San Francisco 49Ers

Williams played through the injury as the Niners booked their place in the conference title game with a dramatic 13-10 road win over the top-seeded Green Bay Packers.

He had missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday but was out on the field, albeit walking slowly, before the Niners made their departure for Los Angeles on Friday.

San Francisco claimed a sixth successive win over the Rams in the final week of the regular season, coming back from 17-0 down to prevail in overtime, to clinch a place in the playoffs.

The Niners achieved that feat without Williams, who missed that clash due to an elbow problem.

All-Pro Williams was not ruled out until the day of the game, and head coach Kyle Shanahan will give him every chance to prove his fitness for this clash with a place in Super Bowl LVI on the line.

"It's going to be like it was three weeks ago. I feel the same way as I did at the beginning of the week," Shanahan told a media conference.

"He came out for walkthrough today and Trent is adamant that he's going and he was last time too, which, I believe Trent when he says that he's going to do everything that he can to play.

"And so I'll be surprised if he doesn't, but I was surprised last time. I was also surprised he was able to finish the game versus Green Bay.

"So hopefully his mindset will be how his body reacts on Sunday. We know it'll help us a lot, but if not, we'll deal with it." 

Williams' influence on the Niners' passing offense and their rushing attack cannot be overstated.

According to Stats Perform data, he ranked fourth among tackles with at least 100 one-on-one matchups in the regular season with a stunt-adjusted win pass protection win percentage of 91.81.

In double-team adjusted run-block win rate, he was second with 81.56 per cent.

Colton McKivitz, who filled in against the Rams in Week 18, would likely get the start at left tackle if Williams is unable to play.

Purdy, dubbed Mr Irrelevant after being the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, stole the show at Levi's Stadium, becoming the first rookie QB to win a playoff game since Russell Wilson in 2012.

The 23-year-old quarterback finished 18-of-30 for 332 yards, becoming the youngest player in NFL history with 300-plus passing yards and three-plus touchdown passes in a postseason game, surpassing Dan Marino.

However, the game did not start so well for Purdy, whose first pass was almost intercepted in wet conditions, before starring in the second half after trailing 17-16 at halftime.

"I don't think there were any nerves at all," Samuel, who caught one of Purdy's three touchdown passes for a 74-yard score, told reporters.

"We kind of started off slow. We missed a couple here and there, but as the game slowed down and settled down for him, he knows the guys that he has around him to build him up.

"It started to slow down for him too in the second half and he went out there and played good ball."

Purdy, who had only been afforded his opportunity as the 49ers' starting QB due to injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, is now 6-0 as a starter.

"There was some emotion going into the game," Purdy said. "You could just feel it in the environment with the fans and our teammates like, this is win or go home.

"But once the game started, it was all, hey, it's 11-on-11, I've got to do my job. I've got to get it to the guys when they're in space and go from there. But we didn't make it more than what it was.

"You could feel it in the first half in terms of Seattle's playing really good football, it's playoff football, everyone plays their best football.

"I feel like that was just something that we had in the back of our minds too. But overall, it wasn't 'oh my gosh, we're in the playoffs, we got to get all tense or anything like that.' So we've just got to play our game and let everything else fall into place."

Purdy's 332 yards is the second most ever by a rookie in a postseason game, behind Wilson's 385 with the Seahawks against the Atlanta Falcons in 2013.

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan added: "We just had to win the game and he's done a hell of a job. He's done it every time since. I have a lot of confidence in him."

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll remarked that Purdy's ability to keep plays alive made a major difference, finding Elijah Mitchell for a TD pass on a broken play in the fourth quarter.

"I don't know why we couldn't sack the guy," Carroll said. "We chased him all over the place. He's not noted for being the greatest scrambler, but he looked like Fran Tarkenton out there today."

Four-time NBA MVP LeBron James also took to Twitter to hail Purdy, writing: "Purdy got game!!!!!!!".

When told about the tweet, Purdy replied: "LeBron said that. Oh, that's sweet. That's awesome, that's so cool."

Shanahan signed a fresh six-year deal with the 49ers and will remain at the helm through the 2025 season. His previous deal contracted him to the Niners through 2022.

Should he see out the entirety of his contract, Shanahan will become the second-longest tenured head coach behind the legendary Bill Walsh.

The Niners' decision to extend Shanahan's stay follows a 2019 season that saw him lead the 49ers to Super Bowl LIV, in which they suffered a dramatic defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.

As the Stats Perform data shows, Shanahan has authored one of the more impressive turnarounds in NFL history, making it no surprise that the 49ers have made sure they will not be losing his services any time soon.

SAN FRANCISCO ON CLOUD NINE

The 49ers went 13-3 in the regular season in 2019, Shanahan's third year in charge, having gone 4-12 in 2018.

San Francisco's 2018 performance was heavily impacted by the torn ACL quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered early in the season, but the upturn they enjoyed was still startling.

Indeed, their nine-win improvement was the largest in the history of the 49ers franchise. San Francisco became one of just 10 teams in NFL history to improve by nine wins from one year to the next.

Only two teams, the 2008 Miami Dolphins and the 1999 Indianapolis Colts, have bettered their win tally by 10 from the previous campaign.

AN OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION 

Shanahan is widely regarded for his acumen as an offensive play-caller and he has had a transformative impact on San Francisco's attack.

In the two seasons before he took over, 2015 and 2016, the Niners finished 32nd and 27th in points per game. They were 31st in total yards per game in each of those seasons.

