SCOREBOARD
Sunday, Jan. 8
Miami (10-6) at Pittsburgh (11-5), 1:05 p.m. EST, CBS. The Dolphins are making their first playoff appearance since 2008 and looking for their first postseason win since the wild-card round in 2000. Matt Moore will play at quarterback in place of the injured Ryan Tannehill for the first postseason start of his 10-year career. The Steelers, meanwhile, are looking to make up for a 30-15 loss to the Dolphins on Oct. 16, when Jay Ajayi ran for 204 yards, the first back to go over 200 yards rushing vs. Pittsburgh in 16 years.
New York Giants (11-5) at Green Bay (10-6), 4:40 p.m. EST, Fox. Giants coach Ben McAdoo was a Packers assistant under Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy from 2006-13, and is the second head coach in franchise history with at least 11 wins in his first year (Dan Reeves, 11 in 1993). New York’s strong secondary will face Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, who threw 15 TD passes and no interceptions in the Packers’ six-game winning streak to end the regular season.
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STARS
Passing
– Russell Wilson, Seahawks, was 23 of 30 for 224 yards and two touchdowns in Seattle’s 26-6 victory over Detroit in the wild-card round.
– Brock Osweiler, Texans, threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score in Houston’s 27-14 win over Oakland.
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Rushing
– Thomas Rawls, Seahawks, set a franchise postseason record with 161 yards rushing, including a 4-yard touchdown run, in Seattle’s 26-6 win over Detroit in the wild-card round.
– Lamar Miller, Texans, ran for 73 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries to help lead Houston past Oakland 27-14.
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Receiving
– Doug Baldwin, Seahawks, had 11 catches for 104 yards and a TD to help lift Seattle to a 26-6 victory over Detroit.
– DeAndre Hopkins, Texans, caught five passes for 67 yards and a score in Houston’s 27-14 win over Oakland.
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Special Teams
– Nick Novak, Texans, kicked field goals of 50 and 38 yards in Houston’s 27-14 victory over Oakland.
– Matt Prater, Lions, accounted for all of Detroit’s points with field goals of 51 and 53 yards in a losing cause as the Lions fell to Seattle 26-6. He was the first player with multiple 50-yard field goals made in the same playoff game.
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Defense
– Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus, Texans. Clowney had his first career interception, which set up Houston’s first touchdown in the opening quarter of a 27-14 win over Oakland. Mercilus had two sacks for the NFL’s top-ranked defense.
– Cliff Avril, Seahawks, had two sacks in Seattle’s 26-6 victory over Detroit.
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STREAKS & STATS
With a 26-6 loss at Seattle, the Detroit Lions have dropped nine straight postseason games, the longest skid in NFL history. Their last road playoff victory was in 1957 at San Francisco en route to winning the NFL championship. … Seattle has won 10 straight postseason games at home. … Houston’s Lamar Miller had 31 carries – rushing for 73 yards and a TD – and averaged just 2.35 yards in Houston’s 27-14 win over Oakland. According to the NFL, teams are 37-0 in the postseason since 1950 when a player gets 30 or more carries. … Oakland failed to get a first down on its first 11 third-down attempts at Houston. The Raiders finally converted one early in the fourth quarter and finished 2 of 16 on third downs. … Seattle’s Steven Hauschka has missed seven extra points this season, the most in the NFL.
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MILESTONES
With a 26-6 victory over Detroit, Seattle’s Russell Wilson has the most wins by any starting QB in his first five seasons in NFL history, including the playoffs, with 64. He broke a tie with Baltimore’s Joe Flacco. … Thomas Rawls’ 161 yards rushing topped Seattle’s franchise postseason record of 157 by Marshawn Lynch against Green Bay two years ago. … Doug Baldwin has three games of 100 yards receiving or more in the playoffs, a Seahawks postseason record.
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CONNOR COOKED
Oakland’s first trip to the playoffs since the 2002 season, when it went to the Super Bowl, ended with a thud behind the struggles of third-string rookie Connor Cook in a 27-14 loss at Houston. Cook threw for 161 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions after becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to make his first start in a playoff game. That came after MVP contender Derek Carr broke his leg two weeks ago and Matt McGloin injured his shoulder last Sunday. Cook’s performance wasn’t helped by star left tackle Donald Penn missing the game with a knee injury, which ended a streak of 160 straight starts.
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SEAHAWKS’ BALLHAWK
Seattle’s Paul Richardson filled the highlight reel with a trio of catches in the Seahawks’ 26-6 win over Detroit. None was better than his 2-yard touchdown in the second quarter to give Seattle a 7-0 lead. Richardson went horizontal reaching out with his left hand to cradle the pass as he was being interfered with by Tavon Wilson. What wasn’t called on the play was Richardson’s right hand yanking on the facemask of Wilson as he reached to make the catch. Richardson had another one-handed catch in the fourth quarter.
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NOT SO FAST
Houston appeared to have scored a touchdown on a 57-yard punt return by Tyler Ervin late in the third quarter of its 27-14 win over Oakland. But the score was nullified because Whitney Mercilus ran into punter Marquette King on the play. King punted again and it almost turned bad for the Texans when Ervin muffed that one. Luckily for Houston, teammate Eddie Pleasant grabbed the ball after it bounced away from Ervin.
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SIDELINED
Oakland left tackle Donald Penn missed the Raiders’ 27-14 loss at Houston with a knee injury, which ended a streak of 160 straight starts.
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SPEAKING
”I’ve got all the faith in Connor or Matt – any backups we’ve got. But they know, at full strength, ain’t nobody in the league touching us, man. We’re going to take this loss on the chin, and we’re going to come back, for sure.” – Oakland cornerback David Amerson after the Raiders lost 27-14 at Houston. Connor Cook started at quarterback because Matt McGloin had a shoulder injury and starter Derek Carr broke a leg two weeks ago.
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”This felt like old times. This felt great.” – Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman after the Seahawks beat the Lions 26-6 in an NFC wild-card game for their 10th straight playoff victory at home.
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