Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs defended his actions on Twitter after his cantankerous display towards quarterback Josh Allen in the final minutes of Sunday's 27-10 elimination loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Diggs led both teams with a game-high nine targets, but they resulted in only four catches for 35 yards – his second-lowest yardage in a game this season.
The Allen-Diggs combination is viewed as one of the league's best as Diggs finished fifth in the NFL with 1,429 receiving yards, while his 11 receiving touchdowns tied for the third-most.
Despite how well he has been fed by his quarterback this season – also enjoying the fifth-most targets (154) – Diggs was animated and demonstrative on the sideline as the Bills' season slipped away.
When asked how he felt about Diggs' actions in the heat of battle, Allen was forgiving but said sometimes the opposition defense can dictate the action.
"Guys are competitive, we don't want to lose," he said. "It's not fun losing, and it's not fun losing that way.
"It's all understood. At the end of the day, we've got to be there for each other and continue to keep pushing forward.
"I feel like sometimes there weren't that many opportunities, and again, defenses can game-plan and try to take away your number one receiver, that's just a fact of it. Those guys on the other side of the ball get paid, too.
"It's just about continuing to find a way to get [Diggs] the ball."
He added: "I've got a lot more to learn, a lot more to grow from, and I've got a long way to go."
Hours after Allen's media availability on Monday, Diggs sent out a series of tweets defending his behaviour.
"Want me to be okay with losing? Nah," he wrote. "Want me to be okay with our level of play when it's not up to the standard? Nah.
"It's easy to criticise my reaction more than the result."
Allen will be 27 by the time the 2023 season begins, and he will enter the first year of his six-year, $258million contract extension.
Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Diggs will not begin his four-year, $96m extension until the 2024 season, meaning they are both tied to the franchise until at least 2027 unless one is cut or traded.
Josh Allen confirmed he will not undergo offseason surgery on his troublesome elbow as he reflected on the Buffalo Bills' season after crashing out of the playoffs against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Allen suffered his elbow injury in the Bills' Week 9 loss to the New York Jets in early November, and despite trying to tough his way through it, it clearly affected his play.
The month of November was easily his worst of the season, throwing only four touchdowns with five interceptions over four games while also sporting a passer rating of 75.9 – far below the 98.8 figure he either reached or eclipsed in September, October, December and January.
Although his stats rebounded in the lead-up to and during the playoffs, Allen still appeared to be struggling with his elbow on certain throws, and he could only lead the Bills to one touchdown in the 27-10 elimination loss at home to the Bengals.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Allen acknowledged the pain in his elbow messed with his throwing mechanics but said the rehabilitation plan is simple.
"Rest and recovery is going to be really good for it," he said. "I mean, there was a period, obviously, right after, for a few weeks, where it was pretty bothersome – but again, it didn't affect me all that much.
"I just felt like maybe I was trying to throw it a little differently mechanically, had to change a few things and got away a little bit from how I'm used to throwing the ball. That's just a by-product of that.
"I think, really, two weeks ago is when I felt like I got back to mechanically what I like. Being the rotational thrower, it's very elbow prevalent, and maybe I got a little bit to more of a linear-type deal because I just couldn't really use all that much force and flicking it out there, but, again, just adapting."
When asked about what will stick with him from the 2022 season, Allen said he was proud of how his team came together during a string of traumatic events – including a deadly blizzard in Buffalo and the cardiac arrest of safety Damar Hamlin.
"The adversity that this team [has] overcome," he said. "There's a lot of stuff that happened to a football team that I don't know if it's ever happened before.
"Just battling through that with the guys in this locker room and us trusting each other. Obviously, we want to win, make no mistake about it. But I'm proud of how this team was able to fight through some of the stuff that we went through."
That sentiment was echoed by defensive leader Von Miller, who said: "It's an honour to be a Buffalo Bill. I've never been on a team that handled as much adversity in a season."
Patrick Mahomes is set on playing in the AFC Championship Game despite his ankle injury, says Andy Reid.
Mahomes sat out the second quarter on Saturday as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional round.
He sustained a right ankle injury while being tackled by two Jaguars defenders towards the end of the first quarter.
