The NFL Playoffs (Wild Card round) will start next weekend. Here are the dates for the games:
Wild card weekend - Saturday, Jan. 3
Team (to be decided) vs Team (to be decided)
Team (to be decided) vs Team (to be decided)
Wild card weekend - Sunday, Jan. 4
Team (to be decided) vs Team (to be decided)
Team (to be decided) vs Team (to be decided)
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: Chargers miss playoffs with 19-7 loss to Chiefs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The San Diego Chargers needed to merely to beat Kansas City in their regular-season finale on Sunday to slip into the playoffs for the second straight year.
That’s why Mike McCoy was so surprised by their wholescale flop.
The Chargers’ coach watched in bewilderment as Philip Rivers was sacked seven times and picked off twice, Donald Brown was stuffed on a key fourth down late in the game, and the Chargers’ season ended with a lackluster 19-7 loss to the Chiefs.
“For everything that was at stake, for us to play the way we did, get behind early on, and we got some rhythm going and we couldn’t make that one play to get it going and turn on the momentum — very disappointing,” McCoy said. “We didn’t play well.”
The Chiefs played much better, though it ultimately didn’t matter.
They needed Baltimore to lose to Cleveland and Houston to lose to Jacksonville, but both teams rallied in the second half for victories. That gave the Ravens the AFC’s final playoff spot.
“We end up missing the playoffs,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “so while it’s fresh in the players’ minds, it’s important that they feel how important every game is in this league. There’s so much parity in the league and these games are so close.”
The Chargers (9-7) will look back on their season finale as one of wasted opportunities.
Nick Novak missed a 52-yard field goal attempt late in the third quarter. Midway through the fourth, a touchdown pass to Eddie Royal was overturned by a video review when the ball appeared to skip off the turf — San Diego went for it on fourth down and Rivers threw incomplete. Then with about 4 minutes left, Donald Brown was stuffed on fourth-and-1 at the Chiefs 20.
Rivers was intercepted for a second time in the closing seconds of the game.
He finished with 291 yards passing to go over 4,000 yards in a season for the sixth time in his career. Branden Oliver added 71 yards rushing and a touchdown.
“It’s tough when it ends. You never plan on it,” Rivers said. “We didn’t play our best. But you’ve got to give them credit. They beat us twice this year, so they were the better team.”
Meanwhile, Justin Houston had four sacks for the Chiefs (9-7) to break Derrick Thomas’ Chiefs record with 22 on the season. Cairo Santos kicked four field goals, and Chase Daniel played well in place of injured quarterback Alex Smith, throwing for 157 yards without an interception.
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