document_title: List of Star Trek composers and music

question_text: who wrote the theme song for star trek voyager

root

text: List of Star Trek composers and music

text: Composers[edit]

text: The following individuals wrote movie scores, theme music, or incidental music for several episodes and/or installments of the Star Trek franchise.

tag: p

text:
Composer
Movie score
Series theme
Incidental music

Paul Baillargeon

Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise

David Bell

Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise

Velton Ray Bunch

Enterprise

Jay Chattaway

The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise

Alexander Courage

Star Trek: The Original Series
The Original Series

George Duning

The Original Series

Cliff Eidelman
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Gerald Fried

The Original Series, including the famous "Star Trek fight music" introduced in the episode "Amok Time"[1][2]

Michael Giacchino
Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness
Star Trek Beyond

Jerry Goldsmith
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek: First Contact (with son Joel)
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Nemesis
The Next Generation
Voyager

James Horner
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Ron Jones

The Next Generation

Sol Kaplan

The Original Series, including the well-regarded score for the episode "The Doomsday Machine".

Dennis McCarthy
Star Trek Generations
Deep Space Nine
The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise

Leonard Rosenman
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Fred Steiner

The Original Series, The Next Generation (episode "Code of Honor")

Diane Warren

Enterprise

tag: table

text: Other notable composers who contributed music to at least one episode include Don Davis, John Debney, Jerry Fielding, Brian Tyler, and George Romanis.

text: Film soundtracks overview[edit]

text:
Number
Film
Release date
Composer(s)
Soundtrack
Series

1
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
December 7, 1979
Jerry Goldsmith
Soundtrack
The Original Series

2
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
June 4, 1982
James Horner
Soundtrack

3
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
June 1, 1984
Soundtrack

4
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
November 26, 1986
Leonard Rosenman
Soundtrack

5
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
June 9, 1989
Jerry Goldsmith
Soundtrack

6
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
December 6, 1991
Cliff Eidelman
Soundtrack

7
Star Trek Generations
November 18, 1994
Dennis McCarthy
Soundtrack
The Next Generation

8
Star Trek: First Contact
November 22, 1996
Jerry Goldsmith
Joel Goldsmith
Soundtrack

9
Star Trek: Insurrection
December 11, 1998
Jerry Goldsmith
Soundtrack

10
Star Trek: Nemesis
December 13, 2002
Soundtrack

11
Star Trek
May 8, 2009
Michael Giacchino
Soundtrack
Reboot cast

12
Star Trek Into Darkness
May 16, 2013
Soundtrack

13
Star Trek Beyond
July 22, 2016
Soundtrack

text: The Original Series[edit]

text: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)[edit]

text: The score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture was written by Jerry Goldsmith, who would later compose the scores Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek: Nemesis, as well as the themes to the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager.[3][4] Gene Roddenberry had originally wanted Goldsmith to score Star Trek's pilot episode, "The Cage", but the composer was unavailable.[5] When Robert Wise signed on to direct the film, Paramount asked the director if he had any objection to using Goldsmith. Wise, who had worked with the composer for The Sand Pebbles, replied "Hell, no. He's great!" Wise would later consider his work with Goldsmith one of the best relationships he ever had with a composer.[6]

text: Goldsmith was influenced by the style of the romantic, sweeping music of Star Wars. "When you stop and think about it, space is a very romantic thought. It is, to me, like the Old West, we’re up in the universe. It’s about discovery and new life [...] it’s really the basic premise of Star Trek," he said. Goldsmith's initial bombastic main theme reminded Ramsay and Wise of sailing ships. Unable to articulate what he felt was wrong with the piece, Wise recommended writing an entirely different piece. Although irked by the rejection, Goldsmith consented to re-work his initial ideas.[5] The rewriting of the theme required changes to several sequences Goldsmith had scored without writing a main title piece. The approach of Kirk and Scott to the drydocked Enterprise by shuttle lasted a ponderous five minutes due to the effect shots coming in late and unedited, requiring Goldsmith to maintain interest with a revised and developed cue.[7] :88 Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the only Star Trek film to have a true overture, using "Ilia's Theme" in this role. Star Trek and The Black Hole would be the only feature films to use an overture from the end of 1979 until the year 2000 (with the movie Dancer in the Dark).[8]

text: Much of the recording equipment used to create the movie's intricately complicated sound effects was, at the time, extremely cutting edge. Among these pieces of equipment was the ADS (Advanced Digital Synthesizer) 11, manufactured by Pasadena, California custom synthesizer manufacturer Con Brio, Inc. The movie provided major publicity and was used to advertise the synthesizer, though no price was given.[9] The film's soundtrack also provided a debut for the Blaster Beam, an electronic instrument 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 m) long.[10][11] It was created by musician Craig Huxley, who played a small role in two episodes of the original television series.[7]:89[12] The Blaster had steel wires connected to amplifiers fitted to the main piece of aluminum; the device was played with an artillery shell. Goldsmith heard it and immediately decided to use it for V'ger's cues.[5] An enormous pipe organ first plays the V'ger theme on the Enterprise's approach, a literal indication of the machine's power.[7]:89

text: Goldsmith scored The Motion Picture over a period of three to four months, a relatively relaxed schedule compared to typical production, but time pressures resulted in Goldsmith bringing on colleagues to assist in the work. Alexander Courage, composer of the original Star Trek theme, provided arrangements to accompany Kirk's log entries, while Fred Steiner wrote the music to accompany the Enterprise achieving warp speed and first meeting V'ger.[7]:90 The rush to finish the rest of the film impacted the score.[7]:89 The final recording session finished at 2:00am on December 1,[5] only five days before the film's release.[13]

text: A soundtrack featuring the film's music was released in 1979 together with the film debut, and was one of Goldsmith's best-selling scores.[7]:90 Sony's Legacy Recordings released an expanded two-disc edition of the soundtrack on November 10, 1998. The album added an additional 21 minutes of music to supplement the original track list, and was resequenced to reflect the story line of the film. The first disc features the expanded score, while the sequence disc contains "Inside Star Trek", a spoken word documentary.[14] In 2012, La-La Land Records released a comprehensive 3 CD special edition which includes the complete score along with alternates and outtakes remastered from restored original 16 track masters, the original digital album master, and popular cover versions of the film's love theme.

text: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)[edit]

text: While Jerry Goldsmith had composed the music for The Motion Picture, he was not an option for The Wrath of Khan due to a budget reduction; director Nicholas Meyer's composer for Time After Time, Miklós Rózsa, was likewise prohibitively expensive.[7]:105 Meyer and producer Harve Bennett wanted the music for the sequel to go in a different direction, but had not decided on a composer by the time filming began. Initially Meyer hoped to hire an associate named John Morgan, but Morgan lacked film experience, which would have troubled the studio.[7]:5

text: Paramount's vice-president of music Joel Sill took a liking to a 28-year-old composer named James Horner, feeling that his demo tapes stood out from generic film music.[7]:6 Horner was introduced to Bennett, Meyer and Salin.[15] Horner said that "[The producers] did not want the kind of score they had gotten before. They did not want a John Williams score, per se. They wanted something different, more modern."[16] When asked about how he landed the assignment, the composer replied that "the producers loved my work for Wolfen, and had heard my music for several other projects, and I think, so far as I've been told, they liked my versatility very much. I wanted the assignment, and I met with them, we all got along well, they were impressed with my music, and that's how it happened."[17] Horner agreed with the producers' expectations and agreed to begin work in mid-January 1982.[15]

text: In keeping with the nautical tone, Meyer wanted music evocative of seafaring and swashbuckling, and the director and composer worked together closely, becoming friends in the process.[7]:6 As a classical music fan, Meyer was able to describe the effects and sounds he wanted in the music.[16] While Horner's style was described as "echoing both the bombastic and elegiac elements of John Williams' Star Wars and Jerry Goldsmith's original Star Trek (The Motion Picture) scores,"[18] Horner was expressly told not to use any of Goldsmith's score. Instead Horner adapted the opening fanfare of Alexander Courage's Star Trek television theme. "The fanfare draws you in immediately—you know you're going to get a good movie," Horner said.[7]:9

text: In comparison to the flowing main theme, Khan's leitmotif was designed as a percussive texture that could be overlaid with other music and emphasized the character's insanity.[19] The seven-note brass theme was echoplexed to emphasize the character's ruminations about the past while on Ceti Alpha V, but does not play fully until Reliant's attack on the Enterprise. Many elements drew from Horner's previous work (a rhythm that accompanies Khan's theme during the surprise attack borrows from an attack theme from Wolfen, in turn influenced by Goldsmith's score for Alien. Musical moments from the original television series are also heard during investigation of the Regula space station and elsewhere.[7]:106–107

text: To Horner, the "stuff underneath" the main story was what needed to be addressed by the score; in The Wrath of Khan, this was the relationship between Kirk and Spock. The main theme serves as Kirk's theme, with a mellower section following that is the theme for the Starship Enterprise.[7]:8 Horner also wrote a motif for Spock, to emphasize the character's depth: "By putting a theme over Spock, it warms him and he becomes three-dimensional rather than a collection of schticks."[19] The difference in the short, French horn-based cues for the villain and longer melodies for the heroes helped to differentiate characters and ships during the battle sequences.[7]:9

text: The soundtrack was Horner's first major film score,[18] and was written in four and a half weeks. The resulting 72 minutes of music was then performed by a 91-piece orchestra.[16] Recording sessions took place April 12–15 at the Warner Brothers lot, The Burbank Studios.[7]:9 A pickup session was held on April 30 to record music for the Mutara nebula battle, while another session held on May 3 was used to cover the recently changed epilogue.[7]:10 Horner used synthesizers for ancillary effects; at the time, science-fiction films such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Thing were eschewing the synthesizer in favor of more traditional orchestras.[20] Craig Huxley performed his invented instrument—the Blaster Beam—during recording, as well as composing and performing electronic music for the Genesis Project video.[7]:17 While most of the film was "locked in" by the time Horner had begun composing music, he had to change musical cue orchestration after the integration of special effects caused changes in scene durations.[16]

text: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)[edit]

text: Composer James Horner returned to score The Search for Spock, fulfilling a promise he had made to Bennett on The Wrath of Khan. Much like the content of the film, Horner's music was a direct continuation of the score he wrote for the previous film. When writing music for The Wrath of Khan, Horner was aware he would reuse certain cues for an impending sequel; two major themes he reworked were for Genesis and Spock. While the Genesis theme supplants the title music Horner wrote for The Wrath of Khan, the end credits were quoted "almost verbatim".[21]

text: In hours-long discussions with Bennett and Nimoy, Horner agreed with the director that the "romantic and more sensitive" cues were more important than the "bombastic" ones.[21] Horner had written Spock's theme to give the character more dimension: "By putting a theme over Spock, it warms him and he becomes three-dimensional rather than a collection of schticks," he said.[22] The theme was expanded in The Search for Spock to represent the ancient alien mysticism and culture of Spock and Vulcan.[21]

text: Among the new cues Horner wrote was a "percussive and atonal" theme for the Klingons which is represented heavily in the film.[21] Jeff Bond described the cue as a compromise between music from Horner's earlier film Wolfen, Khan's motif from The Wrath of Khan, and Jerry Goldsmith's Klingon music from The Motion Picture.[7]:113 Horner also adapted music from Sergei Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet for part of the Enterprise theft sequence and its destruction, while the scoring to Spock's resurrection on Vulcan draws similarities to Horner's Brainstorm ending.[7]:114

