2021–22 NFL playoffs
Dates | January 15 – February 13, 2022 | ||||
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Season | 2021 | ||||
Teams | 14 | ||||
Games played | 13 | ||||
Super Bowl LVI site | |||||
Defending champions | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | ||||
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The 2021–22 NFL playoffs is the ongoing playoff tournament for the 2021 season. This was the first time that the league featured a 17-game regular season schedule, and consequently the start date of the playoffs was pushed to January 15, 2022. The postseason will conclude with Super Bowl LVI on February 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Participants
Within each conference, the four division winners and the top three non-division winners with the best overall regular season records qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1–4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5–7. The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round. In the first round, dubbed the Wild Card playoffs or Super Wild Card Weekend, the second-seeded division winner hosts the seventh seed wild card, the third seed hosts the sixth seed, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth seed. The 1 seed from each conference receives a first-round bye. In the second round, the Divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosts the lowest-seeded surviving team from the first round (seed 4, 5, 6, or 7), while the other two surviving teams play each other, with the higher-seeded team hosting. The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championships, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the championship round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference.[1]
Seed | AFC | NFC |
---|---|---|
1 | Tennessee Titans (South winner) | Green Bay Packers (North winner) |
2 | Kansas City Chiefs (West winner) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (South winner) |
3 | Buffalo Bills (East winner) | Dallas Cowboys (East winner) |
4 | Cincinnati Bengals (North winner) | Los Angeles Rams (West winner) |
5 | Las Vegas Raiders (wild card) | Arizona Cardinals (wild card) |
6 | New England Patriots (wild card) | San Francisco 49ers (wild card) |
7 | Pittsburgh Steelers (wild card) | Philadelphia Eagles (wild card) |
Bracket
Jan 16 – AT&T Stadium | Jan 22 – Lambeau Field | |||||||||||||||||
6 | San Francisco | 23 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Dallas | 17 | ||||||||||||||||
6 | San Francisco | 13 | ||||||||||||||||
Jan 30 – SoFi Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
Jan 17 – SoFi Stadium | 1 | Green Bay | 10 | |||||||||||||||
NFC | ||||||||||||||||||
5 | Arizona | 11 | 6 | San Francisco | 17 | |||||||||||||
Jan 23 – Raymond James Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
4 | LA Rams | 34 | 4 | LA Rams | 20 | |||||||||||||
NFC Championship | ||||||||||||||||||
Jan 16 – Raymond James Stadium | 4 | LA Rams | 30 | |||||||||||||||
2 | Tampa Bay | 27 | ||||||||||||||||
7 | Philadelphia | 15 | ||||||||||||||||
Divisional playoffs | Feb 13 – SoFi Stadium | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Tampa Bay | 31 | ||||||||||||||||
Wild Card playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
N4 | LA Rams | 23 | ||||||||||||||||
Jan 15 – Paul Brown Stadium | Jan 22 – Nissan Stadium | A4 | Cincinnati | 20 | ||||||||||||||
Super Bowl LVI | ||||||||||||||||||
5 | Las Vegas | 19 | ||||||||||||||||
4 | Cincinnati | 26 | ||||||||||||||||
4 | Cincinnati | 19 | ||||||||||||||||
Jan 30 – Arrowhead Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
Jan 15 – Highmark Stadium | 1 | Tennessee | 16 | |||||||||||||||
AFC | ||||||||||||||||||
6 | New England | 17 | 4 | Cincinnati | 27* | |||||||||||||
Jan 23 – Arrowhead Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
3 | Buffalo | 47 | 2 | Kansas City | 24 | |||||||||||||
AFC Championship | ||||||||||||||||||
Jan 16 – Arrowhead Stadium | 3 | Buffalo | 36 | |||||||||||||||
2 | Kansas City | 42* | ||||||||||||||||
7 | Pittsburgh | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Kansas City | 42 | ||||||||||||||||
* Indicates OT victory
Schedule
This postseason marks the first time that Wild Card Weekend spans three days. Two games will be played on Saturday, three on Sunday, and one on Monday night.[2][3] The last time that a playoff game was played on a Monday was in 1988 when a Wild Card game was played Monday, December 26 to avoid playing on Christmas.
