NFL playoff matchups set as Bills get in for first time since 1999
Whew! The NFL’s playoff seeds and first-round matchups were set in dramatic fashion.
Buffalo got the final postseason berth when Cincinnati stunned Baltimore. The Bengals scored on a fourth-and-12 as Andy Dalton hooked up with Tyler Boyd for a 49-yard score with 53 seconds remaining. The unlikely outcome scrambled the postseason picture for five AFC teams: Baltimore, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Kansas City and Tennessee.
The Bills will be in the playoffs for the first time since 1999. They had the longest postseason drought of any pro team in North America.
The Titans earned the other AFC wild-card spot by beating the Jaguars.
New Orleans won the NFC South despite losing at Tampa Bay in the final minute. It was the only division race unsettled going into Sunday. Fellow NFC South teams Carolina and Atlanta earned wild cards.
Baltimore (9-7) and the Chargers (9-7) were eliminated in the AFC. Seattle (9-7) missed out in the NFC.
So the postseason seeds look like this:
AFC
1. New England (13-3)
2. Pittsburgh (13-3)
3. Jacksonville (10-6)
4. Kansas City (10-6)
5. Tennessee (9-7)
6. Buffalo (9-7)
NFC
1. Philadelphia (13-3)
2. Minnesota (13-3)
3. Rams (11-5)
4. New Orleans (11-5)
5. Carolina (11-5)
6. Atlanta (10-6)
The top two seeds in each conference get byes, leaving the other eight teams to play next weekend.
Jacksonville will host Buffalo. Kansas City will host Tennessee.
The Rams will host Atlanta. New Orleans will host Carolina, their third meeting this season.
Raiders fire coach Jack Del Rio after 6-10 season
Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio has been fired after a disappointing season.
Del Rio said owner Mark Davis told him after the team’s season-ending 30-10 loss to the Chargers on Sunday that he would not be retained as head coach.
Del Rio had signed a four-year contract extension in February after Oakland ended a 13-year playoff drought with a 12-win season last year.
The Raiders followed that up with one of the most disappointing seasons in the NFL. Oakland went 6-10 for the second-biggest single-season drop in wins in franchise history.
Rams sit starters, lose 34-13 to the 49ers
Getting to the playoffs with a healthy roster was the Rams stated goal.
With most starters safely ensconced on the sidelines, the Rams emerged mostly unscathed from Sunday’s 34-13 defeat by the San Francisco 49ers at the Coliseum.
Rams stars such as quarterback Jared Goff, running back Todd Gurley and defensive lineman Aaron Donald looked on as 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo led his team to its fifth consecutive victory before an estimated crowd of 55,000.
Chargers closeout season with win over Raiders 30-10, but no playoffs
The Chargers had one job Sunday in their season finale — beat the Oakland Raiders.
All the playoff scenarios over the final week of the season included that part of the recipe, and in front of a very-pro Raiders crowd, the Chargers more than did what they needed to do.
Thanks to a masterful Philip Rivers and a dominant defense, the Chargers steamrolled the Raiders 30-10. It was the only thing they could control on Sunday.
49ers 34, Rams 13: Lance Dunbar scores his first touchdown for L.A.
49ers 34, Rams 6: Garoppolo throws TD pass to Robinson
Chargers 30, Raiders 10: Travis Benjamin scores on a 62-yard catch
The Chargers went long distance again, with Philip Rivers hitting Travis Benjamin on a 62-yard touchdown pass to take a 30-10 lead over the Raiders with 53 seconds left in the third quarter.
Rivers has completed 26 of 34 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns.
49ers 27, Rams 6: Hyde scores a diving touchdown
Chargers 23, Raiders 10: L.A. settles for a field-goal attempt, and makes it
Penalties kept the Chargers out of the end zone on the first drive of the second half, but Nick Rose did make a 25-yard field goal to add to the Chargers’ lead, putting them up 23-10 with 10:39 left in the third quarter.
