UNDATED (AP) — What is going on with the NFL playoffs? One day after the two No. 1 seeds fall on the same day for the first time in 12 years, the league’s GOAT quarterback and the defending champs are ousted from the postseason. In all three cases, the game was decided on a field goal as time expired. The fourth game of the weekend was decided in overtime, the lone contest won by the home team.
This time, it was Matt Gay drilling a 30-yard kick to bail out the Los Angeles Rams in a 30-27 win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady and the Bucs’ defense had engineered a comeback from a 27-3 deficit before Matthew Stafford connected on completions of 20 and 44 yards to Cooper Kupp, setting up the winning kick and putting the Rams in the NFC championship game against the visiting 49ers.
Stafford coasted for three quarters, ran for a short TD and finished with 366 yards passing and two touchdowns. His primary target was Kupp, who had nine catches for 183 yards and a score.
Brady took advantage of three Rams turnovers to rally the Bucs, whose offense was stagnant over the first 40 minutes. He was 30 of 54 for 329 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
Leonard Fournette had a pair of rushing TDs for the defending Super Bowl champs.
The question now is whether this was Brady’s final game. The seven-time Super Bowl is signed through next season and said in September he expected to play out the contract. But he has indicated several times since then that returning will be a family decision.
It will be the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC championship game next Sunday.
Patrick Mahomes found Travis Kelce in the corner of the end zone early in overtime to give the Chiefs a 42-36 triumph over the Bills. The lead changed hands three times in the final two minutes of regulation before Harrison Butker drilled a 49-yarder for Kansas City as time expired to force overtime.
Mahomes finished with 378 yards passing and three touchdowns, including a 64-yarder to Tyreek Hill during the thrilling final minutes of regulation.
It’s the second straight year the Bills’ season has ended in Kansas City. Josh Allen did everything in his power to prevent it by throwing two scoring strikes to Gabriel Davis in the last 1:54 of regulation. His last TD toss came with 13 seconds to play, just enough time for Mahomes to engineer the game-tying drive.
Allen finished with 329 yards passing, and Davis with eight catches for 201 yards.