The influence of Shanahan was quickly felt in a 2017 campaign that saw the Niners go 6-10.

They were 20th in points per game and 12th in yards per game, with their revival in both categories undoubtedly impacted by the October trade for Garoppolo, who led the 49ers on a five-game winning streak to end the year.

Without Garoppolo for 13 games in 2018, the 49ers were 21st in points per game and 16th in yards per game.

However, with their quarterback available for a full season in 2019, the Niners joined the league's elite in both metrics. San Francisco's tally of 29.9 points per game was good enough for second in the league, while the 49ers were fourth in yards per game (381.1) in a year that saw them make history in a variety of fashions.

HISTORY MAKERS

By progressing to the Super Bowl, San Francisco became the third team to do so after four consecutive losing seasons, following in the footsteps of the 1981 49ers and 1999 St. Louis Rams.

Additionally, the Niners were only the second team to contest the season-ending showpiece having lost 12 games in the prior campaign, again replicating the 1999 Rams.

Dominant on both sides of the ball, the 49ers finished in the top five on offense and defense for the first time since 1995.

Offensively, their success was built largely on a near unstoppable running attack. Three 49ers running backs went over 500 yards rushing for the season, marking the first time the Niners achieved that feat since 1954.

When passing the ball, the Niners did an excellent job of spreading it around and finished the season with 13 players catching a touchdown, tying an NFL record.

The 49ers kept the bulk of their Super Bowl team around this offseason and, with Shanahan contracted for at least another six seasons, there is reason to believe they will spend much of this decade threatening more NFL milestones.

Aaron Rodgers – who has thrown for 1,894 yards and made 17 touchdown passes this season – will miss his first Packers game since 2017 after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Arizona Cardinals are also now at 7-1 after losing their unbeaten record with a defeat to the Packers last week, and will be looking to get back to winning ways against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Los Angeles Rams are the only other team in the NFL that sits at 7-1 going into Week 9, and are set for a fascinating contest with the 6-2 Tennessee Titans.

Green Bay Packers (7-1) @ Kansas City Chiefs (4-4)

Overcoming Rodgers' absence will be no easy feat for Green Bay. Since the 37-year-old took over as the starter in 2008, the Packers are 133-64-1 with him, and 6-11-1 without.

The Packers knocked off the last unbeaten team in Week 8 with a 24-21 win at Arizona and are now on a seven-game winning streak, their longest within a single season since going 13-0 in 2011 on their way to a 15-1 record. Their only loss that season came in Kansas City.

The Chiefs hold a 7-4-1 record over Green Bay, but the Packers have won three of the last four meetings. They most recently played in Week 8 in 2019, with the Packers triumphing 31-24 at Arrowhead. Kansas City went 10-1 following that game on their way to winning the Super Bowl.

Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to that championship and since he took over as the starting quarterback in 2018, Kansas City have had just six games with 20 or fewer points, including the postseason. Three of those games have come this season (Weeks 5, 7 and 8).

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill had 12 receptions in the Chiefs' 20-17 win against the Giants on Monday, one shy of tying a career high (set in Week 12, 2020 at Tampa Bay). The Chiefs are 15-2 (regular and postseason) when Hill has at least eight receptions.

Arizona Cardinals (7-1) @ San Francisco 49ers (3-4)

This will be the second meeting in the NFC West for these two teams this season, with Arizona already enjoying a 17-10 home win over San Francisco in Week 5. It is, though, the only game in which the Cardinals have not scored at least 21 points this year. The Cardinals have won five of their last six road games against the Niners, with three of those wins coming by at least 10 points.

The 24 points scored against the Cardinals by the Packers in Week 8 in their first loss of the campaign was the second most allowed by Arizona this season (33 against Minnesota in Week 2). Their average of 17.3 points allowed per game ranks third in the NFL.

San Francisco beat the Chicago Bears 33-22 last week, breaking a four-game losing streak and scoring their most points since a 41-33 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 1. Since the start of last season, the Niners are 1-10 at home and 8-4 on the road.

Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 322 yards and ran for two touchdowns in Chicago. The only 49ers player with more passing yards in a game while also rushing for multiple scores is Steve Young, who had games with 355 yards (1994), 348 (1991) and 331 (1998).

Tennessee Titans (6-2) @ Los Angeles Rams (7-1)

Including their win in Super Bowl XXXIV, the Rams have an all-time record of 8-5 against the Titans/Oilers franchise. The Titans' last game at the Rams in southern California came in Week 9, 1990, which saw a 17-13 Rams win over the then-Oilers in Anaheim.

Tennessee beat the Indianapolis Colts 34-31 in overtime last Sunday. It was their third overtime game this year, tying the franchise record for most overtime games in a single season (1983).

The Rams, meanwhile, defeated the Houston Texans 38-22 after leading 38-0 heading into the fourth quarter. They are one of two teams (along with the Dallas Cowboys) to score at least 20 points in every game this season.

Cooper Kupp had 115 receiving yards and a touchdown in that win in Houston, his third straight 100-yard game. Kupp has 10 touchdown catches from the first eight games of the season, second in Rams history only to Elroy Hirsch (12 TDs in 1951).

Elsewhere...

The New England Patriots travel to Carolina to face the Panthers on Sunday, where Mac Jones is set to make history. The rookie quarterback has 1,997 passing yards in his eight games in the NFL so far. Drew Bledsoe currently holds the record for fewest games needed to reach 2,000 passing yards with the Patriots (11). Butch Songin and Tom Brady managed it in 12 games.

