The San Francisco 49ers will host the Seattle Seahawks in the opening game of the Wild Card round.

San Francisco progressed to the postseason as the NFC second seed, and have home field advantage in the first game of this season's playoffs, which will take place on Saturday.

The Seahawks defeated the Los Angeles Rams in overtime in their final regular-season game and were subsequently handed a favour by the Detroit Lions, who eliminated the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers from playoff contention.

In Saturday's second game, the Los Angeles Chargers travel to Florida to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who clinched the AFC South title with a 20-16 win over the Tennessee Titans.

A day later, the Buffalo Bills, who beat the New England Patriots in an emotional game on Sunday, will host the Miami Dolphins.

The Cincinnati Bengals, whose January 2 game against the Bills was suspended and subsequently cancelled altogether following Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest, go up against the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday's final game, after the New York Giants have taken on the Minnesota Vikings.

The Wild Card round concludes with the Dallas Cowboys' trip to face Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The San Francisco 49ers will host the Seattle Seahawks in the opening game of the Wild Card round.

San Francisco progressed to the postseason as the NFC second seed, and have home field advantage in the first game of this season's playoffs, which will take place on Saturday.

The Seahawks defeated the Los Angeles Rams in overtime in their final regular-season game and were subsequently handed a favour by the Detroit Lions, who eliminated the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers from playoff contention.

In Saturday's second game, the Los Angeles Chargers travel to Florida to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who clinched the AFC South title with a 20-16 win over the Tennessee Titans.

A day later, the Buffalo Bills, who beat the New England Patriots in an emotional game on Sunday, will host the Miami Dolphins.

The Cincinnati Bengals, whose January 2 game against the Bills was suspended and subsequently cancelled altogether following Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest, go up against the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday's final game, after the New York Giants have taken on the Minnesota Vikings.

The Wild Card round concludes with the Dallas Cowboys' trip to face Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Damar Hamlin watched on from hospital as the Buffalo Bills claimed an emotionally charged 35-23 win over the New England Patriots in their first game since his cardiac arrest.

Hamlin remains in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after collapsing following a collision with Tee Higgins in the Bills' game with the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday. That game will not be resumed.

The safety has shown continued signs of improvement and was able to speak to his team-mates via videocall in the build-up to the game.

He was a keen viewer as, after pre-game shows of support for Hamlin that included Buffalo emerging from the tunnel and huddling at midfield, the Bills made an extraordinary start.

Nyheim Hines returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. New England responded well, and touchdown throws from Mac Jones to Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker, sandwiched by a Dawson Knox touchdown, sent the teams into half-time tied at 14-14.

New England, needing only to win to qualify for the postseason, took the lead with a Nick Folk field goal after a Devin Singletary fumble.

However, Hines struck again, taking the subsequent kickoff back 101 yards, becoming the first player since Leon Washington in 2010 to return two kickoffs for a touchdown in the same game.

A stunning 42-yard throw on the move from Josh Allen to John Brown stretched the Bills' lead and, though Parker responded for New England, another pinpoint deep ball from Allen to Stefon Diggs proved the decisive blow, with a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions from Jones ending the Patriots' hopes.

It means the Bills, following agreed changes to the AFC playoffs following the cancellation of their game with the Bengals, will not have to play a postseason road game. As the second seed, they have home-field advantage for the first two rounds and, should they face the one seed Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, it will be held at a neutral site.

That first home game will be against the Miami Dolphins, who took advantage of the Patriots' loss by squeaking by the New York Jets 11-6 to clinch a playoff spot. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who beat the Cleveland Browns 28-14, were also eliminated.

Bengals avoid coin flip

The Bengals also prevailed in their first game since Monday's traumatic scenes, beating the Baltimore Ravens 27-16. Despite being the AFC North champions, the Bengals would not have been guaranteed a home game against the Ravens in the playoffs had they lost this second regular-season meeting, with the venue being decided by a coin flip as part of the agreed changes.

