NFL Game Recaps: 2023 Playoffs

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Chiefs 25, 49ers 22

When the Chiefs lost to the Raiders in embarrassing fashion on Christmas, no one was picking them to win the Super Bowl. The Chiefs were plagued by horrible offensive play all year, stemming from countless drops and poor route-running. Kansas City was still able to win the division and earn the No. 3 seed, but given how underwhelming the team was during the regular season, the Chiefs were not considered a serious Super Bowl contender when they kicked off against the Dolphins in the opening round.

The Chiefs improved each week in the postseason and stopped making mistakes. However, those blunders resurfaced once again in the Super Bowl. Isiah Pacheco lost a fumble inside the San Francisco 10-yard line, while Patrick Mahomes heaved an interception on a third-quarter overthrow immediately following a fumble. The 49ers, as a consequence, led for a chunk of this game, at least until Mahomes found Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter. The 49ers answered back immediately, as Brock Purdy was able to convert a fourth-and-3 to George Kittle. This set up a touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings to put the 49ers up again. However, a blocked extra point allowed the Chiefs to remain within three, and some ensuing exchanged field goals propelled this game into overtime.

The 49ers won the coin toss and marched down the field, thanks to a defensive holding call on third-and-13. Purdy made a big play on a second-and-12 as well, escaping out of pressure and finding Kyle Juszczyk for a first down. However, the Chiefs were able to come up with a stand in the red zone to restrict San Francisco to a field goal.

This kick would have ended the game years ago, but the new rules allowed the Chiefs to have a chance. Mahomes made the most of it. He scrambled for a first down on fourth-and-1, then found Rashee Rice on a third-and-6 for a gain of 13. The Chiefs entered the red zone on a pass to Travis Kelce, setting up the game-winning touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman.

Though the Chiefs won, the 49ers seemed to have the game in hand for most of the evening. They dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage for a huge percentage of the game. However, they made several gaffes to prevent themselves from establishing a larger lead. Christian McCaffrey lost a fumble in field goal range on the opening drive, then a holding penalty disrupted the second possession. The worst error was a fumble on a punt return at the end of the third quarter to set up the aforementioned Valdes-Scantling touchdown.

The 49ers were outgaining the Chiefs for much of the night, but that eventually flipped toward the end. The key difference in the stats was the third-down conversion rate. The 49ers were 3-of-12 on third down, which includes an incomplete Purdy pass on the overtime possession. The Chiefs, conversely, were 9-of-19 on third down, as Mahomes was terrific in the clutch after struggling to begin the game.

Mahomes, winner of his third Super Bowl MVP, posted terrific stats that we hadn’t seen from him since Week 7. He went 34-of-46 for 333 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also scrambled nine times for 66 rushing yards.

Had Kelce scored the decisive touchdown at the end instead of Hardman, he may have won MVP. Kelce led all players in receiving yards with nine catches for 93 yards. Hardman was next with three grabs for 57 yards and the game-winning score. Rashee Rice, who showed frustration at one point, came up with six grabs for 39 yards.

While Mahomes led the Chiefs in rushing, Pacheco wasn’t too far behind. He rushed for 59 yards on 18 carries, and he caught six passes for 33 receiving yards.

While Purdy was outplayed by Mahomes, he shouldn’t be ashamed of his performance. Purdy had a strong game and made some clutch plays as well. He was 23-of-38 for 255 yards and a touchdown. He scrambled thrice for 12 rushing yards.

Had the 49ers prevailed, there were two candidates for MVP. The first was McCaffrey, who rushed for 80 yards on 22 carries and caught all eight of his targets for 80 receiving yards and a touchdown. The second was a shocker in Jennings, who actually threw the touchdown pass to McCaffrey on a trick play, though the officials missed San Francisco’s center being illegally downfield. Jennings also caught four passes for 42 receiving yards and a touchdown, and he drew a defensive holding call on a third-and-13.

Following McCaffrey, San Francisco’s next-leading receiver was Brandon Aiyuk, who caught three balls for 49 yards. Deebo Samuel (3-33) and Kittle (2-4) both missed a bit of action with some minor injuries.

49ers 34, Lions 31

The Lions entered this game as 7.5-point underdogs, so there weren’t many who gave them a chance to win outright. However, they had the 49ers on the ropes in the third quarter. They led by 17 and appeared as though they would pull a stunning upset.

That, however, is when Detroit began self-destructing. It began when the Lions went for it on fourth down with a 24-10 lead. The offensive coordinator dialed up a perfect play, and Jared Goff delivered the ball to Josh Reynolds – who promptly dropped it. The 49ers needed to capitalize on a short field, but it appeared as though that wouldn’t happen when a Detroit defender had a potential Brock Purdy interception fall right to him. Instead, the ball clanked off his helmet and floated perfectly into the arms of Brandon Aiyuk for a 51-yard completion. The 49ers scored a touchdown to trim the margin to seven.