The Minnesota Vikings will be hoping to end Lamar Jackson's impressive record against NFC teams. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback is 11-0 all-time as a starter in those meets, throwing for 1,901 yards and 17 touchdowns while running for 995 yards with six scores. 

Despite differing seasons, it could be a close contest in Jacksonville. Including the playoffs, the Bills (5-2) and Jaguars (1-6) have split eight all-time encounters when the Jags are the home team, with both teams scoring exactly 161 points. 

A clash in the AFC North sees the Cincinnati Bengals (5-3) host the Cleveland Browns (4-4), where Joe Burrow will be trying to become the first quarterback in Bengals history to throw three or more touchdown passes in four straight games. Andy Dalton also had three straight games of three or more TD passes in October 2013.

While the Niners' 23-17 upset win over the Cowboys was the first postseason meeting between the two teams since the 1994 campaign, playoff clashes between San Francisco and the Green Bay Packers have been more habitual of late.

Green Bay and the 49ers have faced off in the postseason in every decade since their first playoff meeting in the 1995 campaign, last doing so on January 19, 2020 when San Francisco won a 37-20 rout in the NFC Championship Game.

That scoreline carried on a trend in this matchup. The 49ers and Packers have split their eight all-time meetings in the postseason, but the Niners have won each of the last three. In those three games, they have outscored Green Bay by an average of 11.3 points (35.0-23.7). 

Saturday's game at Lambeau Field is expected to be much closer, with most backing the top-seeded Packers to turn the tide.

Green Bay won the Week 3 matchup at Levi's Stadium, though the Packers needed a last-gasp field goal from Mason Crosby, following some vintage Aaron Rodgers heroics, to avoid defeat.

Rodgers is the favourite to retain the NFL's MVP award and enters this game in blistering form. 

He has thrown for multiple touchdowns and no interceptions in each of his last seven games, the second-longest such streak in NFL history (Tom Brady, nine straight in 2010).

The three-time MVP threw 37 touchdowns and just four picks this season, the most passing touchdowns with four interceptions or fewer in a single season all-time. 

Yet Rodgers is going against a Niners defense playing its best football of the season. San Francisco held the Cowboys' number one-ranked offense (407 yards per game) to 307 total yards, with Dak Prescott completing only 53.5 per cent of his passes as he was pressured more than any other quarterback in the Wild Card round, coming under duress 25 times.

San Francisco's deep defensive front would appear to have the edge this weekend, too. The 49ers' finished the regular season ranked first in Stats Perform's pass rush win rate metric - boasting a win rate of 32.6 per cent - while the Packers were 23rd with a pass protection win rate of 72.6 per cent.

The Packers will hope the potential return of left tackle David Bakhtiari can redress the balance but if it does not then the contest could tilt in the favour of San Francisco. When under pressure this season, Rodgers completed 49.6 per cent of his passes. Among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts under duress, the only two to fare worse were rookies Zach Wilson (41.7 per cent) and Trevor Lawrence (45.7 per cent).

If the Niners pressure Rodgers and get the Packers behind the chains and playing catchup on the scoreboard, then they will look to control the clock by keeping the ball on the ground with All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel and rookie running back Elijah Mitchell.

Samuel scored the first rushing touchdown by a 49ers receiver in postseason history to put San Francisco 23-7 ahead against the Cowboys, while his 72 yards on the ground were the most in the playoffs by any wideout in the Super Bowl era.

Mitchell rushed for 96 yards last weekend, a 49ers rookie playoff record. The Niners are 7-1 when Mitchell rushes for at least 75 yards this season and 1-3 when he plays and does not.

A long night may be in store for the 49ers and their secondary should Rodgers stay on schedule, and that could mean history for his favourite target, Davante Adams.

Adams has had exactly nine receptions in each of his last three playoff games. That is tied for the longest streak of postseason games with nine-plus catches in NFL history (Julian Edelman, 2015-2016).

With at least nine catches in four of his five games against San Francisco (regular and postseason), he is a strong bet to break that record. Adams failing to do so would be a major indicator of Green Bay suffering another nightmare against a team that has continually haunted them in the playoffs.

The Packers (7-2) had averaged 27 points during the seven-game winning streak that ended on Sunday after reigning MVP Rodgers missed the game following a positive coronavirus test during the week. 

The visitors did not get on the scoreboard until Love hit Allen Lazard for a 20-yard touchdown pass with five minutes remaining for his first career NFL TD.

That gave Green Bay some hope after their previous drive had ended with L'Jarius Sneed picking off a Love pass on Kansas City's five-yard line, but the Packers ran out of time. 

While the Chiefs (5-4) were not about to complain about the victory that got them back over .500, their season-long concerns about their offence continued as Patrick Mahomes had another unimpressive game. 

Former league MVP Mahomes completed 20 of 37 passes for just 166 yards but avoided throwing an interception for the first time since the season opener. His 54.1 completion percentage was his worst in a regular-season game since completing 51.2 per cent in a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5 last season. 

Cardinals cruise past 49ers without Murray

The other red-hot team playing without their star quarterback fared better, as the Arizona Cardinals rolled to a 31-17 defeat of the San Francisco 49ers despite Kyler Murray's absence through an ankle injury. 