Colts fire coach Chuck Pagano
The Indianapolis Colts fired coach Chuck Pagano on Sunday, less than two hours after they ended a 4-12 season with a 22-13 victory over Houston.
Team owner Jim Irsay made the announcement in a statement, wishing Pagano and his wife well in the future.
The move comes after Indy missed the playoffs for the third straight year, the team’s longest postseason drought since a seven-season absence from 1988 to 1994.
With Andrew Luck missing the entire 2017 season, Indy never had a chance. The Colts wound up with their first losing season since 2011, their second since 2002, and the first in Pagano’s six seasons as coach.
Pagano finished his first head coaching job with a 56-46 record, including a 3-3 mark in the playoffs.
49ers 20, Rams 6: Ficken makes another field goal
Chargers 20, Raiders 10: Rivers drops a dime, but L.A. can’t convert the PAT
The Chargers turned a Tre Boston interception into a key touchdown right as the first half ended.
Boston’s pick just inside the two-minute warning allowed Philip Rivers to orchestrate a beautiful drive that ended with perfect passes to Antonio Gates and Keenan Allen. Allen’s catch, a six-yard fade, put the Chargers up 20-10.
The Chargers couldn’t add the extra point, though, after Nick Rose had another kick blocked.
49ers 20, Rams 3: Hyde scores touchdown after San Francisco loses Goodwin
Chargers 14, Raiders 10: Tyrell Williams with an easy 56-yard touchdown grab
The two teams traded broken coverages, with the Chargers taking advantage of the shaky Raiders’ secondary.
Philip Rivers found a wide-open Tyrell Williams for a 56-yard touchdown, giving the Chargers a 14-10 lead with 5:12 left in the first half.
49ers 13, Rams 3: San Francisco pulls away with another field goal
Raiders 10, Chargers 7: Blocked field goal sets up Oakland’s go-ahead kick
The Chargers continued to pay for their inconsistency kicking the football.
After Nick Rose’s 50-yard attempt was too low and easily blocked, the Raiders converted on a 40-yard kick to give the Raiders a 10-7 lead with 7:27 left.
Chargers 7, Raiders 7: Amari Cooper scores on an 87-yard catch
The Raiders responded quickly, beating the Chargers deep on an 87-yard touchdown pass on third-and-22.
Derek Carr found Amari Cooper streaking through the defense for the big play, which following the extra point, tied the game 7-7.
Chargers 7, Raiders 0: Keenan Allen takes a fumble to the house
A costly penalty on third down extended a drive for the Chargers, who got a good bounce on the next play to make the Raiders pay.
Melvin Gordon fumbled for the first time this season after breaking through the line, but the ball bounced right into Keenan Allen’s hands. And Allen, with no one in front of him, ran right into the end zone.
After Nick Rose’s kick, the Chargers lead 7-0 with 13:09 left in the first half.
49ers 10, Rams 3: Ficken makes first field-goal attempt at the Coliseum
49ers 10, Rams 0: Garoppolo throws TD poss to Goodwin
49ers 3, Rams 0: Gould gives San Francisco the early lead
Patriots clinch home field throughout playoffs
The Patriots will be at home as long as they’re alive in the AFC playoffs.
New England wrapped up the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage with a 26-6 win over the New York Jets. The Patriots left Pittsburgh with the second seed despite the Steelers beating Cleveland 28-24 to wrap up the Browns’ 0-16 season.
Cleveland joined the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only NFL teams to finish 0-16.
Browns complete NFL’s second-ever 0-16 season
The Cleveland Browns have completed the second 0-16 season in NFL history.
Corey Coleman dropped a potential first-down completion on fourth-and-2 in the final 2 minutes against Pittsburgh inside the Steelers’ 20-yard line.
Pittsburgh ran out the clock to complete a 28-24 victory.
The Browns joined the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only teams to go 0-16. Three other teams had winless seasons.
