During the second day of the divisional round, the No. 3-seed Detroit Lions faced off against the No. 4-seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers. To end the eventful night, the No. 3-seed Kansas City Chiefs battled the No. 2-seed Buffalo Bills to continue on in this year’s NFL playoffs.
Lions vs. Buccaneers
On the opening drive, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield threw an interception to Lions defensive back C.J. Gardner Johnson. Although the Lions were not able to turn the interception into a touchdown, they were able to score a field goal.
The Buccaneers quickly responded with a field goal of their own, tying the score before the end of the first quarter.
In the beginning of the second quarter, the Lions were able to creep up to the end zone. Eventually, quarterback Jared Goff threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Josh Reynolds to give the Lions the lead again.
The Buccaneers were then able to hold onto the ball long enough to make it into field goal range. However, kicker Chase McLaughlin missed his 50-yard attempt as the ball soared to the left.
Just before the end of the first half, the Buccaneers were able to regain their stride. Connecting with wide receiver Mike Evans, Mayfield was able to throw a completion that put the ball on the 2-yard line. Mayfield then threw a touchdown pass to tight end Cade Otton to tie the game at 10-10.
In the third quarter, the Lions were able to take the lead with a touchdown at fourth-and-1, one yard away from the endzone. Running back Craig Reynolds was able to push through the Buccaneers defense just enough to get his needed yard.
But the Buccaneers would not quit, tying the game again. Mayfield threw a touchdown pass to running back Rachaad White after efficiently leading the team up the field.
But Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs responded to the Buccaneers’ touchdown by running an impressive 31 yards for a touchdown.
Minutes later, Goff made a touchdown pass to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, allowing the Lions to pull away with a score of 31-17.
Looking for a way to win, the Buccaneers managed to score one more touchdown. Mayfield made a touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Evans. However, the team failed on their two point attempt.
Although the Buccaneers had over a minute left in the game and were only down by eight points, Mayfield threw an interception to Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes. This interception effectively ended the Buccaneers’ hopes at scoring again within the game.
With a score of 31-23, the Lions would move onto the NFC championship to face the San Francisco 49ers for a spot in the Super Bowl.
Chiefs vs. Bills
The Bills opened the game by steadily making their way down the field. However, they were stopped just short of the endzone and forced to kick a field goal.
In a similar scenario minutes later, the Chiefs scored a field goal of their own, ending the first quarter in a tie of 3-3.
The Bills scored first in the second quarter as well. This time, quarterback Josh Allen was able to cut through the Chiefs defense for a rushing touchdown of his own.
But the Chiefs came back swinging. First they scored a whopping 64-yard field goal, creating a closer score of 10-5, Bills.
Next, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was able to throw a touchdown pass to the wide-open tight end, Travis Kelce, to give the Chiefs the lead with a score of 13-10.
The Bills offense was able to bring it to the two-yard line on their next drive. For the second time this game, Allen rushed for a touchdown, putting the Bills back in the lead to close out the first half.
To begin the second half, the Chiefs took back the lead. Mahomes threw Kelce another touchdown pass, giving the pair the record for the most postseason touchdowns for a duo in NFL history (sixteen passes).
Continuing to play the game of hot potato with the lead, the Bills scored yet another touchdown. This time, Allen threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Khalil Shakir, making the score 24-20, Bills.
Again, the Chiefs came back. Running back Isiah Pacheco was able to push his way into the endzone at the start of the fourth quarter.
In a chaotic series of events, the Bills attempted a fake punt but failed, giving the Chiefs the ball and a chance to widen the score gap. Just when it seemed like the Chiefs were going to score again, wide receiver Mecole Hardman fumbled at the 1-yard line, dropping the ball into the endzone for a turnover that would give the Bills the ball back and leave the Chiefs with nothing gained.
The Bills went for a field goal on their next drive, all that they needed to tie the score in the last two minutes of the game. However, Tyler Bass missed his 44-yard attempt, ending the game.
The Chiefs were victorious with a score of 27-24. They would advance to play the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship for a chance to play in, and win, their second Super Bowl in two years.
