ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — This time it was a catch, and another win for the Green Bay Packers.
Call it a “Half Mary” from Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers threw a 36-yard pass to a toe-dragging Jared Cook on the sideline, and Mason Crosby kicked a 51-yard field goal as time expired, sending the Packers to the NFC championship game with their eighth straight win while thwarting a huge Dallas rally in a 34-31 victory in the divisional round of the playoffs Sunday.
The throw on the run from Rodgers to Cook — confirmed on review — wasn’t nearly as debatable as Dez Bryant’s famous catch that wasn’t in the Cowboys’ divisional round loss to Green Bay two years ago.
Cook kept both feet inbounds with a knee just above the ground out of bounds.
And it came after the Cowboys tied the game twice in the final 5 minutes behind rookie sensations Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott in their playoff debut.
It was the third field goal of more than 50 yards in the final 1:38 — two from Crosby and one from Dallas’ Dan Bailey. And Crosby had to make the winner twice after Dallas coach Jason Garrett called timeout before the first attempt.
Rodgers, who sparked last week’s wild-card win over the New York Giants with another Hail Mary before halftime, is headed to an MVP showdown with Atlanta’s Matt Ryan next Sunday. It will be his third NFC title game — all on the road.
Green Bay’s win was the first by a road team after 12 straight home victories in the playoffs dating to last season.
The Cowboys (13-4) almost became the third team in the Super Bowl era to win in the playoffs after trailing by 15 points in the fourth quarter. The first was Dallas in 1972, when “Captain Comeback”, Roger Staubach, rallied the Cowboys for a 30-28 win over San Francisco.
Instead, Dallas ended up with its fifth straight loss in the divisional round and a 21-year drought in trips to the NFC championship game.
Steelers 18, Chiefs 16
KANSAS CITY, MO — The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to get a rematch with the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. The Steelers got past the Kansas City Chiefs 18-16 on Sunday night in the final divisional-round game.
Chris Boswell set an NFL record with six field goals, Le’Veon Bell broke his own franchise playoff record by running for 170 yards as the Steelers (13-5)advanced to the AFC title game for the first time since the 2010 season.
The Steelers have won nine straight games.
Alex Smith threw for 172 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Spencer Ware ran for a 1-yard score with 2:43 remaining to get the Chiefs within two points. They converted a two-point conversion but it was called by due to a holding penalty on left tackle Eric Fisher. The ensuing pass fell incomplete and Pittsburgh ran out the clock.
The Chiefs went up 7-3 on a six-play march capped by receiver Albert Wilson lining up in the backfield, then slipping uncovered into the end zone for a 5-yard scoring pass.
Kansas City (12-5) remains winless at home in the playoffs since the 1993 postseason.
Patriots 34, Texans 16
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots are headed back to a familiar spot: the AFC championship game.
Dion Lewis had a 13-yard touchdown reception, a 98-yard kickoff return for a score, and a late 1-yard touchdown to help the Patriots hold off the Houston Texans 34-16 on Saturday night and advance to an NFL-record sixth straight conference title game.
New England will host the winner of Sunday night’s Pittsburgh-Kansas City matchup next Sunday for the right to play in the Super Bowl in Houston on Feb. 5.
Lewis became the fifth Patriots player to score three touchdowns in a playoff game. He’s also the first player in the Super Bowl era to score on a rush, a catch and a kick return in a postseason game.
Bill Belichick’s Patriots (15-2) survived a gritty effort by the Texans’ top-ranked defense, which intercepted Brady twice. Houston’s special teams also forced a third turnover.
But the Texans (10-8) couldn’t find enough traction on offense to take full advantage of the Patriots’ mistakes, settling for field goals on both of Brady’s picks.
Falcons 36, Seahawks 20
ATLANTA — Matt Ryan hardly resembled a quarterback who can't win the big games.
No, this looked more like an MVP.
Returning to the postseason for the first time in four years, Ryan threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Atlanta Falcons past the Seattle Seahawks 36-20 in the divisional round Saturday.
The Falcons (12-5) are headed to the NFC championship game for only the fourth time in their 51-year history, and they’re on quite a roll with Matty Ice at the helm.