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Philadelphia Eagles v Atlanta Falcons: Live Stream, Inactive Players

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PHILADELPHIA, Sporting Alert – The following are the inactive players and TV channels for today’s NFL NFC divisional round clash between No. 1 seed Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Watch live streaming: Watch Live: Falcons vs. Eagles | Live TV Channel: NBC at 4:30 pm ET

Philadelphia (13-3), which is 7-1 at home this season, will take part in their first playoff game in four years and the football experts are expecting a thrilling encounter.

The Eagles report that rookie cornerback Sidney Jones will be among the inactive players for today’s playoff game against the Falcons.

Jones strained his hamstring during practice this week and hasn’t recovered in time to feature.

This means fellow rookie Rasul Douglas will start the game as a backup corner in Jones’ absence.

Meanwhile, the Eagles released that Dannell Ellerbe is active today, despite still dealing with a hamstring injury this week.

For Atlanta, receiver Marvin Hall, running back Terrence Magee, cornerback Leon McFadden and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon are all among the inactive players.

In the meantime, despite being without starting quarterback Carson Wentz, ESPN’s Football Power Index still thinks the Eagles are the big favorites today, at 70 percent.

Nick Foles will start in Wentz’s place and Philadelphia head coach Doug Pederson told Sal Paolantonio on Saturday morning that he had a one-on-one meeting with the former Friday night.

ESPN quoted Pederson as saying: “All I told Nick was this… 1. Let the game come to him, he doesn’t have to do it all. 2. Be himself, do what Nick does. 3. Relax and enjoy the moment.”

INACTIVE PLAYERS

Philadelphia Eagles inactive players: CB Sidney Jones, T Will Beatty, WR Marcus Johnson, DE Steven Means, DT Elijah Qualls, RB Wendell Smallwood and DT Destiny Vaeao.

Atlanta Falcons inactive players: WR Marvin Hall, LB Sean Weatherspoon, TE Eric Saubert, RB Terrence Magee, CB Leon McFadden, OG Sean Harlow, OT Austin Pasztor.

Watch Video Highlights: Titans 22 Beat Chiefs 21

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Tennessee Titans dominated the second half to rally from a double-digit deficit to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 22-21 in their AFC wild card playoff round game at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday.

Marcus Mariota threw for two touchdowns in the second half, including one of his TD passes to himself, and Tennessee scored 19 unanswered points after halftime to stunned the Chiefs at home.

“Special, special,” Mariota said. “I’m a part of a great team. I’m a part of a group of guys that really just believe in each other.

“And, it’s something special and I’m look forward to playing next week.”

The Titans fell behind 14-0 after the first quarter and trailed 21-3 at the break.

However, Mariota and Co. rallied to overcome Kansas City 22-21 for their first playoff win in 14 years.

Derrick Henry ran for a career-high 156 yards on 23 carried with one touchdown and Mariota threw for 205 yards and two scores, including the 22-yard go-ahead scoring pass to Eric Decker with just over six minutes remaining.

“Grit. It’s just grit,” Henry said of the hard-fought comeback. “You’ve got to believe in each other, man.

“We were down like this last year and we came back. We told them we’ve got 30 minutes left, all we’ve got to do is play our game, execute the plays and everything will take care of itself.”

Alex Smith went 24 of 33 for 264 yards and a touchdown for the Chiefs, who never looked the same after losing tight end Travis Kelce, who was forced to leave with a concussion in the first half.

Kelce caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown before he sustained a concussion on a hard blow from Titans’ Johnathan Cyprien in the closing moment of the first half.

The Tennessee Titans advanced to the divisional round and will face either the No. 1 seed New England Patriots or the No. 2 seed Pittsburgh Steelers.

NFL Wild Card Playoff Round Schedule, TV Channels: Jan. 6

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KANSAS CITY — The NFL playoff round kicks off with two wild card games on Saturday and you can stream them both live online.

In the day’s opening wild card playoff round game on Saturday afternoon at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs will entertain the Tennessee Titans.

Live coverage will begin at 4:20 pm ET and its available on ESPN and ABC and streaming live on WatchESPN.

Kansas City (10-6), which beat Tennessee (9-7) in the preseason, 30-6 enters this game as an 8.5 point favorite to advance and the football experts are expecting another big win for the home side which is once again back in good form.

