The NFL playoffs divisional round saw the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots advance with wins against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. The Cardinals won in overtime after a miracle Hail Mary pass from Aaron Rodgers to tie the game, while the Patriots advanced to their fifth straight AFC championship game after winning over the Chiefs.
The Patriots won over the Chiefs 27-20 to advance to the AFC title game, holding off a Kansas City rally after taking a lead at 21-6. The Chiefs came into the game on an 11-game winning streak and that was halted with the Patriots winning another playoff game at home. The team now advances to the AFC championship game and will play the winner of the Steelers-Broncos game on Sunday.
The Packers and Cardinals played a game for the ages on Saturday night and it resembled the playoff game the two teams played five years ago, which also went into overtime. The Packers tied up the game on Saturday night with a Hail Mary pass from Aaron Rodgers to Jeff Janis, but the team never saw the ball again after things went into overtime. The Cardinals connected on a play to Larry Fitzgerald for 75-yards and scored just after that on a shovel pass to Fitzgerald to win the game 26-20.
The Cardinals now advance to the NFC Championship game after being the number two seed and the finish was just as sudden as the first overtime playoff game between the teams. Back in 2010 the Cardinals defense forced a fumble by Aaron Rodgers that was returned for a touchdown by linebacker Karlos Dansby. Fitzgerald had a big game with eight catches for 176 yards and the winning touchdown, while Carson Palmer had 349 passing yards and three TDs.
Check here for more on the playoffs and for the game results.