text: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)[edit]

text: James Horner, composer for The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock, declined to return for The Voyage Home. Because of this Nimoy turned to his friend Leonard Rosenman, who had written the music to, among other films, Fantastic Voyage, Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings, and three Planet of the Apes sequels.[7]:119[23] Rosenman wrote an arrangement of Alexander Courage's Star Trek television theme as the title music for The Voyage Home, but Nimoy suggested that he write his own instead. As music critic Jeff Bond writes, "The final result was one of the most unusual Star Trek movie themes," consisting of a six note theme and variations set against a repetitious four note brass motif; the theme's bridge is reminiscent of material in Rosenman's "Frodo March" for The Lord of the Rings.[7]:119 The melody makes appearances in the beginning of the film at Vulcan as well as when Taylor seeks Kirk's help finding her whales.[7]:120

text: The Earth-based setting of the filming gave Rosenman leeway to write a variety of music in different styles. Nimoy intended the crew's introduction to the streets of San Francisco to be accompanied by something reminiscent of George Gershwin, but Rosenman changed the director's mind[7]:131 and the scene was scored with a contemporary jazz fusion piece by Yellowjackets. When Chekov flees detention aboard the aircraft carrier, Rosenman wrote a bright cue that incorporated classical Russian compositions, while the escape from the hospital was done in a baroque style. More familiar Rosenman compositions included the action music as the Bird of Prey and a whaling ship face off in open water, while the whale's communication with the probe used atmospheric music reminiscent of the composer's work in Fantastic Voyage. After the probe leaves, the music turns into a Vivaldiesque "whale fugue". The first sighting of the Enterprise-A uses the Alexander Courage theme before the end title music.[7]:120

text: Mark Mangini served as The Voyage Home's sound designer. He described it as different from working on many other films because Nimoy appreciated the role of sound effects and made sure that they were prominent in the film. Since many sounds familiar to Star Trek had already been established—the Bird of Prey's cloaking device, the transporter beam, et al.—Mangini focused on making only small changes to them. The most important sounds were those created by the whales and the probe. Mangini's brother lived close to Roger Payne, a biologist who had many recordings of whale song. Mangini went through the tapes and chose sounds that could be mixed to suggest a sort of language and conversation. The probe's screeching calls were the whale song in distorted form. The humpback's communication with the probe at the climax of the film contained no dramatic music, meaning that Mangini's sounds had to stand alone. He recalled that he had some difficulty with envisioning how the scene would unfold, leading Bennett to perform a puppet show to explain. Nimoy and the other producers were unhappy with Mangini's attempts to create the probe's droning operating noise; after 18 attempts, the sound designer finally asked Nimoy what he thought the probe should sound like, and recorded Nimoy's response. Nimoy's voice was distorted with "just the tiniest bit of dressing" and used as the final sound.[24]

text: The punk music that blares during the bus scene was written by Thatcher after he learned that the audio to be added to the scene would be "Duran Duran, or whoever" and not "raw" and authentic punk.[25] Thatcher collaborated with Mangini and two sound editors (who were in punk bands) to create their own music. They decided that punk distilled down to the sentiment of "I hate you", and wrote a sound to match. Recording in the sound studio as originally planned produced too clean a sound, so they moved to the outside hallway and recorded the entire band in one take using cheap microphones to create the distorted sound intended.[26] The song was later used for Paramount's "Back to the Beach".[25]

text: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)[edit]

text: Music critic Jeff Bond wrote that Shatner made "at least two wise decisions" in making The Final Frontier; he chose Laurence Luckinbill to play the role of Sybok, and he hired Jerry Goldsmith to compose the film's score. Goldsmith had written the Academy Award-nominated score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and the new Trek film was an opportunity to craft music with a similar level of ambition while adding action and character—two elements largely missing from The Motion Picture.[7]:133

text: Goldsmith's main theme begins with the traditional opening notes from Alexander Courage's original television series theme; an ascending string and electronic bridge leads to a rendition of the march from The Motion Picture. According to Jeff Bond, Goldsmith's use of The Motion Picture's march led to some confusion among Star Trek: The Next Generation fans, as they were unfamiliar with the music's origins and believed that Goldsmith was stealing the theme to The Next Generation, which was itself The Motion Picture march.[7]:133 Another theme from The Motion Picture that makes a return appearance is the Klingon theme from the 1979 film's opening scene. Here, the theme is treated in what Bond termed a "Prokofiev-like style as opposed to the avant-garde counterpoint" as seen in The Motion Picture. Goldsmith also added a crying ram's horn.[7]:134

text: The breadth of The Final Frontier's locations led Goldsmith to eschew the two-themed approach of The Motion Picture in favor of leitmotifs, recurring music used for locations and characters. Sybok is introduced with a synthesized motif in the opening scene of the film, while when Kirk and Spock discuss him en route to Nimbus III it is rendered in a more mysterious fashion. The motif also appears in the action cue as Kirk and company land on Nimbus III and try to free the hostages.[7]:133 When Sybok boards the Enterprise, a new four-note motif played by low brass highlights the character's obsession. The Sybok theme from then on is used in either a benevolent sense or a more percussive, dark rendition. Arriving at Sha-ka-ree, the planet's five-note theme bears resemblance to Goldsmith's unicorn theme from Legend; "...the two melodies represent very similar ideas: lost innocence and the tragic impossibility of recapturing paradise," writes Bond. The music features cellos conveying a pious quality, while the appearance of "God" begins with string glissandos but turns to a dark rendition of Sybok's theme as its true nature is exposed.[7]:134 As the creature attacks Kirk, Spock and McCoy, the more aggressive Sybok theme takes on an attacking rhythm. When Spock appeals to the Klingons for help, the theme takes on a sensitive character before returning to a powerful sequence as the ship destroys the god-creature.[7]:135

text: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)[edit]

text: Director Nicholas Meyer's original plan for the score of The Undiscovered Country was to adapt Gustav Holst's orchestral suite The Planets. The plan proved unfeasibly expensive, so Meyer began listening to demo tapes submitted by composers.[27] Meyer described most of the demos as generic "movie music", but was intrigued by one tape by a young composer named Cliff Eidelman. Eidelman, then 26, had made a career in composing for ballets, television, and film, but despite work on fourteen features, no film had been the hit needed to propel Eidelman to greater fame.[28]

text: In conversations with Eidelman, Meyer mentioned that since the marches that accompanied the main titles for other Star Trek films were so good, he had no desire to compete with them by composing a bombastic opening. He also felt that since the film was darker than its predecessors, it demanded something different musically as a result. He mentioned the opening to Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird as similar to the foreboding sound he wanted. Two days later Eidelman produced a tape of his idea for the main theme, played on a synthesizer. Meyer was impressed by the speed of the work and the close fit to his vision.[27] Meyer approached producer Steven Charles-Jaffe with Eidelman's CD, which reminded Jaffe of Bernard Herrmann; Eidelman was given the task of composing the score.[29]

text: Eidelman's previous project had been creating a compilation of music from the past five Star Trek films, and he consciously avoided taking inspiration from those scores. "[The compilation] showed me what to stay away from, because I couldn't do James Horner [composer for The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock] as well as James Horner," he said.[30] Since he was hired early on in production, Eidelman had an unusually long time to develop his ideas, and he was able to visit the sets during filming. While the film was in early production Eidelman worked on electronic drafts of the final score, to placate executives who were unsure about using a relatively unknown composer.[30]

text: Eidelman stated that he finds science fiction the most interesting and exciting genre to compose for, and that Meyer told him to treat the film as a fresh start, rather than drawing on old Star Trek themes.[29] Eidelman wanted the music to aid the visuals; for Rura Penthe, he strove to create an atmosphere that reflected the alien and dangerous setting, introducing exotic instruments for color. Besides using percussion from around the world, Eidelman treated the choir as percussion, with the Klingon language translation for "to be, or not to be" ("taH pagh, taHbe") being repeated in the background. Spock's theme was designed to be an ethereal counterpart to the motif for Kirk and the Enterprise, aimed at capturing "the emotional gleam in the captain's eye".[31] Kirk's internal dilemma about what the future holds was echoed in the main theme: "It's Kirk taking control one last time and as he looks out into the stars he has the spark again [...] But there's an unresolved note, because it's very important that he doesn't trust the Klingons. He doesn't want to go on this trip even though the spark is there that overtook him."[32] For the climactic battle, Eidelman starts the music quietly, building the intensity as the battle progresses.[29]

text: The Next Generation[edit]

text: Star Trek Generations (1994)[edit]

text: Dennis McCarthy, a composer who had worked on The Next Generation, was given the task of composing for Star Trek Generations. Critic Jeff Bond wrote that while McCarthy's score was "tasked with straddling the styles of both series", it also offered the opportunity for the composer to produce stronger dramatic writing. His opening music was an ethereal choral piece that plays while a floating champagne bottle tumbles through space. For the action scenes with the Enterprise-B, McCarthy used low brass chords and touches. Kirk was given a brass motif accented by snare drums (a touch verboten during The Next Generation), while the scene ends with a dissonant notes as Scott and Chekov discover Kirk has been blown into space.[7]:152

text: McCarthy expanded his brassy style for the film's action sequences, such as the battle over Veridian III and the crash-landing of the Enterprise. For Picard's trip to the Nexus, more choral music and synthesizers accompany Picard's discovery of his family. The film's only distinct theme, a broad fanfare, first plays when Picard and Kirk meet. The theme blends McCarthy's theme for Picard from The Next Generation's first season, notes from the theme for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Alexander Courage's classic Star Trek fanfare.[7]:152

text: Star Trek: First Contact (1996)[edit]

text: Film composer Jerry Goldsmith scored First Contact, his third Star Trek feature. Goldsmith wrote a sweeping main title which begins with Alexander Courage's classic Star Trek fanfare.[33] Instead of composing a menacing theme to underscore the Borg, Goldsmith wrote a pastoral theme linked to humanity's hopeful first contact. The theme uses a four-note motif used in Goldsmith's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier score, which is used in First Contact as a friendship theme and general thematic link.[7]:155–156 A menacing march with touches of synthesizers was used to represent the Borg. In addition to composing new music, Goldsmith used music from his previous Star Trek scores, including his theme from The Motion Picture.[33] The Klingon theme from the same film is used to represent Worf.[34]

text: Because of delays with Paramount's The Ghost and the Darkness, the already-short four week production schedule was cut to just three weeks. While Berman was concerned about the move,[7]:158 Goldsmith hired his son, Joel, to assist.[7]:155 The young composer provided additional music for the film, writing three cues based on his father's motifs[34] and a total of 22 minutes of music.[33] Joel used variations of his father's Borg music and the Klingon theme as Worf fights hand-to-hand[7]:156 (Joel said that he and his father decided to use the theme for Worf separately).[7]:159 When the Borg invade sickbay and the medical hologram distracts them, Joel wrote what critic Jeff Bond termed "almost Coplandesque" material of tuning strings and clarinet, but the cue was unused. While Joel composed many of the film's action cues, his father contributed to the spacewalk and Phoenix flight sequences. During the fight on the deflector dish, Goldsmith used low-register electronics punctuated by stabs of violent, dissonant strings.[7]:156

