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NFL Playoff Bracket 2023: Photos, Schedule After Saturday’s Divisional Rounds
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Chiefs QB Patrick MahomesDavid Uritt/Getty Images
The NFL’s divisional round got off to a pretty interesting start on Saturday. The Kansas He Chiefs outlasted the Jacksonville Jaguars, which many expected. However, the Jaguars displeased his AFC top seed.
The Chiefs were forced to play much of the first half without star quarterback Patrick Mahomes due to an ankle injury. He came back in the second half, but his mobility was limited.
But the Chiefs moved forward, thanks to some big plays by the Kansas City defense and a strong assist by backup Chad Henn.
The Philadelphia Eagles thrashed their rival New York Giants 38-7, making them much less competitive at nightcap. Philly took his 28–0 lead at halftime and never looked back.
Of course, this means the top seed from each conference will advance to the next round. It’s unclear who will meet them over the championship weekend. Below you’ll find a quick recap of Saturday’s action, as well as a rundown of Sunday’s games and his schedule for the rest of the postseason.
Chiefs 27 Jaguars 20
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Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster and RB Isiah PachecoScott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Chiefs have been a model for consistency in the AFC since Mahomes became a full-time starter in 2018, and Kansas City has not missed an appearance in the AFC Championship Game.
That streak will continue this year, but for a while it looked like Jag could play the spoiler.
Mahomes injured his ankle late in the first quarter. While he finished his drive, Henne was under center to start the next series. It wasn’t the spectacle that Chiefs fans wanted to see, but they liked what came next.
Henne capped the 98-yard drive with a 1-yard strike to tight end Travis Kelce. The score made the difference in the game. The value of having an experienced backup knowing the system is in full view.
Charles Goldman @gold mct NFL
#Chiefs TE Travis Kelce on his match against Chad Heng: “You take game play by play and series after series…locked and need urgency…”
Mahomes returned in the second half and finished the game at 22/30 for 195 yards and two touchdowns. He and Henne deserve credit, but the Chiefs probably wouldn’t have won the game without the strong performances of Isaiah Pacheco and defense.
Pacheco rushed for 95 yards and 7.9 yards per carry. The defense limited Trevor Lawrence to a performance of 24 of 39 for 217 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Jayron Watson intercepted Lawrence with less than four minutes remaining, effectively ending the game.
Jacksonville engineered a final field gold live following the turnover, but an onside attempt failed.
It was a perfect performance for the Kansas City team heading into their fifth straight AFC title game. Of course, a lot of eyes will be on Mahomes and his ankle heading into next Sunday.
According to ESPN, head coach Andy Reed said, “Let’s see how it goes here over the next few days. I know it’s going to hurt, but let’s see where he is.” Adam Tycher“He’s had this before, but he was able to keep pushing.”
The Chiefs are one game away from advancing to the next Super Bowl.
Eagles 38, Giants 7
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Eagles QB Jalen HurtsRich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Mahomes’ injury will be in the plot heading into next weekend, but Jalen Hurts’ shoulder injury has been intriguing since he was injured in December.The Eagles Pro Bowl quarterback has missed two games. returned for the season finale against the Giants.
But Hart never appeared nearly 100% of the time in that game, and his usual dual-threat highlights were nowhere to be seen. It definitely helped that he had a week off with Philadelphia earning the No. 1 seed, but the Hearts were forced to drop Fox Sports’ Pam Oliver (h/t SBNation’s Alexis Chassen) before Saturday’s game. ) that it is still “far from 100%.”
The Hearts may not have been perfectly healthy on Sunday, but he was spectacular. I was rushing for a touchdown.
Hart’s engineered run, which was absent in Week 18, was present in the divisional round.
philadelphia eagles @eagles
very painful@Jalen Hurts | #NYGvsPHI | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/YLr0CuunKL
The Giants defense couldn’t keep up with the Hearts and Eagles ground games, with Miles Saunders and Kenneth Gainwell breaking through for 90 rushing yards each.
Philadelphia scored a touchdown on their first two possessions and had two turnovers (1 interception, 1 down) in the first quarter.
That defense was able to tee off with Daniel Jones and New York’s passing offense as Philadelphia went up big early. ranked 24th by number) became essentially unimportant.
That run defense could be a bigger problem next week against either the Dallas Cowboys or the San Francisco 49ers. However, with Hearts nearing his 100%, the Eagles could well win against any team.
Updated playoff pictures
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Cowboys QB Dak PrescottCliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With six teams currently racing for the Lombardi Trophy, things are pretty straightforward in the NFC.
If Philadelphia wins, it will host either the Cowboys or the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. These two Sunday division his matchups will be interesting, as both teams are out of the wind of the decisive wild card.
The Cowboys scrambled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense and moved the ball freely. His #1 defense for the 49ers rallied in the second half with a win over the Seattle Seahawks. The San Francisco rookie’s quarterback, Brock his Purdy, led another strong offensive performance.
With the Neutral Site Conference Championship in play, the AFC situation is somewhat uncertain.
The NFL has settled on the possibility of a neutral site after choosing not to restart the Week 17 game between Buffalo and the Cincinnati Bengals.
If the Buffalo Bills win Sunday, they face the Chiefs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Over 50,000 tickets The venue has already been sold.
If the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Buffaloes, Kansas City would host Cincinnati at true home field advantage.
The Bengals will play without three starting offensive linemen: right tackle Rael Collins, left tackle Jonah Williams and right guard Alex Kappa. That could give the Bills a distinct advantage, but ignoring either team would be silly.
The Buffaloes have won eight in a row, and the Bengals have won nine. Both have regular season wins against the Chiefs this year.
Remaining playoff schedule
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Bengals QB Joe BurrowDylan Buell/Getty Images
Division Round, Day 2
Sunday, January 22nd
3. Cincinnati Bengals at 2. Buffalo Bills on CBS
5. Dallas Cowboys at 2. Fox’s San Francisco 49ers
conference championship round
Sunday, January 29th
NFC Championship: 3:05 PM ET on Fox
AFC Championship: 6:40 p.m. CBS ET
Super Bowl LVII
February 12 (Sun)
AFC vs. NFC: 6:30 PM ET on Fox
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