The MVP favourite was listed as questionable but returned for the second half and, despite struggling to move freely, helped Kansas City win 27-20 and reach the conference title game for a fifth successive season.
Mahomes said after the game he would be "good to go" when the Chiefs face the Cincinnati Bengals.
And coach Reid told reporters on Monday the 27-year-old had done "amazing things with limited time" as he looks to ensure he can feature.
"He's worked hard in the treatment and is doing okay," Reid told reporters.
"He told you guys. He mentioned to you that he's going to play. That's his mindset. Then we'll just take it day by day and see how he does.
"As far as the reps, I'll have to see how he feels as we get ready for practice."
Reid also suggested the injury is not as serious as that Mahomes suffered at the start of the 2019 season, also against the Jaguars.
Tony Pollard's exit from Sunday's Divisional playoff against the San Francisco 49ers cost the Dallas Cowboys dear.
Pollard was carted off in the closing stages of the second quarter with a low-scoring game tied at 6-6 at Levi's Stadium.
The running back did not return, and the 49ers claimed a 19-12 win as the Cowboys looked lost on offense in the second half.
Initial reports detailed a high ankle sprain for Pollard, but it has since emerged he also sustained a fracture to his left fibula that will require surgery.
Pollard would therefore have been unavailable for the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles even if the Cowboys had scraped through.
That never appeared likely without Pollard on the field at the end of a career year, however.
The 25-year-old finished the regular season with 1,007 rushing yards, the most on a Dallas team who ran on 45 per cent of plays – the seventh-highest rate in the NFL.
Pollard had nine rushing touchdowns and added a further three receiving scores from 39 catches for 371 yards.
In the Wild Card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pollard ran for 77 yards at an average of 5.1, well ahead of team-mate Ezekiel Elliott's 2.1 yards per carry.
Elliott, who had a comparatively difficult season, could not carry the load in Pollard's absence in San Francisco, finishing with the same number of yards from scrimmage (33) as the injured star despite playing the full game.
Quarterback Dak Prescott acknowledged afterwards Pollard's injury "hurt us", but the first-time Pro Bowler must now hope the serious nature of the problem is not the source of more hurt.
Pollard will become an unrestricted free agent in March, at which point he will still be rehabilitating his left leg.
Ben Shelton is juggling revision for exams with his hopes of going all the way at the Australian Open.
Shelton beat fellow American J.J. Wolf to set up a quarter-final tie with Tommy Paul – another compatriot – in Melbourne.
The 20-year-old is the lowest-ranked American player to reach a grand slam quarter-final since Todd Martin at the US Open 2000 and the lowest at the Australian Open since Michael Chang in 1996.
This trip Down Under is Shelton's first venture outside the United States, and while focusing on his budding tennis career, he is also taking a general business degree, learning via online classes.
"No exams yet, so it's going to get interesting when my exam dates might conflict with some of my matches," Shelton quipped. "A few assignments here and there. Pretty easy stuff.
"I'm taking classes at a bit slower pace than I was when I was full time in school. I don't have too difficult of a workload.
"It's very manageable while I'm playing tennis. So far in January I haven't had any problems or conflicts.
"I really want to get my degree. It's something that's important to me. That's something that I'm going to stick to and continue to do."
Shelton is one of three American players to have reached the quarters – the others Paul and Sebastian Korda.
It is the first time since the 2005 US Open that three American male players have reached the last eight at a major. It is the first time it has happened in Melbourne since 2000.
"It's definitely a surprise. I got on the plane with no expectations," Shelton said.
"I know that it's very hard to adjust to Australia from the United States just with the jet lag, time change and everything.
"It being my first time, never being out of the United States, I knew it would be a struggle.
"I think it has helped me a little bit, not having that expectation or the feeling that I have to perform, but being able to just go out there, be myself and play free. I think that's been a big contribution to my success.
"Each match that I've won here has felt the same. It's a mixture of joy, relief. I just have that feeling of ecstasy. When the last ball lands, I did it. To be able to do that on this stage four times in a row, that feeling over and over again, has been pretty cool."
Francesco Bagnaia confirmed he will be the first MotoGP champion in a decade to take the number one for the forthcoming season.
