NFL playoffs: Saturday darkness thriller gets deed started

NFL playoffs: Saturday darkness thriller gets deed started

The relax of the NFL playoffs have a a large amount to exist up to following Saturday™s display.

San Francisco rookie quarterback Brock Purdy nailed his postseason debut, leading the 49ers to a 41-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Then, Trevor Lawrence accompanied by every one one other accompanied by the Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off a jaw-dropping 27-point comeback inside a 31-30 stunner opposed to the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night.

The games convey on accompanied by accompanied by trio additional Sunday: Miami at Buffalo, Baltimore at Cincinnati accompanied by every one one other accompanied by the New York Giants at Minnesota. The opening weekend wraps up Monday darkness accompanied by Tom Brady accompanied by every one one other accompanied by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Dallas Cowboys.

But it™s going to exist durable to top Saturday night™s barnburner.

The Chargers built a 27-0 lead late inside the following quarter following Lawrence threw quartet interceptions, including trio by Asante Samuel. The second-year pro at that hour dated responded by throwing quartet TD passes accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Riley Patterson kicked a 36-yard meadow goal while hour dated expired for the win.

Lawrence™s heroics ability have overshadowed Purdy™s stellar playoff debut for the 49ers.

The rookie completed 18 of 30 passes for 332 yards, trio touchdowns accompanied by every one one other accompanied by no indeed indeed interceptions to go nearer earliest inside his sixth consecutive start. The 262nd ” accompanied by every one one other accompanied by final ” pick of last spring™s preliminary report not here of Iowa State, Purdy™s unlikely tale started when he was pushed into deed following an wound inside December to starter Jimmy Garoppolo.

The Seahawks led 17-16 accompanied by every one one other accompanied by kept things near into with every one other accompanied by not here of most of trio quarters, nevertheless the 49ers poured it on late.

The No. 1 all-inclusive seed inside the AFC was claimed by Kansas City accompanied by its 31-13 go nearer earliest inside over Las Vegas inside Week 18. The NFC™s top spot was taken by Philadelphia, which hit the Giants 22-16. Those teams obtain the weekend off earlier to playing inside the divisional circular following weekend.

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Seven of the 14 teams inside this year™s playoffs didn™t build the meadow last season, giving the NFL™s wild-card weekend a mix of orthodox powerhouses accompanied by every one one other accompanied by underdogs.

Here are some other things to know all over the postseason:

WHAT™S THE REMAINING WILD-CARD SCHEDULE?

SUNDAY

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. EST, CBS

New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings, 4:30 p.m. EST, Fox

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 p.m. EST, NBC

MONDAY

Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN/ABC

WHAT™S THE FORMAT FOR PLAYOFFS?

This is the third unswerving year of the contemporaneous NFL playoff format, which includes the top septet teams from both the AFC accompanied by every one one other accompanied by the NFC.

The quartet dividing winners inside both conferences automatically obtain the top quartet seeds, anyway of record, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by at that hour dated the top trio teams accompanied by the finest record that didn™t go nearer earliest inside their dividing are the wild-card selections. That™s why it™s justly usual for a wild-card selection to have a better record ” nevertheless worse playoff seeding ” than a team that finished while a dividing winner.

The No. 1-seeded team inside every one one conference gets a bye into the following circular ” that™s the Chiefs accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Eagles ” while No. 2 hosts No. 7, No. 3 hosts No. 6 accompanied by every one one other accompanied by No. 4 hosts No. 5 all over the wild-card weekend.

The NFL re-seeds teams following every one one playoff round. That means no indeed indeed matter how the bracket started, the lowest-seeded team will always journey to the highest-seeded team.

There are quartet rounds to the playoffs: The wild-card circular is this weekend, the divisional circular is Jan. 21-22, the conference championship games are on Jan. 29 accompanied by every one one other accompanied by the Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 12 inside Glendale, Arizona.

WHAT CHANGED WITH BILLS-BENGALS CANCELLATION?

Players accompanied by every one one other accompanied by fans watched inside horror on Jan. 2 as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the meadow at Cincinnati when his heart stopped accompanied by every one one other accompanied by he received CPR earlier to leaving the meadow inside an ambulance. Over the following week, those same players accompanied by every one one other accompanied by fans reacted accompanied by joy at report of Hamlin™s recovery.

Even better report came Saturday: Hamlin visited accompanied by teammates at the Bills™ facility for the earliest hour dated since actuality discharged from a Buffalo hospital.

A anthropoid actuality accompanied by unswerving knowledge of Hamlin™s scheme confirmed to The Associated Press the player™s visit. The anthropoid actuality spoke on the condition of anonymity since Hamlin has kept his scheme accompanied by every one one other accompanied by recuperation private.

Hamlin™s remarkable recuperation has made it a a large amount of easier to focus on the playoffs.

The cancellation of the Bills-Bengals game since of Hamlin™s wound could lead to one large alter to the AFC playoff format.

The AFC championship game would exist played at a neutral location if the Chiefs accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Bills stretch not here that point under a regulation adaptation approved by NFL owners last Friday. That™s since Buffalo (13-3) played one fewer game than Kansas City (14-3) accompanied by every one one other accompanied by missed not here on a chance to exist paid the top seed. The Bills hit the Chiefs 24-20 on Oct. 16 accompanied by every one one other accompanied by would have held the tiebreaker had the teams finished accompanied by the same record. Buffalo lost 42-36 at Kansas City inside a divisional-round classic last season.

The Chiefs would host the AFC title game opposed to some other team, including the third-seeded Bengals (12-4).

WHAT ARE THE GOOD GAMES AFTER SATURDAY?

There™s not a bad matchup inside the bunch, nevertheless a place of set of two stand out.

” Cowboys at Bucs: Brady suffered into with every one other accompanied by not here of his earliest losing hour dated inside his 23-year career, nevertheless flat at 8-9, the Bucs won the NFC South. They™ll face the Cowboys, who were 12-5 accompanied by every one one other accompanied by always attract a white-hot spotlight. They™ll amuse oneself Monday night.

” Ravens at Bengals: The AFC North rivals will meet for the third hour dated this hour dated Sunday. The Baltimore Ravens will exist lacking quarterback accompanied by every one one other accompanied by former MVP Lamar Jackson since of a knee injury. Instead it will exist Tyler Huntley under center, who will build his earliest postseason start. He™ll face the Bengals accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Joe Burrow, who lost the Super Bowl to the Rams last season.

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AP Sports Writer John Wawrow contributed to this report.

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