Veteran Colt McCoy stepped in for the Cardinals and completed 22 of 26 passes for 249 yards, while James Conner rushed for 93 yards and a pair of scores as Arizona improved to 8-1. 

Three turnovers proved critical for San Francisco (3-5) as the 49ers lost two fumbles in the first half and had trouble sustaining drives throughout the game, with only 23:13 of possession compared to 36:47 for Arizona. 

Jimmy Garoppolo completed 28 of 40 passes for 326 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for San Francisco. 

In Philadelphia, Dustin Hopkins' 29-yard field goal with two seconds to play gave the Los Angeles Chargers (5-3) a 27-24 victory over the Eagles (3-6). 

A playoff place looked a faint possibility when the Packers lost seven of eight games after a 3-1 start to drop to 4-8.

They responded by reeling off three straight wins prior to the visit of division rivals and NFC North champions the Vikings, but still faced the prospect of being eliminated with a loss.

That prospect looked all the more likely when, after a blocked punt, the Vikings got the ball at Green Bay's one-yard line.

However, the Packers held the Vikings to a field goal from there, setting the tone for a nightmare game for Minnesota.

Keisean Nixon returned the subsequent kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown to give Green Bay the lead, which was extended when Darnell Savage returned an interception on a deflected Kirk Cousins pass 75 yards.

Cousins turnovers were a theme of the day, with an interception by Adrian Amos setting up a 21-yard touchdown throw from Rodgers to Robert Tonyan, and a lost fumble in the redzone allowed the Packers to regain possession and drive down the field for A.J. Dillon to make it 34-3.

Another Cousins interception, this time picked off by Rudy Ford, put the Packers in position to pile on further misery with a two-yard run from Rodgers, who now can lead the 8-8 Packers into the postseason with victory over the Detroit Lions next Sunday.

Defeat for the 12-4 Vikings sees them fall out of the second seed, meaning the chance to potentially host two home playoff games is out of their hands heading into Week 18.

NINERS SURVIVE HUGE SCARE

The San Francisco 49ers now occupy the two seed, having held off the Las Vegas Raiders in a remarkable game at Allegiant Stadium.

A San Francisco blowout was anticipated but did not materialise, with Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham leading them to 500 yards of offense in his first start after Derek Carr was benched.

Brock Purdy and the 49ers put up 454 yards of their own and, after a Robbie Gould missed field goal sent the game to overtime, Tashaun Gipson's interception of Stidham set up the San Francisco kicker to redeem himself and clinch a wild 37-34 win.

San Francisco's division rivals the Seattle Seahawks cruised to a 23-6 win over the New York Jets, whose playoff hopes look to be all but over. Seattle will qualify for the postseason with a win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 and a Packers loss to the Lions.

A defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in the Patriots' previous outing had ended their streak of 17 straight seasons with 10 or more wins and 11 successive division titles, both of which were the longest such runs in NFL history, and Bill Belichick's team will now not be involved in the postseason for the first time since 2008.

Meanwhile, former Patriots star Tom Brady combined with another ex-New England player as Antonio Brown scored his first touchdown for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons.

There was also a big win for the Seattle Seahawks, who clinched a playoff berth for the ninth time in 11 seasons thanks to a 20-15 win over the Washington Football Team.
 

PATRIOTS' POSTSEASON STREAK COMES TO AN END

For the first time in 12 years, there will be no New England in the postseason. They are now 6-8 in third place in the AFC East and officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Though the Patriots led at halftime, Cam Newton could not pick the Dolphins lock and help find a way to the end zone, with New England failing to score a touchdown.

Newton finished with 209 passing yards, while Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa produced a decisive performance, with two rushing scores to go along with 20-of-26 passing for 145 yards as the hosts tallied 22 points in the second half.

While the Patriots will be observers this postseason, Miami (9-5) have their playoff fate in their own hands, needing only to win their final two games.

BRADY BREAKS ATLANTA AGAIN AS BROWN GETS OFF THE MARK

While Newton may not be the man to take the Patriots forward, New England's former stalwart and legendary QB Brady inspired Tampa to a tight 31-27 win over the Falcons.

In the 2017 Super Bowl, Brady led the greatest comeback in championship game history as he inspired New England from 28-3 down in the third quarter to a 34-28 overtime success against Atlanta.

The prize on offer was considerably less substantial this time around, but Brady broke Falcons hearts again as he turned around two 17-point deficits.

Atlanta raced into a 17-0 lead by halftime and then restored that cushion after Tampa got their first touchdown early in the second half.

Yet it was to be Brady's day, with the 43-year-old finishing  completing 31 of 45 throws for 390 yards and two touchdowns.

He rounded it off in style, picking out Brown – a midseason signing for the Bucs – with a 46-yard touchdown pass as the seven-time Pro Bowler got off the mark for his new team. 

The Bucs are now 9-5 for 2020, ensuring just their third winning season since 2007, when Tampa last made the playoffs. Victory over Detroit Lions next time out will be enough to secure postseason football.

SEAHAWKS PLAYOFF-BOUND, BEARS AND COWBOYS IN THE MIX

The Chicago Bears remain firmly in the hunt for an NFC wildcard spot after they overcame the Minnesota Vikings 33-27.

Chicago, who started the campaign 5-1 before a six-game losing streak saw them drop off the pace, put in a poor offensive showing in a 19-13 defeat to the Vikings in Week 10 but showed no such inefficiency this time in their NFC North divisional contest.

The Dallas Cowboys are also still in the mix despite missing running back Ezekiel Elliott for their clash with the San Francisco 49ers.