The 26-year-old will defend his crown in the 2023 season and becomes the first rider since Casey Stoner in 2012 to adorn the number on the front of his bike.
Rules allow for a defending champion to use the number, but it has largely been overlooked, with only four riders in MotoGP history taking up the honour.
Joan Mir and Fabio Quartararo both elected not to take the number after their successes in the past two years, but the Ducati Lenovo Team star announced his plans to buck the trend.
"I decided to have both there and the 63 is still on my helmet. But it's been a long time since we last saw the number one in MotoGP," he said at the Campioni in Pista event.
"I've always admired people racing with the number one. I've always loved it. Respecting the fact that you are world champion is right.
"Number one represents who you are, it represents your identity as world champion. So, it's important for me to pay tribute to other world champions.
"Sixty-three will always be my number, I'll always have this number on my bike, but hopefully together with the number one."
The new MotoGP season begins on March 26 in Portugal, with pre-season testing to begin in Singapore next month.
Novak Djokovic felt "fantastic" as he outclassed Alex de Minaur with his best performance of the year in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
The nine-time champion outclassed Australian De Minaur on Rod Laver Arena, winning 6-2 6-1 6-2 in two hours and six minutes on Monday.
A hamstring injury has been a concern for Djokovic as he bids to win a record-equalling 22nd grand slam title at Melbourne Park, but he was moving freely as he ruthlessly breezed into the quarter-finals.
The fourth seed from Serbia did not face a break point, delivering another returning masterclass and serving superbly to set up a meeting with Russian Andrey Rublev.
Djokovic has won 25 consecutive Australian Open matches – just one shy of Andre Agassi's record – and the 35-year-old rated his demolition of De Minaur as his most impressive of the year.
He said: "Definitely the best tennis I've played this year, this tournament, so far this season. Best match. I'm really glad because obviously as the tournament progresses, the matches are going to get tougher. I'm really glad to manage to win the way I did.
"To feel really great in terms of mobility and movement of my leg, which is great news. So all in all, perfect match for me."
Djokovic did not feel any pain as he brushed De Minaur aside to move into his 13th Australian Open quarter-final and the last eight of a major for the 54th time.
He added: "We take it day by day. We do a lot of things. It's been honestly exhausting to be involved in a lot of different treatments and machines and stuff that we do.
"At the same time it was necessary. It is necessary in order to get myself in a condition to play. So I'm really glad that my body has responded really well.
"Tonight I didn't feel any pain. I moved as well as I have the whole tournament. It means we are progressing in the right direction.
"Some days you feel good; some days maybe not as. So, as I said on the court, I do not want to celebrate too early because I don't know how the body's going to respond tomorrow and for the next match. What I felt tonight is fantastic."
Andrey Rublev suggested he had given up hope at 5-0 down in the deciding tie-break against Holger Rune.
Rublev prevailed 6-3 3-6 6-3 4-6 7-6 (11-9) in a three-and-a-half-hour thriller against the Dane on Monday to progress to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
The Russian salvaged two match points to force a tie-break at the end of the fifth set, but found himself staring down the barrel of an exit from the season's first major as Rune cruised into a commanding lead.
Yet Rublev won nine of the next 11 points and, at the third attempt, sealed a remarkable victory when a shot that hit the net cord trickled just over.
"Yes, I was lucky," Rublev said in his post-match press conference.
"I started to think it's over, for sure. Somehow... I was able to start to play with much more focus."
Asked how he maintained his self-belief, Rublev quipped: "I was not believing."
"Beginning of the fifth set, I was completely frozen. Inside I was thinking that I cannot [win]. I cannot move. I cannot hit.
"I was thinking it's over. He's playing much better than me. He deserves to win. He's going for the shots. He's doing something that normally I am supposed to do if I want to win the match.
"I let it go. Somehow the stress that I had, I was able to relieve it. At the end of the match I played much better than during the rest of the match."
During his on-court interview, Rublev said: "I was never able to win matches like this, this is the first time I've won something like this.
"At a very special tournament, to be in a quarter-final, it's something I'll remember all my life. I'm shaking!"
