The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs kicked off this weekend, with the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Tennessee Titans. The action continues tonight with an additional two games tomorrow. Who will come away victorious and punch their tickets to the conference title games?
We will continue to update as each Divisional Round game of the NFL playoffs comes to an end. Make sure to check out our 2022 NFL Playoff Bracket to see who each of these teams might play in the Conference Championship bouts.
NFL Playoffs | NFC Divisional Round results
Here are the NFL playoff results for the NFC side of the Divisional Round.
(6) San Francisco 49ers 13, (1) Green Bay Packers 10
In the fifth coldest playoff game in Green Bay history, the 49ers marched into Lambeau and beat the top-seeded Packers. On a day where both No. 1 seeds were eliminated, this result felt extra surprising. San Francisco never led throughout the game, yet thanks to a blocked punt for a score late in the fourth quarter, they managed to come away with a victory.
In the extreme conditions, Jimmy Garoppolo understandably struggled. However, Deebo Samuel was once again an all-purpose weapon for this 49ers team. Although he didn’t put up crazy numbers (44 receiving yards, 39 rushing yards), he made big plays when the team needed him the most.
Now, Aaron Rodgers will potentially finish his Packers career going 0-4 against San Francisco in the postseason.
With the question of where Rodgers will play next season likely to haunt this Packers squad, they will need to find a way to bounce back after another devastating early playoff exit.
(4) Los Angeles Rams 30, (2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27
A game that will live long in the memory came down to the final seconds as Matt Gay hit a 30-yard field goal to give the Rams a home game in the NFC Championship Game. The Rams now have a chance to play back-to-back home games to win a Super Bowl. However, that is just a footnote compared to how this game turned out.
With 7:11 remaining in this contest, Los Angeles led 27-3, and the jokes about 28-3 and the Falcons were flying. Bruce Arians and the Buccaneers were ridiculed for kicking a field goal to make it 27-6. But from that point on, the Rams did everything to hand this game to the Buccaneers.
A snap flew past Matthew Stafford when he was not looking. A field goal was short from 47 yards. Cam Akers fumbled when trying to run out the clock. All of that led to Leonard Fournette tying the game up with 46 seconds to go, and overtime appeared to be looming large.
When Stafford was sacked to open LA’s final drive, OT looks like an even more likely result. However, two huge strikes to Cooper Kupp set the Rams up to kick a game-winning field goal. The Rams head back to LA to face the 49ers, while the Buccaneers have to decide their approach to the offseason. Will Tom Brady retire, or will they roll it back for another Super Bowl run?
NFL Playoffs | AFC Divisional Round results
Here are the NFL playoff results for the AFC side of the Divisional Round.
(2) Kansas City Chiefs 42, (3) Buffalo Bills 36
Trying to describe what we witnessed in the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills’ Divisional Round matchup is difficult. We saw three lead changes in the final two minutes of this high-scoring affair which ultimately needed overtime to decide a victor. Ultimately, Patrick Mahomes won the coin toss and marched his team down the field for a game-winning TD to Travis Kelce.
This game might go down as one of the greatest of all time, and Bills WR Gabriel Davis put on a show. The young WR scored a record-setting 4 touchdowns on 201 receiving yards. Josh Allen finished the game with nearly 330 passing yards and 4 touchdown passes. He added another 68 yards on the ground.
However, all the praise needs to fall on Mahomes for what he was able to do at the end of this game. Being able to lead the Chiefs down the field for a game-tying field goal with only 13 seconds left on the clock was nothing short of amazing. Now, the Chiefs get to stay at home and will take on the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game.
(4) Cincinnati Bengals 19, (1) Tennessee Titans 16
The Cincinnati Bengals traveled to Tennessee and found a way to defeat the top seed in the AFC, punching their ticket to their first AFC Championship Game since 1988. In what was much more of a defensive battle than most thought, Joe Burrow managed to do just enough to overcome being sacked a record-tying 9 times to get the win.
Even if this was a low-scoring affair, we were still lucky enough to see some beautiful catches by both A.J. Brown and Ja’Marr Chase. However, the defenses were the real stars here. The Bengals managed to intercept Ryan Tannehill 3 times, including on the Titans’ last drive of the game.
Rookie kicker Evan McPherson was perfect on the night as he completed a 52-yard game-winning field goal as time expired. Now, the Bengals will head to Kansas City for the AFC Championship Game.
Divisional Round TV schedule
Here are the times and TV channels for the Divisional Round games set to be played this weekend.
Saturday, January 22
- Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans
- Start Time: 4:30 PM ET
- Channel: CBS, Paramount+
- San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers
- Start Time: 8:15 PM ET
- Channel: FOX
Sunday, January 23
- Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Start Time: 3 PM ET
- Channel: NBC, Peacock
- Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs
- Start Time: 6:30 PM ET
- Channel: CBS, Paramount+