Ravens interview Chiefs offensive coordinator, former Bears coach Matt Nagy for coaching vacancy The Associated Press OWINGS MILLS, Md.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens have interviewed Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy for their head coaching vacancy.
Baltimore fired longtime coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday. Since then, the Ravens have acknowledged interviewing Vance Joseph, Davis Webb, Klint Kubiak, Kevin Stefanski and the 47-year-old Nagy for the position.
Nagy was the coach of the Chicago Bears from 2018-21, going 34-31 and making the playoffs twice. He was AP NFL Coach of the Year in 2018, when Chicago won the NFC North.
He's also been on the staff for two Super Bowl-winning Kansas City teams, although the Chiefs fell to 6-11 this season.
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Purdy, 49ers eliminate defending Super Bowl champion Eagles with 23-19 win in wild-card game By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jauan Jennings hid his eyes behind sunglasses, but could not hide his emotions with the San Francisco 49ers set to play an NFC postseason rubber match in Seattle.
The 49ers wideout-turned-backup quarterback slammed his fists on the table and essentially told the Seahawks to bring it on. He leaned into the microphone and yelled, “CAN'T WAIT!” before he walked off with a knowing smile that perhaps the best in San Francisco was yet to come.
The 49ers are in for a playoff treat, thanks in large part to a pretty neat trick pulled off by Jennings.
Brock Purdy threw a go-ahead 4-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey late in the fourth quarter, San Francisco used a trick play on a TD toss from Jennings to McCaffrey, and the 49ers eliminated the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles with a 23-19 wild-card victory Sunday.
“We went to the Super Bowl,” Jennings said. “So, we’ve got to top that.”
Maybe if the Eagles watched that 49ers' Super Bowl loss to Kansas City after the 2023 season, they wouldn't have been so caught by surprise by the play. A former high school quarterback, Jennings threw a TD pass on a similar play in the Super Bowl and this one to McCaffrey put him on a list with Purdy, Joe Montana and Steve Young as 49ers QBs who have thrown for multiple career touchdowns in the postseason.
How's that for heady company?
The play was called “Skyy Bang reverse pass” — in honor of wide receiver Skyy Moore — and the double reverse was suggested by offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak.
“It was a hell of suggestion,” coach Kyle Shanahan said.
The not-so Philly special was quite a way to put a dagger in the Super Bowl champs' season.
The 49ers head to top-seeded Seattle next weekend for an NFC divisional playoff game. The NFC West rivals split the season series. BetMGM put the Seahawks as early 6 1/2-point favorites.
Purdy threw for 262 yards and got the road win in Philadelphia he failed to get three seasons ago when he was injured in a dismal outing in Philadelphia in a loss in the NFC title game.
Purdy had two passes intercepted in this one by All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, but the Eagles scored just three points off the turnovers.
The 49ers could head to Seattle without star tight end George Kittle, who was carted off the field with a right Achilles tendon injury late in the first half.
The Eagles — who won a Super Bowl on a trick play — were foiled by one when Jennings was pitched the ball and rolled right and hit McCaffrey for an over-the-shoulder catch and a 29-yard touchdown . The score on the first play of the fourth quarter gave the 49ers a 17-16 lead.
“I looked up, the ball’s in the air and Christian tracked it," Purdy said. ”It was wobbling in the wind. The fact that Christian caught it over his shoulder, dude, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.'"
Jennings had 66 yards receiving and 48 rushing in addition to his TD pass.
“JJ thinks he can make every play known to man,” Shanahan said.
The Eagles would only get Jake Elliott's 33-yard field goal in the quarter for a brief 19-17 lead.
Philadelphia was again doomed by a lethargic offensive effort under embattled offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo that cost it a shot at a repeat championship. Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts threw for only 168 yards and a touchdown and the Eagles failed to build off a 13-10 halftime lead by totaling only 36 total yards in the third quarter on 16 plays.
