Cam Akers ran for 131 yards and a knockout and Darious Williams returned an interception for a score as the sixth-seeded Los Angeles Rams upset host Seattle Seahawks 30-20 in the opening round of the NFC playoffs on Saturday.
Matt Gay kicked three field goals for the Rams and their defense totaled 278 yards offensive against the third-seeded Seahawks, who have won their previous ten national games at Lumen Field. Seattle’s last playoff game against the St Louis Rams in 2004.
Jared Goff, who suffered a broken right thumb in Seattle two weeks ago in need of surgery, came off the bench to lead the Rams and threw a 15-year-old pass to Robert Woods with 4:46 left to achieve the victory. Goff was 9 of 19 for 155 meters.
Russell Wilson of Seattle was 11 of 27 for 174 yards and two touchdowns, both for DK Metcalf. Wilson was fired five times, twice each by Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd, and the Seahawks conceded just two of the 14 third attempts.
Metcalf’s 12-yard receiving time of 2:28 drew the Seahawks within ten points, but Woods got the ensuing kick on the leg.
There were three touchdowns in a time frame of 4:48 late in the first half, giving Los Angeles a 20-10 lead.
With the Rams at 6-3, Williams jumps a Wilson pass meant for Metcalf, takes it down and goes 42 yards for an attack with 6:46 left in the half.
Wilson scrambled to his left and put a ball over the secondary cage, finding Metcalf for a 51-yard touchdown with 3:43 left.
At third-and-9 from the Rams’ own 26-yard line, Goff hit Akers with a screen pass. The rookie took it 44 yards from the right sideline and set up his own five-yard run with 1:57 to go in the half. Akers, a second-round pick from Florida State, missed the Week 16 game between teams with an ankle injury when the Seahawks won 20-9, thus winning the NFC West title.
John Wolford started with the Rams as a quarterback and led them into their second possession in the field goal area before suffering a neck injury by Jamal Adams of Seattle. Wolford did not return and was taken to the hospital.
Chris Carson of the Seahawks rushed for 77 yards and Jason Myers kicked 50 and 52 field goals.
Indianapolis Colts 24-27 Buffalo Bills
Quarterback Josh Allen and safety Micah Hyde teamed up to make up the lost history of the Buffalo Bills.
Now you have Bill-ieve?
In a season in which the bills had numerous setbacks, Allen Buffalo became the first starter in a quarter-century to win a playoff game. And Hyde assured that the bills would not endure another collapse of the second half, as it did last year in a loss to Houston with a game card, or the last second.
With Buffalo, the AFC East champion for the first time since 1995, hosting their first playoff game since ’96, Allen throws two touchdowns and draws another rush to lead the Bills to a 27- 24 over the Indianapolis Colts in a game card game Saturday.
Hyde took off the desperate pace of Philip Rivers as there was little time to help Buffalo make it 0-6 post-season by winning his first playoff game since a 37-22 win over Miami on December 30, 1995. .
The past was very much on Allen’s mind as he reflected on how Buffalo lost a 16-0 lead in the third quarter in a 22-19 overtime loss to Houston in its first playoff game.
‘Of course we started a little slow and we could end up in a rhythm late. Made enough plays to win, ”Allen said. “It’s a new area for myself, but it just gives us a chance to play next week.”
The end of the game was so impressive, in which the Bills almost squandered a 24-10 lead in the fourth quarter, and Jordan Poyer’s safety still had trouble putting the result into perspective.
“I haven’t had time to celebrate it yet, but it’s great for the Bills organization, the city, to be able to play a home game and get a win,” Poyer said in his fourth season at Buffalo . “We’ve been working on this since 2017, but a day like today, to get to the top, we’ve worked so hard.”
Hyde’s pass defense facilitated recollections of the bills that caught DeAndre Hopkins’ 43-yard jump in the final seconds of a 32-30 loss to Arizona on Nov. 15. Buffalo has since won seven for its longest finish line since 1990.
And the win was attended by a limited number of 6,700 fans for the first time this season.
Allen finished 26th of 35 for 324 yards with a 5-pointer from Dawson Knox and a 35-year-old for Stefon Diggs, which led the fans to ‘MVP!’ MVP! ”To celebrate the first Buffalo player to lead the NFL in catches and yards received.
The Colts (11-6) ended a season in which they won 11 games for the first time since 2014 and reached the playoffs under Frank Reich for the second time in three years.
Rivers finished 27th out of 46 for 309 yards and dropped his career-high record to 5-7 in completing his first – and possibly last – season with the Colts as he pondered retirement.
Losing is not easier for the 39-year-old who reached the conference championship only once in 2008.
“Shoot, it’s hard to think back 12 years ago to think how I felt in the locker room after the championship game,” Rivers said, referring to the Chargers’ 21-12 defeat to New England. “It’s always emotional. But is it more emotional when you’re about to turn 40 and you’m not sure if you’ve been in your last mess? Heck yes. ”
The game was only decided in the final game, when Rivers faced the fourth-and-11 series of Buffalo’s 47. Rivers struck a deep pass for TY Hilton, who was surrounded by defenders to the right of the end zone. Hyde broke through the crowd bodies, jumped up and hit the ball on the ground.
The kick from rookie Tyler Bass set off the crucial points by hitting a 54-goal field goal to set Buffalo up 27-16 with 8:08 left.
The Colts responded with a seven-and-75 drive, cut off by a nine-sleep pass for Pascal. After Bass Buffalo increased their lead to 27-16, the Colts passed less than two minutes later. Rivers hit a wide open Jack Doyle for a 27-year-old onslaught and Doyle got a two-point conversion.
However, the Bills did not make it easy. Allen almost lost a whisper in midfield when he was sacked for a 23-yard loss by Denico Autry in first place from Indianapolis 37. However, attacking linebacker Daryl Williams recovered and forced the Swaps to score with 2:30 left.
“It doesn’t matter what it looks like,” Allen said. ‘This is the play-off battle. It’s win or go home, and we did it. ‘