Patrick Mahomes threw for 262 yards and a landing, had his helmet shattered when he took a success within the second half, and proceeded to guide Kansas Metropolis to a 26-7 rout of the visiting Miami Dolphins within the fourth-coldest recreation in NFL historical past Saturday night time.
The reigning league MVP discovered Rashee Rice eight occasions for 130 yards and a landing within the wild-card playoff recreation, and Isiah Pacheco added 89 yards speeding and one other rating, sending Kansas Metropolis (12-6) previous the Dolphins for the primary time in 4 postseason conferences.
Is perhaps chilly… BUT THIS RICE IS ALREADY COOKIN’ <a href=”https://t.co/w9N8NgcBSc”>pic.twitter.com/w9N8NgcBSc</a>
—@Chiefs
Harrison Butker added 4 discipline objectives for the defending Tremendous Bowl champs.
The injury-depleted Dolphins (11-7) regarded nothing just like the dynamic offence that led the league in yards through the common season. Tua Tagovailoa was pressured relentlessly by the NFL’s second-ranked defence, large receiver Tyreek Hill had a 53-yard TD catch however was in any other case shut down in his return to Kansas Metropolis, and the Dolphins completed with simply 264 yards in all.
They haven’t received in Kansas Metropolis since Nov. 6, 2011, nor received a playoff recreation since Dec. 30, 2000.
In the meantime, Kansas Metropolis received its fifteenth consecutive house playoff recreation — not counting a trio of Tremendous Bowls. However they might be headed to Buffalo subsequent week if the Payments beat the Steelers on Monday in a recreation pushed again a day by a blizzard. In any other case, Kansas Metropolis will host Houston, which beat the Browns earlier Saturday.
Texans rookie sensation Stroud picks aside Browns
Rookie C.J. Stroud turned the youngest quarterback to win a playoff recreation after throwing for 274 yards and three touchdowns, and the Houston Texans returned two interceptions by Joe Flacco for scores in a 45-14 rout of the visiting Cleveland Browns in a wild-card matchup Saturday.
Stroud, the second general decide within the draft final April, can also be the highest-drafted rookie QB to win within the post-season. He picked aside Cleveland’s vaunted defence, throwing landing passes of 15, 76 and 37 yards.
At 22 years and 102 days previous, he handed Michael Vick, who was 22 years, 192 days previous in 2002 when his Falcons beat the Packers.
Stroud threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns earlier than halftime because the Texans constructed a 24-14 lead. The defence took over after that, with Steven Nelson and Christian Harris returning interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive drives within the third quarter to increase the result in 38-14.
AIR IT OUT <a href=”https://t.co/NjLQxykfDa”>pic.twitter.com/NjLQxykfDa</a>
—@HoustonTexans
With the Texans up 45-14 with 9 minutes to go, Stroud’s work was carried out, and he was changed by Davis Mills.
Again within the playoffs for the primary time since 2019, Stroud’s stellar play and the management of first-year coach DeMeco Ryans remodeled the Texans (11-7) from NFL laughingstock to AFC South champions.
Flacco, who turns 39 in three days, got here off the sofa to go 4-1 as a starter to finish the common season and lead the Browns (11-7) to only their third playoff look since their 1999 enlargement rebirth, however second in 4 seasons underneath coach Kevin Stefanski.
Enjoying in his seventeenth post-season recreation however first in 9 years, Flacco could not proceed his magical run underneath the brilliant lights of the playoffs.
Payments’ wild-card recreation towards Steelers moved to Monday
The Buffalo Payments’ wild-card playoff recreation towards the Pittsburgh Steelers scheduled for Sunday was moved to Monday amid a forecast for harmful winter climate, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced Saturday.
Hochul mentioned she began speaking with the NFL on Thursday about the potential of having to reschedule the sport. From her hometown of Buffalo, she closed her information convention by saying, “Go, Payments.”
The NFL and Payments issued an announcement citing “public security issues” as the explanation to push again the sport by a day.
The forecast for the Buffalo space known as for heavy snow and winds gusting as excessive as 105 kilometres per hour Saturday, with 30 to 60 centimetres or extra of snow finally piling up. The Nationwide Climate Service issued a winter storm warning lasting via 7 a.m. Monday, saying “journey will probably be very tough to unattainable at occasions,” with the mixture of snow and really sturdy wind inflicting near-zero visibility.
A lot of the storm was anticipated to be concentrated in a slender band of lake-effect snow hovering over Buffalo’s southern suburbs, which incorporates the Payments’ house in Orchard Park.
The Steelers have pushed again their journey plans and can now head to Buffalo on Sunday.
After the NFL announcement, the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins shifted the beginning time of their house recreation towards the Seattle Kraken on Monday from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. to keep away from a time battle with the Payments-Steelers recreation.
The Payments are accustomed to weather-related schedule modifications. In 2022, a lake-effect storm led to Buffalo’s house recreation towards Cleveland being moved to Detroit in November. A month later, an enormous blizzard compelled the Payments to delay their journey house, forcing them to remain in a single day in Chicago on Christmas Eve.
