KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Who needs to reach the end zone when you have Le’Veon Bell chewing up yards and the clock, and Chris Boswell setting an NFL playoff record with six field goals?
Throw in a stingy Pittsburgh defense for most of Sunday night, and a multitude of mistakes by Kansas City, and the Steelers’ 18-16 victory sent them into the AFC championship game.
The Steelers (13-5) needed to hold off a last-ditch threat by the Chiefs (12-5) before advancing to face New England next Sunday night for a spot in the Super Bowl. The Patriots won at Pittsburgh 27-16, but Ben Roethlisberger was injured and didn’t play.
Spencer Ware’s 1-yard touchdown run took Kansas City within 18-16. The Chiefs at first converted the 2-pointer to tie it, but tackle Eric Fisher — the first overall selection in the 2013 draft — was penalized for holding. The next try failed.
With 2:43 remaining, Justin Gilbert misplayed the kick return and was tackled at the Pittsburgh 5. Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown for 7 yards on third down and Pittsburgh then ran out the clock, securing a ninth straight victory for the Steelers. The Chiefs have not won a home playoff game since 1994, losing five in a row.
The scoring started furiously in the opening minutes, then the game became a kicking exhibition by Boswell, who also had six field goals in the regular season against Cincinnati. And Bell put on a virtuoso running performance, patiently finding holes and then exploding through them. He added a team-record 170 yards rushing to the 167 he had in a win over Miami last week.
The Steelers became first team to win a playoff game without a TD since eventual Super Bowl champion Indianapolis in the 2006 AFC divisional round at Baltimore.
Using a no-huddle attack almost to perfection early on, the Steelers drove deep into Kansas City territory. But they bogged down inside the 5 and Boswell made a 22-yard field goal.
The Chiefs were just as efficient 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 score.
Pittsburgh’s answer came on a 52-yard heave to All-Pro Brown, who somehow was covered by linebacker Justin Houston. That led to Boswell’s second field goal, a 38-yarder. He added a 36-yarder to cap a 14-play drive on which Pittsburgh again barely huddled.
A clean game up until then turned to, well, turnovers, on successive series. Bud Dupree pounded Alex Smith, whose pass shot high into the air and was caught by linebacker Ryan Shazier.
The Steelers got to the Kansas City 5, where Frank Zombo leaped to deflect Roethlisberger’s throw, and All-Pro safety Eric Berry — burned for 26 yards on the previously play — picked it off in the end zone.
Boswell’s fourth field goal, from 45 yards, made it 12-7 at the half. His 43-yarder, setting the franchise record for a postseason game and tying the league mark of five, came on Pittsburgh’s first series of the second half. A 43-yarder midway in the fourth quarter gave Boswell the NFL record.
Kansas City’s Cairo Santos got in on the kicking act with a 48-yarder to make it 15-10. At that point, 10 seconds from the end of the third quarter, the Chiefs were outgained 333 yards to 150.
Bell rushed for almost as many yards (101) in the first half as the Chiefs gained (106). … Boswell’s four first-half field goals tied the team record for an entire playoff game. … Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce had a rough game, including a big drop and a 15-yard roughing penalty in the third period.
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Below are win probability charts that help tell the story of every game in the 2016 NFL postseason. The most recent charts will be added to the top of this post shortly after games conclude. Check back for a look at the biggest moments of the playoffs.
Win probability measures the chance that a team will win a game, given a particular combination of circumstances, including score, time remaining, field position and down and distance. Win probability is based on a model built on actual outcomes of NFL games from recent seasons that featured similar circumstances.
It goes without saying that the pass from Aaron Rodgers to Jared Cook was the most valuable play of the Green Bay Packers win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, but let’s put a value to it.
Before the play, the Packers had a 43 percent chance of winning the game, given that the Cowboys had made the game-tying field goal and Green Bay wasn’t close to field-goal range. Cook’s catch improved their win probability by 36.5 percent.
But let’s not forget one other play on the drive — the 17-yard completion to Ty Montgomery that appeared to put the Packers in Hail Mary range. It increased the Packers’ chance of winning by 15 percent, but was negated when Rodgers was sacked on the next play.
Despite an uncharacteristic game by Tom Brady — his two interceptions Saturday matched his regular-season total — he was involved in the biggest play in terms of win probability in the Patriots’ win.
The Patriots, 17-point favorites and given an 89 percent chance to win by ESPN’s Football Power Index, led 14-13 midway through the second quarter when Brady connected with Chris Hogan on a 45-yard pass to the Texans’ 37.
That play added 8.9 percentage points of win probability for the Patriots, giving them an 87 percent chance to win at that point.