Elliott sat out a game due to injury for the first time in his career, having suffered a calf bruise in the loss to the Baltimore Ravens on December 8, but the Cowboys managed without him.

Even with a 5-9 record, the Cowboys – who beat the Niners 41-33 – can still qualify for the postseason, with Washington's defeat to the Seahawks having helped their cause. 

That win in Washington booked a playoff spot for Seattle, who improved to 10-4 for the season.

Seattle made life tough for themselves in the fourth quarter, having led 20-3 in the third, but got consecutive sacks before an unsuccessful Hail Mary attempt ended Washington's comeback hopes.

QB Russell Wilson, Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde all topped 50 yards rushing for the Seahawks, with the latter scoring a touchdown on a 50-yard run.

Week 15 scores

Green Bay Packers 24-16 Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-27 Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens 40-14 Jacksonville Jaguars
Dallas Cowboys 41-33 San Francisco 49ers
Indianapolis Colts 27-20 Houston Texans
Miami Dolphins 22-12 New England Patriots
Chicago Bears 33-27 Minnesota Vikings
Tennessee Titans 46-25 Detroit Lions
Seattle Seahawks 20-15 Washington Football Team

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be expected to win in routine fashion in their Wild Card round matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, while the team they beat in last season's Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs, are anticipated to end Ben Roethlisberger's career with a routine victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sandwiched between those two potential blowouts is the game of the weekend as two storied rivals, the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, contest a long overdue renewal of acquaintances in the postseason.

As Stats Perform's look at Sunday's action explains, both the Niners and the Cowboys possess the offense firepower to ensure the matchup lives up to its lofty expectations.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The defending champion Bucs are unsurprisingly the heavy favourites against an Eagles team that claimed nine wins in the regular season, none of which came against an opponent that made the postseason.

Not much stock will be put in the history of this encounter, even if it does make pleasant reading for any Eagles fans looking for reason for hope.

The Eagles and Buccaneers have split their 20 all-time meetings, with each team winning eight regular-season games and two in postseason play. Their only postseason matchup in Tampa was a 24-17 win by the Bucs in 1979, their first-ever playoff win.

All eyes at Raymond James Stadium will be on Bucs quarterback Tom Brady, who is set for another piece of history in his seemingly endless career.

Brady will be playing in his 19th postseason and in his 46th career playoff start, the most by any player in NFL history. At age 44, Brady will break his own record for the oldest quarterback to start a playoff game. Brady has more playoff wins since turning 36 years old (17) than any other QB has in his entire career.

Prescott felt he had spiked the ball in time to get one more shot at a game-winning touchdown in a bizarre ending to their Wild Card round loss.

The officials ruled that Prescott had not spiked the ball in time, as NFL rules state the ball must be spotted by an official which umpire Ramon George attempted to do, colliding with Prescott and Tyler Biadasz causing a delay that prevented the QB from getting a Hail Mary away.

Prescott was asked after the game about fans throwing objects at the officials, to which he replied: "Credit to them, credit to them."

However, the Cowboys quarterback apologized for those comments on Tuesday via a Twitter post.

"I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday. I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair," Prescott said.

"I hold the NFL Officials in the highest regard and have always respected their professionalism and the difficulty of their jobs. The safety of everyone who attends a game or participates on the field of a sporting event is a very serious matter.

"That was a mistake on my behalf, and I am sorry."

In his pool report after the game, referee Alex Kemp insisted umpire George had done everything correctly in spotting the ball.

The referees association posted on Tuesday via their official Twitter account: "The NBRA condemns the comments by Dak Prescott condoning violence against game officials.

"As an NFL leader, he should know better. We encourage the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future."

The 49ers, led by rookie quarterback Brock Purdy and backed up by a league-leading defense, had twice beaten NFC West rivals the Seahawks this season and clearly had momentum on their side heading into their Wild Card matchup.

But a 41-23 win at Levi's Stadium was not initially as straightforward as many would have imagined – or as the final scoreline suggests, as Seattle scored 17 second-quarter points.

Purdy trailed at halftime for the first time despite San Francisco making the stronger start. Kenneth Walker ran in for the Seahawks after Christian McCaffrey had caught the opening touchdown pass, then Geno Smith – another playoff debutant but nine years older than Purdy – connected with D.K. Metcalf for a 50-yard score.

The 49ers got back on track with a TD drive to start the second half, though, and their defense belatedly came to the party when Charles Omenihu forced a fumble that was recovered by Nick Bosa.

After zero turnovers and zero penalties in the first half, the Seahawks soon unravelled, unable to respond either when Purdy superbly sought out Elijah Mitchell in the endzone or when a pass to Deebo Samuel gave him space to race away for a 74-yard TD.

Smith swiftly threw an interception as Seattle waited until after the two-minute warning for their first score of the second half, while Purdy showed no signs of slowing his remarkable rise as he finished with 332 yards and three TDs through the air in his sixth straight win to start his career.

The 2022 NFL Draft's 'Mr Irrelevant' has extended the 49ers' winning streak to 11 – tying their third-longest of all time – and continues to look capable of carrying one of the league's most talented rosters all the way in this postseason.

Much was made of the matchup between Purdy – the very last pick in this year's NFL Draft – and legendary Bucs quarterback Brady, with 22-year-old Purdy being born while Brady was still playing college football for the University of Michigan.

