Divisional Playoffs
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 1/8/20 http://twitter.com/NFL345 WHAT TO LOOK FOR – DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS SURVIVE AND ADVANCE: The MINNESOTA VIKINGS (11-6) and TENNESSEE TITANS (10-7) both earned victories on Wild Card Weekend as the No. 6 seed in their respective conferences. Last season, both the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS and PHILADELPHIA EAGLES advanced to the Divisional Round of the playoffs as No. 6 seeds in their conferences. This marks the first time in which two No. 6 seeds advanced past Wild Card Weekend in consecutive seasons since the NFL instituted the current 12-team playoff format in 1990. Minnesota, who travels to San Francisco on Saturday (4:35 PM ET, NBC), and Tennessee, who travels to Baltimore on Saturday night (8:15 PM ET, CBS), can become the first No. 6 seeds to reach the Conference Championship since 2010. The No. 6 seeds to reach the Conference Championship since the NFL instituted the current 12-team playoff format in 1990: SEASON TEAM CONFERENCE ADVANCED TO 2010 Green Bay NFC Won Super Bowl XLV 2010 New York Jets AFC Conference Championship 2008 Baltimore AFC Conference Championship 2008 Philadelphia NFC Conference Championship 2005 Pittsburgh AFC Won Super Bowl XL 2019 Minnesota NFC ?? 2019 Tennessee AFC ?? In the NFC, the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (12-5, No. 5 seed), who face the GREEN BAY PACKERS on Sunday night (6:40 PM ET, FOX), and the sixth-seeded Vikings are both still alive. With victories by both teams in the Divisional Playoffs, it would mark the first Conference Championship game featuring a No. 5 and No. 6 seed since the NFL instituted the current 12-team playoff format in 1990. -- DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS -- STACKING POSTSEASON VICTORIES: The GREEN BAY PACKERS (34 wins) and SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (30 wins) both rank among the top five in postseason victories in league history and can add to their totals this weekend. With a win over Seattle on Sunday (6:40 PM ET, FOX), Green Bay would tie the DALLAS COWBOYS (35 wins) for the third-most postseason victories in NFL history. The teams with the most postseason wins in NFL history: TEAM WINS SUPER BOWL WINS New England 37 6 Pittsburgh 36 6 Dallas 35 5 Green Bay 34 4 San Francisco 30 5 -- DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS -- GETTING IT STARTED: To kick off the Divisional Round of the NFL’s 100th season, the NFC’s No. 1 seed, the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (13-3), host the No. 6 seed MINNESOTA VIKINGS (11-6) on Saturday (4:35 PM ET, NBC). Minnesota advanced to the Divisional Round with a 26-20 overtime victory in New Orleans on Wild Card Weekend. In his postseason debut last week, Minnesota running back DALVIN COOK finished with 130 scrimmage yards (94 rushing, 36 receiving) and two rushing touchdowns in the victory. If Cook records at least 125 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on Saturday, he would become the first player with at least 125 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in each of his first two career postseason games in NFL history. -- DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS -- RUNNING THROUGH THE POSTSEASON: The AFC’s No. 1 seed, the BALTIMORE RAVENS (14-2), led the NFL with 3,296 rushing yards in the regular season, the most by a team in a single season in NFL history. The TENNESSEE TITANS (10-7) ranked third in the league with 2,223 rushing yards in 2019, led by the NFL’s leading rusher DERRICK HENRY, who rushed for 1,540 yards this season. This marks the fourth time the team with the top rushing offense met the team with the league’s leading rusher in the postseason in the Super Bowl era. In each of the matchups, the team with the league’s leading rusher has won. Postseason matchups between the league’s top rushing offense and leading rusher in the Super Bowl era: ROUND TOP RUSHING OFFENSE RUSHING NFL LEADING RUSHER TEAM RUSHING YARDS YARDS 2018 Wild Card Seattle 73 Ezekiel Elliot Dallas 137 Super Bowl XXVII Buffalo 108 Emmitt SmithHOF Dallas 108 1978 Divisional New England 83 Earl CampbellHOF Houston Oilers 118 2019 Divisional Baltimore ?? Derrick Henry Tennessee ?? On Wild Card Weekend, Henry rushed for 182 yards and a touchdown in Tennessee’s 20-13 victory over New England. With at least 150 rushing yards on Saturday, Henry would join Pro Football Hall of Famers MARCUS ALLEN (three games), TERRELL DAVIS (two) and FRANCO HARRIS (two), as well as LE’VEON BELL (two) as the only players to rush for at least 150 yards in consecutive postseason games in NFL history. Henry has rushed for 366 yards in his first three career postseason games. With at least 134 rushing yards on Saturday, Henry would become the third player to rush for at least 500 yards in their first four career postseason games in NFL history. The players with the most rushing yards in their first four career postseason games in NFL history: PLAYER TEAM RUSHING YARDS Terrell DavisHOF Denver 515 Arian Foster Houston 515 Fred Taylor Jacksonville 493 John RigginsHOF Washington 474 Eric DickersonHOF Los Angeles Rams 470 Derrick Henry Tennessee 366* *In three games -- DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS -- NEW ERA OF QBs: Sunday afternoon’s game featuring Houston quarterback DESHAUN WATSON (24 years, 120 days old) and Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES (24 years, 117 days old) marks the third matchup in the Divisional Round between two quarterbacks under the age of 25 in the Super Bowl era. Divisional Round matchups between starting quarterbacks under the age of 25 in the Super Bowl era: SEASON HOME TEAM QUARTERBACK VISITOR QUARTERBACK RESULT 1985 Miami Dan MarinoHOF Cleveland Bernie Kosar MIA 24, CLE 21 2000 Minnesota Daunte Culpepper New Orleans Aaron Brooks MIN 34, NO 16 2019 Kansas City Patrick Mahomes Houston Deshaun Watson ?? In a 22-19 overtime victory over Buffalo on Wild Card Weekend, Watson completed 20 of 25 pass attempts (80 percent) for 247 yards and a touchdown and added 55 yards and a touchdown on the ground. If Watson, who rushed for 76 yards on Wild Card Weekend in 2018, rushes for at least 50 yards on Sunday against Kansas City (3:05 PM ET, CBS), he would become the first quarterback with at least 50 rushing yards in three consecutive postseason games in NFL history. -- DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS -- NIGHT CAP: In the final game of the Divisional Round, the GREEN BAY PACKERS (13-3) host the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (12-5), who defeated Philadelphia, 17-9, on Wild Card Weekend. Seahawks rookie wide receiver DK METCALF led Seattle with 160 receiving yards and a touchdown in the win, the most receiving yards by a rookie in a single postseason game in the Super Bowl era. With at least 83 receiving yards against Green Bay on Sunday (6:40 PM ET, FOX), Metcalf would surpass TORRY HOLT (242 yards in 1999) for the most postseason receiving yards by a rookie in NFL history. The rookies with the most postseason receiving yards in NFL history: PLAYER TEAM SEASON REC. YARDS Torry Holt St. Louis Rams 1999 242 Austin Collie Indianapolis 2009 241 DeSean Jackson Philadelphia 2008 207 Steve Junker Detroit 1957 201 Ricky Nattiel Denver 1987 171 DK Metcalf Seattle 2019 160* *Entering Sunday Seattle running back MARSHAWN LYNCH recorded his 10th career postseason rushing touchdown in the win on Wild Card Weekend. With at least two rushing touchdowns on Sunday, Lynch would tie Pro Football Hall of Famers TERRELL DAVIS (12) and JOHN RIGGINS (12) for the fourth-most career postseason rushing touchdowns in NFL history. The players with the most career postseason rushing touchdowns in NFL history: PLAYER TEAM RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS Emmitt SmithHOF Dallas 19 Franco HarrisHOF Pittsburgh 16 Thurman ThomasHOF Buffalo 16 Terrell DavisHOF Denver 12 John RigginsHOF Washington 12 Marshawn Lynch Seattle 10* *Entering Sunday Green Bay quarterback AARON RODGERS enters Sunday’s contest having thrown at least two touchdown passes in each of his past five postseason games. With four touchdown passes against Seattle, Rodgers would tie PEYTON MANNING (40) for the fourth-most career postseason touchdown passes in NFL history. The players with the most career postseason touchdown passes in NFL history: PLAYER TEAM(S) TOUCHDOWN PASSES Tom Brady New England 73 Joe MontanaHOF San Francisco, Kansas City 45 Brett FavreHOF Green Bay, Minnesota 44 Peyton Manning Indianapolis, Denver 40 Aaron Rodgers Green Bay 36* *Entering Sunday -- DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS -- .