NFL wild card playoff round
Kansas City Chiefs v Tennessee Titans Wild Card Playoff Round

In fact, ESPN’s Football Power Index is giving Kansas City a 75 percent chance to beat the Titans, who, according to ESPN’s Stats and Information, are ranked 19th in football.

After losing four straight, the Chiefs, who are 6-2 at home, have won four in a row and head into this contest full of confidence.

Meanwhile, the Titans picked up a vital and surprising victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on the final day of regular season action last weekend to clinch an AFC wild-card berth and snapped an eight-season playoff drought.

However, they have lost three of the last four overall and must come into this game with some sort of game plan to defend the Chiefs, and especially the likes of Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill.

Tennessee will also come with its own plans, with quarterback Marcus Mariota and a very motivated running back Derrick Henry hoping to pick through the Kansas City defense.

I am expecting a high scoring contest in this one.

Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons

The second game of the NFL wild card playoff round on Saturday night will see the Los Angeles Rams taking on the Atlanta Falcons at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Coverage of this game will start at 8:15 pm and NBC will provide the live television broadcast. NBC online web player will also have live stream.

This wild-card matchup will feature two quarterbacks with the ability to overcome difficulty, which sets the stage for a very interesting battle between Jared Goff and Matt Ryan.

The Falcons are back in the playoffs to redeem themselves after the painful loss to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl last season when they led by 25points.

Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn also believes his team has long forgotten that meltdown and is ready to move forward.

“I love the resiliency and the toughness of this team,” Quinn said. “When you’ve been through some of the fire together, you come out the other side stronger as a brotherhood.”

An expected 70,000 fans are set to gather inside the historic L.A. Coliseum venue and the Rams, who are back in Los Angeles, start as the slight favorites.

AFC WILD CARD PLAYOFF
Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs 4:20 PM ESPN, ABC, WatchESPN

NFC WILD CARD PLAYOFF
Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams 8:15 PM NBC and NBC Web Player

AFC and NFC Championship Games: TV Channels – Jan. 22

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MIAMI, Fla. — The Battle for conference titles and Super Bowl places will be on the line on Sunday, as the NFL season approaches the final set of fixtures.

Green Bay Packers travel to Georgia Dome to take on the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game, while the New England Patriots will entertain the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, for the AFC Championship title.

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

The day’s opening conference title game between Atlanta and Green Bay will start at 3:05 p.m. ET and will be live on FOX and stream live on Fox Sports GO. Livescores and box scores available on ESPN.com and NFL.com.

Matt Ryan of the Falcons
Quarterback Matt Ryan of the Falcons

One of the highlights of the first encounter is expected to come from the battle between two super quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan.

The Packers are on an eight-game winning streak Heading into this matchup, with Rodgers throwing for 21 touchdowns with just one interception during that span.

Rodgers was particularly impressive when he needed to in the 34-31 win at the Dallas Cowboys last week — completing 28-of-43 passes, including making a key late completion in the closing minute to help setup the winning field goal.

The veteran quarterback, in that game, threw for 355 yards and two touchdowns. He has passed for 717 yards in his two playoffs games this season.

Ryan Must Be Good For Falcons

Atlanta’s Ryan has also been impressive leading his team’s offense this season and like Rodgers for Green Bay, the 31-year-old will need to play a key part on Sunday if the Falcons are going to be successful.

Coming off a bye weekend, Ryan completed 26 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns in last Saturday’s 36-20 divisional-round victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Ryan has also been particularly careful with the ball, as he’s thrown for no interception in the Falcons’ current five-game winning streak and has passed for 14 touchdowns during the undefeated run.

Meanwhile, Green Bay buildup for the game started on the backfoot after heavy fog forced the travellers to bus 125 miles to Milwaukee on Saturday in order to catch their flight to Atlanta, according to ESPN sources.

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Falcons, ranked No. 1 in points per game and allowed 25.4, have a 67.1 percent chance to beat the Packers on Sunday and advanced to the Super Bowl.

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

The second game on the night will kick-off at 6:40 p.m. and it will feature the Steelers at the Patriots. Live coverage will be on CBS, while livescores and box scores available on ESPN.com and NFL.com.