Away team | Score | Home team | Date | Kickoff (ET / UTC–5) |
TV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wild Card playoffs[4] | |||||
Las Vegas Raiders | 19–26 | Cincinnati Bengals | January 15, 2022 | 4:35 p.m. | NBC |
New England Patriots | 17–47 | Buffalo Bills | January 15, 2022 | 8:15 p.m. | CBS |
Philadelphia Eagles | 15–31 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | January 16, 2022 | 1:05 p.m. | Fox |
San Francisco 49ers | 23–17 | Dallas Cowboys | January 16, 2022 | 4:40 p.m. | CBS/Nick/Prime Video[5] |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 21–42 | Kansas City Chiefs | January 16, 2022 | 8:15 p.m. | NBC |
Arizona Cardinals | Los Angeles Rams | January 17, 2022 | 8:15 p.m. | ABC/ESPN | |
Divisional playoffs[6] | |||||
Cincinnati Bengals | Tennessee Titans | January 22, 2022 | 4:30 p.m.[7] | CBS | |
San Francisco 49ers | Green Bay Packers | January 22, 2022 | 8:15 p.m. | Fox | |
Winner of ARI vs LAR | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | January 23, 2022 | 3:05 p.m.[8] | NBC | |
Buffalo Bills | Kansas City Chiefs | January 23, 2022 | 6:30 p.m.[8] | CBS | |
Conference Championships | |||||
Lower-seeded AFC team | Higher-seeded AFC team | January 30, 2022 | 3:05 p.m. | CBS[9] | |
Lower-seeded NFC team | Higher-seeded NFC team | January 30, 2022 | 6:40 p.m. | Fox[9] | |
Super Bowl LVI SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California | |||||
NFC Champion | AFC Champion | February 13, 2022 | 6:30 p.m. | NBC[10] |
Wild Card playoffs
Saturday, January 15, 2022
AFC: Cincinnati Bengals 26, Las Vegas Raiders 19
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raiders | 3 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
Bengals | 10 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: January 15, 2022
- Game time: 1:35 p.m. PST/4:35 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 32 °F (0 °C)
- Game attendance: 66,277
- Referee: Jerome Boger
- TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Drew Brees, and Kathryn Tappen
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt's clutch interception on his own 2-yard line in the game's closing seconds gave Cincinnati its first playoff win since the 1990 season, ending the longest active playoff victory drought in NFL (8 losses over 31 years).[11]
Las Vegas took the opening kickoff and drove 51 yards in 10 plays, featuring a 17-yard completion from Derek Carr to Zay Jones on 3rd and 2. Daniel Carlson finished the drive with a 47-yard field goal to put the Raiders up 3–0. Cincinnati stormed right back, with Joe Burrow completing three passes to Ja'Marr Chase for 37 yards and a screen pass to Joe Mixon for 21. On 3rd and goal from the 7, he finished the drive with a touchdown pass to tight end C. J. Uzomah to put the Bengals ahead 7–3. On the Raiders' next drive, Carr lost a fumble while being sacked by Trey Hendrickson. Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi recovered the ball and returned it 11 yards to the Las Vegas 15-yard line, setting up Evan McPherson's 31-yard field goal to give the Bengals a 10–3 lead with 1:18 left in the first quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Raiders returner Peyton Barber fielded the ball too close to the sidelines and stepped out of bounds at his own 2-yard line. Two plays later, Sam Hubbard sacked Carr on the 1, and Trent Taylor's 14-yard punt return gave the Bengals excellent field position on the Raiders 45-yard line. Chase then rushed for 7 yards and caught a pass for 28 as the team drove to the 6 before Quinton Jefferson's 3rd down sack forced Cincinnati to settle for McPherson's 30-yard field goal, increasing their lead to 13–3. Tyron Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 35 yards to the 39-yard line. Then Josh Jacobs carried the ball three times for 51 yards on the way to Carlson's 28-yard field goal that cut their deficit to 13–6. Taking the ball back with 7:55 left in the second quarter, Cincinnati drove 82 yards in 12 plays, featuring a 29-yard reception by Uzomah and a 15-yard run by Chase on an end around play on 4th and 1. On 3rd and 4 from the Raiders 10-yard line, Burrow ran to the right side of the field and threw the ball to Tyler Boyd for a touchdown just as his foot was about to go out of bounds. The play was controversial, as one of the officials appeared to blow his whistle slightly before Boyd made the catch, while the ball was still in the air, but the touchdown stood and it gave the Bengals a 20–6 lead with 1:51 left on the clock.[12] Carr then completed 5 passes for 56 yards and rushed for 20 as he led his team 75 yards in 12 plays to score on his 14-yard touchdown pass to Jones with 14 seconds left in the half, making the score 20–13 going into halftime.
