American football
NFL: Bills win top game against Dolphins
Led the Buffalo Bills to victory against the Miami Dolphins: quarterback Josh Allen. photo
© Wilfredo Lee/AP/dpa
The playoff participants in the NFL and the first knockout games have been determined. The Green Bay Packers still make it into the race for the Super Bowl.
The Buffalo Bills have concluded the preliminary round of the American Football League NFL won the top game. The Bills won 21:14 at the Miami Dolphins.
After their fourth consecutive division title in the AFC East, the Bills, as the second-best team in the entire AFC, will face the Pittsburgh Steelers next weekend at the start of the playoffs.
Buffalo’s playoff participation had only been confirmed a few hours earlier with the defeat of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Due to the defeat, Miami now faces a difficult playoff game against defending champion Kansas City Chiefs around star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Packers also continue
The Green Bay Packers made it into the playoffs with a 17:9 home win over the Chicago Bears on the last day of the game and will have to play against the Dallas Cowboys next weekend. After their third success in a row, the rather meager nine wins and eight defeats from the regular season were enough for the Packers to advance. The Seattle Seahawks, on the other hand, were eliminated despite losing 21:20 to the Arizona Cardinals. The Atlanta Falcons also missed the playoffs, as they announced their separation from head coach Arthur Smith after a clear 17:48 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
A total of 14 teams take part in the NFL playoffs. The Baltimore Ravens as the best team in the American Conference (AFC) and the San Francisco 49ers as number one in the National Conference (NFC) have a bye in the first round and are already in the quarterfinals.
The other six participants will be determined next weekend. The Detroit Lions with German professional Amon-Ra St. Brown take on the Los Angeles Rams. The Houston Texans will also meet the Cleveland Browns and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Super Bowl finale will take place on February 11th in Las Vegas.