The Lions still had control of the ball with a touchdown lead, but that quickly vanished when Jahmyr Gibbs lost a fumble on the first play of the ensuing drive. Another 49ers touchdown tied the game. Detroit lost the lead, but didn’t quit making mistakes. On the next drive, both Sam LaPorta and Reynolds dropped passes, with Reynolds’ drop coming on third down. Jameson Williams later dropped a touchdown, as the 49ers cruised to a 10-point lead. The final touchdown of the game at least covered the spread for the Lions, but a failed onside kick iced the victory for San Francisco.

The 49ers will be headed to the Super Bowl once again to battle the Chiefs. This time, however, they have Purdy, who is a big upgrade over Jimmy Garoppolo. Purdy had a great second half. He had fewer than 100 passing yards by intermission, but finished 20-of-31 for 267 yards, one touchdown and an interception that occurred when his hand was hit upon release. Purdy had some clutch scrambles as well, running five times for 48 rushing yards.

Of course, Christian McCaffrey did most of the scoring. McCaffrey ran in twice while rushing for 90 yards on 20 attempts, though he was vultured once by Elijah Mitchell. He also caught four passes for 42 receiving yards.

McCaffrey finished third on the team in receiving. Deebo Samuel, who showed no lingering issues from his shoulder injury, paced the 49ers with eight grabs for 89 yards. Aiyuk was next with three receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown. George Kittle did nothing but block, which is why he had just two receptions for 27 yards.

Detroit’s leading receiver was LaPorta, who made amends for his one blunder with nine receptions for 97 yards. He just barely edged out Amon-Ra St. Brown, who snatched seven balls for 87 yards. No other Lion finished with more than 25 receiving yards. Jameson Williams (2-25) scored twice; once on a 5-yard reception, and another time on a 42-yard end-around.

Williams was one of three Lions who scored on the ground. Both David Montgomery and Gibbs found the end zone. Montgomery rushed for 93 yards on 15 carries, while Gibbs gained 45 yards on 12 attempts. Gibbs, of course, crushed his team with a horrible fumble.

Goff had a solid performance, particularly in the first half. He made some terrific throws on third down, including a third-and-18 pass to St. Brown prior to intermission. Goff went 25-of-41 for 273 yards and a touchdown. He was hurt by the incompetence of some of his teammates, particularly Reynolds.

Chiefs 17, Ravens 10

Lamar Jackson had faced plenty of criticism of his postseason failures in the past, but he may have been able to say that he was able to get the monkey off his back with the victory over the Texans in the divisional round. The detractors, however, will be out in full force in the wake of this disgraceful result.

Things looked promising for Jackson on the second drive of the game. Following a three-and-out to start, Jackson led a touchdown drive in which he fired a ball downfield to Zay Flowers after he eluded what seemed like a sure sack by Chris Jones. The two connected for a score, and yet that was the only time Baltimore would find the end zone throughout the afternoon. Jackson and Flowers squandered many opportunities throughout the rest of the game.

The trouble started for Jackson when he lost a fumble on a strip-sack. He was also close to throwing an interception in the second quarter, but a Kansas City defender dropped the ball. Jackson seemed to get his act together on what appeared to be another touchdown drive in the third frame, but Flowers, who was flagged for taunting after a big catch earlier during the possession, lost a fumble at the 1-yard line. The ball trickled into the end zone for a touchback.

Had Flowers scored, the Ravens could have cut the deficit to three and then tied with an ensuing Justin Tucker field goal. Instead, the Ravens had to keep chasing points, prompting Jackson to force the issue. He was finally intercepted on a ridiculous throw into triple coverage.

Jackson finished 20-of-37 for 272 yards, one touchdown and the pick. He was horrendous in the pocket, struggling to decipher the blitz. He also didn’t run nearly enough, scrambling just eight times for 54 yards. Jackson played so poorly that he should reject the MVP award, should he win it.

In fact, Jackson should give Patrick Mahomes the MVP award instead. Mahomes was insane in the first half of this game, as Baltimore couldn’t get off the field at all. Mahomes repeatedly converted third and fourth downs, as Travis Kelce helped him with some big catches. The Ravens made the appropriate adjustments at halftime, as the Chiefs didn’t score a single point in the second half, but the damage was done by then. Mahomes finished 30-of-39 for 241 yards and a touchdown.

