Falcons, Patriots, Packers, Steelers Advance in NFL Playoffs

Saturday's Games

Falcons 36, Seahawks 20

Matt Ryan hardly resembled a quarterback who can't win the big games.

No, this looked more like an MVP.

Returning to the postseason for the first time in four years, Ryan threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Atlanta Falcons past the Seattle Seahawks 36-20 in the divisional round Saturday.

The Falcons are headed to the NFC championship game for only the fourth time in their 51-year history, and they're on quite a roll with Matty Ice at the helm.

He finished up to chants of "MVP! MVP! MVP" from a raucous Georgia Dome crowd that gave the Seahawks a dose of what it's like for opposing teams at CenturyLink Field.

"It was pretty cool considering the circumstances, too, with the game in hand," Ryan said. "That's got to be as loud as it's ever been in here."

Ryan turned in another dynamic performance in the best season of his career, shaking off a 1-4 record in his previous playoff appearances.

In an interesting twist, his lone postseason victory before Saturday was a 30-28 thriller over the Seahawks in the divisional round of the 2012 season.

Make it 2-0 over Seattle.

After the Seahawks zipped down the field for a touchdown on the opening possession, Atlanta's young defense largely shut down Russell Wilson & Co. the rest of the way.

Ryan and the high-scoring Falcons took it from there -- getting a huge boost from a holding penalty that wiped out an 80-yard punt return by Devin Hester.

Ryan hooked up with Julio Jones on a 7-yard touchdown and Tevin Coleman for a 14-yard score before finishing off the Seahawks with a 3-yard toss to Mohamed Sanu in the corner of the end zone with just under 4 minutes remaining.

Atlanta (12-5) moves on to face either the Dallas Cowboys or the Green Bay Packers, who meet Sunday in the NFC's other divisional-round game.

Patriots 34, Texans 16

The New England Patriots are headed back to a familiar spot: the AFC championship game.

Dion Lewis had a 13-yard touchdown reception , a 98-yard kickoff return for a score, and a late 1-yard touchdown to help the Patriots hold off the Houston Texans 34-16 on Saturday night and advance to an NFL-record sixth straight conference title game.

New England will host the winner of Sunday night's Pittsburgh-Kansas City matchup next Sunday for the right to play in the Super Bowl in Houston on Feb. 5.

"Whoever we play next week is going to be a great football team," Tom Brady said. "We're going to have to play better than we played tonight on offense."

Lewis became the fifth Patriots player to score three touchdowns in a playoff game. He's also the first player in the Super Bowl era to score on a rush, a catch and a kick return in a postseason game.

"I just approached it that I would be in there on every play. That's just the way I prepare," Lewis said. "So when it does happen, I won't be surprised. I'll always be ready."

Bill Belichick's Patriots (15-2) survived a gritty effort by the Texans' top-ranked defense, which intercepted Brady twice. Houston's special teams also forced a third turnover.

But the Texans (10-8) couldn't find enough traction on offense to take full advantage of the Patriots' mistakes, settling for field goals on both of Brady's picks.

New England led just 17-13 at the half, but pushed its lead to 24-13 early in the third quarter on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Brady to James White.

Houston's Brock Osweiler was intercepted three times after that, and the Texans managed only a field goal the rest of game.

It was the first breakout game of the season for Lewis, who spent the first eight games of the season on injured reserve recovering from offseason surgery on his left knee.

Brady finished 18 of 38 for 287 yards and two touchdowns and was showered with chants of "MVP! MVP!" and "Brady! Brady!" late in the game. Julian Edelman was Brady's most dependable target, catching eight passes for 137 yards.

Osweiler was just 23 of 40 for 198 yards with the two turnovers.

Sunday's Games

Packers 34, Cowboys 31

Aaron Rodgers didn't need another Hail Mary this time. Maybe just call it a "Half Mary."

Rodgers threw a 36-yard pass to a toe-dragging Jared Cook on the sideline, and Mason Crosby kicked a 51-yard field goal on the next play as time expired, sending the Packers to the NFC championship game with their eighth straight win while thwarting a Dallas rally in a 34-31 victory in the divisional round of the playoffs Sunday.