text: In a break with Star Trek film tradition, the soundtrack incorporated two licensed songs: Roy Orbison's "Ooby Dooby" and Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride". GNP Crescendo president Neil Norman explained that the decision to include the tracks was controversial, but said that "Frakes did the most amazing job of integrating those songs into the story that we had to use them".[35]

text: GNP released the First Contact soundtrack on December 2, 1996.[35] The album contained 51 minutes of music, with 35 minutes of Jerry Goldsmith's score, 10 minutes of additional music by Joel Goldsmith, "Ooby Dooby" and "Magic Carpet Ride". The compact disc shipped with CD-ROM features only accessible if played on a personal computer,[36] including interviews with Berman, Frakes, and Goldsmith.[35]

text: Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)[edit]

text: Insurrection was composer Jerry Goldsmith's fourth film score for the franchise.[7]:163 Goldsmith continued using the march and Klingon themes he crafted for Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979, with adding new themes and variations. Insurrection opens with Alexander Courage's Star Trek: The Original Series fanfare, also introducing a six-note motif used in many of the film's action sequences. The Ba'ku are scored with a pastoral theme, repeating harps, string sections and a woodwind solo. The Ba'ku's ability to slow time uses a variation of this music.[7]:164

text: Goldsmith approached starship sequences with quick bursts of brass music. While observers are watching the Ba'ku unseen, Goldsmith employed a "spying theme". Composed of a piano, timpani percussion, and brass, the theme builds until interrupted by the action theme as Data opens fire. Goldsmith did not write a motif for the Son'a, choosing to score the action sequence without designating the Son'a as an antagonist (suggesting the film's revelation that the Son'a and Ba'ku are related.) The film's climax is scored with the action material, balanced by "sense of wonder" music similar to cues from The Motion Picture.[7]:164

text: Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)[edit]

text: The music to Nemesis was the final Star Trek score and penultimate film score composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith before his death in 2004 (not including his music for the 2003 film Timeline, which was rejected due to a complicated post-production process). The score opens with Alexander Courage's Star Trek: The Original Series fanfare, but quickly transitions into a much darker theme to accompany the conflict between the Reman and Romulan empires. Goldsmith also composed a new 5-note theme to accompany the character Shinzon and the Scimitar, which is manipulated throughout the score to reflect the multiple dimensions of the character. Goldsmith also incorporated a number of zipping, swooshing synthesizers into the conventional orchestra to illustrate the suspenseful and horrific elements of the story. The score is book-ended with Goldsmith's theme from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, following a brief excerpt from the popular 1929 song "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin.[37][38]

text: Reboot cast[edit]

text: Star Trek (2009)[edit]

text: Michael Giacchino, Abrams' most frequent collaborator, composed the music for Star Trek. He kept the original theme by Alexander Courage for the end credits, which Abrams said symbolized the momentum of the crew coming together.[39] Giacchino admitted personal pressure in scoring the film, as "I grew up listening to all of that great [Trek] music, and that's part of what inspired me to do what I'm doing [...] You just go in scared. You just hope you do your best. It's one of those things where the film will tell me what to do."[40] Scoring took place at the Sony Scoring Stage with a 107-piece orchestra and 40-person choir. An erhu, performed by Karen Han, was used for the Vulcan themes. A distorted recording was used for the Romulans.[41] Varèse Sarabande, the record label responsible for releasing albums of Giacchino's previous scores for Alias, Lost, Mission: Impossible III, and Speed Racer, released the soundtrack for the film on May 5.[42]

text: Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)[edit]

text: Before the beginning of principal photography, Michael Giacchino announced that he would compose the score to Star Trek Into Darkness. Just as with the previous installment, Giacchno kept the original theme by Alexander Courage for the end credits, allowing for his newer themes for the various young members of Enterprise to evolve.

text: Star Trek Beyond (2016)[edit]

text: As with the previous two films, Michael Giacchino composed the score to Star Trek Beyond.

text: Television soundtracks overview[edit]

text:
Number
Series
Original run
Primary composer(s)
Theme
Soundtrack
Timeline

1
The Original Series
September 8, 1966 – June 3, 1969
Alexander Courage
Theme
Soundtrack
The Original Series

2
The Animated Series
September 8, 1973 – October 12, 1974
Ray Ellis
Norm Prescott
N/A
N/A

3
The Next Generation
September 28, 1987 – May 23, 1994
Jerry Goldsmith
N/A
N/A
The Next Generation

4
Deep Space Nine
January 3, 1993 – June 2, 1999
Dennis McCarthy
N/A
N/A

5
Voyager
January 16, 1995 – May 23, 2001
Jerry Goldsmith
N/A
N/A

6
Enterprise
September 26, 2001 – May 13, 2005
Dennis McCarthy
Theme
Soundtrack
Prequel

7
Discovery
September 24, 2017 –
Jeff Russo
N/A
N/A

text: Special instruments[edit]

text: Blaster Beam

tag: ul

text: Ressikan flute

text: Parodies[edit]

text:
"Star Trekkin'"
"Banned from Argo"

text: Concert tours[edit]

text:
Star Trek: The Music
Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage


document_title: 2017–18 NFL playoffs

question_text: who are the patriots playing in the playoffs 2018

question_tokens: who are the patriots playing in the playoffs 2018

text: 2017–18 NFL playoffs

text: Participants[edit]

text: Within each conference, the four division winners and the two wild card teams (the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5 and 6. The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round. In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the third-seeded division winner hosts the sixth seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference then receive a bye in the first round. In the second round, the divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosts the worst surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5 or 6), while the number 2 seed will play the other team (seed 3, 4 or 5). The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference.

text:
Playoff seeds

Seed
AFC
NFC

1
New England Patriots (East winner)
Philadelphia Eagles (East winner)

2
Pittsburgh Steelers (North winner)
Minnesota Vikings (North winner)

3
Jacksonville Jaguars (South winner)
Los Angeles Rams (West winner)

4
Kansas City Chiefs (West winner)
New Orleans Saints (South winner)

5
Tennessee Titans (wild card)
Carolina Panthers (wild card)

6
Buffalo Bills (wild card)
Atlanta Falcons (wild card)

text: Bracket[edit]

text:
Jan 7 – Mercedes-Benz Superdome

Jan 14 – U.S. Bank Stadium

  5
  Carolina
  26

  4
  New Orleans
  24

  4
  New Orleans
  31

Jan 21 – Lincoln Financial Field

  2
  Minnesota
  29

NFC

Jan 6 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  2
  Minnesota
  7

Jan 13 – Lincoln Financial Field

  1
  Philadelphia
  38

  6
  Atlanta
  26
NFC Championship

  6
  Atlanta
  10

  3
  LA Rams
  13

Feb 4 – U.S. Bank Stadium

  1
  Philadelphia
  15

Wild card playoffs

Divisional playoffs

Jan 7 – EverBank Field
 N1
  Philadelphia
  41

Jan 14 – Heinz Field

 A1
  New England
  33

  6
  Buffalo
  3
Super Bowl LII

  3
  Jacksonville
  45

  3
  Jacksonville
  10

Jan 21 – Gillette Stadium

  2
  Pittsburgh
  42

AFC

Jan 6 – Arrowhead Stadium
  3
  Jacksonville
  20

Jan 13 – Gillette Stadium

  1
  New England
  24

  5
  Tennessee
  22
AFC Championship

  5
  Tennessee
  14

  4
  Kansas City
  21

  1
  New England
  35

text: Schedule[edit]

text:
Away team
Score
Home Team
Date
Kickoff
(EST / UTC–5)
TV

Wild card playoffs

Tennessee Titans
22–21
Kansas City Chiefs
January 6, 2018
4:35 p.m.
ABC/ESPN

Atlanta Falcons
26–13
Los Angeles Rams
January 6, 2018
8:15 p.m.
NBC

Buffalo Bills
3–10
Jacksonville Jaguars
January 7, 2018
1:05 p.m.
CBS

Carolina Panthers
26–31
New Orleans Saints
January 7, 2018
4:40 p.m.
Fox

Divisional playoffs

Atlanta Falcons
10–15
Philadelphia Eagles
January 13, 2018
4:35 p.m.
NBC

Tennessee Titans
14–35
New England Patriots
January 13, 2018
8:15 p.m.
CBS

Jacksonville Jaguars
45–42
Pittsburgh Steelers
January 14, 2018
1:05 p.m.

New Orleans Saints
24–29
Minnesota Vikings
January 14, 2018
4:40 p.m.
Fox

Conference Championships

Jacksonville Jaguars
20–24
New England Patriots
January 21, 2018
3:05 p.m.
CBS

Minnesota Vikings
7–38
Philadelphia Eagles
January 21, 2018
6:40 p.m.
Fox

Super Bowl LII
U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Philadelphia Eagles
41–33
New England Patriots
February 4, 2018
6:30 p.m.
NBC

text: Wild card playoffs[edit]

text: Saturday, January 6, 2018[edit]

text: AFC: Tennessee Titans 22, Kansas City Chiefs 21[edit]

text:
1
2
3
4
Total

Titans
0
3
7
12
22

Chiefs
14
7
0
0
21

text: at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

text:
Date: January 6, 2018
Game time: 4:35 p.m. EST/3:35 p.m. CST
Game weather: Sunny, 33 °F (1 °C)
Game attendance: 73,319
Referee: Jeff Triplette
TV announcers (ABC/ESPN): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Jon Gruden (color commentator), Lisa Salters (sideline reporter)
Recap, Game Book

text:
[show]Game information

First quarter

KC – Kareem Hunt 1-yard run (Harrison Butker kick), 7:07. Chiefs 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 81 yards, 2:56.
KC – Travis Kelce 13-yard pass from Alex Smith (Harrison Butker kick), 2:15. Chiefs 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 76 yards, 3:24.

Second quarter

TEN – Ryan Succop 49-yard field goal, 1:55. Chiefs 14–3. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 4:02.
KC – Demarcus Robinson 14-yard pass from Alex Smith (Harrison Butker kick), 0:03. Chiefs 21–3. Drive: 9 plays, 79 yards, 1:52.

Third quarter

TEN – Marcus Mariota 6-yard pass from Marcus Mariota (Ryan Succop kick), 6:31. Chiefs 21–10. Drive: 15 plays, 91 yards, 8:29.

Fourth quarter

TEN – Derrick Henry 35-yard run (pass failed), 14:08. Chiefs 21–16. Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 3:17.
TEN – Eric Decker 22-yard pass from Marcus Mariota (pass failed), 6:06. Titans 22–21. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:09.