It rarely looked as if they would face such a fate in a game Cincinnati controlled throughout. The Bengals' win means they will reunite with Baltimore in the playoffs next week, and it will be in Cincinnati. The Bengals had made no secret of their displeasure at the coin flip decision, and running back Joe Mixon pretended to flip a coin after scoring Cincinnati's first touchdown.

Texans win, but lose number one pick

The Houston Texans would have locked up the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft with a loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but their current crop of players showed no regard for the long-term future in a thrilling finale.

On fourth down and 20 in the last-chance saloon, quarterback Davis Mills heaved a 28-yard touchdown to Jordan Akins, who then caught a two-point conversion to seal a 32-31 win what could be head coach Lovie Smith's final game. The victory saw the number one pick go to Smith's former team, the Chicago Bears, who lost at home to the Minnesota Vikings.

The NFL has confirmed the suspended Cincinnati Bengals-Buffalo Bills' Week 17 game will not resume, with teams to consider a neutral side for the AFC Championship game.

The Bengals-Bills game was suspended after Damar Hamlin collapsed during the first quarter due to a cardiac arrest. Hamlin was resuscitated on the field, then rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he has remained in intensive care, but encouragingly has made "substantial progress" in the past 24 hours.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell explained the decision had "no perfect solution", which comes ahead of the final regular season round of fixtures with significant playoff implications, and was based on three key factors.

Goodell stressed that the game's cancellation would not impact any team's qualification or elimination from the postseason, while he was eager to have the playoff scenario clarified for all sides ahead of Week 18. He added that delaying the playoffs one week to play the game was unfair on all other clubs, which guided their decision-making.

The statement revealed that NFL team owners will attend a Special League Meeting on Friday to consider a resolution recommended by the Competition Committee to have the AFC Championship game played at a neutral site if the participating teams could both have mathematically been the No.1 seed if they had played an equal number of games.

That decision affects the Bills (12-3) and Bengals (11-4) along with the Kansas City Chiefs (13-3). The NFL stated three scenarios whereby the AFC Championship game being played on a neutral site would come into effect.

- If Buffalo and Kansas City both win or tie, a Bills-Chiefs championship game will be at a neutral site.

- If Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Baltimore wins or ties, a Bills-Chiefs championship game will be at a neutral site.

- If Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Cincinnati wins, a Bills or Bengals v Chiefs championship game will be at a neutral site.

The Baltimore Ravens (10-6) may also be impacted if they win against the Bengals in Week 18, leading to a match-up in an AFC Wild Card game, with the site to be determined by coin flip.

"As we considered the football schedule, our principles have been to limit disruption across the league and minimise competitive inequities," Goodell said in the statement.

He added: "This has been a very difficult week. We continue to focus on the recovery of Damar Hamlin and are encouraged by the improvements in his condition as well as the tremendous outpouring of support and care for Damar and his family from across the country.

"We are also incredibly appreciative of the amazing work of the medical personnel and commend each and every one of them."

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is yet to resume practice and head coach John Harbaugh will not be drawn on his postseason availability.

The 2019 NFL MVP has not played since sustaining a knee injury against the Denver Broncos on December 4, with Tyler Huntley starting in his absence.

Jackson missed a 13th straight practice on Wednesday raising concerns about his playoff availability for the Ravens, who are 10-6 and guaranteed of an AFC Wild Card ahead of their regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

"I'm just probably going to leave all that stuff alone," Harbaugh told reporters.

"I'm going to focus on the game and just get ready to coach our guys and have our guys get ready to play the game."

The Ravens offense has averaged 12.3 points and scored only three touchdowns in the past four games since Jackson's injury, yet have won two of those games on the back of their defense.

Baltimore have been held to 17 or fewer points in five straight games, the first when Jackson was injured.

"They're not challenges that we're going to sit here and say we can't overcome or we can't win games with," Harbaugh said about his offense.