The Browns will have the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks in the 2018 draft in April.
Rams vs. 49ers: inactives
Chargers vs. Raiders: inactives
Cowboys and Eagles play rare scoreless first half
The offenses for the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are playing like it’s a meaningless game on a frigid day in Philadelphia.
The Eagles and Cowboys are scoreless at halftime. It’s the first time both teams were scoreless in the first half in a Philadelphia game since Sept. 20, 1998, at Arizona. That was a 17-3 loss for the Eagles.
It’s the first such game for the Cowboys since Nov. 3, 2002, at Detroit. The Lions were 9-7 winners in that one.
The last time an NFL game was scoreless at halftime was Dec. 11, 2011, when Chicago visited Denver. The Broncos won 13-10 in overtime.
The Eagles have already wrapped up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The Cowboys were eliminated from playoff contention last week.
Nick Foles played the first four series and threw an interception before coming out for Philadelphia. The Eagles had 109 yards at halftime, the Cowboys 107.
It is cold at the Patriots-Jets game
It was 13 degrees at kickoff for New England’s game against the New York Jets, and the Patriots wanted to make sure their visitors knew it.
A thermometer was hung in the Jets’ tunnel on Sunday. New York players filed past on their way to and from the field before the game.
It was the coldest regular-season home game in Patriots history. They had a playoff game that was colder. It was 4 degrees with a wind chill that made it feel like minus-10 for a divisional game against the Tennessee Titans on Jan. 10, 2004.
There were other frigid Week 17 starts as well.
It was 11 degrees in Pittsburgh, where the winless Cleveland Browns were visiting.
The kickoff temperature was 16 degrees in New Jersey for the New York Giants’ home game against Washington. It was the coldest game for the Redskins since the team experienced 4 degrees in a divisional playoff win over Chicago on Jan. 10, 1988.
It was 19 degrees with a wind chill of 3 in Philadelphia, with Dallas visiting.
And all this happened on the 50th anniversary of the Ice Bowl in Green Bay. That game-time temperature was 15 below, with wind chill in today’s calculations at minus-48. The Packers beat the Cowboys 21-17 to earn a spot in the second Super Bowl.
Video preview: Rams vs. 49ers
The Times’ Gary Klein and Lindsey Thiry preview the Rams’ Week 17 game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Coliseum.
Former Steeler James Harrison active for Patriots
James Harrison is active for the New England Patriots against the New York Jets for the regular-season finale Sunday after being signed following his release by Pittsburgh.
The Patriots have clinched a first-round bye, but can still get home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a win over the Jets.
Jets defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson is inactive for the third straight week, likely ending his tenure with the team. Coach Todd Bowles, who got a contract extension this week, benched Wilkerson for being late to a team meeting.
New England is down to one healthy running back in Dion Lewis along with fullback James Develin. James White (ankle), RB Rex Burkhead (knee) and Mike Gillislee (knee) are out against the Jets.
The Steelers are giving several starters the day off against the winless Cleveland Browns despite having a shot at home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le’Veon Bell, offensive linemen David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey and defensive end Cam Heyward are healthy but inactive for Pittsburgh.
Landry Jones will start in place of Roethlisberger with Stevan Ridley taking Bell’s spot in the backfield.
The Steelers have already clinched a first-round bye. To earn home-field advantage, they need to beat Cleveland and have New England lose to the New York Jets.
Defensive back Coty Sensabaugh is also inactive for Pittsburgh. Wide receiver Antonio Brown will miss his second straight game while recovering from a left calf injury.
Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins will miss a regular-season game for the first time in his five-year career because of a calf injury. He played the first 79.
Hopkins has 96 catches and entered Week 17 second in the NFL with 1,378 yards receiving.
Chicago will be without two starting offensive linemen, right tackle Bobby Massie and left guard Josh Sitton, against Minnesota, which has the NFL’s top-ranked defense. The Vikings are missing their starting center, Pat Elflein, for the second time in four games because of a shoulder injury.
