N.F.L. Sunday: What to Watch on Today’s Game Schedule

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The drama about the final teams that would make the NFL postseason was not cleared up until the last possible moment of the regular season, when the Las Vegas Raiders beat the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night in a field goal. on the last play of overtime to claim one of the two remaining wild-card spots in the AFC

The Raiders’ 35-32 loss to the Chargers ended the season for Los Angeles, and because the Indianapolis Colts (9-8) were upset by the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-14) on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers (9 -7- 1) sneaked onto the playoff field after a win over the Baltimore Ravens.

The Raiders and Chargers could have reached the playoffs with a draw, and for much of the overtime it seemed that the teams could be happy without a win. But Daniel Carlson kicked a field goal as time expired to give Las Vegas the victory and a slightly more favorable playoff seed.

Wild scenarios made the final game of the season have unusual consequences in the first NFL season with an extended 17-game regular season. The final day of the season, which ran through the second weekend of 2022, featured five AFC teams battling for the remaining two spots and the San Francisco 49ers taking last place in the NFC with a win against the Los Angeles Rams.

The two games completed on Saturday were by seed, keeping the winners alive for a larger playoff seed. Kansas City, which beat the Denver Broncos, stayed in the race for the AFC’s top seed and a first-round goodbye, ending any long-standing chance that New England or Cincinnati would win the No. one.

The late game between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles was mostly meaningless and lifeless, as the Eagles laid off Jalen Hurts, the starting quarterback, and had a series of Covid-19-related absences, but helped determine the seeding of both teams in the NFC

Among the first games that begin at 1 p.m. ET, the Titans reaped the No. 1 seed in the AFC by containing humble Texans. That erased Kansas City’s hopes of being the first seed and a first-round goodbye.

The Colts failed to clinch one of the two remaining AFC wild-card spots by losing to the Jaguars, one of the worst teams in the league. A Colts win would have closed the door to the playoffs for both him Crows and the Steelers.

The Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) has already won the AFC North, but with Kansas City’s win on Saturday, their game against the Cleveland Browns didn’t help their seed in the playoffs.

The Buffalo bills (11-6) and New England Patriots (10-7) both secured a playoff spot before Sunday and were fighting for the AFC East crown, greatly affecting their ranking. The Bills beat the Jets (4-13) and the Patriots lost to the Miami Dolphins (9-8), handing the division crown to the Bills and forcing the Patriots to travel next weekend.

The Arizona Cardinals (11-6) lost the opportunity to claim the NFC West by falling short against the Seattle Seahawks (7-10), handing the division title to the Los Angeles Rams (12-5), who lost to him San Francisco 49ers (10-7) overtime.

The 49ers victory also eliminated New Orleans Saints (9-8), who beat the Atlanta Falcons (7-10).

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