"We've got to try to do everything we can to make those plays in the next game. That's all you can do in this league."

Huntley is also dealing with soreness in his right throwing shoulder ahead of the Cincinnati game, which could determine who wins the AFC North, pending the decision made on the suspended Bengals-Buffalo Bills game.

The Bengals would have clinched the AFC North with victory against the Bills on Monday, but the game was suspended after Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest. If the game is resumed and the Bengals lose, the Ravens could still claim the AFC North with victory on Sunday.

Kenny Pickett came up clutch for the second week running to keep the Pittsburgh Steelers alive with a come-from-behind 16-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The Steelers rallied from a 10-point third-quarter deficit to score the game's final 13 points, including Pickett's go-ahead touchdown pass for the dominant Najee Harris with 56 seconds left.

Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley's desperate pass with 13 seconds remaining to clinch victory for the Steelers, who claimed their third straight win to improve to 8-8 behind the Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) and Ravens (10-6) in the AFC North.

The Ravens' defeat, which is the fourth time they have lost after having a double-digit lead this season, significantly impacts their aspirations to win the division, with the Bengals able to clinch it with victory against the Buffalo Bills on Monday. The Bengals host the Ravens in Week 18.

Pickett and Harris were the stars for the Steelers, with the 24-year-old quarterback completing 15 of 27 passes for 168 yards with his only touchdown coming when it mattered most.

In the game-winning 11-play drive, the QB made 20-yard and 28-yard gains with passes to Pat Freiermuth and Steven Sims Jr respectively before evading Jason Pierre-Paul's tackle and finding Harris in the left corner on a third-and-8.

Steelers running backs Harris (111 rushing yards on 22 carries) and Jaylen Warren (76 rushing yards on 12 carries) were outstanding. Huntley completed 14 of 21 passes for 130 yards for the Ravens.

Earlier, the Ravens benefitted from a controversial unnecessary roughness penalty against Cameron Heyward on a third-and-14, which led to a verbal exchange with team-mate Fitzpatrick, after Huntley threw a touchdown pass for Isaiah Likely on the next play shortly prior to half-time.

The Buffalo Bills overturned a half-time deficit to defeat the Chicago Bills 35-13 on Saturday and clinch the AFC East title.

The freezing conditions in Chicago gave this the feel of a home game for the Bills, but they were far from comfortable early on and threatened to blow their lead in the race for home-field advantage in the AFC.

Josh Allen responded to Justin Fields' opening touchdown drive by leading Buffalo down the field and completing a 19-yard TD pass to Gabe Davis.

But the Bills missed the PAT, and the only score for the remainder of the half was a successful Bears field goal, giving Chicago a 10-6 lead through two quarters.

The hopes of the Bears – and the Bills' AFC rivals – were quickly dashed in the second half, however, as Devin Singletary dashed in from 33 yards and then James Cook followed him from 27 yards for a second score in double-quick time either side of a Chicago fumble.

An unconvincing Allen display, which included two interceptions and a recovered fumble, kept the Bears in contention, yet they could not capitalise.

And the Bills QB finished in more familiar fashion with a rushing score and a TD pass to Dawson Knox in the closing stages as Buffalo took another step towards the first seed.

Bills feel the heat in AFC

The pressure had been on the Bills because there never appeared any possibility of the Kansas City Chiefs not defeating the stumbling Seattle Seahawks. A 24-10 victory was Patrick Mahomes' first against the Seahawks, meaning the Indianapolis Colts are the only team he has now played but not beaten.

The Cincinnati Bengals also remain in contention at the top of the AFC after a dominant first half against the New England Patriots. Joe Burrow completed 28 passes – a season high for any QB in any half – for 284 yards and three touchdowns before half-time, meaning the Bengals could just about withstand a second-half pick six in a 22-18 win.

The Patriots' defeat meant the Baltimore Ravens clinched their playoff berth with a 17-9 defeat of the Atlanta Falcons.