Top passers

TEN – Marcus Mariota – 19/31, 205 yards, 2 TD, INT
KC – Alex Smith – 24/33, 264 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

TEN – Derrick Henry – 23 rushes, 156 yards, TD
KC – Kareem Hunt – 11 rushes, 42 yards, TD

Top receivers

TEN – Delanie Walker – 6 receptions, 74 yards
KC – Tyreek Hill – 7 receptions, 87 yards

text: The Tennessee Titans overcame an 18-point halftime deficit to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 22–21 and won their first playoff game since the 2003 season.

text: Kansas City opened the scoring on their second possession of the game. After Alex Smith connected with Tyreek Hill for 45 yards and Travis Kelce for a 27-yard completion, Kareem Hunt ran in for a one-yard touchdown. On their next drive the Chiefs drove 76 yards in five plays, with Smith completing a 26-yard pass to Hill and an 18-yard pass to receiver Albert Wilson. Following an 18-yard run by Hunt, Smith hit Kelce for a 13-yard touchdown. Smith finished the quarter with 154 passing yards, a career high.

text: In the second quarter, Tennessee advanced to Kansas City's 21-yard line before Marcus Mariota was intercepted by Marcus Peters, who returned the ball 28 yards to the Chiefs' 37-yard line. Following a punt, tight end Delanie Walker's 22-yard reception sparked a drive to the Chiefs' 22-yard line; but on third-and-4, linebacker Derrick Johnson sacked Mariota and forced the team to settle for a 49-yard Ryan Succop field goal. The Chiefs increased their lead to 18 points by the end of the half, however, with a nine-play, 79-yard drive that culminated in a 14-yard pass from Smith to Demarcus Robinson with three seconds left in the half. Kansas City went into halftime with a 21–3 lead, with more total yards (284 to 127) and more first downs (16 to 3).[3] Kelce did not return to the game due to an injury, while catching a 12-yard pass on the final drive.

text: Tennessee opened the second half with a 15-play, 91-yard drive that consumed 8:29 off the clock. On a third-down play from the Kansas City 6-yard line, Mariota attempted a pass, which was deflected by Darrelle Revis, back to Mariota, who promptly ran it in for a touchdown, making him the first quarterback to complete a touchdown pass to himself in a postseason game.[4] The Chiefs were forced to punt on their next drive, but Adoree' Jackson muffed the catch and Keith Reaser recovered for Kansas City. They were unable to capitalize on the turnover, however, as they lost two yards over their next three plays and Harrison Butker hit the upright from a 48-yard field goal attempt. Tennessee took the ball back and drove 62 yards in six plays, scoring on a 35-yard run by Derrick Henry on the second play of the fourth quarter to cut the score to 21–16 after a failed two-point conversion.

text: Again forcing a Kansas City punt, Tennessee drove 81 yards in 11 plays to take their first lead of the game. Mariota converted three third downs on the drive, completing a 9-yard pass to Walker on third-and-3, scrambling 17 yards for a first down on third-and-8, and then connecting a 10-yard pass to tight end Jonnu Smith on third-and-2. Eventually, Mariota finished the drive by throwing to Eric Decker for a 22-yard touchdown, giving Tennessee a 22–21 lead following another failed two-point conversion with 6:06 remaining. Kansas City then drove into Tennessee territory, but Alex Smith was sacked on third down by Derrick Morgan and then missed a pass to Wilson on fourth down with 2:09 left. On the second play of Tennessee's drive, Johnson recovered a Henry fumble and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown, but Henry was ruled down by contact upon review. One play later, Kansas City had one last chance to get the ball back on a third-and-10 situation. Mariota handed the ball off to Henry, who started to run to the middle, but then switched direction and ran to the left. Aided by a key block from Mariota against linebacker Frank Zombo, Henry raced 22 yards down the left sideline for a game-clinching first down, and the Titans ran out the rest of the clock,[5] having held the Chiefs to 41 yards and three first downs in the second half.

text: Alex Smith finished as the leading passer with 264 yards and two touchdowns, but only 110 yards after the first quarter. Mariota threw for 205 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in his first playoff start; his self-caught touchdown pass made him the first player since at least 1950 ever to throw and catch a touchdown pass in the same playoff game.[4] Henry gained 156 yards on 23 carries and 191 total yards from scrimmage, while Hunt, the league's leading rusher during the regular season, gained just 42 yards on 11 carries. Chiefs coach Andy Reid faced criticism for not relying on Hunt to protect their lead in the second half, as Hunt only carried the ball five times after halftime.[3]

text: Tennessee became the first road team to erase an 18-point deficit to win a postseason game since the 1972 playoffs. The loss was Kansas City's sixth consecutive home playoff loss, extending a league record.[6]

text: NFC: Atlanta Falcons 26, Los Angeles Rams 13[edit]

text:
1
2
3
4
Total

Falcons
6
7
6
7
26

Rams
0
10
0
3
13

text: at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

text:
Date: January 6, 2018
Game time: 8:15 p.m. EST/5:15 p.m. PST
Game weather: Cloudy, 62 °F (17 °C)
Game attendance: 74,300
Referee: Ed Hochuli
TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (color commentator), Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter)
Recap, Game Book

text:
[show]Game information

First quarter

ATL – Matt Bryant 29-yard field goal, 7:13. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 1:27.
ATL – Matt Bryant 51-yard field goal, 1:23. Falcons 6–0. Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 4:12.

Second quarter

ATL – Devonta Freeman 3-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 11:34. Falcons 13–0. Drive: 8 plays, 32 yards, 4:41.
LAR – Cooper Kupp 14-yard pass from Jared Goff (Sam Ficken kick), 2:34. Falcons 13–7. Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 3:05.
LAR – Sam Ficken 35-yard field goal, 0:03. Falcons 13–10. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 1:12.

Third quarter

ATL – Matt Bryant 25-yard field goal, 6:45. Falcons 16–10. Drive: 16 plays, 76 yards, 8:15.
ATL – Matt Bryant 54-yard field goal, 0:19. Falcons 19–10. Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 4:52.

Fourth quarter

LAR – Sam Ficken 32-yard field goal, 10:49. Falcons 19–13. Drive: 9 plays, 67 yards, 4:30.
ATL – Julio Jones 8-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 5:48. Falcons 26–13. Drive: 8 plays, 83 yards, 5:01.

Top passers

ATL – Matt Ryan – 21/30, 218 yards, TD
LAR – Jared Goff – 24/45, 259 yards, TD

Top rushers

ATL – Devonta Freeman – 18 rushes, 66 yards, TD
LAR – Todd Gurley – 14 rushes, 101 yards

Top receivers

ATL – Julio Jones – 9 receptions, 94 yards, TD
LAR – Robert Woods – 9 receptions, 142 yards

text: This was the first NFL postseason contest held in Los Angeles since the end of the 1993 season, when the Raiders defeated the Denver Broncos in an AFC Wild Card game at the Coliseum. The win was the Falcons' first road playoff victory since 2002.

text: Atlanta got an early scoring opportunity when Blake Countess muffed a punt that Falcons linebacker LaRoy Reynolds recovered on the Rams' 17-yard line, leading to Matt Bryant's 29-yard field goal. Then, after a punt, Atlanta receiver Julio Jones caught a 27-yard pass and rushed for 13 yards on an end-around play as the team drove 57 yards in nine plays to go up 6–0 on Bryant's 51-yard field goal. Damontae Kazee forced a fumble from Pharoh Cooper on the ensuing kickoff, which Kemal Ishmael recovered for Atlanta on the Rams' 32-yard line. This time, the Falcons were able to take the ball to the end zone, scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run by Devonta Freeman as a result of center Alex Mack literally dragging him across the goal line.

text: Late in the second quarter, the Rams finally managed to get on the board, sparked by a 26-yard run by Todd Gurley. Jared Goff finished the drive with passes to Cooper Kupp, the first for 15 yards, and the second a 14-yard touchdown completion that made the score 13–7. The next time they had the ball, only 1:15 remained in the half, but they were able to convert a 38-yard completion from Goff to Robert Woods into a 35-yard Sam Ficken field goal, making the score 13–10 at halftime.

text: The Falcons took up more than half the third quarter with their opening drive, moving the ball 76 yards in 16 plays. Freeman carried the ball six times for 42 yards, while quarterback Matt Ryan converted a fourth-and-1 with a 1-yard sneak. Bryant finished the possession with his third field goal, this one from 25 yards, increasing their lead to 16–10. After a Rams punt, Ryan's completions to Jones for gains of 12 and 16 yards set up Bryant's fourth field goal, a 51-yard kick, to put the team up 19–10. The Rams quickly struck back, with Gurley rushing twice for gains of 14 and 33 yards, along with Goff completing an 18-yard pass to Woods. Ficken's 32-yard field goal at the end of the drive cut the deficit to 19–13 with just over 10 minutes left. However, Atlanta came back with an eight-play, 83-yard drive featuring a 52-yard completion from Ryan to Mohamed Sanu. On the last play, Ryan's 8-yard touchdown pass to Jones put his team up 26–13. The Rams responded with one last drive to try and get back in the game, moving the ball to a third-and-goal situation on Atlanta's 5-yard line. Goff then threw a touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Higbee, but the call was reversed by a review, as replays showed the ball hit the ground as Higbee was going to the turf. On the next play, Goff threw an incomplete pass, causing a turnover on downs with 2:05 left. The Rams received the ball one more time, but this resulted in another turnover on downs.[7]

text: Ryan completed 21 of 30 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown, while Jones caught nine passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Goff finished the day 24-for-45 for 259 yards and a touchdown. His top target was Woods, who caught nine passes for 142 yards. Gurley was the game's top rusher with 101 yards on 14 carries, while also catching four passes for 10 yards.

text: Sunday, January 7, 2018[edit]

text: AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 10, Buffalo Bills 3[edit]

text:
1
2
3
4
Total

Bills
0
3
0
0
3

Jaguars
0
3
7
0
10

text: at EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

text:
Date: January 7, 2018
Game time: 1:05 p.m. EST
Game weather: Sunny, 53 °F (12 °C)
Game attendance: 69,442
Referee: John Hussey
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Tony Romo (color commentator), Tracy Wolfson and Jay Feely (sideline reporters)
Recap, Game Book

text:
[show]Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays.

Second quarter

BUF – Stephen Hauschka 31-yard field goal, 1:49. Bills 3–0. Drive: 18 plays, 71 yards, 8:06.
JAX – Josh Lambo 44-yard field goal, 0:02. Tied 3–3. Drive: 6 plays, 27 yards, 0:38.

Third quarter

JAX – Ben Koyack 1-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Josh Lambo kick), 0:42. Jaguars 10–3. Drive: 15 plays, 86 yards, 8:52.

Fourth quarter

No scoring plays.