Hurts was incomplete on a last-gasp fourth-and-11 attempt with 43 seconds left that ended their final drive.
“I just didn’t make the play,' Hurts said. ”I own it. I own it all.”
The game never reached its offensive slugfest potential after the teams traded touchdowns on their opening drives.
Purdy, rendered ineffective by a torn ligament in his right elbow on the opening drive against the Eagles in a disastrous NFC title game loss three seasons ago, completed all three passes for 74 yards and capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson.
The Eagles tied it on a 1-yard sweep by Dallas Goedert, their red zone go-to ace with 11 TD receptions who became the first tight end to rush for a score in NFL postseason history.
The Eagles turned again to Goedert on fourth down when Hurts hit him for a 9-yard TD that made it 13-7.
Eddy Pineiro kicked a 36-yarder for the 49ers that cut it to 13-10 at halftime.
The 49ers took it from there and hope to pull off their second road win of the season in Seattle.
“It’s just cool for everybody across the board to be able to have this kind of win and celebrate all the stuff that we’ve been through,” Purdy said.
Heat of the moment
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown had to be separated from coach Nick Sirianni by chief security officer Dom DiSandro during a sideline blowup late in the first half. Brown ripped off his helmet in frustration and yelled more in Sirianni’s direction after the Eagles punted to end a drive.
Injuries
Kittle was pushed out of bounds on a 6-yard reception and grabbed the back of his lower right leg. He was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ran for 106 yards, but was slow to get up on a run in the fourth quarter. He used the stationary bike on the sideline to stay loose.
Up next
49ers: The 49ers won 17-13 in Seattle in the season opener only for the Seahawks to return the favor with a 13-3 win in the season finale.
Eagles: Could make yet another change at offensive coordinator as they try not to waste more prime years from Hurts, Barkley and the receivers.
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This story has been corrected to fix the go-ahead touchdown pass to 4 yards, not 6 yards.
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Eagles' season-long issues apparent in playoff loss to 49ers, sideline spat between Sirianni, Brown By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A.J Brown dropped a third-down pass and was slow to get off the field when coach Nick Sirianni chased down the moody wide receiver on the sideline.
Brown and Sirianni bickered in a sideline spat that quickly forced chief security officer Dom DiSandro to intervene. Brown ripped off his helmet in frustration and yelled more in Sirianni’s direction — perhaps he could have used a good book — after the Eagles punted to end a drive.
Brown had nothing to say after the game – stay tuned for another possible cryptic social media post – his locker stall soon as empty as the offseason that awaits last season’s Super Bowl champions.
The Eagles were ultimately doomed in a championship repeat bid by another uninspired offensive output – the drops piled while the total yards failed to reach explosive heights – and they lost 23-19 to the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC wild card game Sunday.
Just trash littered the field after the game – courtesy of an unrelenting wind that threw a winkle into both team’s gameplan – rather than the confetti that fell on the Eagles only 11 months earlier in the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
With the same talent back for an encore, the Eagles never found any consistent offensive success in a game where many players thought they could flip the proverbial switch in the postseason.
Much of the blame sits at the feet of embattled first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo – who had his house egged during the season – in a second-half effort against the 49ers where the Eagles never got any serious offensive production.
Jalen Hurts threw for only 168 yards and a touchdown and the Eagles failed to build off a 13-10 halftime lead by totaling only 36 total yards in the third quarter on 16 plays.
Hurts thew for only 75 yards in the second half. Saquon Barkley had only 35 yards rushing in the second half. The Eagles were just 2 of 9 on third downs in the second half. The biggest blow: The Eagles scored only six points in the second half.
“We didn’t make the plays when we didn’t make them,” Hurts said.
Indeed.
Jake Elliott missed an extra point in the first half that forced the Eagles to go for the winning touchdown on the final drive, rather than a tying field goal. Hurts was sacked and threw three straight incompletions to end a season where — even as mostly ugly wins piled — the Eagles never played like true Super Bowl contenders.