Another manic Minnesota finish

Having claimed a record-breaking comeback win last week, the Minnesota Vikings had to hold off a rally from the New York Giants, who tied the game late on. However, a 40-yard field goal from Greg Joseph had defeated the Colts, and he topped that effort with a 61-yard conversion as time expired for a 27-24 Vikings victory.

The Detroit Lions, Minnesota's NFC North rivals, saw their three-game winning run ended by the Carolina Panthers. Both the Panthers and the New Orleans Saints improved to 6-9, firmly in contention in the miserable NFC South.

Deshaun Watson celebrated a "special" home debut for the Cleveland Browns after leading them to victory over the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium on Saturday.

Watson threw the only touchdown of the 13-3 win with a three-yard pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones in the third quarter, completing 18 of 28 passes for 161 yards with a further 22 rushing yards.

A cold and partially snowy night saw both AFC North rivals struggle to score, but Watson made the difference in his third outing for the Browns and first in Cleveland.

"It was a great, fun game on the lake, especially in the fourth quarter when [the snow] started coming down and swirling around," he said after the win. "It was fun to be out there. My first home game was a victory, and it was special. Many more to come.

"Football is coming back each and every week. I don't need to come in and try to do anything special. If we just come in and I just do my job as a quarterback, then everything is going to come in place."

Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski was pleased with his quarterback but added Watson still has room for improvement after missing so much football in the past two seasons.

"He was seeing [the field] very clearly," Stefanski said. "I thought he was very poised and making good decisions.

"There are always plays that I know he can be better, I can be better, we can design better plays and all of those type of things, but I know I continue to see a guy who is just getting better and better."

The win moved the Browns to 6-8, still just about in playoff contention ahead of Watson's second home game against the New Orleans Saints next Saturday.

Deshaun Watson led the Cleveland Browns to a 13-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in his first home start since his 11-game suspension as they kept alive their playoffs hopes on Saturday.

Watson threw the game's only touchdown to Donovan Peoples-Jones in the third quarter, with the Browns QB completing 18 of 28 passes for 161 yards with 22 rushing yards for the game at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The victory improved the Browns to 6-8 overall, going 2-1 since Watson returned, while the Ravens dropped to 9-5, with the Cincinnati Bengals moving ahead of them in top spot in the AFC North by half a game.

It was a game to forget for the Ravens, who had a run of possessions that included a missed field goal attempt, an interception and a fumble in the second and third quarters. Baltimore had three turnovers on downs too.

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker missed two field goals in one game for the first time since December 2018, including putting a 48-yard attempt wide, while he had a fourth-quarter 50-yard attempt blocked.

Baltimore QB Tyler Huntley, standing in for the injured Lamar Jackson, threw 17 of 30 attempts for 138 yards, with Denzel Ward intercepting his third quarter pass in the redzone intended by DeSean Jackson with the score 6-3 at the time.

The Browns scored the game's only TD from their next drive, with Watson linking up with Amari Cooper twice for decent gains, before the QB's three-yard pass for the open Peoples-Jones.

Browns running back Nick Chubb added 99 rushing yards on 21 carries, while J.K. Dobbins was the Ravens' best offensive outlet, running 125 yards from 13 carries.

Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett entered the NFL concussion protocol after suffering a blow to the head early in Pittsburgh's loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

It was the second time this season that rookie Pickett has been put in the protocol, after also leaving a game against Tampa Bay in October.

Pickett was sacked by Roquan Smith on the Steelers' opening drive against the Ravens.

The 24-year-old left the field for concussion checks before being reintroduced for the Steelers' second drive. However, that drive marked the end of his involvement as he was then withdrawn.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin looked to explain the move to briefly bring Pickett back into the action but said he did not know "about the sequence or the details".

Speaking after the game, Tomlin said: "Kenny is being evaluated for concussion, he's in the protocol.

