N.F.L. Playoffs: Kansas City Expands Lead Over Buffalo in Third Quarter

Before the season, Jordan Palmer, who is Josh Allen’s private quarterbacks coach, told me he thought Allen’s season would come down to his getting the ball in the final 5 minutes of the A.F.C. championship against the Kansas City at Buffalo. He got the round and the site a bit wrong. But the sentiment rings true. We’re setting up for another spectacular finish in the fourth quarter this weekend.

Josh Allen is cold. Only needed one play — a 75 yard bomb to Gabriel Davis — to quiet the crowd at Arrowhead and bring the score to 23-21.

Bad tackling by the defense on an end-around from receiver Mecole Hardman, who rushed for a 25-yard touchdown. Butker doinks the extra point attempt to make the score 23-14.

Big drive for Kansas City here. If they can score a touchdown and create some distance, that will put a lot of pressure on Buffalo.

Butker connects on a 39-yard field goal, giving Kansas City a 17-14 lead.

Kansas City and the Buffalo Bills are tied at 14 in the divisional round after Harrison Butker missed a 50-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen have gone throw-for-throw, foreshadowing what could be a thrilling finish at Arrowhead Stadium.

Bills tie it up at 14 just seconds before halftime. Josh Allen just needed seven plays to respond, marching 75 yards to find receiver Gabriel Davis open in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown. We have a game.

Bills defense stopped Kansas City on third down near the goal line, but a holding penalty gave an automatic first down. A few plays later, Mahomes hit Byron Pringle for a 2-yard touchdown, where Pringle made an acrobatic, contested catch. The score is 14-7, Kansas City leading, with just under 2 minutes left in the half.

Kansas City safety Tyrann Mathieu has been ruled out for the rest of the game and is in the concussion protocol, team officials said during the second quarter.

Mathieu’s head banged into the knee of a teammate in the first quarter. He soon jogged to the sideline to enter the blue medical tent, then went to the locker room.

Tyrann Mathieu has now been ruled out for the remainder of the game with a concussion, according to his team.That’s a huge loss for Kansas City’s defense.

Kansas City added Melvin Ingram midseason to help its defense, which had been — to put it nicely — very bad. He showed his value with a big sack.

The first quarter has ended with Kansas City and the Bills tied at 7.

Buffalo scored on a drive that consisted of two fourth-down conversions, and Kansas City responded with a 74-yard drive where Patrick Mahomes rushed for 49 yards, including a 34 yard scamper and an 8-yard score. Kansas City safety Tyrann Mathieu exited the game in the period and is being evaluated for a concussion.

Kansas City answers with a scramble from Mahomes for an 8-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7. Mahomes rushed three times for 49 yards on that drive.

Mahomes isn’t fast like Lamar Jackson. But he has such good footwork and pocket awareness, and that enables him to escape pressure.

Not good for K.C. — Safety Tyrann Mathieu is in the locker room being evaluated for a concussion.

The best part of Buffalo’s aggressiveness on that opening drive was the third-down pass to Beasley. It felt like that play was called to get the Bills in fourth-and-short so they could go for it.

Bills score a touchdown on fourth down via a 2-yard run from Devin Singletary. He touched the ball five times during that drive.

After almost every home team successfully defended their turf in the wild card round last weekend — all but the Cowboys, that is — the road teams have won three of the first four divisional round games this weekend, and all three by kicking walk-off field goals.

If the Buffalo Bills knock off Kansas City in the last of this weekend’s matchups, it will mark the first time since the 2015 season that the road teams swept a quartet of games in one weekend of the postseason.

Bills convert a fourth down on its first drive with a read-option from Allen. An early sign that they’re going to play aggressively.

K.C. wins toss and defers. Josh Allen and the Bills are up first.

Rams 30, Buccaneers 27

TAMPA, Fla. — Rams kicker Matt Gay’s kick sneaked inside the left upright as the game’s final four seconds ticked away, giving Los Angeles a 30-27 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday to reach the N.F.C. championship game.

The Rams’ lead, which had ballooned to as many as 24 points, had evaporated late in the game, and Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette scored the game-tying touchdown on the drive preceding the game-winning kick.

The crowd at Arrowhead Stadium here in Kansas City is watching the end of this game and just cheered for that completion.

Stafford to Kupp. What else is new?

Fournette churns into the end zone for a 9 yard rushing touchdown on fourth-and-inches, and the extra point ties the score at 27. Rams get the ball with 42 seconds left and one timeout remaining to drive the length of the field.

Led by safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, the Bills completed the regular season as the N.F.L. ‘s top-ranked defense, an element that has them viewed as one of the most balanced teams in the playoffs.

Buffalo finished first in several statistical categories, most notably fewest points allowed (289) and fewest yards allowed (4,637). The secondary was particularly smothering, surrendering only 165.9 yards per game and less than one passing touchdown per game. They did so even in the latter part of the season without the cornerback Tre’Davious White, a two-time Pro-Bowl selection, who tore an anterior cruciate ligament against the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving. A formidable defense is the perfect complement for the Bills, who are powered offensively by Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs.

Akers fumbles on the next possession and gives the Buccaneers the ball again with just over two minutes remaining near midfield. We could be heading to overtime if they score.

Tom Brady connected with Mike Evans for a 55-yard touchdown, slicing their deficit to 27-20 with just over three minutes remaining. Evans slipped past the defensive backfield and was wide open to catch the pass and walk into the end zone.

Buccaneers go for it on fourth down and do not convert. Brady had time but couldn’t connect with Gronk.

This is the third matchup for these two teams in less than a year. Last January, Kansas City easily dispatched the Bills, 38-24, in the A.F.C. championship to reach the Super Bowl. In a viral photo, the Bills receiver Stefon Diggs watched alone from the sideline as confetti fell at Arrowhead Stadium while Kansas City celebrated.