The throw on the run from Rodgers to Cook came on third-and-20 with 12 seconds left, and after the Cowboys tied the score twice in the final 4:08 after trailing by 18 in the first half and by 15 to start the fourth quarter.

"I love the opportunity to go out there and make plays," said Rodgers, who threw for two touchdowns to give him 21 during the winning streak, although he threw his first interception during the run.

"I was disappointed we had a chance there at 28-13 to go up three scores and make it really difficult for 'em and I threw a pick there on third down. We were able to come down and have two good drives toward the end of the game."

Dallas' rally was led by rookie sensations Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott in their playoff debuts, and the first two career postseason touchdown catches for star receiver Dez Bryant along with the first for 14th-year tight end Jason Witten.

"We're not going to stop no matter what the score is, no matter the game," Prescott said. "It shows the true character of this team."

Crosby's winner was the third field goal of more than 50 yards in the final 1:33 -- two from Crosby and one from Dallas' Dan Bailey. And Crosby had to make the winner twice after Dallas coach Jason Garrett called timeout before the first attempt.

"It's kind of a blur right now," Crosby said. "When we have 35 seconds on the clock and that our offense can move the ball into field goal range and a manageable kick, that's just special."

Rodgers, who sparked last week's wild-card win over the New York Giants with another Hail Mary before halftime, is headed to an MVP showdown with Atlanta's Matt Ryan next Sunday.

It will be Rodgers' third NFC title game -- all on the road for Green Bay (12-6) -- and he got there in his first game at the home of the Cowboys since he won his only title as the Super Bowl MVP six years ago.

Steelers 18, Chiefs 16

Chris Boswell's pinpoint right leg and Le'Veon Bell's two dancing feet.

They do call it football, after all.

Indeed, Bell spent much of Sunday watching the film "Happy Feet."

"I wasn't nervous about the game," Bell said. "I don't watch ESPN or NFL Live, because I know they'll talk about the game. I don't necessarily want to think about the game.

"I watch stuff like `Happy Feet."

Who needs to reach the end zone when you have Bell chewing up yards and the clock, and Boswell setting an NFL playoff record with six field goals? Throw in a stingy Pittsburgh defense for most of Sunday night, and a multitude of mistakes by Kansas City, and the Steelers' 18-16 victory sent them into the AFC championship game.

The Steelers (13-5) needed to hold off a last-ditch threat by the Chiefs (12-5) before advancing to face New England next Sunday night for a spot in the Super Bowl. The Patriots won at Pittsburgh 27-16, but Ben Roethlisberger was injured and didn't play.

"I think it's going to be a showdown," Bell said. "Two great quarterbacks going head to head. Two of the best teams in the AFC. It's time to settle it next week."

Since 2001, the Patriots and Steelers have combined to win nine AFC titles.

Spencer Ware's 1-yard touchdown run took Kansas City within 18-16. The Chiefs at first converted the 2-pointer to tie it, but tackle Eric Fisher -- the first overall selection in the 2013 draft -- was penalized for holding. The next try failed.

With 2:43 remaining, Justin Gilbert misplayed the kick return and was tackled at the Pittsburgh 5. Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown for 7 yards on third down and Pittsburgh then ran out the clock, securing a ninth straight victory for the Steelers. The Chiefs have not won a home playoff game since 1994, losing five in a row.

"I feel like we left a lot of plays on the field that we should have made," linebacker Justin Houston said. "We didn't; it's the playoffs, every play counts."

Sunday, January 22 Schedule (All Times Central)

NFC Championship

Green Bay at Atlanta, 2:05 p.m.

AFC Championship

Pittsburgh at New England, 5:40 p.m.

Sunday, January 29 Schedule (Time Central)

Pro Bowl

AFC vs. NFC, 7 p.m.

Super Bowl

Sunday, February 5 Schedule (Time Central)

Super Bowl, TBA