But it was totally one-sided in favour of the rookie, as he utilised all the offensive weapons at his disposal to build a 28-0 lead at half-time.

Reigning First Team All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel ran for a 13-yard touchdown. Purdy himself ran one in from two yards, and then the QB threw touchdowns to both Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk to cap a half he will never forget. 

Samuel's day did end on a sour note, however, with the star being carted off due to a serious-looking knee injury.

McCaffrey added his second touchdown of the game in the third quarter to finish the 49ers' scoring, posting 14 carries for 119 yards with another two catches for 34 through the air.

Purdy completed 16 of his 21 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with no turnovers and no sacks taken.

With the win, the 49ers are now 9-4, and while their Super Bowl dreams were hurt with the injury of Jimmy Garoppolo last week, Purdy's competence will begin to revive those hopes as they continue to lean on the best defense in the league based on opponent points per game.

Chiefs hold on for their 10th win

The Kansas City Chiefs were made to sweat in the final stages of their 34-28 win over the Denver Broncos after some uncharacteristic Patrick Mahomes turnovers.

Kansas City led 27-0 in the second quarter after a pair of Mahomes touchdown passes to Jerick McKinnon were followed by a 47-yard Willie Gay interception return for a touchdown.

An interception from Mahomes gave the Broncos a chance to score their first touchdown late in the second period, and he threw another interception from his very next drive, gifting the Broncos another score.

Jerry Jeudy's third touchdown reception of the game brought the Broncos back to within six points, and a third Mahomes interception gave the Broncos a chance, but they could not complete the unlikely comeback.

The rookie quarterback threw just four passes in the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles, two of which came on the opening drive before he exited the game due to injury.

Unable to throw on the sidelines, Purdy was not set to go back in, but the 49ers had their hand forced when 4th-string QB Josh Johnson was ruled out in concussion protocol after hitting his head on the ground.

That led to Purdy's reintroduction to the game, but the 49ers had their passing game off the cards, with only two short completions through the air for the remainder of the contest.

Speaking after the game, Purdy confirmed he will have an MRI on Monday to find out the severity of the problem.

"I was throwing after the hit on the sidelines just to see where I was at but even in those throws it was painful. I couldn't throw anything over five-to-ten yards, so that's why we just had some screens," he told reporters.

"I told him [Kyle Shanahan] right there if we run a play, I can't throw deep. It's hurting really bad. If we're going to get a complete, it has to be something short, if that's alright.

"It felt stretched out, I felt a lot of shocks from my elbow down to my wrist. I have no idea, I'll have an MRI tomorrow. It's swollen in the forearm area."

Purdy also said he felt sorry for the more experienced teammates on the team following the loss, though Fred Warner made it clear he was the reason the team progressed so far this season.

"He has nothing to be sad about. He's the reason we even got to this game," he said.

"When Jimmy [Garoppolo] went down against the Dolphins, we didn't know what our season would be. He did a heck of a job."

With the coronavirus pandemic forcing the draft to be held remotely with NFL general managers, coaches and scouts isolated in their homes instead of inside team complexes, the virtual draft ran smoothly – and without much drama early on Thursday.

In what has been widely expected for weeks, and possibly months, the Cincinnati Bengals selected LSU Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow with the first overall pick.

Burrow led LSU to the national title last season, completing 76.3 percent of his passes for 5,671 yards and an FBS-single season record 60 touchdowns to just six interceptions. 

The second pick also went exactly like how many draft experts had predicted for weeks, with the Washington Redskins drafting Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young. 

Young led the FBS with 16.5 sacks and six forced fumbles in 2019, and was regarded to be the most talented player in the draft class – even ahead of Burrow. 

If not for Burrow's incredible 2019 season and because of Tua Tagovailoa's injury concerns, the latter may have challenged for the top spot in the 2020 draft. 

Tagovailoa became the second quarterback off the board when he was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the fifth pick.

One pick after Tagovailoa, the Los Angeles Chargers took Oregon QB Justin Herbert – just the third time since the 1970 merger three quarterbacks were chosen in the top six picks. 

Three teams that had selected quarterbacks in the first round of the last two drafts, used the 2020 draft to beef up their offensive lines to protect their young, franchise QBs. 

The New York Giants (Daniel Jones at six in 2019) picked Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas at fourth overall, the Cleveland Browns (Baker Mayfield at one in 2018) selected Alabama tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. with the 10th pick, and the New York Jets (Sam Darnold third in 2018) used the next pick to select Louisville tackle Mekhi Becton. 

After this run on tackles, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took part in the first trade of the draft to insure their new – and aging – quarterback would also stay upright. They moved up one spot in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers to select Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs at 13 to shore up the offensive line in front of Tom Brady. 

The next trade came 10 picks later as Brady's old team, New England Patriots, dealt pick 23 to the Chargers – who selected Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. The Patriots received a second and third-round pick from the Chargers and now have five of the first 100 picks of the 2020 draft and 13 overall. 

While it is possible New England could use one of those picks to draft Brady's replacement, the Green Bay Packers have chosen the heir apparent to 36-year-old Aaron Rodgers, trading up from 30th to 26th to select Utah State quarterback Jordan Love. 

The opening round concluded with the defending Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs selecting the first running back to bookend the first round with LSU picks, taking Clyde Edwards-Helaire – the 14th player drafted out of the SEC. 

Wide receiver is considered to be the deepest position in the draft, and six went in the first round – but none until 12, when Alabama's Henry Ruggs III became the first player ever selected by the Raiders in their new home of Las Vegas. 