Bengals running back Chris Evans returned the second half kickoff 27 yards to the 35-yard line, where the team proceeded to drive 45 yards in 9 plays to score on McPherson's 43-yard field goal, giving them a 23–13 lead. On the Raiders' next drive, Hunter Renfrow caught a long pass 3rd down from Carr on the Bengals 36 and then lost the ball out of bounds when Jessie Bates knocked it out of his hands. The play was initially ruled a completion and fumble out of bounds, but Bengals coach Zac Taylor's replay challenge overturned the call and it was ruled an incompletion, forcing Las Vegas to punt. Cincinnati also ended up punting on their next possession, due to a 3rd down sack by Maxx Crosby. Then Las Vegas drove 76 yards in 12 plays, with Jacobs rushing 4 times for 25 yards and catching a pass for 7. The team made it all the way to Bengals 9-yard line, but then a holding penalty by guard John Simpson eliminated Jacobs' 8-yard run and pushed them back to the 19. The team was unable to get back to the end zone and ended up settling for Carlson's 34-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 23–16 on the last play of the third quarter.
Cincinnati took the ball back and drove 65 yards in 13 plays, taking 7:31 off the clock. Burrow completed 6/7 passes for 56 yards, including a 19-yard completion to Chase of 3rd and 7. On 3rd and 1 from the Raiders 10-yard line, Mixon was tackled inches short of the first down marker, forcing Cincinnati to settle for McPherson's 28-yard field goal to give them a 26–16 lead with 6:46 left in the game. The Raiders responded by advancing 67 yards in 12 plays, featuring Carr's 26-yard completion to DeSean Jackson on 4th and 5. The Bengals defense halted the drive on their own 10 when Hubbard deflected Carr's pass on 3rd and 3, but Carlson's fourth field goal made it a one-score game at 26–19 with 3:37 remaining on the clock. Then the Raiders forced a three-and-out, getting the ball back on their own 35-yard line with 1:51 left and no timeouts. On their first play, a roughing the passer penalty on Khalid Kareem turned Jacobs 15-yard reception into a 30-yard gain. An incompletion and a sack by B. J. Hill brought up 3rd and 17, but then Carr completed a 23-yard pass to tight end Darren Waller on the Bengals 19. After two incompletions, Carr threw a 10-yard pass to Jones at the 9. Then he spiked the ball to stop the clock, giving the Raiders 3 chances to score with 29 seconds remaining. Two incompletions brought up 4th and 9. Then with 17 seconds left, Pratt intercepted Carr's pass and enabled Cincinnati to escape with a win.[13]
Burrow completed 24 of 34 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Chase caught 9 passes for 116 yards and rushed three times for 23. In addition to his interception, Pratt added 9 tackles (6 solo). Evans returned 5 kickoffs for 103 yards and rushed for 9. Carr finished the game 29/54 for 310 yards and a touchdown, with 1 interception, while also rushing for 20 yards. Jacobs rushed for 83 yards and caught 4 passes for 44.
AFC: Buffalo Bills 47, New England Patriots 17
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Bills | 14 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 47 |
at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: January 15, 2022
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Clear, 7 °F (−14 °C)
- Game attendance: 69,188
- Referee: Brad Allen
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, and Evan Washburn
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Buffalo beat the Patriots with 483 yards and touchdowns on every drive except their last one, when they intentionally ran out the clock. It marked the first game in NFL history where a team played an entire game without punting, kicking a field goal, or turning the ball over (on downs nor by fumble or interception), as well as the first time a team scored 7 touchdowns on 7 consecutive drives.[14]
In the first half alone, Buffalo ran 33 plays and gained over 300 yards. They started off the game with a 9-play, 70-yard drive in which Josh Allen rushed twice for 41 yards and completed 4/5 passes for 24, the last an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dawson Knox. New England responded with a drive to the Bills 34, but defensive back Micah Hyde ended the drive by intercepting Mac Jones' pass in the end zone. Then Allen rushed for 6 yards and completed 5/7 passes for 62 yards, finishing the possession with an 11-yard scoring pass to Knox that gave Buffalo a 14–0 lead on the last play of the first quarter.