Kelce, meanwhile, had a huge performance. He came up huge in big moments and caught everything thrown his way. He reeled in all 11 of his targets for 116 yards and a touchdown. He was well ahead of the next player in the Chiefs’ box score. That was Rashee Rice, who recorded eight receptions for 46 yards.

The Ravens also had one player do most of the work in the passing game. That was Flowers, who had a big game if the two mental mistakes are excluded. He caught five passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. No other Baltimore player logged more than 39 receptions.

As for the runners, Isiah Pacheco led everyone by a mile. Pacheco gained 68 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. He also caught four passes for 14 receiving yards. Meanwhile, the top Ravens running back was Gus Edwards, who rushed for 20 yards on just three attempts. Justice Hill gained three yards on as many attempts, but was able to reel in four passes for 34 receiving yards.

Chiefs 27, Bills 24

If the First Amendment didn’t exist, the words “wide right” might be banned in Buffalo. If that wasn’t the case before, it certainly would be now in the wake of this game’s finish. The Bills, down 27-24, drove to within field goal range, but stalled deep in Kansas City territory. Tyler Bass was tasked with drilling a 44-yard field goal to tie the game and potentially send it to overtime. Bass, however, went wide right on his attempt. The Chiefs took over and were able to run out the clock to come away from this game with a victory.

Bass can absolutely be blamed for this loss, but the other mistakes the Bills made must be acknowledged. Josh Allen missed some throws, and he didn’t see a wide-open Stefon Diggs a couple of plays prior to Bass’ miss. Speaking of Diggs, he dropped a deep pass in the fourth quarter. James Cook dropped a touchdown in the opening half. And the coaching staff called a fake punt that missed around midfield, giving the Chiefs great field position.

Nevertheless, this one will sting for the Bills. They were short-handed defensively, but were very close to taking the lead with about two minutes remaining at home. There’s always a chance the Chiefs could have scored at the very end to win the game, but Buffalo’s defense put the clamps on the Chiefs for a few possessions in the final quarter. It’s impossible to know what could have occurred, and we’ll never know because of Buffalo’s blunders, namely the 44-yard miss.

Allen and his receivers left plenty of points on the table, especially in the fourth quarter. He finished 26-of-39 for only 186 yards and a touchdown, but he did most of his damage on the ground. He scrambled 12 times for 72 rushing yards and two more scores.

Mahomes, conversely, was extremely efficient, which was a great departure from how Kansas City has operated all year offensively. Mahomes missed on just six occasions, going 17-of-23 for 215 yards and two touchdowns. He would have scored a third time, but Mecole Hardman lost a fumble into the end zone for a touchdown. This was the only offensive mistake Kansas City made all evening. Mahomes, by the way, rushed for 19 yards on six scrambles.

Isiah Pacheco was just shy of the century mark, rushing for 97 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. He had a huge, 29-yard run in the fourth quarter and later iced the game with two powerful runs up the middle. Buffalo’s injury-ravaged linebacking corps had no chance to stop him.

Travis Kelce was the top offensive play-maker in this game. Kelce overcame countless drops from earlier in the season to dominate Buffalo’s woeful linebackers. Kelce caught five passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was next on the stat sheet (2-62), while Rashee Rice was a big disappointment with just four grabs for 47 yards.

Dalton Kincaid had the most receiving yards for Buffalo, snatching all five of his targets for 45 yards. Khalil Shakir was next with seven receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown. Shakir missed a bit of time with an injury, but eventually returned. As for Diggs, he finished his year with yet another disappointing performance with three catches for 21 yards. Failing to come up with the aforementioned deep pass in the fourth quarter really ended up costing Buffalo.

Cook had the same exact receiving yards as Diggs, but on one more catch than Diggs. He struggled to find running room in the second half, finishing with 61 yards on 18 tries.

Lions 31, Buccaneers 23

Expectations were that the Lions would be playing at Dallas in the second round of the playoffs, but that did not go to plan because of Green Bay’s upset over the Cowboys. Detroit was fortunate enough to host the divisional-round battle over the Buccaneers, but despite the fact that they were six-point favorites, they were locked up in a tight battle in the third quarter. Dan Campbell made a mistake to not challenge Baker Mayfield being down on one play, and Tampa Bay was able to score a touchdown on the next play to tie the game at 17.

Jared Goff, however, was able to come up big in the clutch with two touchdown drives after that to put the game out of reach. Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown connected on a crucial third-and-15 to eventually set up the go-ahead score. Once the Lions went up two touchdowns, it was too much of a deficit for Mayfield to overcome in a limited amount of time. With the victory, Detroit will go to San Francisco to determine the NFC participant in the Super Bowl.