Tom Brady: NFL and NFL Scores
New England Patriots QB Tom Brady

It’s a matchup that several NFL pundits wanted to see, as both teams are on a good winning form and enter the encounter confident about securing a passage into the Super Bowl.

New England comes in with a 75.3 percent chance to win the game, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

What To Watch: Roethlisberger v Brady

The Patriots top-ranked defense, though, could face its toughest test of the season against the Ben Roethlisberger led Steelers offense, but the NFL pundits believe the home side, which is allowing up just 15.6 points per game this season, will show why teams have found it difficult to put up big scores against them.

Tom Brady struggled to connect with his receivers in the last game against Houston, despite passing for 287 yards and two touchdowns.

The 39-year-old also threw two interceptions in that game and completed just 18-of-38 passes.

AFC North champion Pittsburgh held off the Kansas City Chiefs for a controversial win in the divisional-round last weekend but has won nine straight games entering this battle.

Roethlisberger completed 20 of 31 passes for 224 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in Sunday’s 18-16 divisional-round win over the Chiefs to earn the chance to finally face-off with Brady.

Running back Le’Veon Bell and receiver Antonio Brown are also going to be two important players for the Steelers come Sunday, as the visitors look to get past the Patriots sturdy defense.

NFL Playoffs Schedule, TV Channels
Sunday, January 22

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons 3:05 PM FOX Georgia Dome, Atlanta

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots 6:40 PM CBS Gillette Stadium, Foxbor

NFL Divisional Playoffs Scores: Jan. 14-15

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DALLAS — NFL Divisional round playoffs scores on Saturday, Jan. 14 and Sunday, Jan. 15, with the Patriots, Falcons and Packers among the winners.

PATRIOTS 34, TEXANS 16

The New England Patriots easily put away the Houston Texans 34-16 in their AFC divisional round game in Foxborough, Mass., on Saturday night.

Patriots running back Dion Lewis, who was injured during this period last term, became the first player in NFL postseason history to score a touchdown by rushing, catching and a kickoff return as the Patriots (15-2) dominated the contest after halftime.

Tom Brady: NFL and NFL Scores
New England Patriots QB Tom Brady

Quarterback Tom Brady was 18-for-38 on completed passes and threw for 287 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for New England on his way to improving to 23-9 in NFL playoffs career games.

The Patriots, who were far from perfect on Saturday night are heading for their sixth straight appearance in the AFC championship game.

Meanwhile, receiver Julian Edelman took eight catches for 137 yards and Chris Hogan caught all four of his passes for 95 yards for the Patriots, who will host Pittsburgh on Jan. 22.

Houston (10-8) was competitive in the opening two quarters and trailed 17-13 at halftime.

However, the game got away from the travellers after the break, following some costly turnovers that assisted in them getting outscored 17-3 in the second half.

Quarterback Brock Osweiler started effectively but was all over the place after halftime and got intercepted three times.

Osweiler went 23-of-40 on completed passes for 198 yards and a touchdown.

FALCONS 36, SEAHAWKS 20

The Atlanta Falcons beat the Seattle Seahawks 36-20 in the NFC divisional playoff game on Saturday.

Quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns as the Falcons (12-5) won just their second playoff game since 2004 and move on to face the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship game next Sunday.

Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Tevin Coleman all took catches for touchdowns for Atlanta, which last played in the NFC title game in 2012 when it was beaten 28-24 at home by the San Francisco 49ers.

The Seahawks (10-6-1) jumped out to an early 10-7 lead but the Falcons used a 19-point second quarter to take a 19-10 halftime advantage and then added a pair of touchdowns in the second half to finish off the game.

Seattle’s Russell Wilson threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns in the defeat.

However, the veteran quarterback also threw two interceptions and fell in the end zone for a safety in the second quarter.

Doug Baldwin and Jimmy Graham each took catches for touchdowns for the Seahawks, who were losing in the divisional round for the second straight year.

SUNDAY GAMES

PACKERS 34, COWBOYS 31

The Green Bay Packers extended their late-season outstanding form with another victory on Sunday after edging the NFC’s No. 1 seeded Dallas Cowboys 34-31 in a thriller to advance to the NFC championship game next weekend.

Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers takes a TD catch

Mason Crosby kicked a clutched 51-yard field goal as time expired to seal the win for the Packers (12-6) who have won eight straight games and are heading to the NFC championship game for the first time since the 2014 season.

With the game tied at 31-31 in the final minute, Rodgers connected with Jared Cook, who stunningly made a sliding 35-yard catch as he was going out of bounds with 3-seconds remaining to setup the field-goal position for Green Bay.

Rodgers completed 28-of-43 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns with an interception for the Packers, who almost blew an 18-point second quarter lead.

Dallas (13-4) trailed 21-3 with 7:37 left in the first half, but rallied twice to even up the game at 28-28 and then 31-31 before Crosby held it together to win the contest on the second time of asking for the visitors.

Ty Montgomery rushed for two scores and Cook caught six passes for 104 yards and a touchdown for Green Bay, which will be full of confidence heading to Atlanta next week.

Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott was 24-of-38 for 302 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for Dallas, while Dez Bryant caught the ball nine times for 132 yards and two TDs in the defeat.

Rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott carried the ball 22 times for 125 yards for the Cowboys, who looked stunned after the loss.

STEELERS 18, KANSAS 16

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 18-16 in an AFC divisional round game on Sunday to advance to the conference championship game.

Running back Le’Veon Bell broke his own franchise playoff record by running for 170 yards on 30 carries for the Steelers and Antonio Brown took six catches for 108 yards for Pittsburgh (13-5).

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 20-of-31 passes for 224 yards with an interception for the Steelers, who will look for their first trip to the Super Bowl since 2011.

Alex Smith completed 20-of-34 passes for 172 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Chiefs (12-5), whose mistakes prove costly in the defeat.

Osweiler, defense seal Houston NFL wild-card win over Raiders

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HOUSTON — The Houston Texans took advantage of Oakland’s injury problems to beat the Raiders 27-14 in the first game on the NFL wild-card weekend. Complete Box Score

Houston’s quarterback Brock Osweiler impressed on his return from being benched, while the Texans top-ranked defense roughed-up the Raiders’ third-string rookie QB Connor Cook, who threw three interceptions and got sacked three times in the defeat.

Osweiler lost his starting spot in Week 15 on Dec 18, but was recalled on Saturday with Tom Savage out with a concussion and played perhaps his best game since his move from the Broncos.

The 26-year-old completed 14-of-25 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score for Houston, which was winning its first playoff game since the 2012 season.

Lamar Miller ran for 73 yards and a score and DeAndre Hopkins caught a pass for the touchdown for the Texans (10-7).

Meanwhile, Cook, the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to make a first NFL start in a postseason game, was 18-of-45 on passes and threw for 161 yards with one touchdown for Oakland (12-5).

Houston led the Raiders 20-7 at halftime and opened up that advantage to 27-7 in the fourth quarter.

Oakland, which was 2 of 16 on third downs, tried to make a comeback run but found the Texans’ defense, led by Jadeveon Clowney, too much to handle.

Clowney, who picked up his first career interception on Saturday, said the team’s mission was to limit the visitors’ looks on offense.

“Get to the quarterback. I know he’s going to hold it, don’t know where to go with it,” he said.

“That’s what we’re hoping, trying to make plays on it.”

When these two teams met during the regular season in Week 11, Oakland won 27-20

NFL AFC Wild Card and NFC Wild Card Schedule: Jan 7-8

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MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – The following is schedule for the 2016-17 NFL playoffs wild card games this coming weekend. A double-header is slated for Saturday, Jan. 7, with two more games listed to take place on Sunday, Jan. 8. ESPN, WatchESPN, CBS, FOX and FOX Sports GO will provide the live TV and streaming coverage.

AFC Wild Card

HOUSTON v RAIDERS

In the AFC conference, No. 4 seed Houston Texans will host No. 5 Oakland Raiders at NRG Stadium, starting on Saturday, with game time set for 4:35 p.m. ET and is live on ESPN and ABC. Live streaming is also available at WatchESPN.

The Texans (9-7) won the AFC South division after winning the tie-break over the Tennessee Titans “based on best win percentage in division” play this season. Houston takes a 7-1 home record into the game.

ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the Texans a 55.9 percent chance to win against Oakland (12-4), which announced that rookie quarterback Connor Cook is the team’s starter for Saturday’s AFC Wild Card playoff game.

NFC Wild Card

SEAHAWKS v LIONS

The other NFL playoffs wild card game on Saturday comes from the NFC where No. 3 Seattle Seahawks entertain No. 6: Detroit Lions at CenturyLink Field.

Game time for this one is at 8:15 p.m. ET and NBC will provide the live television broadcast. NBC Online Player will stream the game live online as well.

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Seattle has a 79.6 percent chance to win the game.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who has passed for 4,219 yards and 21 touchdowns this season will be one of the highlighted players in action this weekend.

Seattle’s wide receiver Doug Baldwin, who has 94 catches for 1,128 yards and seven touchdowns entering the weekend battle, is another key player to keep a close eye on.

OTHER NFL PLAYOFFS GAMES

There are also two games scheduled for Sunday, with No. 6 Miami Dolphins at No. 3 Pittsburgh Steelers going head-to-head in an AFC wild card game and the inform No. 4 Green Bay Packers hosting No. 5 New York Giants in an NFC playoffs wild card fixture.

NFL Playoffs Wild Card Schedule
Jan. 7 and Jan. 8 – 2017

AFC Wild Card Game
No. 5 Oakland Raiders at No. 4 Houston Texans
Date and Time: Saturday | 4:35 p.m. ET
Live TV and Stream: ESPN/ABC and WatchESPN

NFC Wild Card Game
No. 6 Detroit Lions at No. 3 Seattle Seahawks
Date and Time: Saturday | 8:15 p.m. ET
Live TV and Stream: NBC and NBC Online Player

AFC Wild Card Game
No. 6 Miami Dolphins at No. 3 Pittsburgh Steelers
Date and Time: Sunday | 1:05 p.m. ET
Live TV and Stream: CBS

NFC Wild Card Game
No. 5 New York Giants at No. 4 Green Bay Packers
Date: and Time: Sunday | 4:40 p.m. ET
Live TV and Stream: Fox and Fox Sports GO

NFL Divisional Playoff Game Scores: Panthers, Broncos Win

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CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sporting Alert — The Carolina Panthers jumped out to a big first-half lead and then held off the charges of Seattle in a 31-24 victory over the Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Playoff game on Sunday.

In the AFC Divisional Playoff game on the same day, the Denver Broncos beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, although Peyton manning failed to through a touchdown pass for the first time since 1999 in his first career postseason game.

PANTHERS GET GOING EARLY

Jonathan Stewart rushed 19 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns and Cam Newton went 16 of 22 on completed passes for 161 yards and one touchdown without an interception for the Panthers, who lead 31-0 at halftime.

Greg Olsen took all six of his catches for 77 yards and one touchdown for Carolina (16-1), which will be making its first trip to the NFC Championship since 2005.

They will now play hosts to the second-seeded Arizona Cardinals, who defeated the Green Bay Packers 26-20 in OT on Saturday.

Newton was happy with the win, but the quarterback warns that that top seed must close out games like those.

“We have to find a way to complete a full game of football,” he said. “We have been known to take our foot off the throttle, and we have to find that killer instinct.”

Meanwhile, Russell Wilson recovered from a weak first half to go 31 of 48 on completed passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns.

Wilson, who was under a lot of pressure in the first half, threw two interceptions, including a pick that was ran back into the end zone.

Jermaine Kearse took 11 of his targets for 110 yards and two touchdowns, with Tyler Lockett also taking a catch for a score and finished with 75 yards from three receptions.

Marshawn Lynch returned for the Seahawks from an abdominal injury, but, as expected, struggled from the get-go and wasn’t effective after tallying just 35 total yards.

The Seahawks made a run and scored 24 unanswered points in the second half, but couldn’t recover from the poor first half display.

“We made a mess of it in the first half,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “We look at this game as a microcosm of the season.

“We struggled so much early in the season to get going, and it took us a long time. When we finally did, we caught fire and got rolling. Everyone in here just feels like we ran out of time.”

BRONCOS BOOK THEIR PLACE IN THE AFC

Brandon McManus made five field goals, including one from 45-yards with 53 seconds left to help the Denver Broncos beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-16 in the AFC Divisional Playoff game.

