...and then there were only four. While the New England Patriots are no longer in contention for the Vince Lombardi Trophy — the defending Super Bowl champions were eliminated from the playoffs during last weekend’s wild card round — the postseason continued on Sunday with the remaining four teams going at each other in the second patch of divisional games. Both games were entertaining affairs that eventually ended with the home winning.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the two contests:
- AFC: #4 Houston Texans (31) at #2 Kansas City Chiefs (51)
- NFC: #5 Seattle Seahawks (23) at #2 Green Bay Packers (28)
The first of the two games saw the Texans go on the road to take on the Chiefs. Early on, it looked like the club coached by former Patriots assistant Bill O’Brien would upset the AFC’s second seed: taking advantage of multiple Kansas City mistakes in all three phases, Houston jumped to a 24-0 lead by the early second quarter.
However, going for a field goal on fourth-and-one and unsuccessfully attempting a fake punt in their own territory when the score was still 24-7 proved to be questionable coaching decisions by the Texans that turned the tide in the Chiefs’ favor and set the stage for one of the biggest comebacks in playoff history: Kansas City scored four touchdowns in the second quarter and added 23 more points in half number two to win in convincing fashion.
Game number two, meanwhile, also began with one team taking a commanding lead: Green Bay jumped to a 21-3 halftime lead against the Seahawks, but was able to hold onto it through regulation to take away the victory. While Seattle rallied in the second half to come within five points in the fourth quarter, the Packers were able to convert two third-and-longs late in the game to run out the clock and move on to the NFC Championship game.
Speaking of which, the conference finals are now set:
- 3:05 p.m. ET — AFC: #6 Tennessee Titans at #2 Kansas City Chiefs (CBS)
- 6:40 p.m. ET — NFC: #2 Green Bay Packers at #1 San Francisco 49ers (FOX)