Philadelphia cornerback Sidney Jones, a second-round pick who hasn’t played this season following surgery before the draft, was active and expected to play against Dallas. Jones hasn’t played since Washington’s bowl game last Dec. 31. Jones sustained an Achilles tendon injury in March.
Chargers’ finale will feature some silver, black and boos when they host Raiders
The Chargers will run onto the field at StubHub Center on Sunday afternoon for their final game of their reintroduction to Los Angeles, and anyone willing to accept reality knows how the team will be greeted — with boos.
Since the 2017 schedule was released with the Chargers and Raiders ending the season in Carson, this was a fait accompli.
N.W.A didn’t wear Chargers gear. Bo Jackson didn’t have a lightning bolt on his helmet. Howie Long never sacked a quarterback while wearing navy and gold. That was all silver and black. That — for so many people — was Los Angeles football.
Rams backup quarterback Sean Mannion ready to show his stuff in first start
Though he never started a regular-season game for the Rams, quarterback Sean Mannion spent nearly three full NFL seasons preparing as if he was going to do just that.
On Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, Mannion finally gets his opportunity.
With a playoff game coming up next week, quarterback Jared Goff is among the players that coach Sean McVay has decided to rest and keep out of harm’s way. So Mannion will lead the Rams in the regular-season finale at the Coliseum.
Rams vs. 49ers: How they match up
RAMS (11-4) VS. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (5-10)
When Rams have the ball
With a playoff game looming next week, coach Sean McVay will hold out quarterback Jared Goff, running back Todd Gurley, left tackle Andrew Whitworth, center John Sullivan and, probably, starting receivers Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins and Cooper Kupp. Sean Mannion, a third-year pro from Oregon State, will make his first NFL start at quarterback. Mannion completed two of three passes for 16 yards this season. Gurley’s absence denies Mannion the benefit of having the league’s top rusher and the Rams’ receptions leader at his disposal. Tavon Austin, who has rushed for 246 yards and a touchdown, could get much of the work along with Malcolm Brown, who has rushed for 192 yards and a touchdown in 49 carries. That creates opportunity for second-year pro Mike Thomas, rookie Josh Reynolds and, possibly, Pharoh Cooper, though McVay might choose to keep Cooper, a Pro Bowl return specialist, out of harm’s way as much as possible. Reynolds has nine receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown, Thomas two catches for 18 yards. Tight end Tyler Higbee has 25 catches. Cornerback Dontae Johnson has a team-best 72 tackles for the 49ers, and he returned an interception for a touchdown last week against Jacksonville.
When 49ers have the ball
The 49ers and first-year coach Kyle Shanahan were in the hunt for the No. 1 pick in the draft until they acquired quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots in a late October trade. Garoppolo has started the last four games, and the 49ers have won them all. He is completing 69% of his passes, five for touchdowns, with three interceptions. Running back Carlos Hyde has rushed for 850 yards and six touchdowns and also has a team-best 57 catches for 340 yards. Receiver Pierre Garcon was placed on injured reserve in early November because of a neck injury. Tight end Garrett Celek has 20 catches, four for touchdowns. Marquise Goodwin has 54 catches, one for a touchdown, but was limited in practice this week. Trent Taylor has two touchdown catches. Rams tackle Aaron Donald, who has 11 sacks, and linebackers Mark Barron and Alec Ogletree are among the defensive players who will be held out to heal or avoid injuries. Cory Littleton will start in place of Barron for the second game in a row. Littleton intercepted a pass and recorded a sack in last week’s victory at Tennessee. Bryce Hager will start in place of Ogletree. Defensive end Morgan Fox is among others expected to get significant playing time.