Rublev has qualified for his second Australian Open quarter-final, and his seventh at a grand slam. However, he has lost all of those matches.
The world number six, seeded fifth in Melbourne, has won three successive matches that have gone the distance, a career-first. Now, he will meet nine-time champion Novak Djokovic, who defeated Alex de Minaur in straight sets.
"I don't know," Rublev replied when asked if Djokovic was unbeatable.
"Novak is very tough player to beat, especially in the slams.
"He has the best experience to win these matches. He's one of the best in history. The only chance I have is if I play my best tennis, just fight for every ball, and that's it. That's the only chance."
Courtney Lawes and George McGuigan have both been forced to withdraw from England's training squad for the Six Nations.
Vice-captain Lawes suffered a calf injury playing for Northampton Saints against La Rochelle in the Champions Cup on Saturday, while McGuigan has sustained a knee issue.
New coach Steve Borthwick has already lost Luke Cowan-Dickie to an ankle injury, with the hooker certain to miss at least the start of the tournament, while Jamie George suffered a concussion playing for Saracens in the Champions Cup on Sunday.
Tom Dunn and David Ribbans have been called up in place of Lawes and McGuigan.
England's Six Nations campaign begins against Scotland at Twickenham on February 4.
Nick Kyrgios is ready to do "everything I can do get back to my best" after undergoing knee surgery.
Last year's Wimbledon runner-up was left "devastated" when he had to withdraw from the Australian Open.
Kyrgios was ruled out of his home grand slam after an MRI scan on his knee revealed a cyst as a result of a small lateral meniscus tear.
The world number 21 on Monday revealed he had gone under the knife and is looking forward to starting out on the road to recovery.
He posted on Instagram: "Surgery complete. I'll be doing everything I can do get back to my best. To the real ones checking in and sending the vibes…. I love you."
Kyrgios won the seventh ATP Tour singles title of his career in Washington last August and claimed the Australian Open men's doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis in his homeland 12 months ago.
The 27-year-old was beaten by Novak Djokovic in his maiden major singles final at the All England Club last July.
For the first time since 2005, the United States will be represented by three players in the men's singles quarter-finals of a grand slam.
Tommy Paul's win over world number 25 Roberto Bautista Agut on Monday ensured his place in the last eight, where he will face compatriot Ben Shelton.
With Sebastian Korda, who defeated Daniil Medvedev in round three, ticking off another top-10 opponent in the form of Hubert Hurkacz, the USA has three male players in the last eight of a major for the first time since the 2005 US Open, when Robby Ginepri, Andre Agassi and James Blake reached the quarters.
It is the first time the USA has had three representatives in the Australian Open quarter-finals since 2000, when Agassi, Pete Sampras and Chris Woodruff made it that far.
While Korda will face Karen Khachanov for a place in the semi-finals, Paul will go head-to-head with Shelton, the world number 89.
Shelton is the lowest-ranked American player to reach a major quarter-final in over 22 years, since Todd Martin at the US Open in 2000, and the lowest-ranked American to get so far in Melbourne since Michael Chang in 1996.
The 20-year-old has already beaten one compatriot, having defeated J.J. Wolff in a five-set thriller in his last match.
Meanwhile, it is the first time since 2006 that no Spanish male players will feature in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic charged into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open with a straight-sets demolition of Alex de Minaur.
The nine-time champion was outstanding on Rod Laver Arena, starting the second week with a ruthless 6-2 6-1 6-2 victory over Australian De Minaur.
There were no signs of a hamstring injury that Djokovic has been nursing, other than strapping on his left leg, as he booked a last-eight meeting with Andrey Rublev.
The tournament favourite, going for a record-equalling 22nd grand slam title, did not face a break point as he sealed a dominant victory in just two hours and six minutes at Melbourne Park on Monday.
An aggressive Djokovic took complete control after De Minaur was broken to love when he netted to go 4-2 down, the Serb wrapping up the first set when his opponent overcooked a forehand.
The fourth seed won nine games in a row in a one-sided second set, producing an exhibition of returning with pinpoint accuracy off both wings and serving superbly.