The Eagles also had four drops on third downs.
“It's been a common theme for us this year,” Barkley said. “We haven't done a good enough job of playing complete football. Putting two halves together. Sometimes you expect you'll get to this moment, and you'll figure it out.”
Brown, who had 1,003 yards receiving this season, had two drops on seven targets. He finished with only three catches for 25 yards.
With the drops, the stalled drives and heavy expectations weighing on the defending champs, it's little wonder frustration finally reach a boiling point.
Sirianni, who led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in two of the previous three seasons, said he rushed after Brown to get him off the field so they could punt.
Everything is cool between the two, Sirianni said. Honest.
“I love A.J. I think he knows how I feel about him. I have a special relationship with him,” Sirianni said. "We probably went through every emotion you can possibly have together. We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together, we’ve yelled at each other. We’re both emotional. I was trying to get him off the field and that happens in this game.
"It happens in this game, but I love him.”
Do the Eagles love him enough to keep him for another season?
There doesn't expect to be much turnover for the NFC East champions — thought Patullo and Brown could both be on the move.
The Eagles rode their defense to an NFC East crown — well, that, and playing in an especially weak division — that masked so many deficiencies in the play calling. The Eagles finished the regular season just 24th overall in the NFL in offense; 23rd in passing and 19th in scoring.
“It's not on any individual,” Hurts said. “It's on us as a unit.”
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Maye throws late TD pass and Patriots' defense roughs up Herbert, Chargers in 16-3 playoff win By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer The Associated Press FOXBOROUGH, Mass.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Patriots coach Mike Vrabel talked to his team about being prepared to bleed as New England entered its first playoff game since the 2021 season.
Then, shortly after Milton Williams sacked the Chargers' Justin Herbert on Sunday night to secure the Patriots' first playoff victory in seven years, Williams celebrated with a head-butt of Vrabel.
It knocked the first-year coach backward and bloodied his lip.
“The big dogs come out in January. I think Milt took that to heart,” Vrabel said. “He came over and got me pretty good. But that’s what happens.”
Drake Maye threw a touchdown pass to Hunter Henry in the fourth quarter, and New England's defense roughed up Herbert as the Patriots beat Los Angeles 16-3 in an AFC wild-card playoff game.
Andy Borregales kicked three field goals for the Patriots (15-3), who hadn't won in the postseason since their Super Bowl victory to cap the 2018 season. They’ll host the winner of Monday night’s game between Pittsburgh and Houston in the divisional round.
In his playoff debut, Maye completed 17 of 29 passes for 268 yards and ran for a team-high 66 yards.
“We made plays when we had to do it,” Maye said.
He also threw an interception and lost a fumble, but the Chargers (11-7) couldn't capitalize on those turnovers.
New England held Los Angeles to 207 yards of offense and sacked Herbert six times, with one of those resulting in a lost fumble that set up the Patriots' TD.
“It's on us, what we do. I've been saying that all season,” Williams said. “We can control the game. If we do what we need to do up front, we're going to win.”
This is the second straight season in which the Chargers have lost in the wild-card round. Herbert finished 19 of 31 for 159 yards and was his team's leading rusher with 57 yards as he fell to 0-3 in the playoffs.
Herbert was just over a month removed from surgery to repair a broken bone in his nonthrowing hand.
“There was no issue,” Herbert said. “I just have to do a better job holding on to the ball.”
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said his quarterback wasn't 100 percent.
“He’s a warrior. He just gives it everything he has, all the time,” Harbaugh said, acknowledging that Herbert was limited by his hand injury. “It’s an issue, but he doesn’t flinch, like a warrior would.”
The last time the Chargers failed to score a TD in the playoffs was their 21-12 AFC championship game loss to the Patriots during the 2007 season.
The Patriots drove into the red zone on their first possession of the third quarter, but the drive ended when Maye was strip-sacked by Odafe Oweh and De'Shawn Hand recovered for the Chargers.