While Las Vegas was not able to host the draft festivities this year, Goodell announced that the city has been awarded the 2022 draft, with the commissioner saying, "We think you deserve another shot".

First round selections:

1. Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
2. Chase Young (Washington Redskins)
3. Jeff Okudah (Detroit Lions)
4. Andrew Thomas (New York Giants)
5. Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)
6. Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
7. Derrick Brown (Carolina Panthers)
8. Isaiah Simmons (Arizona Cardinals)
9. CJ Henderson (Jacksonville Jaguars)
10. Jedrick Wills Jr. (Cleveland Browns)
11. Mekhi Becton (New York Jets)
12. Henry Ruggs III (Las Vegas Raiders)
13. Tristan Wirfs (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
14. Javon Kinlaw (San Francisco 49ers)
15. Jerry Jeudy (Denver Broncos)
16. A.J. Terrell (Atlanta Falcons)
17. CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys)
18. Austin Jackson (Miami Dolphins)
19. Damon Arnette (Las Vegas Raiders)
20. K'Lavon Chaisson (Jacksonville Jaguars)
21. Jalen Reagor (Philadelphia Eagles)
22. Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings)
23. Kenneth Murray (Los Angeles Chargers)
24. Cesar Ruiz (New Orleans Saints)
25. Brandon Aiyuk (San Francisco 49ers)
26. Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)
27. Jordyn Brooks (Seattle Seahawks)
28. Patrick Queen (Baltimore Ravens)
29. Isaiah Wilson (Tennessee Titans)
30. Noah Igbinoghene (Miami Dolphins)
31. Jeff Gladney (Minnesota Vikings)
32. Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Kansas City Chiefs)

The 49ers executed three trades on Saturday, highlighted by the acquisition of disgruntled left tackle and seven-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams from the Washington Redskins, giving up a fifth-round pick this season and a third-round selection in 2021.

Williams will take the place of Joe Staley, who announced his retirement after a 13-year career in San Francisco that included six Pro Bowls.  

The 49ers also traded running back Matt Breida to the Miami Dolphins for a fifth-round pick and sent wide receiver Marquise Goodwin to the Philadelphia Eagles while swapping picks in the sixth round.   

The Eagles entered the draft on a mission to improve a receiving corps that was historically impotent last season. In addition to trading for Goodwin, Philadelphia spent first-, fifth- and sixth-round picks on wide receivers, including Boise State's John Hightower and Southern Mississippi's Quez Watkins on Saturday.   

Quarterback selections played a prominent role again as the Indianapolis Colts used their fourth-round pick – 122nd overall – on Washington quarterback Jacob Eason.

The 6-foot-6 signal-caller began his career at Georgia but transferred to his home state of Washington and may be Indianapolis' quarterback of the future.   

The player who replaced Eason at Georgia, Jake Fromm, had to wait until the 22nd pick of the fifth round to hear his name called by the Buffalo Bills.    

The New York Jets selected a quarterback in the fourth round, grabbing Florida International's James Morgan, and Oregon State's Jake Luton, another 6-foot-6 quarterback, fell to the sixth round and the Jacksonville Jaguars.  

Four more quarterbacks were taken in the seventh round, but one team that did not select a QB all weekend was the New England Patriots.   

Despite the departure of Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason, the Patriots passed on adding a rookie at the position, leaving journeyman Brian Hoyer and second-year Auburn product Jarrett Stidham as the only quarterbacks on the New England roster.   

The Patriots, however, did draft a replacement for a franchise legend in the fifth round by selecting Marshall kicker Justin Rohrwasser, who will take the place of franchise scoring leader Stephen Gostkowski.   

The Carolina Panthers and new head coach Matt Rhule used all seven of their picks on defensive players, tying the 1985 Cleveland Browns for most picks on one side of the ball. The Browns used all seven picks on offense.  

National champion LSU had the most players selected with 14, tied with Ohio State in 2004 for the most by any single school in a seven-round draft. 

Garoppolo's move as a free agent was initially reported on Monday, with ESPN's Adam Schefter suggesting the quarterback had agreed to a three-year, $67.5million deal, including $34m guaranteed.

The 31-year-old Garoppolo was expected to appear at a press conference on Thursday, but that was postponed without explanation. Now the deal is complete, however, with the Raiders confirming it in a press release. Terms were not disclosed.

Garoppolo will replace Derek Carr, who has departed for the New Orleans Saints.

Raiders head coach McDaniels knows all about Garoppolo's game, having been his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the New England Patriots.

Garoppolo left his role as Tom Brady's Patriots understudy to spend five and a half seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, featuring in the team that went to Super Bowl LIV and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

He featured for much of last season with the Niners, despite losing his place as starter initially to Trey Lance, although his campaign ended early because of a foot injury.

Los Angeles activated Ernest Jones from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's meeting with the Niners at SoFi Stadium.

Jones has not played since suffering a high ankle sprain against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16.

The Rams will be grateful for his return as they prepare to face a 49ers offense that consistently looks to torment linebackers and complete passes over the middle of the field.

San Francisco swept the regular-season series between the two teams, with the Niners winning the last six meetings with the Rams.

Third-round pick Jones impressed in the regular season, racking up 61 tackles, two interceptions and a sack.

In the regular season, Jones allowed a big play on just 10 per cent of targets, the fifth-best ratio among linebackers targeted at least 25 times.