Djokovic was relentless, the depth of his groundstrokes enabled him to dictate rallies, and the 35-year-old produced a huge second serve followed by a backhand winner to go two sets up in just an hour and 15 minutes.
The Belgrade native was in no mood to hang around, breaking in the first game of the third set by racing to return a De Minaur drop shot and going a double break up in a flash.
De Minaur had no answer to the brilliance of Djokovic and although he was able to get on the board at 4-1, he was heading for the exit after sending a vicious serve high and wide.
Djokovic closing in on Agassi record
This was Djokovic's best performance of the tournament as he ominously marched into his 13th Australian Open quarter-final and the last eight of a major for the 54th time.
Djokovic has 25 Australian Open wins in a row, the joint-second longest run and one behind Andre Agassi's record streak of 26, and was also his 86th main draw win at the Australian Open, his joint-highest tally in a single ATP-level tournament (level with Wimbledon).
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 26/27
De Minaur – 9/28
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 4/3
De Minaur – 3/2
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic – 6/12
De Minaur – 0/0
Royce O'Neale says his Brooklyn Nets team-mates are all stepping up to the challenge after his late three-pointer proved decisive against the Golden State Warriors.
The Nets claimed a second straight win on Sunday, with O'Neale's three-pointer with less than 30 seconds left on the clock nosing them into a two-point lead.
Kyrie Irving, the team's talisman in the absence of the injured Kevin Durant, scored two free throws with 14 seconds remaining to seal a 120-116 comeback victory at the Chase Center.
Golden State had been leading 106-93 midway through the final quarter on Sunday, and O'Neale hailed the Nets' attitude and self-belief.
"There's a lot of confidence going around," O'Neale told reporters.
"Everybody's taking the challenge, stepping up, finding out ways to win games."
Irving was key, teeing up O'Neale's crucial three-pointer to cap a ninth assist of the game. He finished with 38 points and seven rebounds.
"Kyrie had been getting to the basket, hitting tough shots and at that moment, he drove, two people double-teamed and he found me open," O'Neale said.
"I just needed to have the confidence to knock it down."
Irving added: "They did a great job of staying on my body, keeping the game physical, making it tough.
"I felt like my team-mates had a lot of great looks, drawing the defense to lose their man.
"Royce being wide open, I felt like that was the best shot for our team, so I gave up the ball, trusted him to make it and luckily it went in."
The Nets are fourth in the Eastern Conference, while the Warriors – reigning NBA champions – are down in 10th in the West after suffering a sixth loss from their last nine games.
Magda Linette revealed "emotional management" has been key to her best grand slam singles run after upsetting Caroline Garcia to move into the Australian Open quarter-finals.
The unseeded Pole beat fourth seed Garcia 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena on Monday to move into the last eight for the first time.
Linette had never been beyond the third round of a major before this tournament, but she will face Karolina Pliskova for a place in the semi-finals.
The world number 45 will celebrate her 31st birthday next month and feels she is benefitting from being more mature after breaking new ground in her 30th main-draw appearance at a grand slam.
She said: "We worked a lot actually about my emotional management. I think dealing with some kind of losses, but not necessarily match losses, just even throughout the match losses, like small mistakes here and there.
"I think I've never really dealt with them very well. They carried over later on for next point, then another one. It was taking me just too long to get over them.
"I think of course we work so much on my game. We worked a lot on changing the directions and the depth of the ball.
"But I think this approach of really trying to look a little bit different, grow up a little bit emotionally, like that was a big thing for us as a team. All of us approached it. It wasn't only me, but it was the coaches that brought this to me."
Asked how she works on emotional control, Linette added: "I think it's just how do you try to approach the defeats and the mistakes, and are you making the right mistakes, can you then recognise it and move on and deal with them a little bit better. I think I was just getting too negative and too harsh on myself because I feel I'm quite demanding.
"On the other hand when you try to go to that other spectrum, when you're okay with everything, it's also not the best. You really need to stay on top of things and be proactive with it, which ones you're doing good and not.
"I think recognising it, you try again and again and again. Eventually you start recognising which ones were the right ones to deal with.