After Los Angeles punted, Maye connected on a pass to Kayshon Boutte that went for 42 yards to set the Patriots up on the Chargers 27. But New England settled for a 39-yard field goal that stretched their lead to 9-3.
Early in the fourth quarter, Maye used a 16-yard pass to Boutte and a 13-yard burst by Rhamondre Stevenson to set up his precise 28-yard TD toss to Henry that put the Patriots in front 16-3.
The Chargers picked up back-to-back first downs to open their ensuing drive. But when Herbert dropped back to pass on the next play, linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson strip-sacked him and fell on loose ball.
Los Angeles had one final possession, but it ended with Herbert getting sacked by Williams on fourth down.
“It’s playoff football. It’s going to get ugly. It’s going to get nasty. But you’ve got to keep going,” Williams said.
Patriots get 3 the hard way
The opening quarter had lots of action, but it took until early in the second quarter for the Patriots to end a scoreless stalemate.
With New England pinned inside its own 10 after a Chargers punt, Maye had a pass intended for Austin Hooper tipped by Teair Tart and intercepted by Daiyan Henley.
Los Angeles started with the ball on the Patriots 10 but was stopped on fourth-and-2 when Herbert misfired a pass to Keenan Allen.
The Patriots took over and got some breathing room via a 48-yard catch-and-run by Stevenson.
Thirteen plays and a fourth-down conversion later, the drive ended with Borregales' 23-yard field goal.
Injuries
Patriots: CB Carlton Davis left in the first half with a toe injury but returned. ... CB Christian Gonzalez left in the second half with a head injury.
Up next
Chargers: End of season.
Patriots: Host either Houston or Pittsburgh next Sunday.
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Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh says 'Those that stay will be champions.' QB Justin Herbert isn't sure By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer The Associated Press FOXBOROUGH, Mass.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh still believes he can take his team all the way. Quarterback Justin Herbert isn’t so sure.
After a 16-3 loss to New England in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday night, Harbaugh said he told the team, “Those that stay will be champions.”
“Not looking at this as an end,” he said in a somber postgame news conference that undermined his professed optimism. “It’s another beginning.”
But when Herbert followed his coach to the podium, he couldn’t smile through his third playoff loss in as many tries. The Chargers have not claimed a postseason victory since winning in the wild-card round in 2018. (They lost to the Patriots the following week.)
Asked if he was still confident that he could make a playoff run or even win one postseason game, Herbert said, “I don’t know.”
“I haven’t figured it out yet, and it hasn’t happened,” he said. “So we’ll have to re-evaluate it and see what happens.”
A year after a 32-12 loss to Houston in which Herbert completed less than 45% of his passes and was intercepted four times, the 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year led the Chargers to just a single field goal. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 159 yards and was the team's leading rusher, scrambling 10 times for 57 yards.
But he was also sacked six times, losing 39 yards.
The Chargers only got deep into Patriots territory twice — the first time in the first quarter when Daiyan Henley intercepted a tipped pass from Drake Maye and set up the Los Angeles offense at the New England 10. The drive stalled at the 2, Harbaugh went for it on fourth down, and Herbert’s pass fell incomplete.
“We just have to be able to score and we didn’t do that today,” the quarterback said. “That’s on us as an offense. When we get those opportunities we have to do everything we can to get ball in the end zone, and we let the defense down today.”
Among the problems: The best team in the NFL on third down this season, converting 115 times, went 1 for 10 on Sunday night, and 1 for 3 on fourth down. (The only successful third-down conversion was a 1-yard QB sneak that was initially ruled short but was overturned on replay to give Los Angeles the first down.)
It was the second straight week the Chargers failed to score a touchdown. Asked if offensive coordinator Greg Roman was the right person to be calling plays, Harbaugh said, “Right now I don’t have the answers.”
“We’re going to look at that, at everything,” he said. “It really falls on me that we weren’t at our best tonight. I don’t have the answers. I wish I did. We’ll work hard. It’ll be a new beginning.”
