Baltimore Ravens 38
San Diego Chargers 10
SAN DIEGO - A week after their dramatic come-from-behind victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, the #6 Baltimore Ravens destroyed the #1 San Diego Chargers 38-10 in San Diego.
Led by QB Jalen Hurts, the Ravens led throughout. Hurts finished with 312 passing yards and 4TD in a statement win for the 3rd year QB.
"They were a hot team," Hurts said. "But we played well today. We'll see if we can keep it going in Buffalo."
Rookie Hendon Hooker had the clock strike midnight on his magical season as he was picked off twice by CB Marlon Humphrey."
After a two weeks of debate about whether Nick Sirianni, despite a 15-2 record, was losing the locker room, the embarrassing loss seemed to prove that where there was smoke, there may have been fire.
"Yes, I know I was coaching for my job," Sirianni said. "But it was unwarranted. We watered the plants, tilled the soil, and trimmed the bushes."
Colin Cowherd already posted via X (formerly Twitter) that San Diego was lining up an interview with former coach (and fictional character) Jerry Daniel who (fictionally) led Akron to back-to-back college championships a decade ago.
Baltimore will now look to book their spot in the Super Bowl against the #2 Buffalo Bills.
Atlanta Falcons 31
San Francisco 49ers 34
SANTA CLARA - In a game that came down to the final play, the 49ers survived a late drive by the Falcons to earn a 34-31 win and a trip to the NFC Championship. The Falcons had the ball in field goal range with 35 seconds, but a bad sack taken by Desmond Ridder pushed them back too far for an attempt. The Hail Mary on the next play fell to the ground and San Francisco survived.
Jordan Love moved the ball effectively for the Niners, throwing for 306 yards, three TDs, and two interceptions.
"Happy to get that one," Love said. "You live for these moments, so I just tried to make it count."
Defensively, 3GML All Pro linebacker Drue Tranquill played a crucial role all game, racking up 11 tackles, sacking Desmond Ridder three times, and picking off the Falcons QB once.
"That was probably the best team we've seen offensively this year," Tranquill said. "Hats off to them. Glad we had more points at the end."
For the 49ers, the win gives them another home game next week and a shot for a return trip to the Super Bowl after a one year hiatus. Their challenge is the NFC's number two seed; the Green Bay Packers.
New Orleans Saints 14
Green Bay Packers 45
GREEN BAY - The Packers used a huge fourth quarter to pull away from the Saints late and walk out of Lambeau Field with a 45-14 win. Up 20-14 after three, Green Bay was on their heels with the Saints driving to start the fourth. However a strip sack of Derek Carr by Baron Browning led to a scoop and score by Harold Landry that broke things open.
Clearly rattled by the play, Carr threw a pick six to Martin Emerson Jr. on the very next possession, sealing the game for good.
The Packers are used to their offense carrying the load, so it was a change of pace to see the defense salt this one away.
"Peaking at the right time," Landry said after the game. "The O has made our job easy all year, so we needed to step up."
The Packers earns a trip to the NFC Championship for the second straight year, this time against the number one seeded San Francisco 49ers. The NFLs number one offense in Green Bay will face their biggest test against the NFL's number one defense in San Francisco.
