Honestly, if you weren't glued to your screen yesterday, you missed some of the most stressful football we've seen in years. The Wild Card round usually delivers a bit of chaos, but Sunday was on another level. We had reigning MVPs playing like absolute tanks, trick plays that actually worked, and a massive title defense that officially went up in smoke. It was a lot.
Basically, the "safe" picks got thrown out the window. Whether it was the Bills finally breaking a three-decade-old road curse or the 49ers surviving a literal hospital ward of injuries to beat the defending champs, the energy was just different.
The Scores for Yesterday's NFL Games: Sunday, January 11, 2026
If you're just looking for the quick numbers, here is how the triple-header shook out:
- Buffalo Bills 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 24
- San Francisco 49ers 23, Philadelphia Eagles 19
- New England Patriots 16, Los Angeles Chargers 3
Josh Allen and the End of the Road Curse
Buffalo winning a road playoff game? Yeah, it actually happened. For the first time in 33 years—literally since the 1992 AFC Championship game in Miami—the Bills went into someone else’s house and took a postseason victory.
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Josh Allen was a human highlight reel. He took a beating from the Jaguars' pass rush but just kept coming. He ran for two scores himself. The game-winner was a classic 1-yard plunge where he basically willed himself over the line after a huge 36-yard connection to Brandin Cooks.
Jacksonville had their chances. Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdowns, and Parker Washington was a problem for the Bills' secondary all day, racking up over 100 yards. But when it came down to the final drive, a tipped pass ended up in the hands of the Bills' secondary, sealing a 27-24 win for Buffalo.
The 49ers Dethrone the Champs
The biggest story out of the NFC was the Philadelphia Eagles' season ending at home. The 23-19 final score doesn't quite capture how gritty this game was. San Francisco is basically playing with a backup defense at this point because of all the injuries, and then they lost George Kittle to an Achilles injury in the second quarter.
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Kyle Shanahan had to get creative. He called a trick play where Jauan Jennings threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey. You don't see that every day in the playoffs.
Philly's offense just felt... off. Jalen Hurts had his moments, like that 4th-down touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert, but the drops were a killer. Saquon Barkley was visibly frustrated on the sidelines. The Eagles' defense, which looked so dominant for most of the year, couldn't get off the field when it mattered. Quinyon Mitchell had two interceptions for Philly, which usually wins you a game, but Brock Purdy stayed cool enough to find McCaffrey for the winning score late in the fourth.
New England’s Defense Is Legitimate
The nightcap at Gillette Stadium wasn't exactly a high-flying shootout. If you like old-school, smash-mouth football, the Patriots' 16-3 win over the Chargers was for you. Mike Vrabel has this defense playing like it’s 2004 again.
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They sacked the Chargers six times. Six.
Los Angeles couldn't get anything going. Their only points came from a field goal, and they looked completely suffocated by the New England atmosphere. It was the Patriots' first postseason win since Super Bowl LIII, and they did it by scoring first and never looking back. Andy Borregales kicked a field goal in the second quarter to start the scoring, and the defense took care of the rest.
What This Means for the Divisional Round
The bracket is almost set, pending the Monday night game between the Texans and Steelers. Here is what we know so far for next weekend:
- Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos: A rematch of last year's Wild Card game.
- San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks: A massive NFC West rivalry game with a trip to the NFC Championship on the line.
- Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears: The Bears get to host after their win on Saturday.
- TBD at New England Patriots: The winner of Texans/Steelers travels to Foxborough.
The biggest takeaway from the scores for yesterday's nfl games is that home-field advantage isn't a guarantee this year. Two of the three games on Sunday were won by the visiting team. If you're looking to place bets or just manage your expectations for the Divisional Round, keep an eye on the injury reports for the 49ers and Bills. Both teams moved on, but they're beat up.
Next steps for fans: Make sure to clear your schedule for Saturday, January 17th. We’re looking at a double-header with the Bills traveling to Denver and the 49ers heading to Seattle. These are the matchups that define legacies.