Manning completed 21 of 37 passes for 222 yards, but failed to throw a TD pass for Denver, who scored 11 straight points in the 4th quarter.

C.J. Anderson ran for 72 yards and a score and Emmanuel Sanders took five catches for 80 yards for the Broncos, who will now face the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.

Ben Roethlisberger passed for 339 yards on 24 of 37 passing attempts for the Steelers.

Martavis Bryant caught nine passes for 154 yards and Fitzgerald Toussaint ran for a score for Pittsburgh in the defeat.

Check All The NFL Divisional Playoff Scores

Carolina Panthers 31 v Seattle Seahawks 24: Final Score

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CHARLOTTE, Sporting Alert – The Seattle Seahawks running Marshawn Lynch is listed active for today’s NFC Divisional Playoff clash with the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Watch Live Streaming on NFL.com
TV Channels:  Seattle v Carolina 1:05 PM FOX
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte

FIRST QUARTER SEA CAR
TD
12:30
Jonathan Stewart 4 Yard Rush, G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-J.Jansen, Holder-B.Nortman.
4 plays, 75 yards, 2:30
 0 7
TD
11:38
Luke Kuechly 14 Yrd Interception Return, G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-J.Jansen, Holder-B.Nortman.
2 plays, -3 yards, 0:52
 0 14
SECOND QUARTER SEA CAR
TD
14:18
Jonathan Stewart 1 Yard Rush, G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-J.Jansen, Holder-B.Nortman.
15 plays, 86 yards, 8:44
 0 21
FG
12:41
Graham Gano Made 48 Yrd Field Goal
4 plays, -1 yard, 1:35
 0 24
TD
6:26
Greg Olsen Pass From Cam Newton for 19 Yrds, G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-J.Jansen, Holder-B.Nortman.
9 plays, 54 yards, 4:45
 0 31
THIRD QUARTER SEA CAR
TD
13:27
Jermaine Kearse Pass From Russell Wilson for 13 Yrds, S.Hauschka extra point is GOOD, Center-C.Gresham, Holder-J.Ryan.
4 plays, 35 yards, 1:33
 7 31
TD
7:40
Tyler Lockett Pass From Russell Wilson for 33 Yrds, S.Hauschka extra point is GOOD, Center-C.Gresham, Holder-J.Ryan.
7 plays, 63 yards, 2:40
 14 31
FOURTH QUARTER SEA CAR
TD
6:04
Jermaine Kearse Pass From Russell Wilson for 3 Yrds, S.Hauschka extra point is GOOD, Center-C.Gresham, Holder-J.Ryan.
9 plays, 73 yards, 3:28
 21 31
FG
1:16
Steven Hauschka Made 36 Yrd Field Goal
11 plays, 60 yards, 1:37
 24 31

Lynch has been out of action since mid-November with an abdominal injury and many think he will not be very effective if he features on Sunday against a very high-powered Carolina Panthers defense and a top draw front seven.

He is officially active for the matchup and according to ESPN’s Britt McHenry and the NFL Network, he will play.

When Lynch suited up against the Carolina Panthers in the Week 6 defeat, he tallied just 8 yards before contact. Overall he was limited to just 54 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown in the 27-23 defeat.

His coach says he has been working hard and can play.

“He’s gotta feel right,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said NFL.com. “He’s gotta be confident he can do all that crazy stuff that he does.

“And so we pushed him at practice and we’re doing things that give him enough information so that he can be confident that his injury is behind him. He’s worked hard, he’s busted his ass and he cares and wants to do it. But he has to feel it.

“We can see it, see what he’s doing and all that. But it’s never gonna be the same as a game. He plays with such reckless abandon that he needs to be freed up and confident and ready to go. He’s trying to prove that through the process of the week, and get that feeling.”

Meanwhile, for the Carolina Panthers, wide receiver Ted Ginn is active after recovering from a knee problem, and he will return punts as well.

Defensive end Michael Bennett (toe) and tight end Luke Wilson (concussion) are also listed as active for this clash.

This matchup will see two of the league’s best quarterbacks, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson going head-to-head again.

Carolina Panthers Inactive Players: RB Fozzy Whittaker, RB Brandon Wegher, S Deane Marlowe, WR Kevin Norwood, DE Ryan Delaire, WR Brentin Berson, CB Lou Young.