"It's very difficult. I'm [almost] 31 and I'm just getting it right, so obviously it was one of the toughest things for me. But I'm happy. I'm happy that I have this opportunity, that actually I tapped into something that finally I'm breaking something that you can't really measure it in any way. For me, it was something really difficult to change."
It was a game of two halves at Moda Center as the Los Angeles Lakers overturned a 25-point deficit to beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
When the Lakers went in trailing by 25 at the half, they had just experienced the wrong side of the joint second-biggest scoring margin in one quarter since the NBA added the three-point arc in 1979.
Portland outscored the visitors 45-13 in the second quarter, but LeBron James and his team-mates would not lie down.
The Lakers came back to register 75 points in the second half, while only allowing 41, turning around the 25-point deficit to win by nine.
"I guess it's only one or two ways, you can either go out and you can lay down and get ready for the next game or you can see what happens in the third quarter, make a game of it," James said after the victory.
"And for us as competitors, and our team and our makeup this year, we're not a lay-down team. That's just not the makeup of our club."
James scored 37 with 11 rebounds as he closed in further on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record, while Thomas Bryant added 31 with 14 rebounds as the Lakers produced their second-biggest half-time deficit comeback win in franchise history.
"They jumped on us and knocked us down,” James added. "Thank God for the standing eight count."
Aryna Sabalenka is hoping she can move to another level in a "new beginning" this year after beating Belinda Bencic to reach a first Australian Open quarter-final.
The fifth seed from Belarus saw off Bencic 7-5 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena on Monday and will face Donna Vekic in the last eight.
Sabalenka has not dropped a set in her four matches in the first grand slam of the year at Melbourne Park and has been installed as the favourite to take the title after Iga Swiatek's exit.
The 24-year-old played in a second successive US Open semi-final last year but has never made it is far as a championship match at a major.
Sabalenka won the Adelaide International 1 before heading to Melbourne and is optimistic she can kick on in 2023.
She said: "I want to believe that the way I'm working right now, the way I'm on the court right now, this is the new beginning, and this is the next step. So I really want to believe that it's going to really help me."
Sabalenka has endured struggles with her serve, but appears to have put that behind her after addressing the issue.
She added: "I worked a lot on my serve. I was keep trying, keep believing, keep changing. Then I worked on my, like, biomechanics.
"Basically that's it. But I was doing everything. I thought it's mentally, but it wasn't. We changed a lot of things on how we work on my serve. We tried to work more, less. We tried so many different things.
"In the end of the season when I start working with the biomechanics guy, he helped me a lot. I think from there, everything started to kind of get on that level."
Croatian Vekic ended 17-year-old Czech Linda Fruhvirtova's impressive run with a 6-2 1-6 6-3 victory.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander plays the game at his own pace, according to Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault after his star player helped them break the Denver Nuggets' winning streak.
Denver had put together nine victories in a row, and were unbeaten in 16 at home before the Thunder overcame them 101-99 at Ball Arena on Sunday.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way as he scored 34 points, with five rebounds and five assists as OKC made it five wins from six games and moved onto 23-24 for the season.
The decisive basket came from Gilgeous-Alexander with 9.2 seconds remaining and Daigneault praised the Canada international guard's composure under pressure.
"He's got some poise in those situations," Daigneault said of the 24-year-old. "The game slows down for him. He's got great confidence and he's always at his pace, even in the most pressure situations."
It was the first time in over a month that the Thunder had limited an opponent to under 100 points, and Daigneault paid tribute to the Nuggets – who were again without Nikola Jokic due to a hamstring issue – and his team's ability to get past them.
"I thought we did a really good job, played really good situational basketball down the stretch of the game," he said. "Denver were really good honestly, we especially had a hard time getting anything going offensively, but the guys stuck together.
"That's a tough place to play and it was a grind, so I was really pleased with the guys tonight."
Gilgeous-Alexander is one of just five players in the league to average more than 30 points per game this season (30.7), and he believes OKC are only going to improve.
"We're getting better," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "And we're in it more often, we've played a lot of close games for a few years now and we're just going to keep getting better in those moments... really trying to get better from our mistakes in every moment we're in."
