The second week of the playoffs (Divisional Round) started January 21st-22nd. Some teams had a shorter time to prepare than others, with only two days of football games. Many teams struggled this week in similar ways, but ultimately they were intriguing to watch. 

Jacksonville at Kansas City:

The Jacksonville Jaguars vs the Kansas City Chiefs was the first game this week, with Kansas City getting a touchdown in the first minutes of the game with quarterback Patrick Mahomes passing to tight end Travis Kelce. 

Later in the first quarter, Jacksonville’s quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw wide to receiver Christian Kirk and scored a touchdown. However, the quarter didn’t end that easily, with Mahomes suffering an ankle injury with around two minutes left to go in quarter one. In quarter two he was sent to the medical examiner, and his return was announced as questionable. 

Backup quarterback Chad Henne filled in for Mahomes in the second quarter. Kansas City then was only able to attempt a 50-yard field goal, solidifying their lead. 

Later in quarter two, the Chiefs had the ball and Henne successfully completed a touchdown pass to Kelce, bringing the score to 17-7.

After Henne’s touchdown, Mahomes entered the game with two layers of tape wrapped around his ankle. With 27 seconds left to go, the Jaguars made a successful 41-yard field goal, ending the first half 17-10 Chiefs. 

Quarter three was the quietest, with only a buzzer-beater 50-yard field goal from the Chiefs. 

The fourth quarter began with a Jacksonville touchdown, with running back Travis Etienne bringing the ball into the end zone. Kansas City then scored a touchdown with Mahomes passing to Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The last points of the game went to Jacksonville, kicking a 48-yard field goal with 25 seconds left. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, the field goal wasn’t enough for them to win, with the final score 27-20 Chiefs. 

New York at Philadelphia: 

The New York Giants vs the Philadelphia Eagles was the second playoff game on the 21st. It was surprising for multiple reasons since Philadelphia’s quarterback Jalen Hurts entered this game, following a right shoulder injury in week 15.

This game ended as a blow-out, with the number one-seeded Eagles coming out on top. The Eagles gained a touchdown when Hurts passed to tight end Dallas Goedert. Hurts then got the Eagles another touchdown by passing to wide receiver DeVonta Smith. The first quarter ended with a score of 14-0 Eagles.

Quarter two began with more points for the Eagles when running back Boston Scott gained a 3-yard touchdown. Hurts also scored another touchdown, by deciding to run the ball himself for 5-yards, ending the half 28-0. 

Quarter three was the most successful quarter for the Giants, finally scoring a touchdown, with Matthew Breida running the ball 8-yards for a touchdown, and surprisingly, that was the only scoring of the third quarter. 

The 4th began with a 30-yard field goal for Philadelphia. Around the 2-minute mark, the Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell ran the ball for a 35-yard touchdown, which was the last score of the game, ending the season for New York, 38-7. 

Cincinnati at Buffalo:

The Cincinnati Bengals vs the Buffalo Bills game was a tense rematch after week 17’s cancellation when safety Damar Hamlin collapsed from Cardiac Arrest.

 Many fans were emotional when Damar came to the game to watch, but the Buffalo defense wasn’t at its best which caused the game to end with the Bengals winning. 

Quarter one started with the Bengals getting the ball first, and quarterback Joe Burrow passing in deep middle to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. They got another touchdown when Joe Burrow passed to tight end Hayden Hurst. 

In quarter two, the Bills then get a touchdown, with Quarterback Josh Allen rushing the ball into the endzone. The Bengals ended the half with a 28-yard field goal, bringing the score of the first half to 17-7. 

Buffalo then kicked a 25-yard field goal in the third quarter, followed by a Cincinnati touchdown run for 1-yard by running back Joe Mixion. Quarter four was similar, with only the Bengals scoring a field goal. The game ended with a score of 27-10 Bengals.

Dallas at San Francisco:

The Dallas Cowboys vs the San Francisco 49ers game was very interesting to watch, with both teams tying in points multiple times throughout the game. This game was also very interesting based on the Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Mahar repeatedly missing his extra point attempts, but he managed to score throughout the game. 

Quarter one only had one point gain, which was from San Francisco, having a 26-yard field goal attempt. Quarter two began with a Dallas touchdown, with quarterback Dak Prescott passing to tight end Dalton Schultz, but they missed the extra point with Brett Mahar’s kick and the 49er’s defense blocking it. 

The 49ers get a 47-yard field goal, which tied up the game. But at the very last second, (literally with one second to go) San Francisco kicked a 50-yard field goal. This ended the first half, 9-6 Cowboys. 

Quarter three begins with a successful 25-yard field kick for Dallas, which tied up the game once more. This was the only 3rd quarter score, as both teams struggled to score. 

For the 4th quarter, San Fransisco got a touchdown, with running back Christian McCaffrey running the ball into the endzone. There was then another successful field goal by Mahar, which was 43-yards. The 49ers gained another 28-yard field goal, which left Dallas in a panic to score a touchdown. They were getting closer to San Francisco territory but ended up running out of time, ending the game 19-12. 

Conclusion:

The Conference Championship games will be played on Sunday, January 29th, with San Francisco playing Philadelphia at 3:00, and Cincinnati playing Kansas City at 6:30. Make sure to watch next week’s games and read the next football playoff recap to see who makes it into Superbowl 57.