In Week 5 this season, the Bills earned revenge, beating Kansas City, 38-20, behind Josh Allen’s 315 passing yards and three touchdowns. Kansas City is a small betting favorite this time, and oddsmakers expect it to be high-scoring, with the over-under set at 55 points.

A missed field goal gives Tampa the ball back, and a few plays later the Rams get flagged for pass interference. Buccaneers get the ball past midfield.

Les Snead’s philosophy of snagging proven stars in trades/free agency while drafting quality starters is on display right now. Both Cam Akers and Van Jefferson were drafted in the second round in 2020 and are making big plays.

Patrick Mahomes’s skyrocketing career has placed Kansas City atop the A.F.C., after Peyton Manning retired and Tom Brady’s departure from the New England Patriots created a void. A win against Buffalo could advance Kansas City in the championship game for the fourth consecutive season. While an impressive feat, the Patriots hold the remarkable record, having reached the game eight times between 2011 and 2018.

Kansas City lost to the Patriots, 37-31, in the 2018 A.F.C. championship in overtime at home, a close game they could have won in regulation had linebacker Dee Ford not lined up offsides before Brady threw a game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter. The next season, en route to their Super Bowl win, Kansas City overcame a 10-point deficit in the second quarter to beat the Tennessee Titans, 35-24. It defeated Buffalo, 38-24, last season before losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl.

After a whacky sequence, the Rams force an incompletion and turnover on downs, but are flagged for a late hit. Los Angeles still keeps the ball after the penalty is enforced.

Strip sack from Von Miller, then an errant snap from the Rams gives the ball right back to the Bucs. What is going on?

Three-and-out for the Rams right there. Tampa’s defense is definitely feeling some momentum.

The Buccaneers’ hopes of turning things around after a dismal first half started to diminish in the third quarter after the Rams took a 27-3 lead.

But another fumble by the Rams, this time by Cooper Kupp, shifted some of the game’s momentum to the Buccaneers and energized the crowd at Raymond James Stadium.

Through the first seven weeks of the season, it appeared that Kansas City was in jeopardy of securing only a low-seed or potentially even missing the playoffs outright. The team limped to a 3-4 start, hurt by uncharacteristic turnovers from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who struggled to adapt to opponents’ strategies to counter their downfield passing attack and a defense that surrendered about 400 yards per game.

But injuries and parity within the A.F.C. caused the conference’s top teams to lose winnable games and fail to secure a strong footing, allowing Kansas City to regroup amid a favorable stretch in its schedule. It won nine of its last 10 games, and could have finished as the No. 1 seed if it had defeated the Cincinnati Bengals. Kansas City certainly rebounded, but early season mishaps may have given other teams a blueprint for success.

Leonard Fournette charges in for a 1-yard touchdown, slicing the Rams’ lead to 27-13. Still a two-possession game, but the Rams can no longer coast.

Cooper Kupp fumbles and gives Tampa Bay the ball back in good field position. If they score, it could get interesting in the fourth quarter

The Rams have a comfortable 27-3 lead after Stafford keeps it for the touchdown. History teaches that you never want to count out Tom Brady, but the Buccaneers have simply been outplayed with no signs of turning things around yet.

The Rams have great starting field position on this possession after a huge return by Brandon Powell. Tampa Bay losing in all three phases of the game right now.

NBC just showed footage of some of Cooper Kupp’s blocking. I included him in a story this week about how receivers are still effective at blocking even while the N.F.L. transitions to more and more passing.

There’s a big third-down stop by the Buccaneers defense. Devin White got a hand on Stafford’s pass to bring up fourth down.

At the half, the visiting Rams have a 20-3 lead. The defending champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, looked the opposite of the team that cruised past the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs.

Tampa Bay punted on its first two drives and missed a field goal late in the second quarter. Tom Brady was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the second quarter. And with a chance to lead his team on a 2-minute scoring drive at the end of the half, Brady was intercepted by safety Nick Scott.

The previous play is under official review. The call on the field was that Cam Akers was down before the ball came out, but from the replay, it looks like the ball may have been moving before he was down. The Buccaneers recovered the ball.

With how hard Cam Akers runs, you’d forget that he tore his Achilles’ tendon right before training camp.

Tom Brady’s pass was intercepted, looking deep for Gronk. Just an awful half on both sides of the ball for Tampa Bay.

Tom Brady was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct during the second quarter after complaining to the officials about what looked to be a hit to his face by Rams linebacker Von Miller.

The 15-yard penalty was the Buccaneers’ fourth penalty of the game. Brady had never been flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct or taunting in his career before then, according to ESPN.

At the two-minute warning, the Rams have a 20-3 lead. Tom Brady is a two-minute drill specialist, so we’ll see what he and the Buccaneers offense can put together after a mediocre half.

If the offensive line gives Brady time, routes in the middle of the field should be open. There were a few crossers on that last play. Middle linebacker is probably the sweet spot to attack on the Rams defense.

Tom Brady flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, which was followed by a chorus of boos at Raymond James Stadium.

The Los Angeles Rams have a 10-3 lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the first quarter, with quarterback Matthew Stafford finding tight end Kendall Blanton for the game’s first touchdown.

Matthew Stafford began his first season as the quarterback of the Los Angeles Rams by throwing 11 touchdowns in through his first four games, validation that the 33-year-old was an upgrade over their former quarterback, Jared Goff.

For all of Stafford’s positives — his high-volume yardage, experience and arm strength — his backbreaking turnovers have stained a season in which he is expected to help the Rams contend for a Super Bowl.