Why this has been the wildest NFL divisional round weekend ever: Three road teams grab wins in bizarre fashion

Sun, Jan 23, 2022
NFL News (AP)

The divisional weekend of the NFL playoffs is generally regarded as the best weekend of football for the year. The 2022 version of the divisional round may be the best ever.

Two No. 1 seeds were taken out in the divisional round, the first time that's happened since 2010. All three teams that won thus far were road teams on a last-second field goal.

Evan McPherson hit a game-winning 52-yard field goal to give the No. 4 Cincinnati Bengals a 19-16 win over the top-seeded Tennessee Titans.
Robbie Gould hit a game-winning 45-yard field goal to give the No. 6 San Francisco 49ers a 13-10 win over the top-seeded Green Bay Packers.
Matt Gay hit the winning 30-yard field as the Los Angeles Rams knocked off the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here are the other wild feats to happen in the divisional round:

Bengals at Titans

The Bengals beat the Titans despite getting sacked nine times in a playoff game. The nine sacks the Bengals allowed tied anNFLplayoff record. The 1966Kansas City Chiefs, 1984Chicago Bears, 1986New York Jets, and 1993 Houston Oilers also allowed nine sacks in a playoff game. The nine sacks by the Titans also tied an NFL playoff record with the 1966Buffalo Bills, 1984San Francisco 49ers, 1986Cleveland Browns, and 1993 Kansas City Chiefs.

The Titans are the first team to lose a playoff game while having nine sacks in a game since the merger. The Bengals are the first team to win a playoff game while allowing nine sacks since the 1966 Kansas City Chiefs. Joe Burrow became the first quarterback to be sacked nine times and win a playoff game. He's also the first quarterback to be sacked eight-plus times and win a playoff game since Donovan McNabb in the 2003 NFC Divisional Playoffs. Burrow and McNabb are the only two quarterbacks to accomplish the feat since the merger.

49ers at Packers

The 49ers defeated the Packers despite having no offensive touchdowns in the game, the first team since the 2016 Pittsburgh Steelers to win a playoff game without scoring an offensive touchdown. The Packers special teams played a major role in the loss, giving the 49ers seven points as they had a punt blocked that was returned for a score and took away three points of their own with a field goal blocked just before the half.

Here were the other special teams blunders by the Packers:

Field goal blocked when leading 7-0 at the end of the first half
Punt blocked returned for a touchdown to tie game at 10-10 in the fourth quarter
Allowed 30.3 yards per punt return
Had 10 men on the field on Gould's game-winning field goal

Aaron Rodgers became the first quarterback to lose four times to a single opponent in the postseason. This was the first home loss by the Packers this season and it tied the fewest points scored by a Packers team at home when Aaron Rodgers plays a full game (regular season and postseason).

Rams at Buccaneers

The Rams also won in thrilling fashion on Matt Gay's 30-yard field goal, set up by Matthew Stafford's 44-yard strike to Cooper Kupp with under 20 seconds left to set the Rams up for the victory. The Rams overcame a calamity of errors to win, becoming the first team since the 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers to win a playoff game after losing four fumbles.

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers overcame a 27-3 deficit in the third quarter to tie the game with 42 seconds left, thanks to a series of miscues and poor possessions by the Rams. Here were the Rams' next six possessions as the Buccaneers scored 24 unanswered points:

Lost fumble
Punt
Lost fumble
Missed 47-yard field goal that was short
Punt
Lost fumble

Despite the collapse, Kupp had a 20-yard and 44-yard reception to lead the Rams to victory. He finished with nine catches for 183 yards and a touchdown. The Rams' victory ensured the NFC Championship Game would be held at SoFi Stadium (the host stadium for Super Bowl LVI) and marked the first time since 2009 nether Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers will play in a conference championship game.