Top passers

BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 17/37, 134 yards, INT
JAX – Blake Bortles – 12/23, 87 yards, TD

Top rushers

BUF – LeSean McCoy – 19 rushes, 75 yards
JAX – Blake Bortles – 10 rushes, 88 yards

Top receivers

BUF – LeSean McCoy – 6 receptions, 44 yards
JAX – Dede Westbrook – 5 receptions, 48 yards

text: This was the Jaguars' first playoff appearance since 2007, and their first home playoff game since the 1999 AFC Championship, which they lost to the Tennessee Titans. It was also Buffalo's first playoff game since they also lost to the Titans in the same season, ending the longest playoff drought among any team in the four major professional leagues in North America. In the lowest scoring NFL postseason game since the 1997 season, Jacksonville's 15-play, 86-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter was enough to propel them to victory. the Bills playoff drought lasted Eighteen seasons, that drought is over, but the Bills not winning a playoff game drought is not over yet.

text: Every drive in the first quarter ended in a punt. Early in the second quarter, Jacksonville got a chance to score when Aaron Colvin intercepted a pass from Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor on the Buffalo 35-yard line. However, the team lost three yards over the next three plays and decided to punt rather than risk a long field goal. From there, Buffalo took up nearly all the remaining time in the quarter, driving all the way to the Jaguars' 1-yard line. However, an offensive pass interference penalty against receiver Kelvin Benjamin pushed them back 10 yards and they ended up settling for a 31-yard Steven Hauschka field goal to take a 3–0 lead with 1:49 left in the half. After an exchange of punts, Jacksonville got the ball on their own 47-yard line with 40 seconds left, and quarterback Blake Bortles scrambled twice for gains of 20 and 12 yards to set up Josh Lambo's 44-yard field goal, tying the score at halftime.

text: On the Jaguars' second possession of the second half, they drove 86 yards in 15 plays to take a 10–3 lead. The key player of the drive was running back Leonard Fournette, who carried the ball eight times for 33 yards and caught a pass for 12 yards. Eventually the team faced fourth-and-goal on the 1-yard line, and decided to go for the touchdown, which paid off as Bortles threw a pass to tight end Ben Koyack for the score with 42 seconds left in the third quarter. Jacksonville's defense then locked the Bills down in the fourth quarter, forcing three punts and an interception by Jalen Ramsey on the Jaguars' 48-yard line with 26 seconds left.[8]

text: Bortles completed only 12 of 23 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown, but was also the game's leading rusher with 88 yards on the ground. Bills running back LeSean McCoy rushed for 75 yards and caught six passes for 44 yards.

text: NFC: New Orleans Saints 31, Carolina Panthers 26[edit]

text:
1
2
3
4
Total

Panthers
0
9
3
14
26

Saints
7
14
3
7
31

text: at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

text:
Date: January 7, 2018
Game time: 4:40 p.m. EST/3:40 p.m. CST
Game weather: Played indoors (domed stadium)
Game attendance: 73,186
Referee: Tony Corrente
TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color commentator), Erin Andrews and Chris Myers (sideline reporters)
Recap, Game Book

text:
[show]Game information

First quarter

NO – Ted Ginn Jr. 80-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 1:46. Saints 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:18.

Second quarter

CAR – Graham Gano 27-yard field goal, 14:12. Saints 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 2:34.
NO – Josh Hill 9-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 9:04. Saints 14–3. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:08.
CAR – Graham Gano 39-yard field goal, 2:47. Saints 14–6. Drive: 12 plays, 54 yards, 6:17.
NO – Zach Line 1-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 0:43. Saints 21–6. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:04.
CAR – Graham Gano 58-yard field goal, 0:00. Saints 21–9. Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards, 0:43.

Third quarter

CAR – Graham Gano 29-yard field goal, 10:58. Saints 21–12. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:02.
NO – Wil Lutz 57-yard field goal, 6:05. Saints 24–12. Drive: 10 plays, 36 yards, 4:53.

Fourth quarter

CAR – Greg Olsen 14-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 12:47. Saints 24–19. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 3:45.
NO – Alvin Kamara 2-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 5:08. Saints 31–19. Drive: 5 plays, 62 yards, 3:02.
CAR – Christian McCaffrey 56-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 4:09. Saints 31–26. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:59.

Top passers

CAR – Cam Newton – 24/40, 349 yards, 2 TD
NO – Drew Brees – 23/33, 376 yards, 2 TD, INT

Top rushers

CAR – Jonathan Stewart – 11 rushes, 51 yards
NO – Alvin Kamara – 10 rushes, 23 yards, TD

Top receivers

CAR – Greg Olsen – 8 receptions, 107 yards, TD
NO – Michael Thomas – 8 receptions, 131 yards

text: This was the first postseason meeting between the Panthers and Saints. This was also the Panthers' first loss in the Wildcard Round, as they were previously 3–0 in this round. The Saints last appeared in the 2014 playoffs, where they lost to eventual Super Bowl XLVIII champions, the Seattle Seahawks,[9] while it was the Panthers' first playoff appearance since losing in Super Bowl 50.

text: Carolina had a chance to score on their second possession of the game, driving to a third-and-goal on the Saints' 7-yard line. But over the next two plays, Kaelin Clay dropped a potential touchdown catch in the end zone and then Graham Gano missed a 25-yard field goal attempt. On the second play after the missed field goal, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees threw a deep pass down the middle of the field to Ted Ginn Jr., who evaded a tackle attempt by James Bradberry and ran all the way to the end zone for an 80-yard touchdown reception. This gave New Orleans a 7–0 lead with less than two minutes left in the first quarter.

text: Carolina responded on their next drive, converting a 22-yard completion from Cam Newton to Greg Olsen and a 39-yard pass interference penalty against defensive back Ken Crawley into a 27-yard Gano field goal that cut the score to 7–3. However, New Orleans responded immediately, with Brees completing passes to Michael Thomas for gains of 19, 8, and 13 yards, as well as passes to running backs Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara for gains of 13 and 10 yards. On the last play of the drive, Brees put the Saints up 14–3 with a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Josh Hill. Carolina struck back, with Newton completing a 19-yard pass to Brenton Bersin and converting a fourth-and-1 with a quarterback sneak. Gano finished the 54-yard drive with a 39-yard field goal to make the score 14–6 with 2:47 left in the half. Brees responded by completing 4 of 6 passes for 67 yards on the way to a 1-yard touchdown run by fullback Zach Line, increasing the Saints' lead to 21–6. Taking the ball back with just over 40 seconds left, Newton completed a 24-yard pass to Devin Funchess. A few more plays moved the ball to the Saints' 40-yard line, where Gano barely managed to squeeze a 58-yard field goal inside the left upright, tying the NFL record for the longest field goal in postseason history.

text: The Panthers continued to chip away at their deficit with their first drive of the second half, as they moved the ball 64 yards in nine plays on a possession that featured a 29-yard run by Jonathan Stewart. Gano finished the drive with his fourth field goal, making the score 21–12. But New Orleans was able to respond, with Ginn catching two passes for 30 yards on a 36-yard drive that ended with Wil Lutz kicking a 57-yard field goal, bringing their lead back up to 24–12. With less than two minutes left in the third quarter, the Panthers started a 68-yard drive in which Olsen caught three passes for 54 total yards, the last one a 14-yard touchdown catch that cut the score to 24–19 after the two-point conversion failed.

text: Following a few punts, Brees' 46-yard completion to Thomas gave the Saints a first down on the Carolina 5-yard line, where they went on to score with Kamara's 2-yard touchdown run and go up 31–19 with 5:08 left. On the third play of the Panthers' next drive, Newton completed a short pass to running back Christian McCaffrey, who raced 56 yards for a touchdown, cutting the score to 31–26. New Orleans took the ball back and drove to a fourth-and-2 situation on the 47-yard line at the two-minute warning. Deciding to go for the first down, Brees threw a pass that was intercepted by safety Mike Adams, giving the ball back to the Panthers, though Adams' decision to intercept the ball instead of knocking the pass down ended up costing his team 16 yards. Carolina then drove to the Saints' 21-yard line. On second down, Newton was flagged for intentional grounding while throwing a pass to avoid a sack, bringing up third-and-23. Then after an incompletion, safety Vonn Bell sacked Newton, forcing a turnover on downs with four seconds left.

text: Newton finished the game 24-of-40 for 349 yards and two touchdowns, along with 37 yards on the ground. His top target was Olsen (eight receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown), who was one of four players in this game to have over 100 receiving yards. The others were McCaffrey (six for 101 yards and a touchdown), Thomas (eight receptions for 131 yards) and Ginn (four receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown). Brees was 23-of-33 for 376 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Bell had nine tackles – seven solo – and a sack.

text: Divisional playoffs[edit]

text: Saturday, January 13, 2018[edit]

text: NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 15, Atlanta Falcons 10[edit]

text:
1
2
3
4
Total

Falcons
3
7
0
0
10

Eagles
0
9
3
3
15

text: at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

text:
Date: January 13, 2018
Game time: 4:35 p.m. EST
Game weather: Sunny, 32 °F (0 °C)
Game attendance: 69,596
Referee: Bill Vinovich
TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (color commentator), Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter)
Recap, Game Book

text:
[show]Game information

First quarter

ATL – Matt Bryant 33-yard field goal, 9:05. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 5:32.

Second quarter

PHI – LeGarrette Blount 1-yard run (kick failed), 10:28. Eagles 6–3. Drive: 14 plays, 86 yards, 6:44.
ATL – Devonta Freeman 6-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 5:41. Falcons 10–6. Drive: 4 plays, 18 yards, 1:50.
PHI – Jake Elliott 53-yard field goal, 0:00. Falcons 10–9. Drive: 5 plays, 37 yards, 0:46.

Third quarter

PHI – Jake Elliott 37-yard field goal, 0:11. Eagles 12–10. Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 5:42.

Fourth quarter

PHI – Jake Elliott 21-yard field goal, 6:02. Eagles 15–10. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 7:57.

Top passers

ATL – Matt Ryan – 22/36, 210 yards, TD
PHI – Nick Foles – 23/30, 246 yards

Top rushers

ATL – Tevin Coleman – 10 rushes, 79 yards
PHI – Jay Ajayi – 15 rushes, 54 yards

Top receivers

ATL – Julio Jones – 9 receptions, 101 yards
PHI – Alshon Jeffery – 4 receptions, 61 yards

text: Philadelphia's defense recorded three sacks, held Atlanta to 281 yards – 83 below their season average – and stopped the Falcons on four consecutive plays after a first-and-goal on their own 9-yard line in the final minutes to preserve a 15–10 win.

text: The Eagles seemed primed to score on their opening drive when a 42-yard pass interference penalty on Falcons defensive back Brian Poole gave them the ball on the Falcons' 33-yard line. But on the next play, Ricardo Allen forced a fumble from Jay Ajayi that was recovered by safety Keanu Neal. Atlanta then drove 59 yards in 12 plays to score on Matt Bryant's 33-yard field goal, giving them a 3–0 lead. After the teams exchanged punts, Ajayi rushed four times for 26 yards on one drive and receiver Nelson Agholor ran for 21 yards on an end-around play as the team drove to a fourth-and-goal on the Atlanta 1-yard line. On the next play, LeGarrette Blount finished the 86-yard drive with a rush for the touchdown, putting the team up 6–3 with 10:28 left in the half; Jake Elliott hit the upright on his extra point attempt.

text: Atlanta had to punt on their next drive, but the ball bounced into Eagles blocker Bryan Braman and was recovered by Falcons linebacker LaRoy Reynolds on the Philadelphia 18-yard line, where they went on to go up 10–6 with Matt Ryan's six-yard touchdown pass to running back Devonta Freeman. Following a punt from each team, Philadelphia got the ball on their own 28-yard line with 46 seconds left in the half. Quarterback Nick Foles then completed passes to Corey Clement, Torrey Smith and Alshon Jeffery for gains of 7, 20 and 15 yards, setting up Elliott's 53-yard field goal, which cut the score to 10–9 at halftime.

