Seth Udinski, FISM News
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The first round of the NFL playoffs is in the books, as eight teams remain to battle for the chance to win Super Bowl LVI. Super Wildcard Weekend was highlighted by several dominant victories by the home teams, as well as a controversial upset in Texas.
On Saturday, the Cincinnati Bengals delighted their home crowd with a thrilling 26-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, winning the franchise’s first playoff game in 31 years. In the nightcap, the Buffalo Bills dominated the New England Patriots 47-17 on a stone cold night in Buffalo. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Rams each battered their respective opponents over the weekend to punch their ticket to the divisional round.
The top contest of the weekend came on Sunday afternoon at 4:30 EST, as the Dallas Cowboys hosted the San Fransisco 49ers. The underdog Niners jumped out to 23-7 lead late in the game, but Dallas rallied to bring the score to 23-17 and got the ball back with just under one minute to play in the game.
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott drove the Cowboys into 49ers territory with 14 seconds left. But with no timeouts, Prescott elected to run a quarterback sneak up the middle of the field. He gained 15 yards on the play, bringing the ball to Niners’ 24 yard line, but the Cowboys could not get set in time to spike the ball and stop the clock:
The last play of the Cowboys seasonpic.twitter.com/z9r4GhXqnG
— Covers (@Covers) January 17, 2022
After some confusion, the referees confirmed that Prescott did not spike the ball in time to stop the clock with any time left, thus ending the game and sending the 49ers to the divisional round. Dallas fans were furious, reportedly throwing objects at the referees as they exited the field after the game.
The divisional round will feature two Saturday games and two Sunday games. On Saturday, the Bengals take on the Tennessee Titans at 4:30 pm EST and the 49ers battle the Green Bay Packers at 8:30 EST. On Sunday, the Rams will face the Buccaneers at 3:00 pm EST, and the Bills clash with the Chiefs 6:30 EST.