Winners of Wildcard Sunday
The NFL Playoffs kicked off on Saturday with the 49ers defeating the Seahawks and the Jaguars pulling off a victorious comeback, which will have everyone talking about it for many of years to come against the Los Angeles Chargers. After that epic victory, it set the tone for the other playoff games that happened on Sunday. Let's take a look at what teams advanced on Sunday.
Buffalo Avoids the Upset Against the Dolphins 34-31
The first game of the day was the Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins. Going into the game, Buffalo had the advantage, because the fins were starting rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson instead of Tua Tagovailoa, because Tagovailoa was put on the injured reserve list. Buffalo jumped out to a great start. Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs was Miami's nightmare in the first half. Allen and Diggs hooked up for some big plays down the field to put their team in scoring position in which they capitalized on. Despite their success, a couple key mistakes hurt the Bills as Miami scored 17 unanswered points within a seven-minute span in the second quarter. Buffalo was up at the half, 20-17.
Things got pretty interesting in the second half. The Dolphins scored off a turnover, and a touchdown to put themselves in front of the Bills right out the gate in the third. Buffalo scored a touchdown off of a Dolphin's turnover to regain the lead 34-24. At the start of the fourth, the Dolphins marched down the field and scored on a one-yard touchdown run by Jeff Wilson Jr. Momentum was shifting to the Dolphins' sideline and Buffalo could feel it. A once noisy crowd was silent.
With one last gasp of shocking Buffalo, the Dolphins had a chance to either tie the game up or put the game on ice with a touchdown. On a fourth and six, with under three minutes left in the game, the Dolphins failed to convert the down, which gave the ball back to Buffalo. The Bills escape and will advance to the divisional round.
Allen finished threw for 352 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
Skyler Thompson finished with 220 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.
Giants defense secures victory over Vikings 31-24
New York left everything out on the field against the Vikings. Majority of the season, the G-Men have been a run first type of team. Today was a bit different. The Giants were very aggressive with their play calling and decided to throw the ball down the field instead of running the ball. They attacked Minnesota's defense with taking advantage of their weakness, which was the middle of the field and converted on fourth and shorts. The game was very intense and close, especially in the fourth. Up 31-24 with only two minutes left in regulation, the Giants' defense came up big on a fourth and six with the game on the line.
Daniel Jones finished with 301 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 78 yards on the ground.
Kirk Cousins finished with 273 yards and 2 touchdown.
The Bengals survive late comeback by Ravens 24-17
In the night cap, the Bengals hosted their divisional rivals in the Baltimore Ravens. Without no Lamar Jackson, the Bengals were the favorites to win the game. The first half was a grind it out game by both teams. If you liked a defensive game, you would have loved the first two quarters. Baltimore walked into the half with a 10-9 lead over Cincy. The second half told a different story. Both teams scored on their first possession in the third quarter, which made it a tied game. Baltimore had the opportunity to score a touchdown at the start of the fourth, but Tyler Huntley fumbled the ball at the one-yard line attempting to break the plain. Cincy took the fumbled to the crib and regained the lead, 24-17. The fumble recovery and touchdown was the key factor with helping the Bengals win the game. Cincy will advance and play the Bills.