text: With just under six minutes left in the third quarter, the Eagles got the ball on their own 7-yard line due to a 39-yard punt by Matt Bosher. From there, Foles completed 5 of 7 passes for 70 yards – Jeffery caught three of them for 46 – on a 74-yard, 12-play drive to take the lead at 12–10 with Elliott's 37-yard field goal. Elliott's ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving Atlanta good field position on their own 40-yard line. On the next play, the last of the third quarter, Ryan was sacked for a 10-yard loss by safety Rodney McLeod. The Falcons ended up going three-and-out, and their defense was soon back on the field trying to contain another long Eagles drive. This one went for 14 plays and 80 yards, 32 of them on a reception by Ajayi, taking 7:57 off the clock. Desmond Trufant managed to end the drive on the Falcons' 3-yard line by tackling Clement a yard short of a first down on third-and-3. However, Elliott kicked his third field goal on the next play, giving Philadelphia a 15–10 lead with 6:02 remaining. Atlanta took the ball back and drove to a first down on the Eagles' 9-yard line, featuring a 20-yard reception by Julio Jones on fourth-and-6. After throwing incomplete passes on the next two plays, Ryan threw a seven-yard pass to Jones on the 2-yard line. Then with 1:05 left, Ryan tried to connect with Jones in the end zone, but the pass went just through his hands, enabling the Eagles to get the ball and run out the clock.

text: Filling in for injured starter Carson Wentz, Foles completed 23 of 30 passes for 246 yards.[10] Ajayi rushed for 54 yards and caught three passes for 44 yards. Ryan completed 22 of 36 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. Jones caught nine passes for 101 yards, and rushed for 21 yards, while Tevin Coleman was the top rusher of the game with 10 carries for 79 yards,[10] while also catching a pass for 14 yards.

text: With the win, the Eagles won their first playoff game and advanced to their first NFC Championship appearance since 2008, and their first at home since 2004.

text: AFC: New England Patriots 35, Tennessee Titans 14[edit]

text:
1
2
3
4
Total

Titans
7
0
0
7
14

Patriots
0
21
7
7
35

text: at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

text:
Date: January 13, 2018
Game time: 8:15 p.m. EST
Game weather: Clear and cold, 24 °F (−4 °C)
Game attendance: 65,878
Referee: Ronald Torbert
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Tony Romo (color commentator), Tracy Wolfson and Jay Feely (sideline reporters)
Recap, Game Book

text:
[show]Game information

First quarter

TEN – Corey Davis 15-yard pass from Marcus Mariota (Ryan Succop kick), 1:14. Titans 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 95 yards, 5:17.

Second quarter

NE – James White 5-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 13:18. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 2:56.
NE – James White 6-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 9:20. Patriots 14–7. Drive: 6 plays, 48 yards, 1:56.
NE – Chris Hogan 4-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:52. Patriots 21–7. Drive: 16 plays, 91 yards, 5:18.

Third quarter

NE – Brandon Bolden 2-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 4:02. Patriots 28–7. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 4:20.

Fourth quarter

NE – Rob Gronkowski 4-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 10:22. Patriots 35–7. Drive: 15 plays, 90 yards, 6:58.
TEN – Corey Davis 11-yard pass from Marcus Mariota (Ryan Succop kick), 1:55. Patriots 35–14. Drive: 16 plays, 80 yards, 3:53.

Top passers

TEN – Marcus Mariota – 22/37, 254 yards, 2 TD
NE – Tom Brady – 35/53, 337 yards, 3 TD

Top rushers

TEN – Marcus Mariota – 4 rushes, 37 yards
NE – Dion Lewis – 15 rushes, 62 yards

Top receivers

TEN – Eric Decker – 6 receptions, 85 yards
NE – Danny Amendola – 11 receptions, 112 yards

text: New England racked up eight sacks, 438 yards, and 31 first downs as they advanced to their seventh consecutive AFC Championship game.[11]

text: Midway through the first quarter, Tennessee drove 95 yards in 11 plays, featuring a 36-yard completion from Marcus Mariota to tight end Delanie Walker. Mariota finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Corey Davis, who made a running one-handed catch in the back corner of the end zone to put the Titans up 7–0. However, the Patriots stormed right back, with Tom Brady completing five consecutive passes for 67 yards, the longest a 32-yard completion to Dion Lewis and the last a five-yard shovel pass to James White for a touchdown that tied the score. After a Tennessee punt, Brady completed three consecutive passes for 28 yards as the team drove 48 yards in six plays to go up 14–7 on White's six-yard touchdown run with 9:20 left in the half.

text: The next time New England got the ball, they had to punt after three plays, but a neutral zone infraction penalty on Titans defensive back Brynden Trawick gave them a first down. Taking advantage of their second chance, they ended up driving 91 yards in 16 plays to take a 21–7 lead on Brady's six-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hogan. Tennessee then drove to the Patriots' 46-yard line; on fourth-and-1, Derrick Henry tried to run for a first down, but defensive backs Malcolm Butler and Stephon Gilmore tackled him for no gain. With 17 seconds left, the Patriots were able to get to the Titans' 35-yard line with time remaining, but Stephen Gostkowski missed a 53-yard field goal attempt as time expired. In the first half alone, Brady completed 21 of 31 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns.

text: In the third quarter, Brett Kern's 40-yard punt from his own 16-yard line gave the Patriots good field position on their 44-yard line. On the next play, Brady completed a 27-yard pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski, and the team went on to increase their lead to 28–7 with Brandon Bolden's two-yard touchdown run. The next time New England got the ball, they went on a 15-play, 90-yard drive in which they only faced two third downs. Brady completed seven passes for 78 yards on the drive, the longest a 25-yard throw to Danny Amendola, and finished it off with a four-yard touchdown toss to Gronkowski, making the score 35–7 with 10:22 left. Before the end of the quarter, the Titans were able to make it 35–14 with Mariota's 11-yard touchdown pass to Davis on fourth down at the end of an 80-yard, 16-play drive.

text: At 40 years, 163 days, Brady became the oldest quarterback ever to lead his team to victory in a postseason game, finishing the day 35-of-53 for 337 yards and three touchdowns.[10] Amendola caught 11 passes for 112 yards, while also returning three punts for 18 yards. Lewis rushed for 62 yards, caught nine passes for 79 yards, and returned a kickoff for 27 yards.[10] Linebacker Geneo Grissom and defensive tackle Deatrich Wise Jr. each had two sacks for New England.[10] Mariota completed 22 of 37 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns.

text: This game set the NFL postseason record for largest the age difference between opposing quarterbacks: Brady was 40 and Mariota was 24.[12]

text: Sunday, January 14, 2018[edit]

text: AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 45, Pittsburgh Steelers 42[edit]

text:
1
2
3
4
Total

Jaguars
14
14
0
17
45

Steelers
0
14
7
21
42

text: at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

text:
Date: January 14, 2018
Game time: 1:05 p.m. EST
Game weather: Sunny, 18 °F (−8 °C)
Game attendance: 64,524
Referee: Brad Allen
TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Dan Fouts (color commentator), Evan Washburn (sideline reporter)
Recap, Game Book

text:
[show]Game information

1st quarter

JAX – Leonard Fournette 1-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 10:40. Jaguars 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards, 4:20.
JAX – Leonard Fournette 18-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 5:26. Jaguars 14–0. Drive: 1 play, 18 yards, 0:05.

2nd quarter

JAX – T. J. Yeldon 4-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 11:31. Jaguars 21–0. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:36.
PIT – Antonio Brown 23-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 8:20. Jaguars 21–7. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 3:11.
JAX – Telvin Smith 50-yard fumble return (Josh Lambo kick), 2:20. Jaguars 28–7.
PIT – Martavis Bryant 36-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 0:25. Jaguars 28–14. Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 1:55.

3rd quarter

PIT – Le'Veon Bell 19-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 9:09. Jaguars 28–21. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 5:51.

4th quarter

JAX – Leonard Fournette 3-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 10:34. Jaguars 35–21. Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 2:10.
PIT – Antonio Brown 43-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 9:05. Jaguars 35–28. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:29.
JAX – Tommy Bohanon 14-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Josh Lambo kick), 4:19. Jaguars 42–28. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:46.
PIT – Le'Veon Bell 8-yard run (Chris Boswell kick), 2:18. Jaguars 42–35. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 2:01.
JAX – Josh Lambo 45-yard field goal, 1:45. Jaguars 45–35. Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 0:33.
PIT – JuJu Smith-Schuster 4-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 0:01. Jaguars 45–42. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 1:44.

Top passers

JAX – Blake Bortles – 14/26, 214 yards, TD
PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 37/58, 469 yards, 5 TD, INT

Top rushers

JAX – Leonard Fournette – 25 rushes, 109 yards, 3 TD
PIT – Le'Veon Bell – 16 rushes, 67 yards, TD

Top receivers

JAX – T. J. Yeldon – 3 receptions, 57 yards
PIT – Antonio Brown – 7 receptions, 132 yards, 2 TD

text: Jacksonville built up a 28–7 first-half lead and held off a second-half Steelers comeback to win the fourth highest scoring NFL playoff game.[13]

text: The Jaguars drove 66 yards in eight plays on their opening drive, with Blake Bortles completing passes to tight ends Ben Koyack and James O'Shaughnessy for gains of 21 and 19 yards on the way to a one-yard fourth-down touchdown run by Leonard Fournette. Later in the first quarter, linebacker Myles Jack intercepted a pass from Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on the Pittsburgh 18-yard line, and Fournette increased Jacksonville's lead to 14–0 with a touchdown run on the next play. The Steelers responded with a drive to the Jacksonville 21-yard line, but on fourth-and-1, running back Le'Veon Bell was tackled by Jalen Ramsey and Malik Jackson for a four-yard loss. The Jaguars then drove 75 yards in 11 plays and scored on T. J. Yeldon's 4-yard touchdown run, increasing their lead to 21–0 with just over 11 minutes left in the half.

text: This time, the Steelers responded with a 64-yard scoring drive, featuring a 21-yard run by Bell and ending on Roethlisberger's 23-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown. But the next time Pittsburgh got the ball, Roethlisberger lost a fumble while being sacked by Yannick Ngakoue. Linebacker Telvin Smith recovered the ball and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown, making the score 28–7 with less than two minutes left until halftime. However, the Jaguars were penalized 15 yards for excessive celebration, and then Cameron Sutton returned the ensuing kickoff 22 yards to the Jacksonville 49-yard line. Pittsburgh went on to drive 51 yards and cut their deficit to 28–14 on Roethlisberger's 36-yard touchdown completion to Martavis Bryant with 25 seconds remaining.

text: The Steelers drove 77 yards in 10 plays on their opening drive of the second half, cutting their deficit to 28–21 with Roethlisberger's 19-yard touchdown pass to Bell. Early in the final period, the Steelers got the ball on the Jaguars' 48-yard line due to a deflected punt, but ended up turning the ball over with an incomplete pass on fourth-and-1. On the ensuing Jacksonville drive, Bortles' 45-yard completion to Keelan Cole put them on the Steelers' 3-yard line, and Fournette ran the ball in for a touchdown on the next play, giving the Jaguars a 35–21 lead. This was the start of a scoring run from both teams, cumulatively totaling 38 points in the fourth quarter. After Fournette's score, Roethlisberger started the next drive with a 21-yard completion to Brown, and eventually ended it with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Brown that cut the score to 35–28. Jacksonville stormed right back, moving the ball 75 yards in eight plays, one of them a 40-yard completion from Bortles to Yeldon on third-and-5. Fullback Tommy Bohanon caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Bortles with 4:19 left, giving the Jaguars a 42–28 lead. The Steelers responded by moving the ball 75 yards in 12 plays, the longest a 22-yard reception from Bell. Bell finished the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run, reducing his team's deficit to 42–35 with 2:19 to play. However, Pittsburgh failed to recover their ensuing onside kick attempt, resulting in Jacksonville getting the ball back on the Steelers' 36-yard line and leading to a 45-yard Josh Lambo field goal that put the Jaguars up 45–35. Pittsburgh then drove 75 yards in 10 plays, including a 42-yard completion from Roethlisberger to Brown. He ended up throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, but by then, one second remained.