New England was quickly forced to punt, and the Bills drove back for more points, this time moving the ball 81 yards in 10 plays. Allen had a 22-yard completion to Gabriel Davis and an 8-yard run, while Devin Singletary carried the ball 6 times for 28 yards and finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, making the score 20–0 after Deatrich Wise Jr. blocked the extra point. After another Patriots punt, Allen completed a 19-yard pass to running back Isaiah McKenzie and a 45-yard bomb to Stefon Diggs before rushing the ball 9 yards. Then Singletary scored on a 16-yard touchdown run, giving the Bills a 27–0 lead with 1:51 left in the half. This time New England managed to respond, with Jones completed 6/6 passes for 51 yards, including a 19-yard throw to Jakobi Meyers on 4th and 5. Nick Folk finished the drive with a 44-yard field goal that made the score 27–3 going into halftime.
The Bills dominance continued into the second half. On the 4th play of the third quarter, Levi Wallace intercepted a pass from Jones, giving Buffalo a first down on their 42-yard line. Allen then completed five consecutive passes for 58 yards, the last a 34-yard score to Emmanuel Sanders, putting the Bills up 33–3 after the extra point was blocked by Lawrence Guy. New England struck back with an 11-play, 75-yard drive, featuring a 43-yard completion from Jones to Kendrick Bourne. Jones completed the possession with a 3-yard touchdown pass the Bourne, cutting the score to 33–10. But the Bills countered again with a 9-play, 77-yard drive, which included two 19 yards completions from Allen. The first was to Cole Beasley, and the second was to Davis for a touchdown, giving the Bills a 40–10 lead two plays into the fourth quarter.
New England had to punt on their next drive, and Hyde returned it 52 yards to the Patriots 39-yard line. Allen then completed a 38-yard pass to Knox before throwing a 1-yard score to lineman Tommy Doyle on a tackle-eligible play, increasing the Bills lead to 47–10. New England responded with a 15-play, 77-yard drive to score on Jones' 4-yard touchdown pass to Bourne, but by then only 1:44 remained on the clock, which Bills backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky kneeled out to finish the game.[15]
Allen completed 21 of 25 passes for 308 yards and 5 touchdowns, giving him a near-perfect passer rating of 157.6, while also rushing six times for 66 yards. Knox was the top receiver of the game with 5 receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Singletary rushed for 81 yards, two touchdowns, and caught 3 passes for 13. Jones finished the game 24 of 38 for 232 yards and two touchdowns, with 2 interceptions. Bourne was his top target with 7 receptions for 77 yards and two scores.
Sunday, January 16, 2022
NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Philadelphia Eagles 15
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 15 |
Buccaneers | 14 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Date: January 16, 2022
- Game time: 1:05 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 65 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 65,077
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews, and Tom Rinaldi
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Tampa Bay ran up 31 unanswered points on the way to their fifth consecutive postseason win over the last two seasons. For 44-year-old Bucs quarterback Tom Brady, it was his 35th career playoff win.
The Buccaneers started out the game with a 12-play, 75-yard drive to go up 7–0 on Giovani Bernard's 2-yard touchdown run. After the next three possessions ended in punts, Brady completed 5 of 6 passes for 62 yards on a 70-yard drive that ended with Ke'Shawn Vaughn's 1-yard score, putting the Bucs ahead 14–0 with 25 seconds left in the first quarter. The Eagles had to punt again, and Tampa Bay drove back for more points, this time moving the ball 53 yards in 11 plays to take a 17–0 lead with Ryan Succop's 34-yard field goal.
Philadelphia responded with their most promising drive of the day, moving the ball to the Buccaneers 37-yard line, only to lose the ball with incomplete pass on 4th and 5. Then after a punt, they drove to the Tampa Bay's 27. But once again they failed to score as defensive back Mike Edwards intercepted Jalen Hurts' pass in the end zone.
Both teams punted on their first possession of the second half, but on the Buccaneers punt, Jalen Reagor muffed the kick and Ross Cockrell recovered the ball for Tampa Bay on the Eagles 48-yard line. Brady started off the next drive with a screen pass to Bernard that picked up 21 yards, and eventually finished it with a 2-yard touchdown toss to tight end Rob Gronkowski, increasing the lead to 24–0. Then linebacker Shaq Barrett intercepted a pass from Hurts and returned it 17 yards to the Eagles 36-yard line, where Brady gave the Bucs a 31–0 lead with a touchdown pass to Mike Evans on the next play.
Philadelphia finally managed to get on the board early in the fourth quarter after Reagor returned a punt 31 yards to the Eagles 35-yard line. Hurts completed a 31-yard pass to DeVonta Smith on the next play, and then Boston Scott scored on a 34-yard touchdown run. Then after a punt, Hurts completed 7 of 9 passes for 81 yards and rushed for 6 on a 93-yard drive that ended with his 16-yard touchdown pass to running back Kenneth Gainwell. Hurts then completed a pass to Smith for a two-point conversion to make the score 31–15, but any chance of a comeback was snuffed out when the Bucs recovered Philadelphia's onside kick attempt.