Herbert broke a bone in his left — non-throwing — hand in a Nov. 30 victory over the Raiders, but he played through the injury and led Los Angeles to four straight wins. The Chargers lost to Houston in Week 17, then Herbert sat out the regular-season finale to heal.
Getting back on the field on Sunday, Herbert wasn’t able to reverse his playoff luck, missing receivers and taking sacks when there was no one open to throw to. He was strip-sacked twice, losing one fumble in a sequence that wound up costing the Chargers 2½ minutes on the clock and 46 yards of field position when they needed two touchdowns to win the game.
“The training staff did a great job getting me ready to go,” Herbert said. “As long as they felt safe and comfortable — and I did as well — there was no issues. Just have to do a better job holding on to the ball.”
But Harbaugh acknowledged that the hand was a problem.
“He’s a warrior. He just gives it everything he has, all the time,” the coach said. “It’s an issue, but he doesn’t flinch, like a warrior would.”
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Packers hold out RT Zach Tom and Bears activate CB Kyler Gordon for playoff game The Associated Press CHICAGO
CHICAGO (AP) — The Green Bay Packers held out right tackle Zach Tom while the Chicago Bears activated cornerback Kyler Gordon prior to their wild-card playoff game on Saturday night.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said early in the week he expected Tom to be available after missing the final three regular-season games. The fourth-year pro made 12 starts this season.
Gordon had been sidelined since Week 13 with a groin injury and was listed as questionable. He was limited to three games this season because of a hamstring injury and the groin issue.
A second-round draft pick by Chicago in 2022, Gordon has five interceptions and 17 passes defended in 45 games.
Chicago won the NFC North in coach Ben Johnson's first season after finishing last a year ago. Green Bay was second in the division.
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Stafford's late TD pass to Parkinson lifts the Rams past the Panthers 34-31 in tense playoff opener By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer The Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Puka Nacua stepped into the huddle with the Los Angeles Rams trailing by four with 2:38 left, the home crowd roaring and his team's season on the line.
He never thought twice about losing.
“Never a doubt — No. 9 is with us,” Nacau said with a wide smile in reference to the team’s 37-year-old All-Pro quarterback, Matthew Stafford.
Stafford calmly led the Rams 71 yards by completing 6 of 7 passes — the only incompletion coming on a drop by Davante Adams — before capping it with a perfectly-placed 19-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left, lifting the Rams to a dramatic, come-from-behind 34-31 win over the Carolina Panthers in the opening game of the NFL playoffs on Saturday.
Stafford finished 24 of 42 for 304 yards with three touchdown passes and an interception, while Nacua had 10 receptions for 111 yards and two total touchdowns as the Rams (13-5), who were 10 1/2-point favorites, advanced to the divisional round.
“You see him out there, he just has the best composure of anyone I have ever seen,” Parkinson said. “He knows that we are going to go make it happen and we completely trust him. ... I knew he was going to have to throw a back-shoulder ball — and that was a perfect ball. Like perfect. It couldn’t have been placed any better.”
Stafford credited his calmness to his 17 years of NFL experience.
“I have been in that spot a lot in my life — and I love that spot,” Stafford said. “I would rather be me having to go out there with our offense and do it then watch from the sideline. You can make it stressful or you can make it calm and collected, and think the latter is what we were today.”
Bryce Young threw for 264 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score for Carolina (8-10), which finished its second season under coach Dave Canales by losing four of its final five games.
Jalen Coker had career highs with nine receptions for 134 yards with a touchdown and Chuba Hubbard ran for 46 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers lost in their first playoff appearance since the 2017 season.
“There is such a mix of emotions right now in the locker room, from guys being proud of what we accomplished and where we got, to being sick about the opportunity that was right there in front of us,” Canales said. “And that is going to sting.”
The Panthers, who beat the Rams 31-28 on this same field six weeks ago, fell behind 14-0 early but stormed back to take a 24-20 lead on Hubbard’s second touchdown of the run game early in the fourth quarter.
