Summary

  • Reigning champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers advance with 31-15 win over Philadelphia Eagles

  • NFC sixth seeds San Francisco 49ers eliminate third seeds the Dallas Cowboys after a nail-biting 23-17 win

  • 49ers go on to face Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round

  • Pittsburgh Steelers are beaten 42-21 by the Kansas City Chiefs, who advance to a Divisional Round showdown with the Buffalo Bills next weekend

  • Defeat brings about the expected retirement of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after an 18-year NFL career

  • Roethlisberger spent his entire career with Pittsburgh, winning two Super Bowl titles in 2005 and 2008

  1. Dak deliverspublished at 00:33 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-17 Dallas Cowboys

    Dalton Schultz takes a huge 38-yard completion after Dak Prescott had rolled out of the pocket and away from pressure.

    The Niners are down Nick Bosa, Fred Warner is hurt too along with Jordan Willis so they're well under strength.

    Can they cope?

  2. Dallas get a chancepublished at 00:30 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-17 Dallas Cowboys

    Leighton Vander Esch with an almighty tackle on Deebo Samuel to stop him just a yard short of the first down.

    They look like they're going for it but they're just trying to catch Dallas offside so they punt it away and Dak Prescott now has less than three minutes to win this game.

    Starting on his own 16.

  3. Huge flagpublished at 00:27 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-17 Dallas Cowboys

    Anything could have happened there! It looked like some pass interference on the third down throw, it was almost an interception, but what it actually was was a 13th penalty against Dallas.

    Neville Gallimore with hands to the face, almost taking his opponent's helmet off - gives the 49ers a first down.

    But it's tough going for San Francisco now as this beautifully brutal sport is being shown at its best right now.

  4. So close!published at 00:25 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-17 Dallas Cowboys

    This is incredible - George Kittle picks up the low pass but fumbles when trying for extra yards. BUT the ball hit the ground so it's an incomplete pass.

    Phew, that was a crazy couple of seconds and the crowd almost lost their minds.

  5. Jimmy convertspublished at 00:22 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-17 Dallas Cowboys

    Jauan Jennings stoops to catch a third down conversion and that's a nice settler for Jimmy Garoppolo, although the nerves must be flowing through him after that interception.

    This is where you earn your money though - the great players make plays in the last five minutes of play-off games, and that's where we are right now.

    Exciting isn't it!?

  6. touchdown

    Touchdown - Cowboyspublished at 00:17 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-17 Dallas Cowboys

    Dak PrescottImage source, Getty Images

    Everyone is covered but Dak Prescott sees the big gap opening up in front of him and he has the gas to run it into the end zone himself.

    That one bad throw from Garoppolo has proved costly as Dallas turn it into seven points and now the gap is just seven - and importantly that didn't take too much time off the clock.

    Still just under eight minutes left to play.

  7. Huge turnover!published at 00:13 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-10 Dallas Cowboys

    There's life in the game! A score here for San Francisco may have iced it, but Jimmy Garoppolo has handed them a lifeline with a wayward throw on the run miles over his receiver and into the arms of Anthony Brown.

    As Dallas take over near the red zone, this could change this game completely!

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  8. Kittle's first catchpublished at 00:09 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-10 Dallas Cowboys

    11 minutes left in the game and George Kittle finally gets his first catch! That's crazy considering what a talented pass catcher he is but he comes up big there, for 18 yards.

  9. field goal

    Field goal - Cowboyspublished at 00:07 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-10 Dallas Cowboys

    Dallas opt to take the kick, which in itself is a gamble given their kicker Greg 'The Leg' Zuerlein has missed 12 kicks this season.

    He nails this one though from all of 51 yards out though and while it's still a two-score game Dallas can now win this with two normal TDs without the need for two point conversions.

    They still do need those two TDs though..

  10. Big hitspublished at 00:04 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-7 Dallas Cowboys

    Dak Prescott is one tough dude, as he fires a fast ball out to Malik Turner despite getting drilled as he throws it.

    He doesn't even go down - Prescott stands there and takes the hit.

    There's a sizeable collision on Turner when he takes the catch too - the hits come in just that bit harder in the play-offs.

  11. Fake punt!published at 00:01 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-7 Dallas Cowboys

    The fake punt works! We all love a fake punt and it comes up trumps for Dallas as punter Bryan Anger toss a pass out for CJ Goodwin, who has to climb high but manages to come down with it.

    That's finally got some momentum into this Cowboys side, and has the stadium shaking!

  12. End of the thirdpublished at 23:58 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-7 Dallas Cowboys

    DallasImage source, Getty Images

    Just 15 minutes left to play for a spot in the Divisional Round and the Cowboys have the ball, down two scores and needing something right here, right now.

  13. A dart from Dakpublished at 23:56 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-7 Dallas Cowboys

    A great strike down the middle from Prescott on a third and 25 gets 23 of those yards back, and they convert with a run on the next play.

    That's a huge conversion and just what they needed.

  14. Big misspublished at 23:54 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-7 Dallas Cowboys

    It's what they call a 'filthy route' in the NFL as Brandon Aiyuk drops a shoulder and leaves Trevon Diggs for dead to get wide open, but Jimmy Garoppolo misses the throw!

    It's too high for the receiver when he had acres to throw the ball into, that's on the QB there and would've been a huge gain.

  15. How did Deebo do it?published at 23:51 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-7 Dallas Cowboys

    TD probability 0.7%.....

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  16. Get Involvedpublished at 23:49 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January 2022

    Use #bbcnfl on Twitter

    Steffan Powell: You know a player is special in the NFL when commentators just refer to them by their first name. Deebo is special

  17. Unpopular puntpublished at 23:46 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-7 Dallas Cowboys

    Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is not a popular guy inside AT&T Stadium after he decides to punt it away on fourth down instead of going for it.

    Four minutes left in the third so still plenty of time left in the game, but he'll only be proved right if the Cowboys get a stop.

  18. touchdown

    Touchdown - 49erspublished at 23:41 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 23-7 Dallas Cowboys

    Wow! An instant attack from the 49ers on the very first play after the interception and it's that man Deebo Samuel who takes off from the backfield on a 26-yard run into the end zone.

    There was a big crowd in front of him but after a pause, Deebo switches the play and finds a huge hole to burst through using that pace and there's no catching this guy when he's in full flow.

    That's a ninth rushing TD of the season - for the wide receiver!

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  19. Picked off!published at 23:40 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 16-7 Dallas Cowboys

    Prescott is picked off! That's massive - he's looking for Cedric Wilson but instead finds K'Waun Williams, when it just looked like a huge hit - terrific defensive play.

    It's Prescott's first pick in 165 pass attempts - since Week 14 of the regular season.

  20. Another Dak sackpublished at 23:38 Greenwich Mean Time 16 January 2022

    San Francisco 49ers 16-7 Dallas Cowboys

    DJ Jones does his best Nick Bosa impression by getting into the backfield and dropping Dak Prescott as he struggled to find anyone open.