Goff finished 30-of-43 for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He took a bad sack on a third-and-1 on one instance, but his stats also could have been better if it weren’t for a deep drop at one point. Then again, he was lucky that a potential pick of his was dropped in the end zone. Regardless, Goff came away with another playoff victory for the Lions.

St. Brown paced the Lions in receiving with eight catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. He had a massive drop on a third down that would have moved the Lions into Buccaneers territory in the second quarter, but he made up for it with his clutch reception on a third-and-15. Sam LaPorta was next on the stat sheet with nine receptions for 65 yards.

David Montgomery also made what seemed like a costly mistake for the Lions, as he committed a chop block to negate a pass of about 25 yards in the third quarter. Montgomery struggled to pick up anything on the ground with just 33 yards on 10 carries. Jahmyr Gibbs was far more effective and didn’t make any mistakes, dashing for 74 yards and a touchdown to help put this game away. He did this on just nine attempts. He also caught four passes for 40 receiving yards. The Lions need to consider giving Gibbs more rushes than Montgomery.

The Buccaneers had surprising rushing success with Rachaad White, who picked up 55 yards on just nine carries to go along with four receptions for 36 receiving yards and a touchdown. For whatever reason, however, Tampa Bay didn’t bother to stick with the run. Instead, Mayfield aired it out on 41 occasions. Mayfield was great at times, as he connected on 26 passes for 349 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, including one desperation heave at the end. The other pick was tipped. Mayfield, however, took a couple of bad sacks to move his team out of field goal range, which is something he also did versus the Eagles.

Mike Evans had a monster game. He caught eight of his 12 targets for 147 yards and a touchdown. Cade Otton (5-65) also scored. Chris Godwin, conversely, came away with only four catches for 40 yards.

49ers 24, Packers 21

The 49ers were favored by double digits over the Packers, but they certainly did not play that way. Brock Purdy should have been intercepted on multiple occasions, while the defense looked incapable of stopping the Packers at times. Even Kyle Shanahan was a liability, as some very questionable game management prior to halftime made it seem as though he was playing not to lose.

The Packers led 21-14 after three quarters. After the 49ers drew to within four, Green Bay had a chance to extend the lead back to seven, but rookie kicker Anders Carlson whiffed from 41 yards. This gave San Francisco an opportunity to win on the next drive, and that’s exactly what happened. Brandon Aiyuk made a big catch, paving the way for a Christian McCaffrey rushing touchdown. The Packers still had time to tie or take the lead, but “No Cookie” Jordan Love threw a hideous interception when he fired the ball late across his body on a first down. Love could have just thrown the ball away and tried again on another down, but the interception ended the game, allowing the 49ers to squeak by with a 24-21 victory.

The ending was a shame for Love, who played a solid game otherwise. He went 21-of-34 for 194 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. His other pick was a poor pass behind Tucker Kraft. This and the game-ending interception were two of Love’s three awful passes in this game. The third was a pass way behind Aaron Jones on a third down.

Still, Love outperformed Purdy. That may seem strange to say when looking at the stats, as Purdy didn’t throw an interception. He was very fortunate that he wasn’t picked twice, as Green Bay defensive backs dropped a pair of his passes. Purdy went 23-of-39 for 252 yards and a touchdown in unfavorable conditions for him. Perhaps it was just nerves, but Purdy looked like he was struggling with the rainy environment, as he switched from wearing a glove to removing the glove.

McCaffrey was the hero of this game with the decisive score. That was his second touchdown of the game. He rushed for 98 yards and the two scores on 17 carries. He also caught seven of his 12 targets for 30 receiving yards. Despite this, McCaffrey didn’t even have the most rushing yards in this game. Aaron Jones held that distinction with 108 yards on 18 carries. This game marked the first time all season that the Packers lost a game in which Jones played a 100-percent capacity.

The Packers also had the leading receiver in this contest. That, once again, as Romeo Doubs, who reeled in four passes for 83 yards. Jayden Reed was next on Green Bay with four grabs for 35 yards, while Bo Melton caught a touchdown on his only reception, a 19-yarder. Melton also drew a deep interference flag on third-and-long.

The 49ers were paced in receiving by George Kittle, who caught four balls for 81 yards and a touchdown, though Kittle was guilty of an ugly drop in the fourth quarter. Aiyuk, despite the aforementioned huge catch, was a disappointment with three receptions for 32 yards, especially when considering Deebo Samuel (2-24) was knocked out of the game in the second quarter with an injury.

Ravens 34, Texans 10

Lamar Jackson has received plenty of criticism for not being able to advance past the divisional round of the playoffs. That won’t be the case anymore, as Jackson finally got the monkey off his back with a blowout victory over the Texans.

