The first day of the divisional round started with the No. 4-seed Houston Texans facing off against the No. 1-seed Baltimore Ravens. Later that night, the No. 7-seed Green Bay Packers challenged the No. 1-seed San Francisco 49ers.
Texans vs. Ravens
Coming off of a bye week, the Baltimore Ravens were the first team to score. The offense was able to make it down the field on their opening drive and kick a field goal.
However, the Ravens followed up their score with a poor punt near the end of the first quarter, allowing the Texans to receive the ball close to midfield. The Texans were only able to use this advantage by scoring a field goal of their own, tying the game.
On their next drive, the Ravens were able to make it all the way to the two-yard line before quarterback Lamar Jackson threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Nelson Agholor, putting them back in the lead.
However, the Texans came right back with a touchdown of their own. Wide receiver Steven Sims was able to pull off a 67-yard punt return, making a pattern of the Texans capitalizing off of the Ravens’ bad punts.
The Texans almost ended the half with another field goal, as quarterback CJ Stroud was able to maneuver the offense down the field. However, Ka’imi Fairbairn’s kick was wide and the score stayed tied 10-10 going into the second half.
Early in the third quarter, Lamar Jackson was able to quickly run for a touchdown that gave the Ravens the lead. This touchdown would begin a half of domination by the Ravens offense.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Ravens were able to score another touchdown. Lamar Jackson threw a touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely, putting severe pressure on the Texans to score.
Minutes later, Lamar Jackson was able to run for another touchdown, making the score 31-10, Ravens.
To end the game, the Ravens scored a final field goal, making the final score 34-10. They had effectively shut out the Texans offense for the entire second half and would be rewarded by moving onto the AFC championship.
Packers vs. 49ers
Despite being the underdogs, the Green Bay Packers scored first against the San Francisco 49ers. Although they failed to score a touchdown, the Packers were able to make a field goal.
The Packers almost scored a second time, getting all the way to the 14-yard line. At fourth-and-one, they decided to opt for a “tush push” instead of a field goal. Unfortunately, quarterback Jordan Love was deemed just short and the Packers failed to score anything.
The 49ers were finally able to score in the second quarter when quarterback Brock Purdy threw a deep touchdown pass to tight end George Kittle.
Again, the Packers made it fairly far down the field but were eventually blocked by the 49ers defense. The Packers were then forced to kick another field goal, making the score 6-7, 49ers.
Just before the end of the first half, the 49ers were also forced to kick a field goal. However, Jake Moody’s kick was blocked by Packers defensive lineman Colby Wooden, who was able to hit the ball with his hand. For now, the score would stay stagnant.
The Packers were able to score their first touchdown early in the second quarter. Jordan Love threw a touchdown pass to a wide-open Bo Melton, who easily caught the ball.
The 49ers responded to the Packers’ touchdown by scoring one of their own. Running back Christian McCaffery broke through the Packers defense to take the lead for the 49ers again.
The Packers were then able to make a huge kickoff return. Cornerback Keisean Nixon ran just short of the 20-yard line where he fumbled the ball. However, his teammate, linebacker Eric Wilson, was able to jump on it for an astonishing recovery at the 20-yard line.
The Packers were able to turn this return into a touchdown. Jordan Love threw a touchdown pass to tight end Tucker Kraft. Afterwards, the Packers opted to go for a two-point conversion. A wide-open Aaron Jones caught Love’s pass, putting the Packers up by seven. The score was now 21-14, Packers.
The 49ers were not done yet. Jordan Love attempted to pass to Kraft again; however, the pass bounced off of his fingers and into the hands of 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw. This interception allowed the 49ers to bring the ball back to the middle of the field.
The 49ers were only able to turn this advantage into a field goal. However, it did close the gap between their score and the Packers’ score a bit. The game was now 21-17, Packers.
In a play that proved to be disastrous for the Packers, kicker Anders Carlson attempted a 41-yard field goal and missed to the left by inches, keeping the score unwavering.
With barely a minute left in the game, the 49ers scored a final touchdown. Running back Christian McCaffery had run for yet another touchdown. As the Packers were unable to score in the last minute, the final score of the game was 24-21, 49ers. Therefore, the 49ers would advance to the NFC championship by the skin of their teeth.