"I think when he became symptomatic he was pulled from the game and evaluated for concussion.

"I don't know about the sequence or the details regarding the sequence."

Mitch Trubisky took over from Pickett and completed 22 of 30 passes for 276 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions, as the Steelers suffered a 16-14 defeat to slip to 5-8 for the season.

Trubisky also spoke about Pickett's blow to the head, saying: "I just kept asking him how he was feeling. He said he was feeling fine, and that was that."

Lamar Jackson is listed as doubtful for the Baltimore Ravens' clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his prospective absence spells trouble for the AFC North leaders.

Jackson was knocked out of last week's win over the Denver Broncos because of a knee injury, which has kept him out of practice all week.

The Ravens listed him as doubtful on Friday, meaning backup Tyler Huntley will likely get the start for 8-4 Baltimore.

History says the Ravens will find victory difficult to come by against Pittsburgh without their former MVP quarterback, even against a 5-7 Steelers team that is a shadow of the former AFC powerhouse it once was.

Indeed, since drafting Jackson in 2018, the Ravens are 45-16 (73.8 win percentage) in games started by Jackson and 6-10 (37.5%) when anyone else starts at quarterback.

And, though the Steelers appear unlikely to make the playoffs, the Ravens are facing Pittsburgh likely without Jackson at a time when their arch rivals are showing signs of life. 

The Steelers have won three of their past four games and have not committed a turnover in that stretch. It is the Steelers' longest such streak since turnovers have been tracked in 1950.

Mike Tomlin's Steelers have the edge in recent matchups with the Ravens. They are on a four-game win streak against the Ravens with all four wins coming by five or fewer points.

Only two matchups in NFL history have seen a team beat another five straight times all by fewer than six points (Philadelphia vs. Washington – six, 1992-95 and Raiders vs. Denver – five, 1989-1991).

Past performance from the Ravens suggests Huntley will not be able to end that run. With the Bengals (8-4) breathing down their neck in the division, there is huge onus on him to throw the formbook out of the window in a tough road matchup.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson's knee injury is not considered season-ending, according to Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

Jackson will undergo tests on Monday, and the team will have an idea by Wednesday on the severity of the injury and how much time he will miss – if any.

"It's going to be a number, days-to-weeks. We'll see," Harbaugh said after Sunday’s 10-9 win over the Denver Broncos. "We'll see if you can go back this week. If not, it'll be sometime after that shortly."

The 2019 league MVP was injured on the final play of the first quarter, when he landed awkwardly while being sacked from behind by linebacker Jonathon Cooper.

He was then evaluated in the sideline medical tent and sent to the locker room, leaving backup Tyler Huntley to run the offense.

The Ravens' offense struggled mightily Sunday, managing 268 total yards over the final three quarters and didn’t reach the endzone until 28 seconds left in the game, when Huntley scored on a game-winning two-yard touchdown run.

If Jackson’s injury is deemed serious and he ends up missing time, it could not only be detrimental to Baltimore’s playoff hopes, but also factor into Jackson’s next contract.

Jackson, who will be a free agent after this season after contract talks with the Ravens broke down over the summer, hadn’t missed time since suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 14 of 2021, which ultimately cause the Ravens' season to unravel.

Baltimore was 8-4 and atop the AFC North after 13 weeks last season, but ended up losing the last five games after Jackson went down and missed the playoffs.

The Ravens entered this week tied with the Cincinnati Bengals atop the AFC North, and improved their record to 8-4.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson's difficult week has continued after he failed to complete practice due to a quadriceps injury.

Jackson was listed on the Ravens injury report as limited, after he exited early to receive treatment from a trainer on Wednesday.

The Ravens QB also did not address reporters in his usual spot on Wednesday, having not spoken publicly since his since-deleted vulgar social media reply on Sunday.

