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One AFC wild-card game on Saturday was a snoozer. The other was anything but boring, as the fourth quarter provided about a dozen dramatic and crazy moments.
The Kansas City Chiefs advanced with a forgettable, but dominant, 30-0 win over the Houston Texans. Then the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled out an 18-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, who took two back-to-back 15-yard penalties that set up the Steelers' game-winning field goal.
Here are next week's AFC matchups:
Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) at New England Patriots (12-4)
Saturday, Jan. 16
4:35 p.m. ET, CBS
The last time the Chiefs and Patriots met, some people wondered if the Patriots' dynasty might be slowing down. That was a 41-14 Patriots loss on "Monday Night Football" in Week 4 last season, which dropped the Patriots to 2-2.
As we know, that was far from the end of the Patriots' dynasty.
New England went on to win last season's Super Bowl, and are back with the AFC's No. 2 seed this season. They'll take on a Chiefs team that hasn't lost since Oct. 18. Kansas City started 1-5, then became the second NFL team in the Super Bowl era to bounce back from a 1-5 start to make the playoffs. They won their last 10 regular-season games, then crushed the Texans in the wild-card round.
New England has been battling injuries, but key players like receiver Julian Edelman, offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer and linebacker Dont'a Hightower are expected to play.
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-6) vs. Denver Broncos (12-4)
Sunday, Jan. 17
4:40 p.m. ET, CBS
These two teams played in Week 15, with the Steelers coming back from a 27-13 halftime deficit to win 34-27. That game was in Pittsburgh and the rematch will happen in Denver, but that won't be the only difference.
The Broncos will have a different quarterback. Peyton Manning, who missed that first game against the Steelers with a foot injury, will get the start. He replaced Brock Osweiler in the second half of Denver's Week 17 game and will keep the job to start the playoffs. There will also be a lot of questions about the availability of two of the Steelers' stars.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hurt his right shoulder in the wild-card win over Cincinnati, and although he didn't reveal much about his condition after the game, he admitted his velocity was affected when he went back into the game for the final drive. On that final drive, All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown suffered a concussion. Concussion recovery is unpredictable, but Brown will be in the protocol next week. In the first meeting against the Broncos, Brown had 16 receptions for 189 yards and two touchdowns, and obviously his availability against Denver is a huge concern for the Steelers.
The Kansas City Chiefs advanced with a forgettable, but dominant, 30-0 win over the Houston Texans. Then the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled out an 18-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, who took two back-to-back 15-yard penalties that set up the Steelers' game-winning field goal.
Here are next week's AFC matchups:
Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) at New England Patriots (12-4)
Saturday, Jan. 16
4:35 p.m. ET, CBS
The last time the Chiefs and Patriots met, some people wondered if the Patriots' dynasty might be slowing down. That was a 41-14 Patriots loss on "Monday Night Football" in Week 4 last season, which dropped the Patriots to 2-2.
As we know, that was far from the end of the Patriots' dynasty.
New England went on to win last season's Super Bowl, and are back with the AFC's No. 2 seed this season. They'll take on a Chiefs team that hasn't lost since Oct. 18. Kansas City started 1-5, then became the second NFL team in the Super Bowl era to bounce back from a 1-5 start to make the playoffs. They won their last 10 regular-season games, then crushed the Texans in the wild-card round.
New England has been battling injuries, but key players like receiver Julian Edelman, offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer and linebacker Dont'a Hightower are expected to play.
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-6) vs. Denver Broncos (12-4)
Sunday, Jan. 17
4:40 p.m. ET, CBS
These two teams played in Week 15, with the Steelers coming back from a 27-13 halftime deficit to win 34-27. That game was in Pittsburgh and the rematch will happen in Denver, but that won't be the only difference.
The Broncos will have a different quarterback. Peyton Manning, who missed that first game against the Steelers with a foot injury, will get the start. He replaced Brock Osweiler in the second half of Denver's Week 17 game and will keep the job to start the playoffs. There will also be a lot of questions about the availability of two of the Steelers' stars.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hurt his right shoulder in the wild-card win over Cincinnati, and although he didn't reveal much about his condition after the game, he admitted his velocity was affected when he went back into the game for the final drive. On that final drive, All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown suffered a concussion. Concussion recovery is unpredictable, but Brown will be in the protocol next week. In the first meeting against the Broncos, Brown had 16 receptions for 189 yards and two touchdowns, and obviously his availability against Denver is a huge concern for the Steelers.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab