SATURDAY:
Texans 45, Browns 14
Rookie C.J. Stroud became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game after throwing for 274 yards and three touchdowns, and the Houston Texans returned two interceptions by Joe Flacco for scores in a 45-14 rout of the Cleveland Browns in a wild-card matchup Saturday.
Stroud, the second overall pick in the draft last April, is also the highest-drafted rookie QB to win in the postseason. He picked apart Cleveland’s vaunted defense, throwing touchdown passes of 15 yards to Nico Collins, 76 to Brevin Jordan and 37 to Dalton Schultz.
At 22 years and 102 days old, Stroud passed Michael Vick, who was 22 years, 192 days old in 2002 when his Falcons beat the Packers.
Stroud threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns before halftime as the Texans built a 24-14 lead. The defense took over after that, with Steven Nelson and Christian Harris returning interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive drives in the third quarter.
It’s the Browns’ worst postseason loss since a 34-0 thumping by the Baltimore Colts on Dec. 29, 1968.
Houston is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, and Stroud’s stellar play and the leadership of Ryans, who’s in his first year, transformed the Texans (11-7) from NFL laughingstock to AFC South champions.
Chiefs 26, Dolphins 7
Patrick Mahomes threw for 262 yards and a touchdown and led the Kansas City Chiefs to a 26-7 rout of the Miami Dolphins in the fourth-coldest game in NFL history Saturday night.
The reigning league MVP found Rashee Rice eight times for 130 yards and a touchdown in the wild-card playoff game, and Isiah Pacheco added 89 yards rushing and another score, sending the Chiefs (12-6) past the Dolphins.
Harrison Butker added four field goals for the defending Super Bowl champs.
The injury-depleted Dolphins (11-7) looked nothing like the dynamic offense that led the league in yards during the regular season. Tua Tagovailoa was pressured relentlessly by the NFL’s second-ranked defense, wide receiver Tyreek Hill had a 53-yard TD catch but was otherwise shut down in his return to Kansas City, and the Dolphins finished with just 264 yards in all.
It was minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-20 Celsius) at kickoff, easily setting a record for the coldest game at Arrowhead Stadium. But it was wind gusts, whipping through at more than 25 mph and driving the wind chill to a bone-rattling minus-27 degrees, that made the weather truly miserable for just about everyone.
Steelers-Bills Playoff Game Moved to Today (Monday)
The Buffalo Area was hit by a massive snowstorm.
SUNDAY:
Packers 48, Cowboys 32
Aaron Jones ran for three touchdowns, Jordan Love threw for three more in his postseason debut, Darnell Savage returned an interception 64 yards for a score and the Green Bay Packers handed the Dallas Cowboys their first home loss since the 2022 opener in a 48-32 wild-card stunner Sunday.
Green Bay (10-8) will visit top-seeded San Francisco in the divisional round next weekend.
Dak Prescott threw two interceptions before three mostly empty touchdown passes in another playoff flop for him and the No. 2 seed Cowboys (12-6).
The first home loss for the Cowboys since now-retired Tom Brady and Tampa Bay beat them 16 months ago was also the most points the franchise has allowed in a postseason game. The previous high was 38.
Lions 24, Rams 23
Jared Goff threw for a touchdown and completed a game-sealing first down against his former team, and the Detroit Lions won a playoff game for the first time in 32 years, beating Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams 24-23. (Stafford was the Lions’ longtime quarterback who won a Super Bowl after he was traded to the Rams.)
The Lions (13-5) ended a nine-game postseason losing streak — the longest in NFL history — that dated to a victory over Dallas on Jan. 5, 1992. They lost a home playoff game two years later and hadn’t hosted one since.
Detroit will have two home playoff games for the first time in franchise history, hosting either Tampa Bay or Philadelphia in the divisional round next Sunday.
The Rams (10-8) had a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, but Detroit’s defense held. A holding penalty pushed Los Angeles out of field goal range, and Stafford threw incomplete on fourth down.
TODAY’s GAMES:
The (10-7) Pittsburgh Steelers battle the (11-6) Buffalo Bills in a game postponed on Saturday.
The (11-6) Philadelphia Eagles are in Tampa Bay to battle the (9-8) Buccaneers.
The Lions beat the Rams to advance in the playoffs… here’s head coach Dan Campbell’s speech to the Lions players in the locker room.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff talks about the people around him in Detroit.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love talks about the win over Dallas in the first round of the playoffs
Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur address the team inside their locker room in Dallas after their 48-32 win over the Cowboys. It was the first time in NFL history that a #7 seed won a playoff game.
Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud talks about the Wild Card victory over the Browns: ‘I’m excited to play with my brothers another week.’
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes talks about his helmet getting shattered during the win over the Dolphins, and why the backup helmet wouldn’t fit on his head.