Stafford, who was selected as an All-Pro earlier in the day, led the Rams back down on the field and found Kyren Williams for a 13-yard touchdown to regain the lead.
Los Angeles appeared to be in charge after getting a stop on defense, giving Stafford the ball back.
But a holding penalty put the Rams behind the sticks and forced a punt, which Isaiah Simmons blocked to set the Panthers up the Rams 30.
Four plays later, Young found Coker in the left corner of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown to give Carolina a 31-27 lead with 2:39 left, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
But the celebrations quickly turned to silence after Stafford gave the Rams the lead again.
Carolina’s last attempt to move into field-goal range ended when Jimmy Horn dropped a fourth-down pass from Young.
“Yeah, total team effort,” said Stafford, a leading candidate for league MVP after leading the league in yards passing and touchdowns. “Obviously had some mistakes along the way. I turned it over, we had a punt blocked, didn’t score before the half when we probably should have. So, a lot to clean up, but found a way to win it late.”
Carolina was hoping the return of former quarterback Cam Newton to Bank of America Stadium to hit the “Keep Pounding” drum before the game would give the Panthers a little extra mojo early, but things didn’t start well.
After the Rams' defense came up with a stop on fourth down at midfield on Carolina’s opening drive, Stafford quickly moved the offense downfield and found Nacua for a 14-yard touchdown over the middle for a 7-0 lead.
Nacua made it 14-0 on a 5-yard run following Young’s interception.
Carolina cut the lead 17-14 at halftime after a 1-yard touchdown run by Hubbard and a 16-yard scramble by Young, the second-longest TD run of his career.
The Rams had a chance to build on the lead, but Nacau dropped a potential third TD on a pass down the right sideline from Stafford just before halftime.
Rams coach Sean McVay admitted it wasn’t his team’s best effort and there is plenty to clean up this week.
“We are going to need to be able to play better if we expected to advance,” McVay said.
But Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner said rectifying those mistakes is something that can be addressed on Sunday.
“There are no style points in the playoffs,” Turner said. “It's all about survive and advance.”
Stafford sets Rams mark
Stafford surpassed Kurt Warner for the most postseason passing yards and completions in Rams history.
Up next
Rams: Await their opponent in the divisional round.
Panthers: Season over.
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Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards to miss the rest of the season with leg injury The Associated Press CHICAGO
CHICAGO (AP) — Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards is expected to miss the rest of the season after he hurt his left leg Saturday night in a 31-27 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.
Coach Ben Johnson said it looks like Edwards “had a fibula fracture which we’ll take him out for the rest of the season here.”
Edwards went down early in the second quarter after his left foot got caught up with the leg of Packers receiver Christian Watson and bent awkwardly. He was fitted with an air cast before he was carted away.
The 29-year-old Edwards was limited to 10 games during the regular season because of injuries. He returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown in Chicago's 42-38 loss at San Francisco on Dec. 28.
Edwards signed a two-year contract extension with Chicago in April.
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Carolina Panthers believe they 'aren't the same old' team after close playoff loss to LA Rams By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer The Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — There were plenty of questions about how the Carolina Panthers would fare in the postseason.
They repeatedly missed opportunities down the stretch to wrap up the NFC South, only to back into the playoffs with a losing record on the final day of the regular season.
Las Vegas oddsmakers sure didn't believe in the Panthers. Carolina entered the week 200-1 longshots to win the Super Bowl — by far the lowest of any of the 14 teams in the postseason — and a 10 1/2-point home underdog to the Los Angeles Rams in Saturday's wild-card game, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
But the Panthers proved they were indeed playoff worthy — nearly pulling off a stunning upset.
“We just showed people that we aren’t the old Panthers,” cornerback Mike Jackson said.
They took the high-powered Rams to the brink of elimination before All-Pro quarterback Matthew Stafford pulled out a late 34-31 victory with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left, allowing Los Angeles to move on to the divisional playoffs and abruptly end Carolina's season.
