We’re inching closer to finding out who is built for a run at the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the NFL.
The Baltimore Ravens are already the first one in Conference Championship contention out of the remaining eight teams left in the playoffs. And the AFC’s top seed used a second-half surge to clinch their spot for next week.
On the NFC side, the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers engaged in a pulsating contest that featured a missed field goal, then misfired pass that lifted the 49ers back to the NFC Championship game.
Sunday’s games then featured its share of high drama and pulsating finishes to top off the epic postseason weekend.
Current NFL Playoff Bracket and Results
Let’s look at the results from the Divisional Round and what that means regarding the 2023 NFL playoff bracket.
NFL Playoffs Divisional Round Results
Houston Texans (10) at Baltimore Ravens (34)
Things were looking closely contested in the first Divisional Round battle of the weekend. But the top seed in the AFC turned to a familiar blueprint to roll into the conference title game: Lamar Jackson.
Jackson tossed two touchdowns, then turned to his mobility to tack on two more scores in the 24-point romp of the Texans. Jackson settled for only 152 passing yards but gashed the Texans with 100 yards rushing.
MORE: Will Lamar Jackson Win the NFL MVP This Year?
C.J. Stroud, in his Divisional Round debut, was bottled to 175 yards passing. Not a single Texans player, including wide receiver Nico Collins, surpassed 70 yards from an individual standpoint. The linebacker duo of Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith both collected five solo tackles apiece and pulled that off with franchise legend Ray Lewis watching.
Houston continues to struggle with punching its ticket into the AFC Championship Game, as the Texans have never gone beyond the Divisional Round. Surprisingly, Baltimore hasn’t hosted a conference title game since 1971, when the Colts represented the city. Both Raven AFC titles were won on the road in Oakland (2000) and New England (2012).
Green Bay Packers (21) San Francisco 49ers (24)
These two iconic franchises wrote a brand new chapter in their storied playoff rivalry. This time with new franchise quarterbacks dueling each other until the end.
Brock Purdy and the 49ers were down most of the evening. But Purdy orchestrated one final climactic drive that led to a Christian McCaffrey red zone power run to take the lead for good. Jordan Love, who played efficiently, threw one costly cross body interception to end the game.
The 49ers have had the Packers’ number in January, having won the last five playoff meetings. That includes the 2019 season NFC title game played at Levi’s Stadium and the 2021 road upset at Lambeau Field.
Dre Greenlaw picked off two Love passes including the one under one minute left to seal the win.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (23), Detroit Lions (31)
The Lions ended their long 32-year playoff win drought in the Wild Card. The next drought they ended? Their last appearance in the NFC Championship game.
Trusting the arm of Jared Goff, the power and versatility of Jahmyr Gibbs, then a blitz-happy defense that forced two picks, the Lions prevailed to advance on to the NFC title game.
Derrick Barnes sealed the win by stepping in front of a Baker Mayfield pass to snatch the interception, and catapult the Lions to their first conference title game appearance since Jan. 1992.
Kansas City Chiefs (27) Buffalo Bills (24)
The newest chapter of Chiefs versus Bills added a heartbreaking feature for “Bills Mafia,” but relief for “Chiefs Kingdom.”
Tyler Bass was given the opportunity to send the game into overtime down 27-24. The wind, however, carried the football wide right past the goal line.
Kansas City went on to melt the time away. In the process, the Chiefs are now continuing their impressive streak of AFC title game appearances that started in the 2018 season.
Conference Championship Schedule
Both games will be played on Sunday, Jan. 28.
The AFC title game battle is the early contest. M&T Bank Stadium will have its kickoff at 3 p.m. ET. Baltimore will now welcome the defending Super Bowl champions.
The NFC Championship Game’s kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and will now be played at Levi’s Stadium, by virtue of the Niners win.
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!