NFL playoff field is set: Tennessee Titans secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC, while the Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers play their way in on the season’s final day

2 years ago 349

The AFC playoffs volition beryllium moving done Music City, and the Tennessee Titans should person Derrick Henry backmost for their archetypal crippled this postseason.

The Tennessee Titans, who utilized an NFL-high 91 players — the astir ever successful a non-strike play — clinched their archetypal No. 1 effect since 2008 and their 3rd overall. They needed lone a triumph Sunday, though they made it absorbing earlier holding disconnected the Houston Texans 28-25 to clinch the AFC’s apical spot.

Titans manager Mike Vrabel noted cipher hands retired T-shirts and hats for clinching the apical seed.

“We recognize we’re successful the Elite Eight,” Vrabel said. “We’ve moved connected to the 2nd circular of the playoffs without having to play a playoff game.”

This postseason volition diagnostic 7 teams that missed the playoffs past season: the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

The Raiders earned the last berth Sunday nighttime with a 35-32 triumph implicit the Los Angeles Chargers connected Daniel Carlson’s 47-yard tract extremity arsenic overtime expired. If the teams had tied, some would person qualified and the Pittsburgh Steelers would person been eliminated.

“We knew nary substance what, we didn’t privation a tie,” Raiders backmost Derek Carr said. “We wanted to triumph the shot game.”

The Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) bushed the Denver Broncos connected Saturday and needed the Titans to suffer to clinch the AFC’s apical seed. The Titans’ triumph locked successful the Chiefs arsenic the No. 2 effect acknowledgment to Tennessee (12-5) holding the tiebreaker aft beating Kansas City 27-3 connected Oct. 24 successful Nashville. The Chiefs volition big the Steelers connected Sunday nighttime successful the wild-card round.

Only the Green Bay Packers (13-4) had their playoff seeding acceptable arsenic the NFC’s No. 1 effect going into the last week of the regular season. The AFC had teams warring for the last 2 wild-card spots, and the 49ers were trying to clasp connected to the last NFC wild-card berth.

The Indianapolis Colts came successful connected a rotation with 7 Pro Bowl players and needing lone to bushed the Jacksonville Jaguars to scope the playoffs. Instead, the Colts blew a wild-card berth by losing their seventh consecutive roadworthy crippled to the Jaguars 26-11.

Ben Roethlisberger volition play astatine slightest 1 much crippled aft Carlson’s footwear ended the anticipation of a chaotic necktie successful Las Vegas. The Steelers (9-7-1) had been connected the extracurricular looking successful until the Colts’ loss, and they bushed the Baltimore Ravens 16-13 successful overtime. Then they had to hold and ticker successful lawsuit the Raiders and Chargers tied earlier clinching the No. 7 seed.

“I’m conscionable blessed for Ben,” Steelers kicker Chris Boswell said. “We’re sending him to the playoffs. This squad deserves it.”

The fifth-seeded Raiders (10-7) volition sojourn the fourth-seeded Bengals (10-7) connected Saturday day successful the archetypal crippled of the wild-card round. The AFC North champion Bengals routed the Raiders 32-13 successful Las Vegas successful November.

The Buffalo Bills (11-6) clinched their 2nd consecutive AFC East rubric and the No. 3 effect by beating the New York Jets 27-10. They volition big the sixth-seeded Patriots (10-7) connected Saturday nighttime successful New England’s archetypal wild-card crippled connected the roadworthy nether manager Bill Belichick. The Pats’ 17 erstwhile playoff berths each came arsenic AFC East champs.

The Patriots mislaid 3 of their past four, including 33-24 to the Miami Dolphins connected Sunday. Each squad won connected the other’s location field, with the Patriots throwing lone 3 passes to triumph 14-10 successful Buffalo portion the Bills won 33-21 connected Dec. 26 successful Foxborough, Mass.

In the NFC, the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-4) clinched the No. 2 effect by downing the Carolina Panthers 41-17. The Bucs volition big the seventh-seeded Eagles (9-8) successful the archetypal wild-card crippled Sunday.

The third-seeded Cowboys (12-5), who routed the Eagles connected Saturday night, volition big the sixth-seeded 49ers (10-7) successful the 2nd wild-card crippled Sunday afternoon. The 49ers bushed the Los Angeles Rams 27-24 successful overtime to gain their 2nd playoff berth successful 3 seasons.

The Rams (12-5) won their 3rd NFC West rubric successful 5 seasons with manager Sean McVay erstwhile the Cardinals mislaid 38-30 to the Seattle Seahawks for their 4th nonaccomplishment successful 5 games.

The Rams’ nonaccomplishment dropped them to the No. 4 seed, and they volition big the fifth-seeded Cardinals (11-6) connected Monday night, Jan. 17, successful the wild-card round. Each squad won arsenic the visitant successful the 2 matchups this season. The Cardinals won 37-20 successful October astatine SoFi Stadium, and the Rams won 30-23 past period successful Arizona.

“Playing connected the roadworthy has been bully to us, truthful it volition beryllium a positive if we tin spell retired and grip concern the aforesaid way,” Cardinals antiaircraft backmost Jalen Thompson said.