The Rams edged the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 with quarterback Matthew Stafford finding Kupp for two touchdown passes.

Kupp had 11 receptions for 142 yards for the game, with his fourth-quarter TD helping them reel in a 10-point final-change deficit.

The 28-year-old led the NFL in the key receiver statistics with 145 receptions, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. Kupp has 386 receiving yards this postseason, which is the third all-time most in playoffs history before the Super Bowl.

"He's just a special player," McVay said at the post-game news conference. "I talked about Matthew [Stafford], competitive greatness, Cooper was that today.

"Just big catch after big catch. He's competing in the run game. He does so many things.

"We'd have no chance of being here today without Cooper Kupp."

The victory means the Rams have reached the Super Bowl for the second time in five seasons under McVay, having been beaten by the New England Patriots three years ago.

Stafford completed 31 of 45 passing attempts for 337 yards with his two touchdown passes for Kupp.

The Rams traded in 33-year-old QB Stafford from the Detroit Lions in March last year, with the move paying off.

"We went out and got him because we thought it was a chance to get a great player of his magnitude," McVay said. "Those things don’t come around often.

"He's elevated everybody around him. He's made me a better coach. He's made his teammates better. He's such a great person.

"He's a great competitor. We've seen that all season but it's really been on display this last couple of weeks. We talk about competitive greatness, he embodied that today."

Stafford endured years of under-achievement with the Lions, with only three postseason games which were all defeats, and was delighted to reach a Super Bowl for the first time in his 13-year career.

"I don’t know that I ever thought about what I'd be feeling at this moment," Stafford said. "I probably just sat there and wished I'd be in those games.

"I'm so happy that I've got that opportunity and we've got an opportunity to be in another one that I've always wanted to play in."

He added: "Long time coming, you know. [I] Spent a lot of years in this league, I've loved every minute of it. I feel blessed to be able to play in this league as long as I have. It's an opportunity."

A 20-17 triumph over NFC West rivals the Niners means it is the Rams who will face the Cincinnati Bengals with NFL glory on the line at SoFi Stadium on February 13.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year became the first team to play in a Super Bowl at their home stadium and went one step further by winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy against the Kansas City Chiefs.

And the Rams now have an opportunity emulate the Bucs after reaching their second Super Bowl in the space of four years, with this one on home soil.

"To be able to play at home in this house that Stan Kroenke built, this iconic venue, is really unique," McVay said, per ESPN, after the win over the Niners. 

"A little bit easier travel schedule for us since we travelled all over the country during the course of the year.  Just so happy with this group and proud to be associated with it.

"We always talk about being totally and completely present, having a short memory for good and bad. Being able to hit that reset button. I thought our guys did that in a big way."

Matthew Stafford led a Rams comeback from 17-7 down. He completed 31 of 45 passes for 337 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Having gone 12 years without a postseason win as a member of the Detroit Lions, the quarterback now has three straight playoff victories and the chance to match the history made by Tom Brady if he wins a fourth.

"It's great that it's here," Stafford said about the home Super Bowl. "If we were playing in it, I didn't give a hell where it was. I'm like, I just want to play in the dang thing. 

"But the fact that it's under this roof, it's going to be awesome. 

"Our fans did an unbelievable job making it a tough environment. And it's nice to send some of those red jerseys home."

Star wide receiver Cooper Kupp caught both Stafford TD passes in a fine display that saw him make 11 catches for 142 yards.

Odell Beckham Jr (nine catches for 113) was another standout performer and like Stafford he will also play in his first Super Bowl.

"Everything about this place is right, and it's done right," Beckham, who joined in a mid-season trade from the Cleveland Browns, said. 

"It's just been an incredible opportunity that I feel like I'm just trying to make the most of. Here we are playing in the Super Bowl, one game away from our dreams. Just keep going."

McVay was effusive in his praise of Stafford after the game and Beckham was similarly complimentary.

"Everything that you could hope and wish for," Beckham said about Stafford.

"He had that look in his eyes the whole game. He motivated us, he pushed us, one play at a time, and he drove us down. 

"He's just been doing that all postseason, all season really, since I've been here, he's just had that look on him. Just happy that we could get him to this point.

"I know it was tough for Detroit for a lot of those years. He is having an amazing opportunity and is just gonna take full advantage of it."

The Rams have one Super Bowl title in franchise history, which came in 1999 when they represented the city of St Louis, and three NFL championships overall.

Cincinnati will be making their third appearance in the big dance and are seeking their first title.

The wide receiver was taped up during the postgame news conference, having looked to have rolled his ankle in the fourth quarter of his side's 14-31 loss, sparking fears of a potential lay-off.

But Kupp is optimistic he has not done serious damage as he waits to discover the extent of his injury.

"It just got rolled up a little bit," he said. "[My] foot got caught, but I think it was able to slide out of there before there was too much damage done.

"So, we'll see over these next few days how it responds. Right now, things are pointing towards dodging a bullet."

Rams head coach Sean McVay felt he should not have put Kupp - who made eight catches and scored a touchdown - in the position to suffer the injury in the first place.

The 29-year-old has no issue with his boss, stressing that such an injury is simply the nature of the game.

"Beyond just the coach that he is, he cares about his guys and about his players, and so I know he feels bad about that," he added.

"But at the end of the day you're playing a football game. So I obviously don't hold anything against him in that regard.

"It's a violent random game, and you play it as hard as you possibly can until the fourth quarter hits zero. And I can respect that and appreciate that."