Jackson had a terrific performance versus the Texans. He dominated both on the ground and through the air. Aerially, he misfired on just six occasions, going 16-of-22 for 152 yards and two touchdowns. He made just one bad throw, and that was a potential interception that was dropped when he threw into the end zone in the third quarter. Jackson was otherwise flawless, moving the chains in crucial situations. Jackson was even better as a runner, hitting the century mark right on the nose. He did so on 11 scrambles, and he scored twice more on the ground.

When Jackson was asked what he looked forward to most as he ventured into unknown territory in the AFC Championship, he said, simply, playing in the game. He will do so versus either the Bills or Chiefs at home next Sunday.

This was a completely lopsided game. The final score may indicate that, but some may point out that this affair was tied at 10 at halftime. However, the Texans scored on a punt return, so if that’s eliminated, Baltimore would have prevailed 34-3. The Ravens outgained the Texans, 352-213, and they averaged two more yards per play while winning the time of possession by about 15 minutes.

C.J. Stroud had no chance against Baltimore’s pass rush. Stroud constantly had to throw the ball away prematurely or scramble out of the pocket, as the Ravens front seven flooded the backfield. Stroud made some nice throws, including a third-and-13 completion to Nico Collins, but that didn’t even amount to any points. Stroud finished 19-of-33 for 175 scoreless yards.

Collins happened to be the top skill player in this game. He caught five passes for 68 yards. He was one of three Texans (Devin Singletary, Dalton Schultz) to have more than 13 receiving yards. Schultz (5-43) had a horrible drop of about 15 yards that would have put his team into field goal range.

Baltimore was led in receiving by Zay Flowers (4-41), who made a big third-down conversion in the final quarter. Isaiah Likely (2-34) and Nelson Agholor (2-12) caught Jackson’s touchdowns.

Aside from Jackson, Justice Hill was the leading rusher in this game with 66 yards on 13 carries. He and Gus Edwards (10-40) lost late-game attempts to Dalvin Cook (8-23), who looked pedestrian aside from a 19-yard burst. For the Texans, Singletary couldn’t find any running room, as he was limited to just 22 yards on nine carries. He also caught five balls for 48 receiving yards.

Buccaneers 32, Eagles 9

It wasn’t too long ago that the Eagles were 10-1. They had beaten the Chiefs, Cowboys, Bills, and Dolphins. It was blasphemy to suggest that they weren’t the best team in the NFL.

That 10-1 record may have been recent, but it feels like it occurred eons ago. The Eagles have suffered many problems since then, ranging from locker room distractions, to declining play from their young defensive players, to key injuries. Philadelphia lost late to the Giants, Cardinals, and Drew Lock-led Seahawks, yet they were favored in Tampa Bay. It was quickly apparent that this was an error, as the Buccaneers completely dominated this game.

This was a one- or two-score affair for most of the evening, but there’s no question that the Buccaneers were the better team. Tampa Bay was up just 16-9 at halftime, but the team dropped six passes in the opening half, so the lead should have been much larger. The Buccaneers finally shored up their mistakes in the second half and were able to crush the Eagles, who looked like they had no interest in tackling. Before long, Tampa Bay scored a touchdown to go up 32-9, clinching a victory in the opening round of the playoffs.

Baker Mayfield had no issues torching the Eagles. He went 22-of-36 for 337 yards and three touchdowns – numbers that would have been much better if it weren’t for the six drops, one of which would have been another score by Cade Otton. While Mayfield played well, he wasn’t perfect. He took some bad sacks, including one that moved his team out of field goal range. He was bailed out by Philadelphia’s atrocious defense that put forth very little effort.

Mayfield’s counterpart was far worse. Jalen Hurts posted respectable stats – 25-of-35, 250 yards, one touchdown – but he missed some easy throws and took a bone-headed safety when he was flagged for intentional grounding in his own end zone. Hurts struggled to handle the blitz and completely forgot that he was capable of scrambling, as he ran just once for five yards. Hurts was obviously hindered by the A.J. Brown-less receiving corps, but his reluctance to use his best trait, his legs, is completely inexcusable.

With Brown out, DeVonta Smith did all the work. Smith had a huge night with eight catches for 148 yards. He was tackled a few yards shy of the end zone following a long catch. Smith, however, was the only productive Eagles receiver. Dallas Goedert caught a touchdown, but accumulated only 21 receiving yards on four catches. He also dropped a pass and was flagged for offensive pass interference.

Tampa Bay’s tight end was much better despite dropping three passes, one of which would have gone for a touchdown. Still, Otton made eight grabs for 89 yards. Conversely, Mike Evans struggled with just three grabs for 48 yards. Chris Godwin (4-45), David Moore (2-66) and Trey Palmer (1-56) all caught touchdowns.