Even though the Texans were within one point in the first half, their win probability never climbed above 25 percent. The Texans’ win probability reached its highest point when they forced the Patriots to punt from their 19-yard line with about 9 ½ minutes left in the second quarter.
The Seahawks took the early lead with an 89-yard drive that consumed more than half of the first quarter. Leading 10-7, the Seahawks forced a Falcons punt that Devin Hester returned 80 yards to the Falcons’ 7-yard line. A holding penalty on the return negated that runback, though, and two plays later, Russell Wilson was sacked in the end zone for a safety. The safety, the Falcons’ third in eight postseason games since the start of the 2004 season, increased their win probability from 55 percent to 70 percent.
The sequence was especially pivotal considering what the Seahawks missed. Had Hester’s punt return not been negated by penalty, the Seahawks (already leading 10-7) would have had a 59 percent chance to win. From “what might have been” to the safety was a 29 percentage point swing in favor of the Falcons.
This game marked the most exciting game of wild-card weekend, based on the movement in the win probability chart. The Packers started slow, with five straight punts, but because of a few missed opportunities by the Giants, the Packers were able to stay in the game. New York probably felt like it was in a good position going into the half until Green Bay’s final drive, which was capped by another Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary, which increased the Packers’ chance of winning by 13 percentage points.
Green Bay entered halftime with a 14-6 lead and an 87 percent chance to win, but the game was far from over, as the Giants stopped the Packers on fourth down and scored a 41-yard touchdown two drives later. That long touchdown was the biggest play of the game, based on win probability added, as it increased the Giants’ chance to win from 19 percent to 41 percent. The Packers answered with a touchdown on their next drive and never looked back, as they scored the game’s final 24 points.
The Pittsburgh Steelers began the day with a 76 percent chance to win, according to our Football Power Index, but it didn’t take long for them to increase that percentage significantly. Thanks to a pair of 50-yard touchdown passes from Ben Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown, the Steelers had a 92 percent chance to win midway through the first quarter, and that percentage never dipped below 89 percent the rest of the game. Each of those touchdowns increased the Steelers’ chance to win by 6 percentage points, and they were the two biggest WPA plays of the game.
Le’Veon Bell also had a monster game, with a Steelers postseason record with 167 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His contributions came later in the game but still helped to push Pittsburgh’s average win probability to nearly 95 percent, the most dominant postseason victory in our dataset, which dates to 2001.
The Seahawks won on the strength of running back Thomas Rawls , whose 161 rushing yards were the most in a game in Seahawks postseason history. Rawls’ most impactful run of the game was not his touchdown run that extended the lead to 19-6 in the fourth quarter, but rather, his 4-yard run on fourth-and-1 from the Lions’ 39 on the drive that resulted in the Seahawks’ first touchdown of the game. The Seahawks converted a pair of fourth downs on that drive.
The Seahawks were significantly favored to win this game by our metrics. In fact, they ran only one play the entire game in which their win probability was below 70 percent. Even though their lead was precarious at times, the Seahawks had a 77 percent or better chance to win for the entire second half.
The Houston Texans dominated with their defense in a 27-14 win over the Oakland Raiders to kick off the NFL playoffs on Saturday.
This was a game that turned quickly and in an unlikely way, as defensive end Jadeveon Clowney recorded his first career interception (in college or the pros) at the 12-yard line a little more than midway through the first quarter. That play added nearly 12 percentage points to the Texans’ win probability. It was the most impactful play of the game, and it led to Lamar Miller ‘s 4-yard touchdown run.
The Texans never had a less than 52 percent chance to win the game. For three quarters of the game, their win probability was 70 percent or higher. The Raiders’ chance of winning in the fourth quarter never reached 4 percent.

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Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers just lit up the Dallas Cowboys for 356 yards, two touchdowns, clutch throw after clutch throw, and an upset win in one of the most thrilling NFL playoff games ever.
We asked nine ESPN.com NFL writers a simple question:
Here are their answers:
Matt Bowen, NFL writer: Yes, Rodgers is unique, a quarterback who takes over critical moments with his enormous and versatile skill set at the position. And that elevates the play of everyone around him.
Editor’s Picks Aaron Rodgers got help from everyone to send Packers to NFC title game
All last week, the Packers faced the same question: Who would make up for the loss of Jordy Nelson? The answer turned out to be simple: Everyone. Aaron Rodgers’ ‘guarantee’ could join Rex, others in NFL lore
Whether the Packers QB meant it as a show of confidence or not, his declaration joins memorable quotes from Rex Ryan, Joe Namath and more.
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All last week, the Packers faced the same question: Who would make up for the loss of Jordy Nelson? The answer turned out to be simple: Everyone.
Whether the Packers QB meant it as a show of confidence or not, his declaration joins memorable quotes from Rex Ryan, Joe Namath and more.
John Clayton, senior NFL writer: When the Packers were 4-6, Rodgers looked human and coach Mike McCarthy had to defend his quarterback. Now, the football gods have blessed Rodgers with an incredible run, and he’s the baddest man on the planet — which fits someone with three Hail Mary completions over the past year and change.
Dan Graziano, national NFL Insider: Yes, because he’s the best at so many things. He’s the most accurate, the most clutch, the most confident, the most calm player at the most important position, superior at the shortest passes as well as the longest (Hail Mary) and delivering right now in the biggest games against the best opponents.
Sheil Kapadia, NFL Nation writer: Yes. Even when the opponent has the perfect coverage called on a given play, Rodgers’ ability to buy time and make high degree-of-difficulty completions is unmatched. Sometimes, it feels like he is making « heat-check » throws just to test the limits of what he’s capable of.
Michael Rothstein, NFL Nation writer: Rodgers has been amazing over the past two months and is a big reason the Packers are a game away from the Super Bowl, but I’m hesitant to say he’s the best player on the planet. There are so many varied skill sets in football and because of that, I’m going to go with a guy who did it all this season, Arizona’s dynamic David Johnson , who had a league-best 2,118 yards from scrimmage (1,239 rushing, 879 receiving) and 20 touchdowns, doing more seemingly with at least a little bit less around him every single week.
Mike Sando, senior NFL writer: Yes. Rodgers is the most dynamic, creative and skilled player at the most valuable position. I’m not sure Muhammad Ali could have danced in the pocket (and out of it) with as much panache.
Kevin Seifert, national NFL writer: Yes. When an already-elite player takes his game to « out-of-his-mind » status, no one can compare. Rodgers was a Hall of Fame player before this season — and he’s never played better.
Aaron Schatz, editor-in-chief of Football Outsiders: Yes, because no other quarterback can do the things he can do even if things around him break down. He scrambles out of pass pressure if an offensive lineman fails, and he hits receivers who can barely get open in tiny windows.
Field Yates, NFL Insider: Yes. Rodgers’ skill set is as broad as there is for any quarterback in football. He makes the difficult throws look effortless and his level of play rises in moments of great consequence.

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Short nights and short offseasons.
It’s the Patriot way.
New England has advanced to the AFC championship game for a record sixth year in a row and the 11th time in 16 seasons. With one more win, the Patriots (15-2) would play in their seventh Super Bowl since 2001.
But to find out who was still in their way, they had to wait until Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s also something they’ve grown accustomed to in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era.
“It was a long night — or a short night, however you want to look at it,” Belichick told reporters on Sunday, about 13 hours after beating the Houston Texans 34-16.
“We have people on our staff that work on our next opponent, just like we always do. This one’s a little tougher because we’re working on two teams instead of one, but they’ve just worked harder and gotten it done.”
Brady completed 18 of 38 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns in the divisional-round victory over Houston, but he also threw two interceptions – as many as he had all season.
Dion Lewis had three touchdowns – one running, one on a pass reception and a 98-yard kickoff return – but fumbled another return and helped the Texans stay in the game.
So the Patriots don’t have to look too far to find things to work on this week.
“There are some things I could do a lot better on, protect the ball. I put my team in jeopardy,” said Lewis, who is the first player in the Super Bowl era to score on a run, catch and kickoff. “We have a lot of work to do. We made a lot of mistakes. I’m glad we got a win, but in order to advance next week, we’ve got to play a lot better.”
Brady was also focusing on improving.
“I think we’ve just got to learn from it,” he said. “It was a lot of things, and then when you add our poor execution on top of that, then you add our turnovers on top of that, it doesn’t feel great because we worked pretty hard to play a lot better than we played.
“I give them a lot of credit, but we’re going to have to play better on offense. We expect to go out and have a good week and try to fix the things that we saw tonight, and then try to play better next weekend.”
Brady, 39, overcame his four-game “Deflategate” suspension to propel himself into the Most Valuable Player discussion while throwing for 28 touchdowns in the regular season and just two interceptions – the best ratio in NFL history. He has not missed the playoffs in a healthy season since 2002, and his 11 appearances in the conference title game is a record for any player.
Saturday’s win gave Belichick the record for coaching appearances in a conference championship, his 11th, breaking a tie with Dallas’ Tom Landry.
“It’s really a testament to this organization,” said New England defensive back Duron Harmon, who had one of three interceptions of Houston’s Brock Osweiler.
“The work we continue to put in, how hard the coaches continue to push us. It’s just a testament, it’s very rarely done, and I’m just excited to be a part of something like this because there’s not too many places that win like this.”
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