Following Sunday's 28-27 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jackson posted and then deleted a response on Twitter to a fan criticising him following his side's defeat, one which included an apparent homophobic reference.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was unable to provide an update on Jackson's status on Wednesday, ahead of Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos.

The 25-year-old has only missed four games due to injury in his five-year NFL career. The Ravens are 7-4 and lead the AFC North.

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh acknowledged he was surprised by Lamar Jackson's social media incident following Sunday's 28-27 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The quarterback passed for 254 yards, and rushed for a further 89 from 14 carries, but was unable to prevent defeat as the Jags mounted a late comeback to win at TIAA Bank Field.

Jackson subsequently posted and then deleted a response on Twitter to a fan criticising him following his side's defeat, one which included an apparent homophobic reference.

Speaking on Monday, Harbaugh revealed he has discussed the issue with Jackson, and while he did not condone his player's actions, defended his reputation.

"[I] just beg guys to not to get into the Twitter world right after the game, especially after a loss," he said. "It's never going to be positive. It's not going be a nice place, you know?

"That's kind of reflected in Lamar's response because... that's not the way he speaks. It's not the way he talks. It's not the words he ever uses. I've never heard him say things like that before."

Harbaugh suggested Jackson may have been pulled into his online dispute, and spoke of the player's character in his defence.

"Lamar Jackson, you've been around him," he added. "He's got one of the biggest hearts of anybody I know. You all have seen him the way he treats people, the way he treats kids, the way he treats the media.

"You get trapped sometimes by someone that's baiting you just a little bit. You can't live there. I think that's not a place he wants to be and that's certainly not things that he wants to say."

The Jacksonville Jaguars produced a stunning 28-27 comeback victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, with Trevor Lawrence leading arguably the best drive of his career.

Trailing 27-20 late in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars got the ball back with two minutes and two seconds remaining on the clock, needing a touchdown.

Lawrence, the top overall pick from last year's NFL Draft, led a 10-play, 75-yard drive in 1:48 of game time, threading the needle down the sideline to find Marvin Jones Jr for a 10-yard touchdown with 14 seconds left over.

Instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game and force overtime, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson opted to leave his offense on the field for a chance to win it with a two-point conversion.

Lawrence delivered yet again, finding Zay Jones in the flat to take the lead and seal the win.

Speaking to the media after the win, Pederson said he had supreme faith in his 23-year-old quarterback, and trusted him when he said he wanted to go for it.

"What have we got to lose?," he said. "This is something I told the staff during that last five or six minutes of the game – we’ve got to think players, not plays, and trust our guys.

"Our guys believe. They believe. Once we scored that touchdown at the end, they wanted to go for two. It wasn’t my decision. 

"The players were like 'let’s go'. I got a lot of faith and trust in them, and it was just a well-executed play.

"Trevor today was lights out, he played extremely well. That throw, that catch for the two-point was a thing of beauty. I think as a football team too, a win like this just kind of heads us in the right direction."

The Jaguars have been on the losing end of six one-score games this season, and Lawrence said he is excited for this team to be figuring out how to win.

"We’ve been on the other side, so we understand what that feels like too," he said. "I think we’re just appreciative of where we are, how far we’ve come, kind of what’s in front of us still.

"We said it’s a new season once we got back from the bye week. You can’t win seven games until you win one, and we had to start today. 

"Obviously there was some adversity and we had to battle through it, and we just found a way. It was incredible."

He went on to discuss his relationship with Pederson, and how he values the trust placed in him to win the game.

"Just that trust he has in us – we’ve been in that situation a lot and haven’t gotten it done,” he said.

"For him to keep trusting us and keep trusting me and our offense, it was big for us. But I’ve said it before, I’m the same guy. I’ve always been this guy. 

"I haven’t always played my best every week, and that’s going to happen sometimes, but I really love the direction that this offense, this team is heading, and we feel really good about who we are."

With the result, the Jaguars are now 4-7, three wins behind the Tennessee Titans for the AFC South lead.