The Buccaneers had much more success running the ball. Rachaad White dashed for 72 yards on 18 carries, while D’Andre Swift was limited to 34 yards on 10 attempts. Swift was at least able to contribute as a receiver with four receptions for 32 additional yards.

Bills 31, Steelers 17

The Bills were one of the hottest teams in the NFL to close out the season, and they didn’t waste any time putting points on the scoreboard despite the 28-hour delayed start time. Josh Allen hit Dawson Knox for an early touchdown, then found Dalton Kincaid for another score following a George Pickens lost fumble. Allen followed that up by sprinting 52 yards into the end zone. Buffalo opened up a 21-0 lead in what looked like a lopsided affair in which Buffalo would be able to sit its starters in the fourth quarter.

The Bills, however, suffered a series of unfortunate events after that. Some of their players began dropping like flies, with key defensive players like Terrel Bernard, Tyrel Dodson, Christian Benford, and Rasul Douglas all suffering injuries. Meanwhile, Buffalo had a field goal blocked that set up a Steelers touchdown on a short field. This gave the Steelers some life, especially because they were able to move the chains so easily against the injury-ravaged Buffalo defense.

The Steelers eventually trimmed the margin to seven, but Allen put the team on his back with an impressive touchdown drive to put this game out of reach for Pittsburgh. He found Khalil Shakir for a touchdown to put Buffalo up 31-17 late in regulation, which effectively ended this contest.

Allen finished 21-of-30 for 203 yards and three touchdowns. He also scrambled eight times for 74 rushing yards and a fourth score. With Allen playing at a high level right now, the Bills have a chance to beat anyone despite the status of their defense.

Kincaid paced the Bills in receiving with three grabs for 59 yards and a touchdown. Stefon Diggs caught seven passes, but accumulated a disappointing 52 yards.

Despite Allen’s great rushing, James Cook was able to lead the Bills in rushing with some big runs in the second half. He rushed for 79 yards on 18 carries. He caught four passes, but for only five receiving yards.

The Steelers didn’t have nearly as much success running the ball. Najee Harris was bottled up for 37 yards on 12 carries, while Jaylen Warren outgained him by one yard on four fewer attempts. Warren and Harris both caught two passes for 16 and 15 receiving yards, respectively.

Mason Rudolph composed himself fairly well against the NFL’s No. 5 EPA defense, aside from a couple of plays. He threw a horrible interception into the end zone and missed some receivers, but he gave the Steelers a chance. Rudolph went 22-of-39 for 229 yards, two touchdowns and a pick.

Pat Freiermuth led the Steelers in receiving with five grabs for 76 yards. He appeared to fumble on one occasion, but replay review inexplicably nullified it. Pickens, whose fumble stood, hauled in five of his 11 targets for 50 yards. Diontae Johnson (4-48) scored a touchdown.

Lions 24, Rams 23

All the pressure was on the Lions. They hadn’t won a playoff game since 1991, yet they were favored to do so over the Rams in the opening round of the playoffs. They easily could have choked and failed to meet expectations, but Jared Goff did not let that happen.

Goff, who was considered the “lesser” quarterback in the exchange for Matthew Stafford a few years ago, put the Lions on his back. He delivered so many brilliant strikes to begin this game. He constantly moved the chains, scoring touchdowns on his first three possessions. The Rams defense, which ranked sixth in adjusted EPA, had no answer for him.

The Rams, however, didn’t allow the Lions to win easily. They kept pace with the Lions and nearly overtook them in the second half, but questionable play-calling in the red zone forced them into one too many field goals. They trimmed the margin to one with four minutes remaining, but they couldn’t retain possession after that, as Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown for the deciding reception to move the chains and clinch the victory.

Goff misfired on just five occasions in this game, torching the Rams mercilessly. Goff went 22-of-27 for 277 yards and a touchdown. He made one mistake in this game when he fumbled the ball while under heavy pressure, but a teammate of his recovered.

Goff’s counterpart posted even better numbers. Matthew Stafford was 25-of-36 for 367 yards and two touchdowns. Despite suffering an injury to his hand and what appeared to be a potential concussion, Stafford toyed with the Lions secondary, dissecting them ease in between the 20s. As mentioned, however, there were some dubious play-calls in the red zone, and Stafford made a couple of throws he wishes he could retry. There was one in particular that occurred on the opening drive of the third quarter. It didn’t happen in the red zone, but Stafford had Cooper Kupp wide open for a gain of about 50, but just sailed the ball out of bounds. This forced a rare punt.

