Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets
1 2 3 4 FINAL
BUFFALO 0 7 3 0 10
NEW YORK 0 14 0 7 21
NEW YORK – The talk all week of a potential Derek Carr versus Aaron Rodgers showdown was just that: Talk.
Derek Carr and the much debated "game time decision" ended without the All Pro signal caller taking the field. His backup, Nate Peterman, turned out to be the best quarterback on the field as he bested future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers 21-10 to earn his Jets a place in the AFC Championship Game.
Rodgers had a nightmare game with three interceptions and a crushing late first half fumble that led to an 83-yard scoop-and-score by linebacker Jatavis Brown.
"That was a huge swing to end the first half," Todd Bowles said. It was looking like we'd be down 10-7 at the very least going into intermission."
Peterman, to his credit, took limited risks and made a pair of clutch throws for scores to send the home crowd into a frenzy as the team now sits one win away from a Super Bowl berth.
"Just a cool experience," Peterman said. "Last year I'm at college and here I am one game away from the biggest sporting event in the world."
Although quarterbacks typically grab the headlines, the player of the game was Brown. In his return from a late season injury, the 2nd year man had a sack, interception, and the fumble recovery for a score.
The Jets will next look to settle the score with their rivals from Miami in the AFC Championship Game. The teams split their meeting this year.
Miami Dolphins vs Houston Texans
1 2 3 4 FINAL
MIAMI 0 10 14 3 27
HOUSTON 0 6 0 0 6
HOUSTON – During their recent run of success over the past three seasons, the Miami Dolphins have been a predictably sound squad in the NFL's postseason. That gameplan was finally forced to change in Houston as JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney made it impossible for Latavius Murray to run the ball.
Enter Teddy Bridgewater who had arguably the best game of his career with a 14-20, 314 yard passing day which included a pair of long touchdowns to Keenan Allen and Jordan Matthews to lead his team to a 27-6 victory.
With his team trailing 6-0 late in the first half, Bridgewater hit Allen on a double move to beat Jonathan Joseph for a 62-yard strike.
After a quick 3-and-out, Justin Tucker closed the first half with a 62-yard, dead center, field goal to put the score at 10-6 at intermission. The Dolphins never looked back.
"It was a full team effort out there today," Bridgewater said. "Our defense is build for January football. Tonight our offense had to give them something to work with so they could keep the pressure up."
Khalil Mack picked up another 2.0 sacks to go with his pair from last week's win in Denver.
The win sets up an all AFC East AFC Championship Game as Miami will make their third straight road trip up north to take on the #1 seeded Jets.