After the game, there was a mixture of pride and pain in the locker room. But above all, there was optimism and hope.
“This is the new standard now. We're going to be a playoff team," defensive lineman and team captain Derrick Brown told his teammates.
“A lot of people didn’t give us a chance,” Jackson said. "I think the spread was something crazy. So, we just showed people who we are, and we got a lot to build on.”
The biggest question entering this season was whether Bryce Young was the right guy to lead the franchise.
The No. 1 pick in 2023 showed he doesn't lack heart, leading six winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. He now has 12 in the past three seasons, more than anyone named Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes or even Stafford, who denied Young No. 13.
It wasn't always pretty this season for Young, but there's clearly something to build on.
He overcame an early interception Saturday and completed 21 of 40 passes for 264 yards, including a well-placed 7-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker with 2:39 left to put the Panthers ahead 31-27. He also fearlessly ran for a 16-yard TD.
“He just showed who he is, man,” Jackson said. “A lot of people talk about how little he is, how he can’t get it done, and it’s just like, he doesn’t listen to it. He is a silent killer, and I love that about him.”
The Panthers finished 8-10 overall, but took a big step — a year before most in and around the organization thought they would be competitive.
It might not have unfolded the way they wanted it to by losing four of five to close the season, but the Panthers snapped a seven-year playoff drought and dethroned four-time NFC South champion Tampa Bay to win their first division title in a decade.
“There is such a mix of emotions right now in the locker room, from guys being proud of what we accomplished and where we got, to being sick about the opportunity that was right there in front of us,” second-year coach Dave Canales said. “And that is going to sting.”
“I didn’t want it to end,” Young said. “It’s a super special group of guys in the locker room. I’m super proud of the way guys responded to adversity.”
There will be mistakes that will be questioned this week, too.
— Why did the Panthers appear to give the Rams receivers so much cushion on Stafford's winning drive?
— Why were they unable to advance the ball a single yard on their final drive with 38 seconds left and three timeouts remaining?
Despite it all, this will go down as a season of growth for a young team.
And the future appears bright.
“They’re really creating a beautiful culture here. Guys are bought in,” safety Nick Scott said. “Hopefully, they will continue to be here and good things will happen in the future.”
Injuries
After the game, Canales said starting left tackle Ickey Ekwonu suffered a significant right knee injury in the first quarter that caused him to leave the game. The extent of the injury was not immediately known, but it's possible it could impact Ekwonu's availability for training camp.
Cornerback Jaycee Horn was not on the field for the Rams' final offensive drive after leaving with a concussion, his second of the season. ___
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Caleb Williams rallies Bears from 18 points down for 31-27 playoff win over rival Packers By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer The Associated Press CHICAGO
CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams dropped back, pump-faked and found DJ Moore wide open down the sideline for the go-ahead touchdown.
His latest clutch throw propelled the Chicago Bears to yet another improbable comeback win and kept their breakout season going for at least another round of the postseason.
Williams came through in his playoff debut, throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Moore with 1:43 remaining, and the Chicago Bears rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the rival Green Bay Packers 31-27 in a wild-card game on Saturday night.
The NFC North champion Bears (12-6) extended their resurgent first season under coach Ben Johnson with their seventh fourth-quarter comeback victory. They split two down-to-the-wire games with Green Bay in the regular season, and this one turned out to be a thriller when it looked like it would be a breeze for the Packers (9-8-1).
Chicago trailed 21-3 at halftime and 21-6 through three quarters, only to outscore Green Bay 25-6 in the fourth on the way to its first playoff win in 15 years.
“True belief,” Williams said. “Belief. That's all you need. You got belief in the coaches that they're gonna call the right play at the right time. You got belief in the players on the field that you're gonna make the right play at the right time.”
