San Francisco's 23-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers was one of three postseason openers decided by three or fewer points. The **inimitable** dualityof Colin Kaepernick andthe sure handsof Michael Crabtree,plus Phil Dawson'sgame-winning field goalto set the 49ers up for their narrow victoryto line up a Carolina Panthers rematch.
In this edition of the Playoffs Report, 49ers.com recaps the rest of Wild Card weekend. NFL.com clarifies the entire postseason picture here.
New Orleans Saints 26, Philadelphia Eagles 24
Player:Veteran kicker Shayne Graham, who was signed just two weeks ago, executed each of his four field goal tries, including the game-winner.
Stat:New Orleans had been 0-5 in road playoff games since its 1967 inception.
Ahead:The Saints visit the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks in the others NFC Divisional playoff on Saturday.
Matchup:Drew Brees and Co. were blown out, 34-7, at Seattle in Week 13 and will need to play a very different ballgame to have a shot at revenge.
Tweet:
Great weekend of football! Can't wait for this weeks preparation. Let's get to work Who Dat Nation! — Drew Brees (@drewbrees) January 6, 2014
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Indianapolis Colts 45, Kansas City Chiefs 44
Player:Colts quarterback Andrew Luck threw three second-half touchdown passes and turned a recovered fumble into a rushing score to help his team overcome a 28-point deficit.
Stat:Indianapolis and Kansas City combined for 1,049 total yards, the most in NFL postseason history.
Ahead:The Colts visit the second-seeded New England Patriots in the first AFC Divisional playoff on Saturday.
Matchup:The teams did not face off during the regular season but, after Saturday, will have opposed each other every year since 2003. The Patriots won the last meeting, 59-24, last November.
Tweet:
"We are just getting started" - Coach Pagano http://t.co/JuWn1qdVM5 — Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) January 5, 2014
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San Diego Chargers 27, Cincinnati Bengals 10
Player:Chargers inside linebacker Donald Butler recorded a game-high 12 tackles and forced a fumble, one of three turnovers by Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.
Stat:San Diego ran for 196 yards and has accumulated at least 144 yards on the ground in five straight games.
Ahead:The Chargers visit the top-seeded Denver Broncos in the first AFC Divisional playoff on Sunday.
Matchup:San Diego went 1-1 against Denver in the regular season, righting its season with a 27-20 road win on Dec. 12.
Tweet:
Believe it. RT @nfl: Unbelievable. #SDvsCIN #NFLPlayoffs — San Diego Chargers (@chargers) January 5, 2014
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