Seattle Seahawks Inactive Players: RB Bryce Brown, DT A.J. Francis, OG Mark Glowinski, LB Eric Pinkins, CB Tye Smith, G Kristjan Sokoli, FB Will Tukuafu.

NFC Wild-Card Score: Packers, Seahawks Move On: Jan 10

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LANDOVER, Md. — Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers started slowly, but picked up the pace in the second quarter en route to a 35-18 win over the Washington Redskins in an NFC wild-card game Sunday.

Check All Box Scores and Final Results

Rodgers started the game going 1 of 8 on completed passes, while the Packers (11-6) were very unproductive in their opening four drives, which included a safety.

However, the quarterback rallied to finished 21 of 36 on passes for 210 yards and connected with Randall Cobb and Davante Adams for two touchdowns for the Packers, who recovered from trailing 11-0 in the second quarter to take a 17-11 lead into halftime.

Eddie Lacy and James Starks each ran for a score as well, while James Jones had seven catches for 81 yards for Green Bay, which had lost its last two regular-season games entering Sunday’s game.

Kirk Cousins completed 29 of 46 passes for 329 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Jordan Reed, who had nine catches for 120 yards in the defeat for the Washington Redskins (9-8), who had won four games in a row prior to Sunday.

Chris Thompson took all eight of his targets for 89 yards and Pierre Garcon had five catches for 70 yards for Washington, which tallied 270 yards on the ground.

The victory this weekend means Green Bay Packers have moved on to play at the Arizona Cardinals in a divisional round matchup on Saturday.

ELSEWHERE……

In the other NFC wild-card game on Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks managed to squeeze out a 10-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings in below-zero weather that entered the top three for the coldest NFL games dated.

Trailing 9-0 entering the fourth quarter, found Doug Baldwin from three yards for a touchdown and Steven Hauschka made a 46-yard field goal to hand the visitors the advantage.

Blair Walsh then failed to connect on his 27-yard field goal attempt with 22 seconds remaining, and Minnesota fell short of completing what would have been an upset win in their NFC wild-card round playoff game.

Russell Wilson was 13 of 26 on completed passes for 142 yards and threw a scoring pass to Doug Baldwin for the Seahawks’ (11-6) first points of the game which came early in the fourth quarter.

“I think we were fortunate that we got the win,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said afterward. “A lot of those times, guys make those kicks.

“There’s a high percentage that they make them, but you’ve still got to do it.”

Teddy Bridgewater was 17 of 24 for 146 yards for the Redskins (11-6).

Seattle Seahawks moved on to play at the Carolina Panthers this weekend.

NFC Wild-Card Game Scores

SEAHAWKS 10, VIKINGS 9
PACKERS 35, REDSKINS 18

NFL Wild Card Scores: Chiefs, Steelers Win: Jan 9

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HOUSTON, Texas, Sporting Alert – The Kansas City Chiefs are going places after finally ending an unwanted playoff failure and set a franchise record in doing so.

And oh yea, they started their exciting journey on the road on Saturday.

CHIEFS 30, TEXANS 0

After a slow start to the season, Kansas City has recovered well and remains on course to battle for the AFC title, after blanking the Houston Texans 30-0 to open the wild card weekend.

The Chiefs got off to the best possible start in Houston, after Knile Davis had a 106-yard kickoff return to open the scoring with just 11 seconds gone on the clock. It was the second-longest kickoff return touchdown in postseason history.

Travis Kelce took eight of his 10 targets for 128 yards, and quarteback Alex Smith completed 17 of 22 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown for Kansas City (12-5) which collected its 11th straight win this season.

“What happened to us a couple years ago, everybody remembers that even the coaches included, so our entire mentality is about finishing,” Smith said.

“The mentality doesn’t change.”

The Chiefs who forced five turnovers were also recording the first NFL postseason shutout since 2005, and landing their first playoff win since 1994.

Brian Hoyer, who was booed throughout the afternoon, was 15 of 34 for 136 yards, and a career-high four interceptions, including three before halftime.

“I made some bad decisions that really hurt the team,” Hoyer said.

