The Buffalo Payments blew a 17-point benefit earlier than recovering to win Sunday. That slim escape got here lower than 24 hours after the Jacksonville Jaguars overcame a 27-point deficit and pulled off probably the most gorgeous comeback victories in playoff historical past.
No lead is secure and the drama abounds thus far within the NFL playoffs.
A loaded Sunday schedule noticed the Payments escape with a 34-31 win over the Miami Dolphins, the New York Giants upset the Minnesota Vikings 31-24 and the Cincinnati Bengals cling on to beat the Baltimore Ravens 24-17 as wild-card weekend continued.
Yet another sport within the spherical stays: Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night time.
All three of Sunday's video games have been determined within the last minutes. Within the nightcap, Sam Hubbard returned Baltimore quarterback Tyler Huntley’s fumble 98 yards for a tiebreaking landing within the fourth quarter in a surprising flip of occasions that led the Bengals to their win.
Huntley tried to go excessive of the road for the go-ahead rating. However he was stood up by Germaine Pratt and stripped by fellow linebacker Logan Wilson.
The ball went proper to Hubbard on the 2, and the defensive finish took off down the sector for the longest fumble return for a landing in NFL postseason historical past. It additionally was the longest go-ahead TD within the fourth quarter within the postseason.
In Sunday's opener, Payments quarterback Josh Allen shrugged off a three-turnover outing by throwing two landing passes 3:11 aside within the third quarter. He completed 23 of 39 for 352 yards and three TDs, but additionally threw two interceptions and misplaced a fumble.
Cole Beasley scored the go-ahead landing with a 6-yard catch, and Gabe Davis prolonged the result in 34-24 with a 23-yard TD reception after Buffalo squandered its early 17-0 benefit.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones turned one of many stars of wild-card weekend by main sixth-seeded New York to its highway win over No. 3 Minnesota. Jones — enjoying in his first playoff sport — threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 78 yards in a stellar all-around efficiency. Saquon Barkley rushed for 2 scores, together with the tiebreaker halfway by means of the fourth quarter.
On Saturday, rookie Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks 41-23 whereas the Jaguars capped their comeback by beating the Los Angeles Chargers 31-30.
The No. 1 general seed within the AFC was claimed by Kansas Metropolis with its 31-13 win over Las Vegas in Week 18. The NFC's high spot was taken by Philadelphia. These groups obtained the weekend off earlier than enjoying within the divisional spherical subsequent weekend.
Listed here are another issues to know throughout the postseason:
WHAT'S THE UPCOMING SCHEDULE?
MONDAY
Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN/ABC
SATURDAY, JAN. 21
Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, 4:30 p.m. EST, NBC/Peacock/Universo
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m. EST, Fox/Fox Deportes
SUNDAY, JAN. 22
Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Payments, 3 p.m. EST, CBS/Paramount+
Dallas/Tampa Bay at San Francisco 49ers, 6:30 p.m. EST, Fox, Fox Deportes
WHAT'S THE FORMAT FOR PLAYOFFS?
That is the third straight yr of the present playoff format, which incorporates the highest seven groups from each the AFC and the NFC.
The 4 division winners in each conferences routinely get the highest 4 seeds, no matter report, after which the highest three groups with the perfect report that did not win their division are the wild-card choices. That is why it is pretty frequent for a wild-card choice to have a greater report — however worse playoff seeding — than a staff that completed as a division winner.
The No. 1-seeded staff in every convention will get a bye into the second spherical — that is the Chiefs and Eagles — whereas No. 2 hosts No. 7, No. 3 hosts No. 6 and No. 4 hosts No. 5 throughout the wild-card weekend.
The NFL re-seeds groups after every playoff spherical. Meaning regardless of how the bracket began, the lowest-seeded staff will all the time journey to the highest-seeded staff.
There are 4 rounds to the playoffs: The wild-card spherical is that this weekend, the divisional spherical is Jan. 21-22, the convention championship video games are on Jan. 29 and the Tremendous Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
WHAT CHANGED WITH BILLS-BENGALS CANCELLATION?
Gamers and followers watched in horror on Jan. 2 as Buffalo Payments security Damar Hamlin collapsed on the sector at Cincinnati when his coronary heart stopped and he obtained CPR earlier than leaving the sector in an ambulance. Over the following week, those self same gamers and followers reacted with pleasure at information of Hamlin's restoration.
Even higher information got here Saturday: Hamlin visited with teammates on the Payments’ facility for the primary time since being discharged from a Buffalo hospital.
An individual with direct information of Hamlin’s schedule confirmed to The Related Press the participant’s go to. The individual spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of Hamlin has stored his schedule and restoration personal.
Hamlin's outstanding restoration has made it a lot simpler to deal with the playoffs.
The cancellation of the Payments-Bengals sport due to Hamlin's damage may result in one massive change to the AFC playoff format.
The AFC championship sport can be performed at a impartial web site if the Chiefs and Payments attain that time beneath a rule adjustment accredited by NFL house owners final Friday. That is as a result of Buffalo (13-3) performed one fewer sport than Kansas Metropolis (14-3) and missed out on an opportunity to earn the highest seed. The Payments beat the Chiefs 24-20 on Oct. 16 and would have held the tiebreaker had the groups completed with the identical report. Buffalo misplaced 42-36 at Kansas Metropolis in a divisional-round basic final season.
The Chiefs would host the AFC title sport towards every other staff, together with the third-seeded Bengals (12-4).