The Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, and Indianapolis Colts will play next week during the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs.
NFC Seed:
1. Seattle Seahawks (12-4) - Get a bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs
2. Green Bay Packers (12-4) - Get a bye and get home-field
3. Dallas Cowboys (12-4) - Play the Lions next week.
4. Carolina Panthers (7-9-1) - Play the Cardinals next week.
5. Detroit Lions (11-5) - Play the Cowboys next week.
6. Arizona Cardinals (11-5) - Play the Panthers next week.
AFC Seed:
1. New England Patriots (12-4) - Get a bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs
2. Denver Broncos (12-4) Get a bye and get home-field
3. Indianapolis Colts (11-5) - Play next week
4. Cincinnati Bengals (10-4-1) - Play next week
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) - Play next week.
6. Baltimore Ravens (10-6) - Play the winner of the Bengals-Steelers game.
AP update: 49ers win 20-17 in Jim Harbaugh’s likely last game
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Jim Harbaugh sprinted off the Levi’s Stadium field for perhaps the final time, cradling the game ball. The San Francisco 49ers won for their embattled coach and doused him with a celebratory ice bucket.
Colin Kaepernick threw a go-ahead 3-yard touchdown pass to Bruce Miller late in the third quarter, and Harbaugh won in his likely last game leading the Niners, who beat the playoff-bound Arizona Cardinals 20-17 on Sunday.
Anquan Boldin caught a 76-yard TD pass and went over 1,000 yards receiving. Frank Gore ran for 144 yards on 25 carries to go over 1,000 yards rushing for the eighth time in 10 NFL seasons with San Francisco (8-8).
The franchise’s all-time rushing leader hopes to return to the only team he has known and the team has publicly expressed a mutual interest.
Not so for Harbaugh, who would depart with one season remaining on the $25 million, five-year contract he signed in January 2011.
Harbaugh spoke briefly on the field to 49ers CEO Jed York before the game amid unconfirmed reports the coach is bound for alma mater Michigan. San Francisco missed the playoffs following three straight trips to the NFC championship game and a runner-up Super Bowl finish after the 2012 season.
The 49ers, plagued by injuries to key players all season, snapped a four-game losing streak, their first under Harbaugh
The Cardinals (11-5) missed the franchise’s first 12-win season.
Ryan Lindley threw touchdown passes of 20 and 41 yards to Michael Floyd in the first half, but couldn’t deliver late.
Floyd finished with eight catches for 153 yards. Coach Bruce Arians went with Lindley under center after he originally planned to start rookie Logan Thomas before changing his mind.
Lindley was intercepted three times.
The No. 5 seed Cardinals missed the division title, too, as defending Super Bowl champion Seattle beat St. Louis 20-6 to win the NFC West and the overall top seed. The Cardinals play at Carolina next weekend.
Lindley threw his first career touchdown pass on his 229th attempt with a 20-yard completion to Floyd on Arizona’s opening drive.
Arians has been optimistic Drew Stanton will be back next week from a sprained right knee that got infected.
Boldin caught a 9-yard touchdown pass that was negated by rookie center Marcus Martin’s chop block penalty. Alfonso Smith also had his short scoring run negated when Harbaugh called timeout. Then came Miller’s TD catch.
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