NFL Playoffs: Buffalo Bills advance, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat Philadelphia Eagles
They finished November with a 10-1 record, but a 32-9 loss at Tampa Bay meant they had lost six of their previous seven games, signaling the end of an unhappy season. The Buffalo Bills defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–17 earlier on Monday to set up a tantalizing matchup with Kansas City. The Bills lost at that point two years prior following a thrilling shootout in Kansas City between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, which the Chiefs won 42-36 in overtime.
The Chiefs will now try to hold onto their dreams of winning a third NFL championship in five years and going to the Super Bowl back-to-back next Sunday when they go to Buffalo. Earlier in the day, the Bucs, who defeated the Chiefs in the 2021 Super Bowl, would play the Detroit Lions. By the end of November, Philadelphia had amassed more victories than Tampa Bay had during the whole season. The Bucs entered the playoffs with the lowest record among the 14 teams that made it to the postseason, going 9-8.
The Bucs won five of their final six games to win the NFC South, led by Baker Mayfield, who started in place of the departed Tom Brady this season. And on wildcard weekend, the disparity in performance between the two teams was evident as the Bucs took a 16-3 lead thanks to three field goals and a David Moore touchdown pass that went 44 yards. The Eagles had optimism of breaking out of their funk when Dallas Goedert scored shortly before halftime, making the score 16-9.
However, that all vanished in the latter part of the third quarter when Trey Palmer’s 56-yard touchdown pass to Tampa Bay led the Eagles to give up a safety and the defense was once again exposed. following departing the Cleveland Browns following the 2021 season, Baker Mayfield has reestablished himself as a top quarterback on three different teams. He now has three touchdown passes and 337 passing yards after a late touchdown from Chris Godwin.
Bills defeat Steelers following a snowfall in Buffalo
Due to the expectation of severe winds and heavy snow, a state of emergency was proclaimed in the Buffalo region, postponing Pittsburgh’s game against the Bills from Sunday to Monday. After several feet of snow fell in upstate New York, the Bills even made a plea to the fans to help shovel snow from Highmark Stadium, offering them $20 (£15.70) an hour plus hot drinks and breakfast.It was only -7C, nothing like the -20C for the Chiefs’ victory at home on Saturday. Buffalo surprised the Steelers by scoring three touchdowns in a row to take a 21-0 lead. In the first quarter, Allen completed scoring passes to tight ends Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid. In the second quarter, he made his career-long run of 52 yards to score.
Just before the half, Pittsburgh mounted a comeback thanks to a touchdown by Diontae Johnson. In the following quarter, the two sides traded field goals. And even though Calvin Austin’s touchdown in the fourth quarter made the score 24–17, Buffalo responded quickly with a strong play from Khalil Shakir in the end zone. With that play, Allen now had three touchdown throws, and the Bills had won six straight since the beginning of December.