Both the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams pulled off dramatic wins to advance to the NFC Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.
At Soldier Field, the Bears erased a huge deficit against their rivals, the Green Bay Packers, trailing 21–3 at halftime and down by 11 points late in the fourth quarter before rookie quarterback Caleb Williams led an amazing comeback. His late touchdown pass to D.J. Moore gave Chicago a 31–27 lead with just minutes left, and a desperation pass by Green Bay was knocked down as time expired — giving Chicago its first playoff win since 2010.
Meanwhile in Carolina, veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford rallied the Rams with a clutch final drive. He capped a 71-yard push with a game-winning touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with under a minute to play, lifting Los Angeles to a 34–31 victory over the Carolina Panthers and securing their spot in the next round.
The Bears host the Rams this weekend.
In AFC Wild Card action, the Buffalo Bills scored a comeback 27-24 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quarterback Josh Allen led a late drive and punched it in from the 1-yard line (launching a tush push at 10 yard line) with just over a minute left, and a game-sealing interception on Jacksonville’s next possession sent Buffalo into the Divisional Round, snapping a 33-year road playoff victory drought.
In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers stunned the Philadelphia Eagles with a 23-19 win, eliminating the defending NFC champions and advancing to the next round of the postseason against the Seattle Seahawks.
Later in the evening, the New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3, giving New England its first home playoff win in years and locking up a Divisional Round berth as well.
Tonight’s game between the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers will determine the final AFC matchup heading into divisional weekend.