Speaking of Kupp, he was a disappointment once again with five catches for 27 yards. He had some end zone targets, but couldn’t come up with any of them. Meanwhile, Puka Nacua led the Rams in receiving by a wide margin. Nacua logged nine receptions for 181 yards and a touchdown.

The Lions were predictably led in receiving by St. Brown, who reeled in seven of his nine targets for 110 yards. Josh Reynolds (5-80) was next. Sam LaPorta returned from injury to catch three passes for 14 yards and a touchdown.

Both Detroit running backs had plenty of success in the opening half before being shut down following intermission. David Montgomery outgained Jahmyr Gibbs, 57-25, on six fewer carries (14-8). Both scored touchdowns. Gibbs was a bigger factor in the passing game with four catches for 43 yards.

While the Lions couldn’t run the ball in the second half, the Rams couldn’t do so whatsoever. Kyren Williams was limited to just 61 yards on 13 carries. He caught only one ball for nine receiving yards.

Packers 48, Cowboys 32

The Cowboys were undefeated at home this year, but they were hardly challenged. They won many easy games against the Jets, Patriots, Redskins, Giants and some other soft opponents. They had one tough game where they were gifted a victory over the Lions due to officiating incompetence, and they were nearly defeated by the Seahawks, who failed to qualify for the postseason. Anyone who believed Dallas was invincible at home was not paying attention to the quality of competition that the Cowboys battled as hosts.

The Packers were clearly not fazed by Dallas’ undefeated home record. They went into Dallas and completely dominated the Cowboys. A 48-32 result may not indicate that this was a lopsided affair, but Dallas scored two meaningless touchdowns at the very end after the Packers established a 48-16 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Cowboys’ renowned defense had no answer for anything the Packers were doing. When Green Bay called running plays, Aaron Jones would bounce off tackles and pick up big chunks of yardage. When the Packers threw the ball, “No Cookie” Jordan Love was able to find open receivers all afternoon. The Packers accumulated 415 net yards of offense despite not doing anything offensively for the duration of the fourth quarter when all Dallas did was post garbage-time stats and scores.

Love and Jones both could have accumulated far better DFS numbers had they been challenged by Dallas. Love misfired on just five occasions, going 16-of-21 for 272 yards and three touchdowns. Jones, meanwhile, breached the century mark despite ceding touches to Emanuel Wilson in the final frame. He dashed for 118 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.

Shockingly, Love’s leading receiver was neither Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, nor Christian Watson. It was the forgotten man, Romeo Doubs, who reeled in six receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. Wicks (2-25) also scored, while neither Reed nor Watson did much. Watson caught one pass for nine yards, while Reed, who led the Packers in receptions during the season, didn’t log a single catch.

As for the Cowboys, this was yet another disappointing ending to a season of theirs. Mike McCarthy will certainly be fired because Dak Prescott cannot go anywhere with his contract. Those who only look at the box score may wonder what Prescott did wrong because he went 41-of-60 for 403 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions to go along with 45 rushing yards on six scrambles. However, much of this came in garbage time. Prescott’s first-half stats were more telling: 13-of-21 for 87 yards, one touchdown and two picks.

Prescott, quite simply, was a total disaster until garbage time. His first interception was an inaccurate throw, while the second was a telegraphed pick-six. Prescott missed CeeDee Lamb with some bad passes, and he took a horrible sack to move his team out of field goal range in the opening half. Prescott is also lucky that a potential third interception of his was dropped when he fired a pass into the end zone. Prescott is a talented quarterback, but it’ll be difficult for his fans to forget this epic failure of a performance.

Lamb, Michael Gallup and Jake Ferguson all were able to benefit from garbage time. Lamb led the team with nine catches for 110 yards despite barely doing anything in the early stages of the game. Gallup hauled in all six of his targets for 103 yards. Ferguson snatched 10 balls for 93 yards and three touchdowns.

The Cowboys didn’t get a chance to run much for obvious reasons, but Tony Pollard still had a great PPR performance. Pollard rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, and he caught seven passes for 29 receiving yards.

Chiefs 26, Dolphins 7

The Dolphins were one regular-season victory away from hosting the No. 7 seed in the opening round of the playoffs. They lost to the Bills in the finale, however, so their punishment was a trip to Kansas City to begin the postseason. Rather than a comfortable home game in the Miami climate, the warm-weather Dolphins would have to endure one of the coldest games in NFL history.

