San Francisco's 23-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers was one of four postseason games decided by at least a touchdown. The superman qualityof Colin Kaepernick and continued productionof Anquan Boldin,plus the defense's stingy ways set the 49ers up for their Divisional round victoryto line up a Seattle Seahawks grudge match.
In this edition of the Playoffs Report, 49ers.com recaps the rest of the Divisional round action. NFL.com clarifies the entire postseason picture here.
Seattle Seahawks 23, New Orleans Saints 15
Player:Running back Marshawn Lynch rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat:The team is now 8-2 at home in the playoffs, including 6-1 at CenturyLink Field; the crowd of 68,388 on hand Sunday set a stadium record by one.
Ahead:Seattle advances to the NFC Championship game for the first time since 2005 and the second time in its history. The NFC's No. 1 seed will host San Francisco.
Matchup:The Seahawks beat the 49ers, 29-3, on Sept. 15 and lost to the 49ers, 19-17, on Dec. 8. The two teams have never met in the postseason.* *
Tweet:
What's next? Just waiting for the winner of #SFvsCAR. #NFLPlayoffs (Photo by @PossPhotography) pic.twitter.com/nlb1v24RNA — Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 12, 2014
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New England Patriots 43, Indianapolis Colts 22
Player:Running back LeGarrette Blount rushed for a team record-tying 166 yards and four touchdowns.
Stat:Blount and Ricky Watters, who scored five touchdowns for San Francisco in the 1994 playoffs, are the only players with four or more scores in a postseason game. The Pats six rushing touchdowns overall tied the 49ers total in that game for second most in playoff history.
Ahead:New England is set to play in a third straight AFC title game. Top-seeded Denver will host.
Matchup:The Patriots came back to defeat the Broncos, 34-31, on Nov. 24. Quarterback Tom Brady has won 10 of 14 meetings with counterpart Peyton Manning.
Tweet:
"I lot of people have counted us out at times this season, but I think we have a locker room full of believers." - Tom Brady — New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 12, 2014
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Denver Broncos 24, San Diego Chargers 17
Player:Quarterback Peyton Manning was 25-of-36 passing for 230 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat:Manning had been 0-3 in his last three postseason games, dating back to 2010, his days with the Indianapolis Colts.
Ahead:Denver, the AFC's second seed, seeks its first Super Bowl berth since 1998.
Matchup:The Broncos fell 34-31 to the Patriots in the teams' last matchup. Manning is 0-2 versus Brady since going to Denver.
Tweet:
AFC Championship Game Tickets have sold out. #NEvsDEN — Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 13, 2014
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