NFL Playoff Picture 2014: 49ers, Saints, Colts, Chargers Advance to Divisional Playoffs; Who Will They Face Next?
The Packers and 49ers capped off what was quite literally a "Wild Card Weekend."
San Francisco went to Lambeau Field with a much better record (12-4) than their opponent (8-7-1) but they also knew quarterback Aaron Rodgers would be back at the helm. The 49ers still managed to fight the cold on the road -- partly thanks to Colin Kaepernick, who watched his old teammate Alex Smith lose by 1 point to the Indianapolis Colts a day before.
In the other games this weekend, the Eagles couldn't fly high enough as the New Orleans Saints went into Philadelphia and toppled the NFC East division champions. The Saints are now heading to the hostile environment in Seattle to face the top seeded Seahawks.
Also on Saturday night, Alex Smith's Kansas City squad exploded out of the gates and held a massive third quarter lead. However, the Colts refused to give up and the team stormed back to take the game in the final minutes, 45-44.
The high scoring game, however, is a red flag heading into this coming week's matchup. The Patriots will be right at home in Foxboro and the Colts will have a huge uphill battle in front of them on Saturday night. Needless to say, Indy cannot give up as many points as last week if they want to advance to the AFC Championship Game.
Lastly, the Cincinnati Bengals did what they do best in the postseason -- lose. Coach Marvin Lewis is most definitely on the hot seat at this point as the longtime Bengals coach has failed to get past the first round. His teams continue to suffer first round exits -- most recently this past weekend as the hometown Bengals failed to slow down the surging Chargers, who just barely snuck into the playoffs with a 9-7 record.
In the divisional playoffs, the Chargers will travel to Denver to face the Broncos; the Colts will face the Pats in New England; the Saints will look to beat the odds by knocking off the Seahawks; and the 49ers will travel to a much warmer Carolina stadium next weekend to face the Carolina Panthers.
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