The NFL Super Wild Card Weekend continues Sunday when the sixth-ranked Baltimore Ravens take on the AFC North champions and third-ranked Cincinnati Bengals.
Earlier, Josh Allen and AFC East champion Buffalo Bills narrowly escaped third-row rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson and the seventh-ranked Miami Dolphins (34-31) to advance to their third consecutive divisional round appearance.
Elsewhere, the sixth-ranked New York Giants upset NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings (31-24) and advanced to the divisional round for the first time since the 2011 playoffs — when the G-Men won it all at Super Bowl XLVI.
Here are the top games!
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
The B’s move the chains
Joe Burrow found Tyler Boyd for a big third down conversion on the Bengals’ opening run before they settled for three to take an early 3-0 lead.
Collect the ball for turnover
Akeem Davis-Gaither recovered the ball for the Bengals on the Ravens’ opening run and intercepted Tyler Huntley on a pass down the middle to get the ball in midfield.
Hammer Houston
Justin Houston and the Ravens’ pass rush put pressure on Burrow early, recording a first-down sack on Cincinnati’s opening drive.
Chasing the end zone
Burrow found Ja’Marr Chase over center for a 7-yard score when the star wide receiver ran the extra few yards into the end zone to give the Bengals a 9-0 lead.
JK all day, all end zone
JK Dobbins made the reception from the backfield in third and Tor and stretched to break the plane for six. His second quarter result made it 9-7 Bengals.
Hamilton hits it loose
Not only did Kyle Hamilton make the third down tackle well in front of the sticks, but he also knocked the ball out of Hayden Hurst’s arm, allowing the Ravens to return the ball earlier with much better field position.
Exactly as designed, right?
Huntley took the poor snap that went over his head and a few yards behind him and climbed to the touchline before releasing a pass to Josh Oliver, who ran for the first down and an 18-yard gain.
Burrow breaks through
After Hurst’s initial touchdown reception was briefly decided, Burrow took care of business by executing a QB sneak to return the lead to the Bengals.
Tea time
Burrow went to tee Higgins on the Bengals’ first 2-point attempts and while the pass was incomplete they were given another chance due to Higgins being disrupted. So Burrow rejoined Higgins after the receiver came up during his tussle to give the Bengals a 17-10 lead by just over five minutes in the third quarter.
Huntley hits a home run
The Ravens’ QB found Demarcus Robinson wide open and hit him for the 41-yard score to end the game in the final minutes of the third quarter.
Stay tuned for updates!
New York Giants 31, Minnesota Vikings 24
Scol!
The Vikings ended a 12-play, 75-yard opening drive with a sneak from Kirk Cousins to give the home team a 7-0 early lead.
Knotted
The Giants responded with a 28-yard touchdown of their own on their first possession, courtesy of Saquon Barkley.
NY responsible
After the Vikings went three and out on their next drive, the Giants took their first lead with the possession that followed.
First, Daniel Jones connected with Darius Slayton for a stunning 47-yard gain, then hit Isaiah Hodgins for a 14-yard touchdown to give New York a 14-7 advantage.
Everyone’s game
The Giants added a field goal late in the second half to make it a 10-point game.
Then KJ Osborn staggered in a 9-yard pass from Cousins to close the gap at 17-14 before the break.
Warm up
The Giants extended their lead to 24-14 early in the third quarter thanks to a 9-yard score from tight end Daniel Bellinger.
neck and neck
The Vikings fired back with a wild result from their tight end, Irv Smith Jr., on their first drive of the second half. So in the middle of the third quarter it was again a three-point game, 24:21.
Then Minnesota added a field goal early in the fourth quarter to tie things up at 24 points apiece.
star power
The Giants issued a statement on their subsequent drive. First came Hodgins with a 19-yard pickup to move the sticks. Then Jones & Co. grabbed another set of downs after a successful fourth down conversion and Barkley holed out 2 yard score to give NY the late lead, 31-24, which they held on to the end.
Buffalo Bills 34, Miami Dolphins 31
Jump back
The Bills’ inaugural drive didn’t go as planned. Allen fiddled with a short scramble, but the ball went wide in the process. The Bills ended possession by turning it over on Miami’s 32-yard line.
After the Dolphins went three and out on their first drive, the Bills quickly got the ball back and redeemed themselves on their next possession. Allen connected with Dawson Knox for a wild one-handed score to put Buffalo 7-0 early on.
Selected!
On the Dolphins’ next drive, Bill’s safety Dean picked up Marlowe Thompson just short of Miami’s red zone.
ground play strong
The Bills benefited greatly from sales, move down effortlessly before rookie running back James Cook hit a 12-yard score to extend Buffalo’s lead to 14-0 late in the first quarter.
See red
Allen hit Gabe Davis down the middle for a 19-yard pickup that was initially thought to be an incomplete pass. buffalo challenged the verdictand play was reversed, causing the Bills to head into the second quarter near midfield.
Chaos!
Both teams traded field goals to make it a 17-3 game midway through the second frame. Chaos ensued after Allen’s pass to John Brown was intercepted near Miami’s goal line by Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard and returned to midfield.
The two squads got into a scuffle after the game, Drawing compensating for unnecessary roughness penalties. The turnover resulted in a field goal for Miami that easily closed the gap 17-6 late in the second quarter.
Close the gap
The Dolphins ended the first half with a bang when Cedrick Wilson Jr. returned the punt 50 yards at Buffalo’s 27-yard line. The drive ended in another field goal as Miami made it an eight-point game, 17-9.
Knotted!
Just before the break, the Bills got into trouble. Allen’s pass to Cole Beasley bounced out of the receiver’s hands and into the arms of Dolphins safety Jevon Holland, who returned it 29 yards at Buffalo’s 18-yard line with less than a minute left in the first half.
Miami finished the drive by ending the game at 17 points apiece after a touchdown from tight end Mike Gesicki and a successful two-point conversion from Tyreek Hill.
Call of the Wild!
Miami’s tie lasted less than a minute when Buffalo scored a field goal just before halftime. But after opening the second half with three goals, the Dolphins snatched the ball and the lead from Allen. What an unlikely turn of events.
Back and forth
Buffalo reclaimed the lead 27-24 in the third quarter after a costly interception in Miami.
Toe drag swag
The Bills extended their lead to 34-24 going into the fourth quarter thanks to a stunning 23-yard touchdown reception from Davis.
Don’t turn this dial
After a sleepy quarter from Miami’s offense, Mike McDaniel chose some tricks to get his team back into the end zone. A reversal by Jaylen Waddle set up a short Jeff Wilson Jr. touchdown run.
eyes on the price
Bill receiver Khalil Shakir came down with a monster catch from 31 yards midway through the fourth quarter to put Buffalo in midfield.
The Bills eventually holed the ball away Allen picked up a huge sack on the third down, but the Dolphins narrowly missed on their next possession and turned the ball around on downs. Things ended there, 34-31.
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