The results were predictably disastrous. Tua Tagovailoa looked absolutely miserable in the frigid weather, accumulating only six first downs by the time the score was 26-7 in Kansas City’s favor in the fourth quarter.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, prevailed in a lopsided affair, though they continued to shoot themselves in the foot with mistakes. For example, the opening drive featured a Travis Kelce drop and a poor pass to Rashee Rice. Kelce’s drop was the first of three that he was responsible for, and Rice later had a touchdown reception negated by a block in the back. None of this ended up mattering because the Dolphins were not competitive in this environment, but if these issues continue to persist, Kansas City won’t be playing much longer in the postseason.

Patrick Mahomes had a solid performance, especially when factoring in the drops he endured. Mahomes also should have thrown a deep touchdown to Mecole Hardman, but the receiver ran a poor route. Mahomes finished 23-of-41 for 262 yards and a touchdown, and he also scrambled twice for 41 rushing yards, including a 28-yard run on fourth down that set up a score.

Despite the three drops, Kelce was second on the team in receiving with seven grabs for 71 yards. He trailed only Rice, who reeled in eight of his 12 targets for 130 yards and a touchdown. They were the only two Chiefs with more than 20 receiving yards.

Isiah Pacheco ran well, rumbling for 89 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. He had a chance to hit the century mark at the end, but Andy Reid replaced him with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who promptly fumbled.

The Dolphins didn’t rush nearly as well. Raheem Mostert gained just 33 yards on eight carries, while De’Von Achane was even less of a factor with nine yards on six attempts. Achane caught three passes for 21 receiving yards.

Tagovailoa had misleading numbers, going 20-of-39 for 199 yards, one touchdown and an interception that was the result of a high throw under pressure. However, Tagovailoa accumulated some stats in garbage time.

Tyreek Hill was the only productive Miami receiver with five receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown. Jaylen Waddle (2-31) was a non-factor.

Texans 45, Browns 14

Believe it or not, this game had the makings of a back-and-forth shootout. The Browns took a 14-10 lead early in the second quarter, only to see the Texans score a quick touchdown when C.J. Stroud hit Brevin Jordan on a deep pass. With the score changing quickly, it seemed as though both teams would venture into the 30s or 40s.

One thing changed, however, and that was Cleveland’s pass protection. The Browns already had sketchy offensive tackle play, but they maintained a stout interior entering the game. That was no longer the case when Joel Bitonio suffered an injury. Bitonio, one of the better guards in the NFL, limped into the locker room and wasn’t able to return to action. The Bitonio injury was a catastrophic loss for the Browns, who didn’t score a single point after he got hurt.

Joe Flacco’s pass protection was horrid in the wake of Bitonio’s injury. Pressure effectively decided this game, as the Browns were driving into Houston territory while trailing 24-14 in the third quarter. Flacco was hit as he threw, and the ball fluttered into the arms of a Houston player, who scored a pick-six. Flacco was pick-sixed again on the very next possession when he went for it on fourth down. He telegraphed the desperation throw, and just like that, the Texans’ victory was clinched.

It was a shame for Flacco’s magical season to end this way, but there was little doubt that he was a different player before and after the Bitonio departure. Flacco was 15-of-19 for 172 yards and a touchdown in the opening half, but he had just 135 yards following intermission despite needing to throw on almost every snap. Flacco finished 34-of-46 for 307 yards, one touchdown and the two interceptions.

Cleveland’s downgraded pass protection was just one of the catalysts for the defeat. The other was that the defense didn’t play up to its ranking. Myles Garrett and company didn’t pressure Stroud at all, allowing the rookie quarterback to torch the Browns secondary relentlessly.

Stroud misfired on just five occasions. He went 16-of-21 for 274 yards and three touchdowns. Stroud barely passed in the fourth quarter because the Texans were so far ahead, so his stats could have been much better had Cleveland been competitive.

The Browns gave up numerous big plays to the Texans, which includes Jordan’s 76-yard touchdown. Nico Collins also hauled in multiple deep passes. Collins led the team with six receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown. Dalton Schultz (1-27) also scored, but dropped a completion of about 15 yards.

Devin Singletary had decent stats despite the tough matchup. He rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. He also caught three passes, but for only four receiving yards.

The Browns had even less success running the ball. Jerome Ford managed just 17 yards on nine carries. Kareem Hunt (8-26) scored twice.

David Njoku paced the Browns in receiving with seven grabs for 93 yards. Amari Cooper (4-65) did not appear to be healthy, so he was not able to torch the Texans like he did in Week 16.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

2025 NFL Draft Prospects: 3-4 Outside Linebacker

2025 NFL Draft Prospects: 3-4 Defensive End

2025 NFL Draft Prospects: Outside Linebacker

2025 NFL Draft Prospects: Nose Tackle

2025 NFL Draft Prospects: Inside Linebacker

2025 NFL Draft Prospects: Defensive Tackle

NFL Game Recaps: 2023 Playoffs

Related News