(AP) – The AFC wild-card playoff games have gone to the wild-card teams. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs earned road victories after entering the postseason as the two non-division winners in the conference playoffs.
The Kansas City Chiefs have advanced to the AFC divisional playoffs for the first time in 21 years. The Chiefs did it with great defense and special teams in a 30-0 rout of the Texans in Houston. Knile Davis put Kansas City ahead just 11 seconds into the game by returning the opening kickoff 106 yards. It was the second-longest kickoff return TD in postseason history. The Chiefs made life miserable for Brian Hoyer, who fumbled once and threw three of his career-high four interceptions before halftime.
But the Chiefs led just 13-0 until Alex Smith hit Chris Conley for a nine-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. Smith was 17 of 22 for 190 yards and one interception. Spencer Ware had 67 yards on 16 carries, including a five-yard score in the fourth quarter. The Texans managed just 226 total yards in the first home playoff loss in team history. Kansas City now prepares for their game against the Patriots at New England next Saturday.
The Steelers’ win was bizarre as they blew a 15-point, fourth-quarter lead before Chris Boswell hit a 35-yard field goal with 14 seconds left to give Pittsburgh an 18-16 triumph over the Bengals in Cincinnati. Boswell’s game-winning kick was set up by a fumble, the return of Ben Roethlisberger and a pair of undisciplined penalties by the Bengals. Cincinnati seemed to be in position for its first postseason win in 25 years until Jeremy Hill’s fumble gave Pittsburgh one last shot with 83 seconds left.
Roethlisberger followed with five completions that put Pittsburgh at the Cincinnati 47 before Vontaze Burfict was called for unnecessary roughness and Adam Jones was flagged for unnecessary roughness following the same play. The two penalties moved the ball 30 yards to the Cincinnati 17 before Boswell hit his fourth field goal of the night. The flags ruined what was a remarkable comeback by the Bengals after Roethlisberger had to leave the game with a right shoulder injury. Hill got Cincinnati on the board with a one-yard scoring run, Mike Nugent hit a 36-yard field goal and AJ McCarron threw a 25-yard TD pass to A.J. Green. The Bengals appeared to ice the victory when Burfict intercepted Steelers backup QB Landry Jones with 1:36 left, but Hill gave the ball back to Pittsburgh on the next play. Next up for the Steelers are the Broncos in Denver next Sunday.
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