Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers sent Lamar Jackson and the Ravens home, the Panthers are NFC South champions for the first time in 10 years and the Broncos are the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
Rodgers threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III with 55 seconds left and Pittsburgh secured the AFC North title with a 26-24 victory when Baltimore’s Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field goal wide right as time expired on Sunday night in the final game of the regular season.
“It’s pretty emotional,” said Rodgers, who is heading to the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season. “I’m thankful for these guys… It’s been an absolute blessing to be here.”
Pittsburgh will host Houston Texans in the opening round of the playoffs, following an electric fourth quarter that saw four lead changes, including three in the final four minutes.
Denver secured a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a 19-3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Jacksonville Jaguars won the AFC South with a 41-7 rout of the Tennessee Titans. Rookie coach Liam Coen and quarterback Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars to a major turnaround after going 4-13 in 2024.
The other AFC wild card games next weekend will see the Jaguars hosting the Buffalo Bills and the Chargers visiting the New England Patriots.
The Carolina Panthers clinched the NFC South when the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints 19-17 to eliminate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Led by second-year coach Dave Canales and third-year quarterback Bryce Young, the Panthers are making their first playoff appearance under owner David Tepper and first since 2017.
The Bucs beat Carolina on Saturday to stay alive for an extra day but lost a three-team tiebreaker with the Falcons also finishing 8-9. Tampa Bay started 6-2 before losing seven of nine, failing to win its fifth straight division title.
In the wild card, the Panthers host the Los Angeles Rams, the Chicago Bears take on the Green Bay Packers in a battle between NFC North rivals, and the defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, entertain the San Francisco 49ers.
The Seattle Seahawks earned the NFC’s No. 1 seed on Saturday night after defeating San Francisco 13-3. (AP)