Brady completed 29 of 37 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Evans caught 9 passes for 117 yards and a score. Bernard rushed for 44 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 5 passes for 39 yards. Hurts finished the game 23/43 for 258 yards and a touchdown, with 2 interceptions, along with 8 carries for 39 yards. Tight end Dallas Goedert was his top target with 6 catches for 92 yards.
NFC: San Francisco 49ers 23, Dallas Cowboys 17
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
49ers | 10 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Date: January 16, 2022
- Game time: 1:40 p.m. PST/3:40 p.m. CST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 93,470
- Referee: Alex Kemp
- TV announcers (CBS, Nickelodeon, Amazon Prime Video, Twitch):
- CBS/Prime Video: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson, and Jay Feely
- Nickelodeon: Noah Eagle, Nate Burleson, Gabrielle Nevaeh Green, and Dylan Gilmer
- Prime Video: Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer
- Twitch: Andrew Hawkins and Kimmi Chex (NFL Next Live)
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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San Francisco gained 341 yards, built a 23-7 lead, and held off a frantic Dallas comeback in the fourth quarter.
The 49ers started off the game with a 7-play, 75-yard drive in which Jimmy Garoppolo completed 3/3 passes for 43 yards before Elijah Mitchell scored on a 4-yard touchdown run. Then Travis Benjamin returned a Dallas punt 11 yards to the San Francisco 42-yard line, where the 49ers proceeded to drive 23 yards in 9 plays to take a 10–0 lead with Robbie Gould's 53-yard field goal. The next time San Francisco got the ball, they drove 56 yards in 12 plays, the longest a 19-yard completion from Garoppolo to Deebo Samuel. Gould finished the drive with a 40-yard field goal, giving the 49ers a 13–0 lead with 9:40 left in the second quarter.
This time Dallas managed to respond, starting with Tony Pollard's 32-yard kickoff return to their 33-yard line. After that, they drove 67 yards, with Dak Prescott completed an 18-yard pass to Cedrick Wilson before finding Amari Cooper in the end zone for a 20-yard score, cutting their deficit to 13–7. San Francisco struck back with Garoppolo's 37-yard completion to Brandon Aiyuk setting up a 52-yard field goal from Gould, putting them ahead 16-7 going into halftime.
After the first three drives of the second half ended in punts, 49ers defensive back K'Waun Williams intercepted a pass from Prescott on the Cowboys 26-yard line. On the next play, Samuel's 26-yard touchdown run increase the team's lead to 23–7. Following a pair of punts, Prescott's completions to CeeDee Lamb and Wilson for gains of 18 and 24 yards moved the ball to the Cowboys 48-yard line. When faced with 4th and 5, Dallas picked up a first down on a fake punt, with Bryan Anger throwing the ball to Chris Goodwin for a 16-yard gain. Three plays later, Greg Zuerlein finished the drive with a 51-yard field goal, bringing the score to 23–10 with 11:53 left in the game.
On San Francisco's next drive, cornerback Anthony Brown intercepted a pass from Garoppolo and returned it 23 yards to the 49ers 28-yard line. Four plays later, Prescott scored on a 5-yard touchdown run, cutting the Cowboys deficit to 23–17. The 49ers managed to run 6 minutes off the clock with their ensuing possession, but punted the ball back to Dallas with 2:42. Prescott started out the drive with a 38-yard completion to Dalton Schultz, but the team could go no further and turned the ball over on downs. The Cowboys managed to force another punt with 32 seconds left, giving them one last chance for a game-winning drive, but time expired as they advanced the ball to the 49ers 24-yard line.
Garoppolo completed 16 of 25 passes for 171 yards with 1 interception. Mitchell was the top rusher of the game with 96 yards and a touchdown. Samuel had 10 carries for 72 yards and a score, along with 3 receptions for 38 yards. Prescott completed 23/43 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown, with 1 interception, and rushed 4 times for 27 yards and score. Schultz was the game's leading receiver with 7 receptions for 89 yards.
