by Ben Perks
The San Francisco 49ers saw off a late comeback from the Dallas Cowboys to win 23-17 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 31-15. The other game on day two of Wildcard Weekend saw the Pittsburgh Steelers fall 42-21 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
49ers Knock Out The Cowboys
As the Dallas Cowboys were the third seed in the NFC Conference, they played host to the sixth seed, San Francisco. The 49ers set up this exciting match by narrowly beating the Los Angeles Rams 24-27 in their last game of the regular season.
These two NFL powerhouses have lifted the Lombardi Trophy three times each, and also faced each other three years in a row during that time. The game on Sunday reignited this rivalry, and although the Cowboys started slow, this playoff meeting didn’t disappoint. Elijah Mitchell gave San Fran the lead with a rushing touchdown before the 49ers kicked three field goals to go 16-7 at halftime. Dallas QB Dak Prescott kept it competitive by finding Amari Cooper for a 20-yard touchdown.
The QB was then intercepted in the third quarter, allowing Deebo Samuel to gallop head and score San Francisco’s second touchdown to go 23-7. Yet, the Cowboys didn’t give up and kept their drive alive in the fourth with a fake punt to go on and score a field goal. With 8:02 left on the clock, Prescott punished a Jimmy Garoppolo interception with a rushing five-yard TD.
The Cowboys were in possession with 2:51 left but failed to make the most of it, as Prescott’s deep throw missed Cedrick Wilson’s grasp. In a chaotic finale with just 32 seconds left, the Cowboys had the ball once again but failed to get in range of San Francisco’s end zone.
This victory means the 49ers will now hit the road to face NFC top seed, the Green Bay Packers, as -190 underdogs. The Packers are at +350 odds to win Super Bowl 56.
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Chiefs Win in Style
The Chiefs secured a resounding victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers by bagging five touchdowns in 11 minutes. The Steelers held their own in a scoreless first quarter before taking the lead with a defensive touchdown as TJ Watt ran it home after the Chiefs fumbled. Patrick Mahomes ended any hopes of a shock by throwing two touchdown passes to Jerick McKinnon, Byron Pringle, and Travis Kelce in the second quarter and finding Nick Allegretti and Tyreek Hill in the third. Kelce finished off Pittsburgh by throwing to Pringle in the fourth quarter. The result means that the Chiefs will now face the Buffalo Bills as -130 favorites in the divisional round.
The End for Roethlisberger?
Ben Roethlisberger’s illustrious career seems to be over after the Steelers bowed out to the Chiefs in their day two Wildcard game. The 39-year-old, who has won the Super Bowl twice with Pittsburgh, said in a news conference conference that he was going “to miss these guys”, and added: “As we move from one chapter to the next, it’s going to be different, it’s going to be fun, it’s going to be a new challenge and I’m looking forward to it.”
The veteran has hinted at ending his playing career many times throughout the season. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin said of Roethlisberger: “It’s been an honor and a pleasure, man. I don’t have the words.”
The Steelers only managed two first downs to seven punts in the first half, fell behind 35-7 by the middle of the third quarter, and only scored via fumble recovery by T.J. Watt. Yet the quarterback restored some pride by launching three late touchdown passes to Diontae Johnson and James Washington.
Roethlisberger quickly became a fan favorite after the steelers secured his services with a first-round pick in 2004.
Bucs Slay The Eagles
Don’t let the 31-15 scoreline trick you into thinking this game was close – Tampa Bay put the Philadelphia Eagles to the sword. The Eagles went into the game as the NFL 2021-22 leaders for rushing yards, but you would never have guessed it when watching this performance. Brady comfortably completed 29 of his 37 passes for two touchdowns and 271 yards. The seven-time Super Bowl winner led two first-quarter drives, allowing rushing scores for Giovani Bernard and Ke’Shawn Vaughn. The reigning champions went 17-0 at halftime and Brady continued the onslaught with two touchdown passes to Rob Gronkowski and Mike Evans in the third.
Boston Scott ensured Eagles fans had something to cheer about by getting a rushing 24-yard touchdown. QB also pitched in by finding Jalen Hurts Kenneth Gainwell to score, but it will be another year without lifting the Lombardi Trophy for Philadelphia.
Divisional Round schedule
Saturday, January 22
- AFC: 16:30 (ET) Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans (CBS, Paramount+)
- NFC: 20:15 (ET) San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers (FOX, FOX Deportes)
Sunday, January 23
- NFC: 15:00 (ET) Arizona Cardinals or Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NBC, Peacock, Universo)
- AFC: 18:30 (ET) Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs (CBS, Paramount+)
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Ben is a sports journalist & part-time trader with a passion for finding +EV bets. Ben lives in Madrid, Spain where he enjoys the live poker scene, and sunshine where he covers UFC, MLB, NHL, NBA, as well as tennis betting.