Alfred Blue rushed 17 times for 99 yards and DeAndre Hopkins took six catches for 69 yards for Houston (9-8) which was losing a home playoff game for the first time.

Spencer Ware ran for 67 yards and had a 5-yard run for a score on the first play of the fourth quarter for Kansas City, with Chris Conley taking a catch for a score for the Chiefs, who snapped its streak of eight straight playoff losses.

Saturday’s saw the Houston Texans’ three-game winning streaking ending at a time when they can’t over.

Kansas City will return to playoff action next weekend where it will be in the AFC Divisional round against either the No. 1-seeded Denver Broncos or the No. 2-seeded defending champion New England Patriots.

STEELERS 18, BENGALS 16

Ben Roethlisberger was 18 of 31 on completed passes for 229 yards and one touchdown and the Pittsburgh Steelers edged the Cincinnati Bengals 18-16 in their AFC wild card round game on Saturday night.

Roethlisberger was forced to leave the game with a right shoulder injury on the final play of the third quarter, but returned just in time to guide the Steelers into field goal range with 22 seconds left when he passed to wide receiver Antonio Brown in Cincinnati territory, while the hosts were hit with a pair of 15-yard penalties as well.

“Coach came to me and asked if I could do it. I said I’d give it my best shot,” said Roethlisberger.

This paved the way for Chris Boswell to kicked a 35-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining to send the Steelers into the Divisional Round against No. 1 seed Denver Broncos this coming weekend.

Brown finished with seven catches for 119 yards and Martavis Bryant caught a touchdown pass for Pittsburgh (11-6) which almost gave away the game after the Bengals roared back with 16 straight points in the fourth quarter.

AJ McCarron threw for 212 yards and one touchdown, with one interception for the Bengals (12-5), while A.J. Green had five catches for 71 yards and Jeremy Hill ran for a score, but had a costly fumble which setup Pittsburgh’s final attempt.

NFL Wild Card Scores And Box Scores

CHIEFS 30, TEXANS 0
STEELERS 18, BENGALS 16

Watch NFC Wild Card Round Games Times Live On Jan. 10

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TEXAS, Sporting Alert – NFL regular season games are now over so let’s take a quick look at this year’s playoff picture, with the NFC Wild Card round getting underway this weekend.

Seattle at Minnesota
TV Channel: NBC, TCF @ 1:05 PM ET
Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
Sunday, Jan. 10

No. 6 Seattle Seahawks at No. 3 Minnesota Vikings: Russell Wilson and the Seahawks start the road to another Super Bowl against the Vikings in a NFC Wild Card game at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. When these two teams last met, Seattle (10-6), the two-time defending NFC champion, thrashed Minnesota 38-7, with Wilson throwing for 274 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for another score on a very productive day that assisted in building a five-game winning streak.

The Vikings (11-5) and Adrian Peterson closed out the regular season fixtures with a 20-13 win over the Green Bay Packers and will look to build on their three-game winning streak. Minneapolis was held to just 125 total yards on offense when it faced the Seahawks last time out, including a mere 31 yards on the ground. So, although they are playing well, and collecting the most wins since winning 12-games in the 2009 season, the Vikings would have rather a different matchup.

Green Bay at Washington
TV Channel: FOX @ 4:40 PM ET
FedEx Field, Landover
Sunday, Jan. 10

No. 5 Green Bay Packers at No. 4 Washington Redskins: Aaron Rodgers and Packers will travel to the FedEx Field in Landover searching for their real identity, especially on offense, after failing in back-to-back weeks to convince anyone that they are ready for the playoffs. Packers (10-6) enter this NFC Wild Card round game on a two-game losing streak and average 10.5 points per game during that period. They are averaging 23 points per game in the regular season.

Green Bay, however, might be a little less anxious facing the Washington Redskins instead of the Seahawks. Washington (9-7) won a very scrappy NFC East division and is currently on a four-game winning streak after scoring wins over Chicago, Buffalo, Philadelphia and Dallas. Kirk Cousins is also having a very strong season at quarterback for the Redskins, so maybe it won’t be as easy for Green Bay as we are thinking.

Still, I am sure the runner-up in the NFC North division would take this battle all day over facing Seattle in their NFC Wild Card round game.

For more on the playoffs picture and schedule, visit NFL.com