Seahawks, Packers, Chiefs, Steelers Advance in NFL Playoffs

Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks needed more than three quarters to warm up in Minnesota on Sunday, and their quest to avenge last year's Super Bowl loss was nearly frozen before it began.

However, the Vikings, after gritting through a grind-it-out wild-card game, booted their chance to beat the two-time defending NFC champions.

Blair Walsh's 27-yard field goal attempt into the frigid wind hooked left with 22 seconds remaining and handed the Seahawks a 10-9 victory over the stunned Vikings in below-zero weather that tied for the third-coldest NFL game on record.

"A lot of people would've folded up and said, 'That's it,' but we've got a team full of fighters," Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said.

The Seahawks (11-6) didn't score until Wilson's short touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin early in the fourth quarter. A fumble by Adrian Peterson on the next possession set up a field goal by Steven Hauschka.

The Vikings (11-6) took the ball at their 39-yard line for the deciding drive with 1:42 left and, aided by a pass interference penalty on Kam Chancellor, drove deep into Seattle's territory. After the Vikings drained the clock for a seemingly inevitable win, Walsh missed the winner after making all three of his earlier attempts.

"That's called grace," Chancellor said. "That's all it is."

Walsh became the fourth Vikings kicker to miss a field goal in the past 20 postseasons. Morten Andersen had a 27-yard field goal blocked in the 2004 wild-card round, Gary Anderson missed a 38-yard field goal wide left in the 1998 NFC Championship Game, and Eddie Murray missed a 48-yarder in the 1997 wild-card round.

Seattle will play next weekend at Carolina, where the Panthers had a first-round bye in mid-50s weather.

Packers 35, Redskins 18

For Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Green Bay Packers' offense, the first quarter of their playoff game Sunday looked quite similar to the stagnant way their regular season wound down. Not a lot of progress. Not a lot of points. Not a lot of fun.

Rodgers opened the NFC wild-card game against the Washington Redskins by going 1 for 8, and the Packers' first four drives went: punt, safety, punt, punt. They gained all of 11 yards heading into the second period, and they trailed by double digits.

And then, spurred by using the hurry-up approach he loves, Rodgers played like a two-time NFL MVP. Drawing defensive penalties with quick snaps, making adjustments at the line of scrimmage, and running the show the way few QBs can, Rodgers threw for a pair of TDs while Eddie Lacy and James Starks each ran for a score, and Green Bay came back to overwhelm the NFC East champion Redskins 35-18.

"We got the tempo up, and they couldn't keep up," said Rodgers, who finished 21 for 36 for 210 yards and no turnovers. "We became a snowball, kind of going downhill, and it was tough for us to stop."

That was missing while the Packers were losing their final two games and six of their last 10 after a 6-0 start, letting the NFC North title slip away. And it was missing early Sunday, when Washington grabbed an 11-0 lead.

Saturday's Games

Chiefs 30, Texans 0

After 22 years without a playoff victory, the Kansas City Chiefs were determined not to give up the lead this time.

The Chiefs had enough points to win after jumping ahead 7-0 in the first 11 seconds, and they used relentless pressure, five turnovers and a ball-control offense to dominate the Houston Texans 30-0 in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday.

They were especially cognizant of not letting up after blowing a 28-point lead in a loss to the Colts in their last playoff appearance in 2013.

"What happened to us a couple years ago, everybody remembers that even the coaches included, so our entire mentality is about finishing," quarterback Alex Smith said. "The mentality doesn't change."

They finished off the Texans early, and they had the hometown fans booing by the second quarter. Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer had the worst game of his career with four interceptions and a fumble.

Houston's defense kept the Texans close in the first half, but J.J. Watt left with an injury in the third quarter, Jadeveon Clowney never even put on his jersey and the Chiefs were able to close the game out in the second half.

The Chiefs extended their NFL-best winning streak to 11 games and will face New England on Saturday.

Steelers 18, Broncos 16

Ben Roethlisberger couldn't throw. Antonio Brown couldn't stand without help. And in the end, it didn't matter. The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading to Denver after the Cincinnati Bengals did what they always seem to do this time of year: they imploded.

Spectacularly. Chris Boswell kicked a 35-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining as Pittsburgh somehow pulled out an 18-16 victory in an -- really, just pick whatever synonym for "ugly" that works -- AFC wild-card game Saturday night.

Pittsburgh (11-6) moved into field goal position thanks to consecutive 15-yard penalties on the Bengals, one on linebacker Vontaze Burfict and another on cornerback Adam Jones. Burfict dropped his shoulder and hit a defenseless Brown in the helmet as the All-Pro receiver came across the middle, and Jones lost his cool after getting into it with Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter when Porter came onto the field as Brown was being tended to by trainers.

Boswell drilled his fourth field goal of the game on the next snap to give the Steelers their first playoff victory since the 2010 AFC championship.

"We won the game. That's all that matters," Roethlisberger said.

Pittsburgh bolted off the field without so much as shaking hands while the Bengals vented their frustration after easily the most painful of their eighth straight postseason losses. Jones took to Instagram calling out Porter, a post Jones later deleted.

Cincinnati might want to do the same after somehow losing despite rallying from a 15-point deficit to have the lead and the ball in Pittsburgh territory and the lead with 1:30 to go.

Then the Bengals turned into ... the Bengals.

Hill was stripped of the ball by Ryan Shazier while trying to run out the clock. The Steelers recovered at the Pittsburgh 9, and Roethlisberger and his aching right shoulder returned for a last-gasp drive. Unable to pass with any real authority, he still managed to get the Steelers near midfield with 22 seconds to go when he threw high to Brown in Cincinnati territory.

Saturday, January 16 Schedule (All Times Central)

Kansas City at New England, 3:35 p.m.

AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF

Green Bay at Arizona, 7:15 p.m.

NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF

Sunday, January 17 Schedule (All Times Central)

Seattle at Carolina, 12:05 p.m.

NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF

Pittsburgh at Denver, 3:40 p.m.

AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF