Bengals Beat Titans 19-16, Advance to AFC Championship Game

For all the playoff misery Bengals fans suffered through, these past two weeks have been pretty damn special.

Last week, the Cincinnati Bengals ended their 31-year playoff win drought with a thrilling 26-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

This week, it was another barnburner that came down to the final seconds, but the Bengals came out on top once again, beating the Tennessee Titans 19-16, this time thanks to an Evan McPherson walk-off kick to send Bengaldom to the 2022 AFC Championship Game.

Evan McPherson continued what should go down as one of the best kickers a rookie has ever had, and this was unquestionably one of the best playoff games the NFL has ever seen from a rookie.

The final one was a 52-yarder as time expired.

Burrow finished the game 28-of-37 passing for 348 yards and one interception, but the Titans defense did not make it easy on him — Tennessee tied the single-game playoff record with nine sacks. Despite the defensive effort, the Titans’ postseason ended in disappointment again after earning the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.

49ers Bounce Packers From Playoffs in 13-10 Stunner

The San Francisco 49ers pulled off a shocking upset in the divisional round, coming from behind to defeat the Green Bay Packers, 13-10, at Lambeau Field.

The Packers saw their season end on a walk-off 45-yard field goal by 49ers Kicker Robbie Gould on Saturday night at Lambeau Field. The 13-10 final in the NFC Divisional playoff sent No. 1-seeded Green Bay into the offseason immensely disappointed with a 13-5 overall record.

For the 49ers, QB Jimmy Garoppolo was 11-of-19 for 131 yards with an interception for a 57.1 rating. RB Elijah Mitchell had 17 carries for 53 yards and WR Deebo Samuel carried 10 times for 39 yards, adding three receptions for 44 more. TE George Kittle had four catches for 63 yards.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was 20-of-29 for 225 yards and a 91.9 passer rating. RB Aaron Jones had 12 rushes for 41 yards and nine receptions for 129 yards. WR Davante Adams had nine catches for 90 yards and RB AJ Dillon had seven carries for 25 yards and the Packers’ lone TD before leaving the game with a chest injury.

49ers Hang On Over Cowboys 23-17 In A Chaotic Wild Card Finish

Kyle Shanahan walked onto the field with an emphatic nod, believing his San Francisco 49ers had beaten the Dallas Cowboys in a chaotic wild-card finish that left many not sure what was happening.

Deebo Samuel ran 26 yards for a touchdown for a comfortable lead in the third quarter before the Cowboys rallied and ran out of time trying to get a final play in the 49ers’ 23-17 victory Sunday.

“I’m still trying to figure out where I’m at,” Shanahan said after coaching San Francisco’s first playoff victory at Dallas in a storied postseason rivalry. “It’s pretty emotional out there.”

The 49ers (11-7) overcame an interception by Jimmy Garoppolo when they led by 13 in the fourth quarter, and now are headed to a divisional playoff next Saturday night at Green Bay two years after reaching the Super Bowl and losing to Kansas City.

The wait for Dallas (12-6) to reach even an NFC championship game will tick up to 27 years after another first-game flameout in the postseason for Dak Prescott, the second in three trips over six seasons for the star quarterback. It was his first playoff game since signing a $40-million-a-year contract in the off-season.