Two of the most explosive teams in the NFL defended home field on Saturday night in the Divisional Round, advancing to their respective conference championship games. Starting in Los Angeles, where the Los Angeles Rams held off a Dallas Cowboys' comeback attempt in the fourth quarter for a 30-22 win at the Coliseum. C.J. Anderson continued to impress since joining the Rams with 123 yards and two touchdowns, while Todd Gurley added 115 yards and a score on the ground to lead the dominant Rams running game. They ran for a franchise playoff record of 273 yards, as Anderson and quarterback Jarred Goff ran for key first downs to seal the win late.
The Rams enjoyed a bye week before this contest, and are now heading to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 17 years. The Cowboys were playing in their NFL-record 63rd playoff game in franchise history, but they allowed the most team rushing yards in a playoff game in their history. That helped the Rams earn just their second postseason victory since winning the Super Bowl in 2002. Gurley and Anderson are leading the way thus far in this run, becoming just the fourth set of teammates with 100 yards rushing apiece in a postseason game in NFL history.
The Cowboys' normally dominant run game was shut down on this night, while they also allowed more yards on Saturday than they had allowed on the ground all season long. Ezekiel Elliott was held in check for most of the night, compiling 66 total yards, but did find the end zone once on the ground. Amari Cooper also had a touchdown catch, but the Cowboys are still without a road playoff victory over the past 26 seasons. The Rams will face the winner of the Philadelphia Eagles-New Orleans Saints game next week, and will host the NFC Title Game if the Eagles come away with an upset win.
Meanwhile, despite a dominant season, the question marks were still there for the Kansas City Chiefs, as Patrick Mahomes was entering his first playoff contest. Although, the explosive offense found their way through the snow, running for four touchdowns as a team in a 31-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Damien Williams, Darrel Williams, Tyreek Hill, and Mahomes himself all found the end zone on the ground, while the quarterback did not turn the ball over while throwing for 278 yards. Damien Williams ran for 129 yards on the day, as he continues to take over the starting role after the team was seemingly forced to cut ties with Kareerm Hunt.
Hill had 72 yards receiving and a 36-yard touchdown run, helping the Chiefs top the Colts for the first time in five playoff meetings. They are now heading to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since January of 1994. They shut down the luck of Andrew Luck, who threw for just 203 yards and fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter to stop any type of comeback attempt for the road team. Marlon Mack was also shut down on the ground, running for 46 yards before leaving the game with a hip injury in the fourth quarter. That comes as more of a surprise, as the Chiefs' run defense has struggled all season long.
Kansas City jumped out to a 24-7 lead and never trailed at Arrowhead Stadium, despite the Colts' multiple comeback attempts. Indianapolis did not help themselves too often, including veteran Adam Vinatieri missing a 23-yard field goal attempt, which was the first time in 22 playoff attempts that he's missed from that close. The Chiefs will play host to the AFC Championship Game next week against the winner of the New England Patriots-Los Angeles Chargers contest on Sunday afternoon. Both of those teams have already defeated Kansas City this season.
The Rams enjoyed a bye week before this contest, and are now heading to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 17 years. The Cowboys were playing in their NFL-record 63rd playoff game in franchise history, but they allowed the most team rushing yards in a playoff game in their history. That helped the Rams earn just their second postseason victory since winning the Super Bowl in 2002. Gurley and Anderson are leading the way thus far in this run, becoming just the fourth set of teammates with 100 yards rushing apiece in a postseason game in NFL history.
The Cowboys' normally dominant run game was shut down on this night, while they also allowed more yards on Saturday than they had allowed on the ground all season long. Ezekiel Elliott was held in check for most of the night, compiling 66 total yards, but did find the end zone once on the ground. Amari Cooper also had a touchdown catch, but the Cowboys are still without a road playoff victory over the past 26 seasons. The Rams will face the winner of the Philadelphia Eagles-New Orleans Saints game next week, and will host the NFC Title Game if the Eagles come away with an upset win.
Meanwhile, despite a dominant season, the question marks were still there for the Kansas City Chiefs, as Patrick Mahomes was entering his first playoff contest. Although, the explosive offense found their way through the snow, running for four touchdowns as a team in a 31-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Damien Williams, Darrel Williams, Tyreek Hill, and Mahomes himself all found the end zone on the ground, while the quarterback did not turn the ball over while throwing for 278 yards. Damien Williams ran for 129 yards on the day, as he continues to take over the starting role after the team was seemingly forced to cut ties with Kareerm Hunt.
Hill had 72 yards receiving and a 36-yard touchdown run, helping the Chiefs top the Colts for the first time in five playoff meetings. They are now heading to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since January of 1994. They shut down the luck of Andrew Luck, who threw for just 203 yards and fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter to stop any type of comeback attempt for the road team. Marlon Mack was also shut down on the ground, running for 46 yards before leaving the game with a hip injury in the fourth quarter. That comes as more of a surprise, as the Chiefs' run defense has struggled all season long.
Kansas City jumped out to a 24-7 lead and never trailed at Arrowhead Stadium, despite the Colts' multiple comeback attempts. Indianapolis did not help themselves too often, including veteran Adam Vinatieri missing a 23-yard field goal attempt, which was the first time in 22 playoff attempts that he's missed from that close. The Chiefs will play host to the AFC Championship Game next week against the winner of the New England Patriots-Los Angeles Chargers contest on Sunday afternoon. Both of those teams have already defeated Kansas City this season.