Christian McCaffrey says rookie quarterback Brock Purdy no longer surprises him after another standout display in the San Francisco 49ers' 19-12 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Sunday's NFC Divisional Round game.
The 49ers advanced to their second-straight NFC Championship Game, and third in the past four seasons, with the victory.
Purdy, who only got his chance as starting QB following injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, completed 19 of 29 passes for 214 yards, with the 49ers focusing on their run game to combat the Cowboys' strong defense.
Last week Purdy became the first rookie to throw for 200 yards with no interceptions in a postseason game and he backed that up again.
The 23-year-old quarterback is now 7-0 in starts this season, with 14 touchdowns and two interceptions, and has a legitimate claim to being the 49ers' starting quarterback next season.
"You see it every day in the day he prepares, you see it in practice, and in games, he has just been an impressive guy to be around in the huddle," McCaffrey told reporters about Purdy.
"I'm not shocked anymore – it's just who he is now."
McCaffrey scored the game-winning touchdown to cap a drive in which Purdy linked up with George Kittle, who hauled in a superb catch for a 30-yard gain.
"That was unbelievable," McCaffrey said. "That was one of the best catches I've ever seen.
"That's a special player doing special things. And plays like that definitely boost momentum."
Kittle said he was not the primary for the play where he juggled Purdy's threaded pass, with the QB intending to hit receiver Brandon Aiyuk on a crossing route, with Deebo Samuel and Kyle Jaszczyk his other options. Instead, with none of those options open, Purdy improvised.
"I'm not in the read at all," Kittle said. "Brock is a good quarterback who keeps his eyes up when the play is falling apart and his No. 1 and his No. 2 wasn't open so for him to look back inside to see a white glove hand fly up and give me a shot at the ball, that's just really good quarterback play."
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan did not get carried away with Purdy's game, in a contest that he expected to be tight against the Cowboys.
"He made a number of plays today," Shanahan said. "By no means was anything perfect, for the whole offense and the whole team, but it seemed like playoff football in that game.
"We were going against a team we've been watching all week, and we had a feeling it would be this type of game. That's why we were stressing the run game on both sides.
"We were stressing to protect the ball and try to get turnovers – we accomplished both of those things – but you do that stuff and you still have to make a number of plays."
San Francisco will face the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday for a place at Super Bowl LVII.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott accepted responsibility for his side's 19-12 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round after throwing two interceptions.
The Cowboys extended their losing run in Divisional Round games to 7-0 since 1997 as they were eliminated from the playoffs by the 49ers for the second straight season on Sunday.
In a game where both teams' defenses shone, Prescott completed 23 of 37 passes for 206 yards with one touchdown but two interceptions.
The two picks, from Fred Warner and Deommodore Lenoir, led to six points for the 49ers, which was telling given the final margin.
"Those are throws you can't have, not in the playoffs," Prescott said. "Not when you're playing a team like that [and] on the road. No excuses for it. Those are 100 per cent on me."
Prescott had a career-high 15 interceptions in the regular season, becoming the first QB to tie or lead the league while missing five or more games.
The Cowboys QB also finished the season with his sixth multi-interception game, tied for most in the NFL.
Prescott labelled his interceptions as "ridiculous" and vowed that that total would never be so high again.
"On the first one, I hitched one too many times with [Michael Gallup]," he said. "Understandably, hitching three times, thought I was gonna go on a scramble but the guy just came back to the ball and made a play.
"I've gotta throw that one away or use my feet and get out of the pocket. On the second one, the nickel [cornerback] squeezed, and I tried to throw it to CeeDee [Lamb], but the [defender] was able to make a play on it. He tipped it in the air and to the [middle linebacker]."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he felt "sick" after another playoffs exit, while head coach Mike McCarthy lamented their inability to convert on offense.
"We knew it was gonna be a slugfest," McCarthy said. "We just didn't get enough. You can go through the decisions, the statistics, but I think, defensively, we did a really good job, for the most part.
"Would we like to have a couple more snaps? Yes. Would we like to have a couple more third-down conversions on offense? Yes, we could've used those, too.
"Just extremely disappointed. This has been an incredible journey with this group of men, we just came up short tonight to a very good football team."
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