After Williams connected with Moore to give the Bears their first lead since it was 3-0, Jordan Love led Green Bay into Chicago territory. But on third down at the 28, he dropped the snap, scrambled and heaved a pass to the end zone with no time left. Jaquan Brisker deflected the ball, setting off a wild celebration — and a curt handshake between Johnson and Packers coach Matt LaFleur.
The Bears will host a divisional-round game next weekend.
“We just keep plugging along," Johnson said. “We keep fighting. We've been proving that this year. That's who we are, that's what we do.”
Chicago pulled within 21-16 on D’Andre Swift’s 5-yard run early in the fourth quarter. The Packers responded, with rookie Matthew Golden breaking three tackles and leapfrogging a fourth defender on a 23-yard catch-and-run for his first career touchdown, making it 27-16. Brandon McManus missed the extra point wide left.
The Bears went 76 yards, with Williams throwing an 8-yard touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus and hitting rookie Colston Loveland for the 2-point conversion to make it 27-24 with 4:18 remaining.
The Packers then drove to the Chicago 21, only to come away with nothing when McManus missed wide right on a 44-yard field goal attempt. The Bears responded with the go-ahead touchdown drive and hung on for their first playoff win since the 2010 team beat Seattle in the divisional round at Soldier Field. They had lost three straight in the postseason, starting with a loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the NFC championship game that season.
Green Bay dominated Chicago for years. But the momentum in the NFL's longest-running rivalry seems to be turning, with the Bears beating the Packers for the third time in the past five games.
“We’re here and I’m going to be here for a while, is my plan,” Williams said. “Be in a bunch of games, be in these moments and come out victorious. That’s the mindset for right now this year. That’s also the mindset for the future.”
The Bears envisioned nights like this when they drafted Williams No. 1 overall last year, and when they hired Johnson in the offseason. Williams delivered after a shaky start, throwing for 361 yards and the two late touchdowns. He completed 24 of 48 passes and was intercepted twice.
Loveland caught eight passes for a career-high 137 yards for the Bears, who had closed the regular season with tight losses to San Francisco and Detroit.
The Packers dropped their final five games. That certainly was not what they envisioned when they acquired star pass rusher Micah Parsons from Dallas in late August and sent expectations soaring. The two-time All-Pro suffered a season-ending knee injury in a Week 15 loss at Denver, and the defense struggled without him.
"I know we fought through a lot of adversity this year," coach Matt LaFleur said. “Unfortunately we didn’t do enough to overcome that adversity. That’s all of us collectively. We’ve got to do more.”
Love threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns after missing the final two regular-season games. He hadn’t played since a helmet-to-helmet hit from Chicago’s Austin Booker in the second quarter of a Week 16 loss at Soldier Field.
Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed each had TD catches in the first half. Ty’Ron Hopper stopped a threat in the third quarter when he intercepted a backpedaling Williams near the goal line.
“I don’t think it’s we don’t have the composure, I think it’s just the situation we put ourselves in,” Love said. “Jumping out to a lead and doing what we wanted in the first half and then the second half kind of a completely different story. I think for any team that’s going to be frustrating, and you’ve got to find ways to be able to overcome that and get back to it. I think we did, but it was just a little too late.”
Injuries
Packers: RT Zach Tom (knee) was inactive after missing the Packers’ final three regular-season games. ... Backup OL Jacob Monk (biceps) left the game in the first half.
Bears: Johnson said LB T.J. Edwards (broken left fibula) is out for the remainder of the season, and LT Ozzy Trapilo (knee) likely is, too. Edwards was carted off the field in the second quarter after his left foot got caught up with the leg of Watson and bent awkwardly. He was fitted with an air cast before he was taken away. Trapilo was hurt blocking on a pass play on the go-ahead drive. ... CB Kyler Gordon (groin) was activated from injured reserve after being sidelined since Week 13.
Up next
Packers: Start the offseason.
Bears: Host a divisional-round game against either the Los Angeles Rams or Philadelphia. The Eagles play San Francisco on Sunday, and the Rams knocked out Carolina on Saturday.
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