text: Bortles completed 14 of 26 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown. Fournette was the top rusher of the game with 25 carries for 109 yards and three touchdowns, along with two receptions for 10 yards. Setting several franchise playoff records,[14] Roethlisberger completed 37 of 58 passes for 469 yards – the second highest total in NFL postseason history, behind Bernie Kosar's 489-yard tally,[14] from January 1987 – with five touchdowns and an interception. Bell rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown, while also catching nine passes for 88 yards, while Brown caught seven passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Vance McDonald also went over 100 yards receiving, making 10 receptions for 112 yards. The Steelers lost despite gaining 545 yards of total offense, the most yards gained by a losing team in a playoff game (this record would later be surpassed by the Patriots in Super Bowl LII).

text: NFC: Minnesota Vikings 29, New Orleans Saints 24[edit]

text:
1
2
3
4
Total

Saints
0
0
7
17
24

Vikings
10
7
0
12
29

text: at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

text:
Date: January 14, 2018
Game time: 4:40 p.m. EST/3:40 p.m. CST
Game weather: Played indoors (domed stadium)
Game attendance: 66,612
Referee: Gene Steratore
TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color commentator), Erin Andrews and Chris Myers (sideline reporters)
Recap, Game Book

text:
[show]Game information

First quarter

MIN – Jerick McKinnon 14-yard run (Kai Forbath kick), 9:45. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 4:15.
MIN – Kai Forbath 20-yard field goal, 4:42. Vikings 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 2:27.

Second quarter

MIN – Latavius Murray 1-yard run (Kai Forbath kick), 9:58. Vikings 17–0. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 6:08.

Third quarter

NO – Michael Thomas 14-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 1:18. Vikings 17–7. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 6:40.

Fourth quarter

NO – Michael Thomas 3-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 13:09. Vikings 17–14. Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 3:00.
MIN – Kai Forbath 49-yard field goal, 10:12. Vikings 20–14. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 2:57.
NO – Alvin Kamara 14-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 3:01. Saints 21–20. Drive: 4 plays, 40 yards, 2:20.
MIN – Kai Forbath 53-yard field goal, 1:29. Vikings 23–21. Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 1:32.
NO – Wil Lutz 43-yard field goal, 0:25. Saints 24–23. Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards, 1:04.
MIN – Stefon Diggs 61-yard pass from Case Keenum (run failed), 0:00. Vikings 29–24. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 0:25.

Top passers

NO – Drew Brees – 25/40, 294 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
MIN – Case Keenum – 25/40, 318 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

NO – Alvin Kamara – 11 rushes, 43 yards
MIN – Latavius Murray – 19 rushes, 50 yards, TD

Top receivers

NO – Michael Thomas – 7 receptions, 85 yards, 2 TD
MIN – Stefon Diggs – 6 receptions, 137 yards, TD

text: Vikings quarterback Case Keenum's 61-yard pass to Stefon Diggs on the game's final play sent them to the NFC title game for the first time since the 2009 season and marked the first time in the NFL postseason that a game was won with a touchdown on the final play of regulation. The game has been referred to as the "Minneapolis Miracle."[15][16]

text: Minnesota dominated the first half, building up a 17–0 lead. The Saints had to punt on their opening drive, and Marcus Sherels returned the ball 19 yards to the Vikings' 45-yard line before being tackled by punter Thomas Morstead. The Vikings then drove 55 yards in eight plays, including a 22-yard catch by Jarius Wright on third-and-3, to score on Jerick McKinnon's 14-yard touchdown run. The next time they got the ball, two pass interference penalties on defensive back Ken Crawley gave the Vikings 54 yards on a 79-yard drive that ended with Kai Forbath's 20-yard field goal, increasing their lead to 10–0. Following two more possessions, Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo intercepted a pass from Drew Brees, giving Minnesota the ball on their own 42-yard line with 1:06 left in the first quarter. Keenum went 5-of-7 for 54 yards on a 58-yard drive that ended with Latavius Murray's one-yard touchdown run, giving the Vikings a 17–0 lead.

text: New Orleans responded with a drive to the Vikings' 14-yard line, but lost their chance to score when Brees threw a pass that was tipped at the line by Everson Griffen and intercepted by linebacker Anthony Barr. Then after a punt, Brees led the team to the Minnesota 30-yard line. But after two incompletions, Brees was sacked by safety Harrison Smith for a 10-yard loss, and Wil Lutz missed a 58-yard field goal attempt with 26 seconds left in the half. The Vikings would also get a field goal try before halftime, which resulted in Forbath missing from 49 yards out.

text: Minnesota took the opening kickoff and drove to the Saints' 30-yard line. However, in what turned out to be a crucial turning point, Keenum was sacked by Sheldon Rankins for a 10-yard loss on third down, pushing the team out of field goal range. New Orleans took the ball back and drove 80 yards in 12 plays, featuring a 23-yard reception by receiver Michael Thomas. Brees finished the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Thomas, putting New Orleans on the board at 17–7. Then on the first play after the kickoff, Keenum threw a pass that was intercepted by rookie safety Marcus Williams, who returned it 12 yards to the Vikings' 30-yard line. New Orleans then drove for another touchdown, scoring on Brees' three-yard pass to Thomas that narrowed the gap to 17–14 with 13:09 left in the game.

text: Minnesota responded with a seven-play, 44-yard drive that included a 27-yard completion from Keenum to Wright and ended on Forbath's 49-yard field goal that increased the Vikings' lead to 20–14. Furthermore, Saints coach Sean Payton lost two timeouts on the drive as a result of failed replay challenges. After forcing the Saints to punt, the Vikings ran the clock under six minutes before having to kick the ball back to New Orleans. Saints lineman George Johnson blocked the punt, enabling his team to take over on the Vikings' 40-yard line. From there, Brees completed four consecutive passes, the last one a 14-yard touchdown completion to running back Alvin Kamara, giving them their first lead of the game at 21–20 with 3:01 left. Undaunted, the Vikings stormed back, mainly on the strength of a 24-yard Adam Thielen reception, moving the ball to the Saints 35-yard line, where Forbath made a 53-yard field goal that gave the team a 23–21 lead with 1:29 remaining. Brees was able to answer, throwing an 18-yard pass to tight end Josh Hill, an 11-yard pass to Ted Ginn Jr. and a 13-yard completion to Willie Snead on fourth-and-10. Minnesota eventually halted the drive on their own 25-yard line, where Lutz kicked a 43-yard field goal.

text: The Vikings were now down 24–23 with 25 seconds and one timeout left. After a touchback and a false start penalty put the ball on the 20-yard line, Keenum completed a 19-yard pass to Diggs on the 39-yard line, where the team promptly called their last timeout. Following two incomplete passes, they faced third-and-10 with 10 seconds left.[17] On the next play, Keenum threw a deep pass to Diggs near the right sideline, who made a leaping catch near the Saints' 35-yard line. Williams was in front of Diggs when he made the catch, but while trying to make a tackle, he completely missed Diggs and instead collided with Crawley, leaving the receiver with no one around him. Diggs nearly fell over at this point, but was able to stay on his feet by using his off-hand and stay in bounds as he ran all the way to the end zone for a 61-yard touchdown completion to give the Vikings a 29–24 win. After several minutes of pandemonium, the Vikings knelt on the extra point try to close out the victory.[18]

text: Keenum completed 25 of 40 passes for 318 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Diggs was the game's leading receiver with six receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown. Like Keenum, Brees also finished the game 25-of-40, but for 294 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Kamara rushed for 43 yards, while also catching six passes for 72 yards and a touchdown.

text: Conference championships[edit]

text: Sunday, January 21, 2018[edit]

text: AFC Championship Game: New England Patriots 24, Jacksonville Jaguars 20[edit]

text:
1
2
3
4
Total

Jaguars
0
14
3
3
20

Patriots
3
7
0
14
24

text:
Date: January 21, 2018
Game time: 3:05 p.m. EST
Game weather: Clear and cool, 48 °F (9 °C)
Game attendance: 65,878
Referee: Clete Blakeman
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Tony Romo (color commentator), Tracy Wolfson and Jay Feely (sideline reporters)
Recap, Game Book

text:
[show]Game information

First quarter

NE – Stephen Gostkowski 31-yard field goal, 9:21. Patriots 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 62 yards, 5:39.

Second quarter

JAX – Marcedes Lewis 4-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Josh Lambo kick), 14:15. Jaguars 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 3:36.
JAX – Leonard Fournette 4-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 7:06. Jaguars 14–3. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 6:07.
NE – James White 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 0:55. Jaguars 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 85 yards, 1:07.

Third quarter

JAX – Josh Lambo 54-yard field goal, 10:23. Jaguars 17–10. Drive: 9 plays, 39 yards, 4:37.

Fourth quarter

JAX – Josh Lambo 43-yard field goal, 14:52. Jaguars 20–10. Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 4:49.
NE – Danny Amendola 9-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 8:44. Jaguars 20–17. Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards, 3:19.
NE – Danny Amendola 4-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 2:48. Patriots 24–20. Drive: 5 plays, 30 yards, 2:10.

Top passers

JAX – Blake Bortles – 23/36, 293 yards, TD
NE – Tom Brady – 26/38, 290 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

JAX – Leonard Fournette – 24 rushes, 76 yards, TD
NE – Dion Lewis – 9 rushes, 34 yards

Top receivers

JAX – Allen Hurns – 6 receptions, 80 yards
NE – Danny Amendola – 7 receptions, 84 yards, 2 TD

text: This was the first conference championship game to feature a team from Florida in 15 years (the Super Bowl XXXVII champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the 2002 NFC championship game). New England overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to earn the franchise's 10th Super Bowl appearance.

text: On the opening drive of the game, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady completed a 31-yard pass to Brandin Cooks and a 20-yard pass to wide receiver Danny Amendola on fourth-and-1 as the team drove 62 yards in 10 plays to score on Stephen Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal. Following a pair of punts, Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles completed two passes to running back Corey Grant for 44 total yards as the team drove 76 yards in seven plays to take a 7–3 lead on a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Marcedes Lewis on the second play of the second quarter. The next time they got the ball, Bortles completed all four pass attempts for 47 yards, one of them a 27-yard completion to Allen Hurns, as the team drove 77 yards in 10 plays to score on Leonard Fournette's four-yard touchdown run, increasing their lead to 14–3.

