succop field goal and a 44-38 Chiefs lead with 5 1/2 minutes left. but 60 seconds later the Chiefs were losing. Luck went deep to T.Y. Hilton for the second time on the day as the 64-yard touchdown erased the 28 point deficit and put the Colts up 45-44.
Smith fired twice to Bowe as the Chiefs quickly cross midfield. A key intentional grounding call on Smith meant the Chiefs had 4th and 11 at the Colts 43 at the 2 minute warning. With one timeout left, going for it was the only sane option rather than a 61 yard field goal try. Would Smith throw past the marker, or would dink and dunk mean death? In an even bigger surprise, the Chiefs burned their last timeout before even running the play. Smith fired deep to Bowe, who made the catch but saw his second foot come down out of bounds. The teams combined for 1052 yards, an NFL record. The biggest comeback in NFL history since the 1993 Bills-Oilers game will be talked about forever. 45-44 Colts
New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles—A hideous game early on saw Drew Brees go deep and get intercepted, Nick Foles get sacked out of field goal range, a missed Philadelphia field goal, and two false starts on fourth down conversion attempts against the Saints. Midway through the second quarter Shane Graham hit a 36 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Saints. Another interception of Brees set up the Eagles at the Saints 44. Just past the 2 minute warning, Foles hit Riley Cooper for a 10 yard touchdown and a 7-3 Eagles lead. Graham hit a 46 yard field goal as the half ended with the Saints down 7-6.
In the third quarter Brees moved the Saints and a 24 yard touchdown pass to Lance Moore made it 13-7 Saints. New Orleans got it back and Mark Ingram banged in from six yards to make it 20-7 Saints. Philadelphia came back and faced 4th and goal at the one with the third quarter ending. Out of the shotgun, the draw to Lesean McCoy worked and the Eagles were within 20-14.
With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation the Eagles faced the same 4th and 1 from the Saints 6 that New Orleans faced earlier. Again, it was a false start followed by a 31 yard Alex Henery field goal that had the Eagles trailing 20-17. The Saints drove to the red zone but also had to settle for a 35 yard Graham field goal and a 23-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
With 5 minutes left in regulation Foles went deep and defensive pass interference put the ball on the 3 yard line. Foles hit Zac Ertz for the touchdown as the Eagles led 24-23. Brees moved the Saints and converted a critical 3rd and 1 from the Eagles 27 with a quarterback sneak at the 2 minute warning. Brees bled the clock and it all came down to Shane Graham from 32 yards out with three seconds left. Graham was dead center as the Saints won their very first road playoff game in franchise history. 26-24 Saints
San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals—The weather was cold, but not like when these 1981 teams met in the AFC Title Game. Instead of Dan Fouts and Ken Anderson, Philip Rivers and Andy Dalton got the nod. Rivers led a 12 play, 86 yard, 7 minute drive that culminated in Danny Woodhead running it in from 5 yards out to make it 7-0 Chargers. In the second quarter it was Dalton leading a 10 play, 60 yard drive and throwing a 4 yard touchdown to Gresham to tie the game. Cincinnati missed a chance to take the lead late in the half when they fumbled the ball away inside the 5 yard line. The Bengals got it back and Mike Nugent hit a 46 yard field goal as the half expired to make it 10-7 Bengals.
In the second half the Chargers clamped down and the rain came down. Rivers led a 10 play, 80 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive that ended with a 4 yard touchdown pass to Green to put the Chargers in front 14-10. A fumble by Dalton led to a 25 yard Nick Novak field goal and a 17-10 Chargers lead. Dalton was then intercepted, and on the first play of the fourth quarter the Chargers faced 3rd and goal at the one. A running play lost 4 yards but Novak hit again from 23 as the Chargers had a 20-10 lead. Dalton was then intercepted again. Ronnie Brown added a 58-yard touchdown run just before the 2 minute warning for the exclamation point. The Bengals have not won a playoff game in 25 years, while the Chargers are off to face a Denver team they already beat a few weeks ago in Denver. 27-10 Chargers
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers—This was not the Ice Bowl, but it was brutal. The temperature was 5 degrees at kickoff, but their was no inclement weather. Early on the 49ers defense shut down the Packers offense. San Francisco twice penetrated the Green Bay 10 yard line and twice had to settle for Phil Dawson field goals and a 6-0 49ers lead.
Aaron Rodgers led the Packers 70 yards in 14 plays, eating up 7 1/2 minutes of clock. On 3rd and goal at the 5, Rodgers hit Jordy Nelson for the score as the Packers led 7-6 with 6 minutes left in the half. San Francisco responded quickly as a 42 yard scramble by Colin Kaepernick set up a 10 yard Frank Gore run and a 13-7 49ers lead with 3 minutes left before intermission. Mason Crosby hit a 34 yard field goal as the half ended to get the Packers within 13-10.
The third quarter was a scoreless slugfest, and early in the fourth quarter the Packers faced 4th and 2 at the Frisco 30. Mike McCarthy decided to go for it rather than try the tying 48-yard field goal in the bitter cold. Rodgers somehow escaped a sack and went deep to Randall Cobb for 26 yards. John Kuhn banged in from the one to put the Packers up 17-13 with 12 minutes left in regulation. Only 90 seconds later the 49ers retook the lead 20-17 when Colin Kaepernick threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Vernon Davis. The Packers responded but settled for a 24-yard Crosby field goal to tie the game 20-20 with five minutes left. On third and eight from the Green Bay 38 with 1:13 to play, Kaepernick scrambled for 11 yards and a key first down. The 49ers took the clock down to three seconds and brought Dawson in for the winning kick from 32 yards out. The kick was good, the Packers were done, and the 49ers were off to Carolina. 23-20 49ers
The matchups for the Divisional Playoffs are set (all times EST).
Saturday, January 11:
NFC: New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks, 4:30 p.m. on Fox
AFC: Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots, 8:00 p.m. on CBS.
Sunday, January 12:
NFC: San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers, 1:00 p.m. on Fox
AFC: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos, 4:30 p.m. on CBS
eric