AFC: Kansas City Chiefs 42, Pittsburgh Steelers 21
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Chiefs | 0 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: January 16, 2022
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EST/7:15 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 30 °F (−1 °C)
- Game attendance: 73,253
- Referee: Shawn Smith
- TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, and Michele Tafoya
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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This was the third postseason meeting between the Steelers and the Chiefs, and the first one since Pittsburgh defeated Kansas City in the 2016 Divisional playoffs.[16]
Monday, January 17, 2022
NFC: Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
- Date: January 17, 2022
- Game time: 6:15 p.m. MST/5:15 p.m. PST
- Referee: Clay Martin
- TV announcers (ABC/ESPN): Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick, and Lisa Salters
- Preview
This is the second postseason meeting between the Cardinals and the Rams. The Rams defeated the Cardinals in the 1975 Divisional playoffs.[17]
Divisional playoffs
Saturday, January 22, 2022
AFC: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tennessee Titans
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bengals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Titans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: January 22, 2022
- Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, and Evan Washburn
- Preview
This will be the second postseason meeting between the Bengals and Titans. The Bengals defeated the Titans, then known as the Houston Oilers in the 1990 Wild Card playoffs.[18]
NFC: San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
49ers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Packers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Date: January 22, 2022
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EST
- TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews, and Tom Rinaldi
- Preview
This will be the 9th postseason meeting in the 49ers–Packers rivalry, with the two teams being 4–4 against each other in the postseason. The most recent meeting between the two teams was a 49ers victory over the Packers in the 2019 NFC Championship Game.[19]
Sunday, January 23, 2022
NFC: Arizona Cardinals or Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Buccaneers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Date: January 23, 2022
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST
- TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, and Michele Tafoya
- Preview
AFC: Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
This will be the 5th postseason meeting between the Bills and Chiefs. The two teams are currently tied 2–2 in postseason history. The Bills and Chiefs last met in the 2020 AFC Championship, which would end in a Chiefs victory. [20]
Television coverage
All playoff games will be televised nationally on network television.
ESPN acquired the rights to produce coverage of the Monday night Wild Card game and simulcast it on ABC. ESPN will also carry additional Megacast broadcasts for its Wild Card game, including the Manningcast hosted by Peyton and Eli Manning on ESPN2 and ESPN+.[3][21]
Coverage of the rest of the Wild Card round remains the same as the previous season, with CBS and NBC televising two games each, and Fox having one game.[2] For the second consecutive year, CBS will air an alternate broadcast for its Sunday Wild Card game on sister network Nickelodeon oriented toward a youth audience (along with Amazon/Twitch simulcasting and Providing Alternative Audio options on the Platform) .[22]
CBS has exclusive coverage of both AFC Divisional games and the AFC Championship Game. Coverage of the NFC Divisional games will be split between Fox and NBC. Fox has exclusive coverage of the NFC Championship Game. NBC has exclusive coverage of Super Bowl LVI.[9][10]
References
- ^ "What to Know About the NFL's New Expanded Postseason Format". si.com. January 9, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
- ^ a b "Super Wild Card Weekend to include Monday night game". NFL.com. September 24, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
- ^ a b "ESPN to televise Monday night NFL wild-card playoff game for next five seasons". ESPN.com. October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "NFL announces Super Wild Card Weekend schedule". NFL.com. January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ "NFL Wild Card Game on Nickelodeon set to return a after Slime-filled, Emmy-winning debut last season". cbssports.com. December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ "NFL announces Divisional Round schedule". NFL.com. January 16, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-announces-divisional-round-schedule
- ^ a b "NFL changes start times for divisional round playoff games". cbssports.com. May 22, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ a b c Hipes, Patrick (December 14, 2011). "UPDATE: NBC, CBS And Fox Score Nine-Year NFL Extensions Taking Them To 2022". Deadline.
- ^ a b Lynch, Jason (January 28, 2018). "NBC Sports Is About to Make $1.4 Billion in 22 Days Thanks to the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics". Adweek.
- ^ Baby, Ben (January 15, 2022). "Bengals win first playoff game in 31 years, set the table for a run at AFC title". ESPN.com. ESPN Inc. Associated Press. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Sullivan, Tyler (January 15, 2022). "Raiders-Bengals controversial touchdown: Cincinnati awarded TD despite inadvertent whistle by referees". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ DeArdo, Bryan; Dajani, Jordan (January 15, 2022). "Bengals vs. Raiders score: Cincinnati holds off Las Vegas for first playoff victory in 31 years". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Getzenberg, Alaina (January 15, 2022). "Buffalo Bills make playoff history with 7 touchdown drives in blowout win vs. New England Patriots". ESPN.com. ESPN Inc. Associated Press. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
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