Behind The Scoreboard
The NFL postseason kicked off last weekend with the wild card playoffs and what a whirlwind it was.
Hopefully everyone’s favorite team has advanced to the divisional round.
Heading into the wild card weekend, the Detroit Lions, the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants were considered the underdogs. So, did these teams manage to pull off an upset and move on to the next round?
Well, the streak didn’t end for the Detroit Lions after a dismal performance in Seattle. The Lions have not won a playoff game on the road since 1957.
The Lions extended their lengthy post-season drought after a loss (26-6) to the Seattle Seahawks Saturday night in an NFC wild card game.
Seattle won its 10th straight home playoff game and has moved on to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs to face the number two seed, the Atlanta Falcons, Saturday, Jan. 14.
It was the fourth straight loss to end the season for the Lions, who were looking for their first playoff win since the 1991 season.
The Lions could only get a pair of long field goals (51 and 53) by Matt Prater. The reason why Seattle walked away with a victory was because running back Thomas Rawls wasn’t afraid to take on multiple defenders to gain yards. Rawls rushed for a franchise playoff record 161 yards on 27 carries, breaking Marshawn Lynch’s postseason record for most rushing yards in a single game, and capping his night with a 4-yard TD run that gave Seattle a 19-6 lead.
For nearly three seasons, injuries had delayed Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Le’Veon Bell the chance to run onto the field together in the playoffs until last Sunday afternoon.
The trio played as if it was trying to make up for lost time. Bell ran for a franchise post-season record 167 yards and two TDs. Brown caught five passes for 124 yards, and a pair of first-quarter touchdowns from Roethlisberger. The Steelers downed the Miami Dolphins 30-12 in the AFC wild card playoff. The Dolphins last won the AFC East in 2008. The Steelers (12-5) will visit the AFC West champion, the Kansas City Chiefs (12-4), this Sunday.
Aaron Rodgers, master of the Hail Mary pass, struck again in another big moment to help lead the Green Bay Packers to a 38-13 win over the New York Giants on Sunday evening in an NFC wild card game. The Packers move on to face the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round Sunday, Jan. 15.
Also, the Houston Texans will travel to Foxboro, Mass., this Saturday to take on the New England Patriots in the AFC divisional playoff.