The second consecutive 14-team ‘Super Wild Card Round’ did not disappoint.
Although four of the games resulted in blowout losses for the lower seeded team, the remaining matchups went right down to the wire and were jampacked with controversy.
Las Vegas Raiders @ Cincinnati Bengals (Bengals won 26-19)
The first game of the weekend saw the home team get off to a fast start.
The Bengals ended the first quarter with a 10-3 lead after a touchdown on their opening drive and a field goal off a Derek Carr fumble.
Fans were left scratching their heads right before half-time when Joe Burrow found Tyler Boyd in the back of the endzone for six. In real time it appeared that the Cincinnati quarterback had been out of bounds when throwing the ball, thus inciting a whistle from the sideline referee.
Boyd initially did not even celebrate the score as he and everyone else thought the play was dead, but upon review the touchdown was upheld and the Bengals went up 20-6.
Despite being down the entire game, the Raiders mounted a comeback in the fourth and had the chance to steal a victory on the last drive of the game. Defensive penalties by the Bengals brought the Raiders into the redzone, but a fourth down interception iced the game and handed Cincinnati their first playoff win in 30 years.
The Bengals will travel to Tennessee to face the conference leading Titans.
New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills (Bills won 47-17)
The third meeting of the year between these two division rivals was played once again in freezing Buffalo conditions.
But unlike their first game at Highmark Stadium, the Bills left no questions about who the king of the AFC East is.
Josh Allen and the Bills offense had one of the most dominant offensive performances in playoff history, scoring a touchdown on each of their seven drives and not committing a single turnover.
Allen played a near perfect game, ending with a QBR of 98.5 and five touchdown passes.
Bill Belichick’s Patriots simply seemed overwhelmed by the Bills, failing to contain their high-octane offense and explosive defence.
Buffalo will now meet the Kansas City Chiefs for what hopes to be an all-time shootout.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Buccaneers won 31-15)
The reigning champs reminded the football world why they cannot be counted out.
Although Tampa Bay will have to go without receivers Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown for these playoffs, their defence began to show some of the championship qualities that led them to a Super Bowl just a year ago.
Tom Brady had a modest performance, throwing for 271 yards and two scores.
Yet this was the story of the game as his heroics were not required, the Bucs defence held the Eagles number one rushing attack to only 95 yards and pressured second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts all afternoon.
The Bucs were up 31-0 in the third quarter and never really broke a sweat.
Tampa Bay will now play host to the Los Angeles Rams and hope to avenge their week two loss.
San Francisco 49ers @ Dallas Cowboys (49ers won 23-17)
Another year, another disappointing Cowboys playoff exit.
The game that was the most anticipated of the weekend lived up to the hype unless you are a Dallas fan.
The 49ers did exactly what their supporters thought they would do, run the ball effectively, keep the Cowboys offense on the sideline and build an early lead.
San Francisco stayed true to their identity and forced Dak Prescott to play catchup the entire game, something he has struggled to do when the running game is non-existent, much like it was in this game.
However, a fourth quarter Jimmy Garoppolo interception left the door ajar for the home team as they brought the score to 23-17.
The next two 49ers drives resulted in punts, and with 32 seconds on the clock, the Cowboys had a chance at a miraculous win.
A 17-yard quarterback draw placed Dallas at the 24-yard line, but a failure to hand the ball to the referee in time for the snap saw the clock hit zeroes.
San Francisco will head to Lambeau Field to face the number one seeded Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs (Chiefs won 42-21)
Simply put - the Chiefs did what the Chiefs do.
After an opening quarter punt-fest, the Steelers scored the opening touchdown of the game as TJ Watt scooped up a fumble and put Kansas City on upset alert.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense then woke up from their nap and proceeded to find the endzone on their next six possessions.
Mahomes wound up with a measly 404 yards through the air and five touchdowns, while All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce joined in the party and threw a touchdown of his own as they dismantled the Pittsburgh defence.
It was a bittersweet victory for Kansas City as they sent legendary Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger into retirement, who struggled to move the ball – much like he had all season.
The Chiefs will now try to avenge their week six loss home loss to Buffalo as they host them on Sunday night.
Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Rams (Rams won 34-11)
The second matchup of the round between two division rivals delivered similar results to its predecessor.
The Rams leaned heavily on their defence and rushing attack to make quick work of the tail-spinning Cardinals.
LA hounded quarterback Kyler Murray all night long, returning one of his two interceptions for a score and holding him to an abysmal 7.6 QBR in his playoff debut.
While Murray struggled, on the other side Matthew Stafford earned the first postseason win of his 13-year career.
The Rams signal caller executed Sean McVay’s gameplan by playing mistake free football in the modest role he played in the victory.
LA is now handed the daunting task of trying to dethrone the champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their own backyard.