When they kick
Sam Ficken, signed to replace injured Greg Zuerlein, initially struggled in his NFL debut for the Rams. He missed field-goal and extra-point attempts against the Titans before converting three extra points. Pro Bowl punter Johnny Hekker is averaging 47.8 yards per kick. Cooper averages 27.4 yards per kickoff return, 13.1 yards per punt return. Robbie Gould has made 37 of 39 field-goal attempts for the 49ers. Bradley Pinion averages 43.4 yards per punt. Victor Bolden returns kickoffs, Taylor punts.
Gary Klein’s prediction
On a day when the Rams will wear throwback uniforms, star players will be on the sideline rather than in the game so that they can be physically sound for next week’s playoff game. Meantime, the 49ers are looking for their fifth consecutive victory.
49ERS 24, RAMS 20
Chargers vs. Raiders: How they match up
CHARGERS (8-7) VS. OAKLAND RAIDERS (6-9)
When Chargers have the ball
Sixteen weeks ago, people were convinced the strength of the Chargers in their first season back in Los Angeles would be Philip Rivers and the offense. People, it turns out, can be wrong. The Chargers’ offense has been inconsistent for most of the season, struggling to score in a victory last week against the sub-.500 New York Jets. Individually, the key pieces have had nice seasons. Rivers has thrown for more than 4,000 yards and, save for two three-interception games against Kansas City, he’s been careful with the football. Keenan Allen has had a career season and has written his name among the NFL’s top receivers. Running back Melvin Gordon has run for more than 1,000 yards for the first time in three NFL seasons. Gordon, who practiced just once in the last week because of an ankle injury, has been tough enough to play through pain all season. The Chargers will face an improved Oakland defense that hasn’t allowed a 300-yard passing game in five weeks. Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin are a great pass-rushing duo who could force the Chargers into mistakes in their final chance to live up to preseason expectations.
When Raiders have the ball
Speaking of preseason expectations, the Raiders aren’t where they expected to be as the season ends. Derek Carr really has struggled the last three weeks, turning 108 passing attempts into just 522 yards. His receivers have been underwhelming, with tight end Jared Cook outgaining former first-round picks Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper. Marshawn Lynch has just one 100-yard rushing game this season. And the once-fearsome Raiders offensive line hasn’t been consistent. On Sunday, they’ll all face a group that’s gone way past expectations this year. The Chargers defense has been one of the best groups in the NFL, getting great seasons from pass rushers Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa and cornerback Casey Hayward. The players have excelled in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s scheme, and they’re probably the biggest reason why the Chargers have turned their season around.
When they kick
Nick Rose fully became a Chargers kicker when he badly missed a 47-yard field goal. He was, however, strong on kickoffs, which could be a big factor against the Raiders’ dynamic return teams. Cordarrelle Patterson is one of the NFL’s best kickoff return men; the Philadelphia Eagles avoided kicking to him last week. Rose’s ability to get touchbacks certainly will go a long way Sunday. Oakland kicker Giorgio Tavecchio, who missed a key extra point against the Chargers in Week 6, has hit only half of his field-goal tries in the last five games.
Dan Woike’s prediction
The Chargers’ win in Oakland earlier this season was one of the most satisfying of the season for the team. In front of a hostile crowd, the Chargers ran off the field returning trash talk to jeering fans. And Sunday in Los Angeles, everyone expects they’ll have to encounter that again. There won’t be much of a home-field advantage for the Chargers at StubHub Center, with everyone expecting Raiders fans to take over the stadium. Still, the Chargers have proved to be the better team and certainly have more at stake. They absolutely cannot make the playoffs without a win against the Raiders, and the visitors’ inspiration to play spoiler won’t be enough.
CHARGERS 21, RAIDERS 17
Ask Farmer: Is it a defensive advantage when guard taps center?
Have a question about the NFL? Ask Times NFL writer Sam Farmer, and he will answer as many as he can online and in the Sunday editions of the newspaper throughout the season. Email questions to: sam.farmer@latimes.com
If the guard taps the center to go ahead with snap, doesn’t that give the defense an edge on the imminent play?
Rick Immel