text: On the Jaguars' next drive, they moved the ball to a third-and-7 on the Patriots' 47-yard line. Bortles completed a 12-yard pass to Lewis that would have picked up a first down, but the team was flagged for a delay of game and Bortles was sacked by Adam Butler on the next play. New England got the ball on their own 15-yard line with 2:02 left in the half, and proceeded to drive 85 yards in six plays – 47 yards from Jaguars penalties – to score on James White's 1-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 14–10. However, Jacksonville safety Barry Church delivered a helmet-to-helmet hit on Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Church drew a 15-yard penalty, and Gronkowski was escorted off for medical testing that determined that he had suffered a concussion.[19] Jacksonville got the ball back with 55 seconds and all three timeouts remaining, but chose to run out the clock and go to halftime, a choice that would later earn them criticism, as no team had deliberately run the first half clock out with more than 50 seconds left during the season.[20]

text: Jacksonville received the second half kickoff and drove 39 yards in nine plays, with 20 yards from a reception by fullback Tommy Bohanon. Josh Lambo finished the drive with a 54-yard field goal, increasing his team's lead to 17–10. Later in the period, the Jaguars advanced 66 yards in 11 plays, including 18 yards on a completion from Bortles to Marqise Lee on third-and-3. On the second play of the fourth quarter, Lambo scored with a 43-yard field goal, making the score 20–10. The game seemed to be slipping away from New England, particularly on their ensuing drive when linebacker Myles Jack forced and recovered a fumble from Dion Lewis on a trick play in which Amendola completed a forward pass to Lewis on the Jacksonville 33-yard line. However, the New England defense rose to the occasion and forced a three-and-out. Taking the ball back on the Patriots' 15-yard line, Brady started the drive with an 18-yard pass to Cooks, and then converted a third-and-18 with a 21-yard completion to Amendola on the 46-yard line. From there, Brady completed passes to Phillip Dorsett for 31 yards and Amendola for 14 yards before finishing the drive with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Amendola, making the score 20–17.

text: Following a pair of punts, Ryan Allen's 35-yard kick pinned the Jaguars back at their own 10-yard line. The Jaguars lost one yard over their next three plays, and then Amendola returned Brad Nortman's 41-yard punt 20 yards to the Jacksonville 30-yard line with 4:58 left. From there, New England drove 30 yards in five plays, scoring on Brady's four-yard touchdown pass to Amendola to take a 24–20 lead with 2:48 left. After taking the ball back, Bortles' 29-yard completion to Dede Westbrook gave the Jaguars a first down on the Patriots' 38-yard line. But over the next two plays, Bortles threw an incompletion and then fumbled the ball while being sacked by linebacker Kyle Van Noy. Jacksonville tackle Cam Robinson recovered the fumble, but the team lost nine yards on the play, bringing up third-and-19. After a four-yard pass to James O'Shaughnessy, Bortles' next pass was swatted away by Stephon Gilmore, causing a turnover on downs with 1:47 left. New England got a key first down on third-and-10 with an 18-yard run by Lewis that let them run out the clock.

text: Brady completed 26 of 38 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns, Cooks was the top receiver of the game with six receptions for 100 yards, while Amendola caught seven passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns, and also returning two punts for 24 yards. Van Noy had nine tackles – including five solo tackles – a sack and a forced fumble. Bortles completed 23 of 36 passes for 293 yards and a touchdown, while Fournette was the leading rusher of the game with 76 yards and a touchdown and Hurns was the Jaguars' leading receiver with six receptions for 80 yards.

text: NFC Championship Game: Philadelphia Eagles 38, Minnesota Vikings 7[edit]

text:
1
2
3
4
Total

Vikings
7
0
0
0
7

Eagles
7
17
7
7
38

text:
Date: January 21, 2018
Game time: 6:40 p.m. EST
Game weather: Cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C)
Game attendance: 69,596
Referee: Ed Hochuli
TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color commentator), Erin Andrews and Chris Myers (sideline reporters)
Recap, Game Book

text:
[show]Game information

First quarter

MIN – Kyle Rudolph 25-yard pass from Case Keenum (Kai Forbath kick), 10:14. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:46.
PHI – Patrick Robinson 50-yard interception return (Jake Elliott kick), 6:26. Tied 7–7.

Second quarter

PHI – LeGarrette Blount 11-yard run (Jake Elliott kick), 13:37. Eagles 14–7. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:20.
PHI – Alshon Jeffery 53-yard pass from Nick Foles (Jake Elliott kick), 1:09. Eagles 21–7. Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 2:07.
PHI – Jake Elliott 38-yard field goal, 0:00. Eagles 24–7. Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 0:29.

Third quarter

PHI – Torrey Smith 41-yard pass from Nick Foles (Jake Elliott kick), 10:05. Eagles 31–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:55.

Fourth quarter

PHI – Alshon Jeffery 5-yard pass from Nick Foles (Jake Elliott kick), 14:10. Eagles 38–7. Drive: 12 plays, 92 yards, 7:11.

Top passers

MIN – Case Keenum – 28/48, 271 yards, TD, 2 INT
PHI – Nick Foles – 26/33, 352 yards, 3 TD

Top rushers

MIN – Jerick McKinnon – 10 rushes, 40 yards
PHI – Jay Ajayi – 18 rushes, 73 yards

Top receivers

MIN – Jerick McKinnon – 11 receptions, 86 yards
PHI – Zach Ertz – 8 receptions, 93 yards

text: This was the first time a Super Bowl host team had appeared in the conference championship. Although the Vikings scored with their opening drive, they were soon buried by Philadelphia, who racked up 456 total yards and 38 unanswered points. Meanwhile, the Vikings' seven drives after their game-opening touchdown would result in three punts, two interceptions, two turnovers on downs, and one lost fumble.

text: Minnesota drove 75 yards in nine plays on their first possession, taking a 7–0 lead with Case Keenum's 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph. The Eagles had to punt on their next drive, but after moving the ball to the 43-yard line, Keenum threw a pass that was intercepted by cornerback Patrick Robinson and returned 50 yards for a touchdown. Following a Vikings punt, Philadelphia drove 75 yards in 12 plays to take a 14–7 lead. Jay Ajayi started the drive with two carries for 20 yards, while Nick Foles converted a third-and-10 with an 11-yard completion to Zach Ertz and LeGarrette Blount finished the drive with an 11-yard rushing score on the third play of the second quarter. Later on, the Vikings drove to a third-and-5 on the Eagles' 16-yard line. But on the next play, Derek Barnett forced a fumble while sacking Keenum and defensive end Chris Long recovered the ball. Philadelphia then drove 76 yards in six plays, scoring on Foles' 53-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery to go up 21–7 with 3:16 left in the half. Following a punt, the Eagles got the ball on their 20-yard line with 29 seconds on the clock. Foles started the drive with an 11-yard pass to Ajayi, who managed to get out of bounds, before throwing a 36-yard completion on Ertz on the Vikings' 33-yard line. On the next play, Foles' 13-yard completion to Ajayi moved the ball to the 20 yard line with four seconds left, where Jake Elliott kicked a 38-yard field goal, making the score 24–7 at halftime.

text: The Eagles increased their lead to 31–7 less than five minutes into the second half, scoring with Foles' 41-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith on a flea-flicker play. The Vikings responded with a drive to a first-and-goal on the Eagles' seven-yard line. After three incomplete passes, Keenum threw a pass to Adam Thielen that was initially ruled a touchdown, but overturned to an incomplete pass after replays showed the ball had hit the ground, causing a turnover on downs. The Eagles took over and drove 92 yards in 12 plays, including a 42-yard completion from Foles to Nelson Agholor on third-and-5. Foles finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Jeffery on the second play of the fourth quarter, making the score 38–7. The Vikings had only two drives on the final period, one of them ending with a turnover on downs and another with an interception by Eagles defensive back Corey Graham.

text: Foles completed 26 of 33 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns, Ertz was the leading receiver of the game with eight receptions for 93 yards, while Jeffery caught five passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Ajayi rushed for 73 yards and caught three passes for 26 yards. Keenum finished the game 28-of-48 for 271 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions, while Jerick McKinnon was the Vikings' leading rusher with 40 yards, and their leading receiver with 11 receptions for 86 yards.

text: Super Bowl LII: Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33[edit]

text:
1
2
3
4
Total

Eagles
9
13
7
12
41

Patriots
3
9
14
7
33

text:
Date: February 4, 2018
Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST/5:30 p.m. CST
Game weather: Played indoors (domed stadium)
Game attendance: 67,612
Referee: Gene Steratore
TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter)
Recap, Game Book

text:
[show]Game information

First quarter

PHI – Jake Elliott 25-yard field goal, 7:55. Eagles 3–0. Drive: 14 plays, 67 yards, 7:05.
NE – Stephen Gostkowski 26-yard field goal, 4:17. Tied 3–3. Drive: 9 plays, 67 yards, 3:38.
PHI – Alshon Jeffery 34-yard pass from Nick Foles (kick failed, wide right), 2:34. Eagles 9–3. Drive: 3 plays, 77 yards, 1:43.

Second quarter

PHI – LeGarrette Blount 21-yard pass from Nick Foles (pass failed), 8:48. Eagles 15–3. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 3:05.
NE – Stephen Gostkowski 45-yard field goal, 7:24. Eagles 15–6. Drive: 5 plays, 48 yards, 1:24.
NE – James White 26-yard run (kick failed, wide left), 2:04. Eagles 15–12. Drive: 7 plays, 90 yards, 2:57.
PHI – Nick Foles 1-yard pass from Trey Burton (Jake Elliott kick), 0:34. Eagles 22–12. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 1:30.

Third quarter

NE – Rob Gronkowski 5-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 12:15. Eagles 22–19. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:45.
PHI – Corey Clement 22-yard pass from Nick Foles (Jake Elliott kick), 7:18. Eagles 29–19. Drive: 11 plays, 85 yards, 4:57.
NE – Chris Hogan 26-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 3:23. Eagles 29–26. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:55.

Fourth quarter

PHI – Jake Elliott 42-yard field goal, 14:09. Eagles 32–26. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 4:14.
NE – Rob Gronkowski 4-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 9:22. Patriots 33–32. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:47.
PHI – Zach Ertz 11-yard pass from Nick Foles (pass failed), 2:21. Eagles 38–33. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 7:01.
PHI – Jake Elliott 46-yard field goal, 1:05. Eagles 41–33. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:04.

Top passers

PHI – Nick Foles – 28/43, 373 yards, 3 TD, INT
NE – Tom Brady – 28/48, 505 yards, 3 TD

Top rushers

PHI – LeGarrette Blount – 14 rushes, 90 yards, TD
NE – James White – 7 rushes, 45 yards, TD

Top receivers

PHI – Nelson Agholor – 9 receptions, 84 yards
NE – Rob Gronkowski – 9 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TD

text: Television coverage[edit]

text: All playoff games were broadcast nationally on network television.

text: ABC and ESPN simulcast 1 AFC Wild Card game, while CBS broadcast all other AFC playoff games. Coverage of the NFC Wild Card and Divisional rounds was split between Fox and NBC, with each network having coverage of one game in each of those two rounds. CBS had exclusive coverage of the AFC Championship Game. Fox had exclusive coverage of the NFC Championship Game. NBC had exclusive coverage of Super Bowl LII.[21]

text: Playoff games TV ratings[edit]

text:
Rank
Game
Date
Matchup
Network
Viewers (millions)
TV rating[22]

1
Super Bowl LII
February 4, 2018, 6:30 ET
Philadelphia Eagles
41–33
New England Patriots
NBC
103.4
43.1

2
AFC Championship
January 21, 2018, 3:05 ET
Jacksonville Jaguars
20–24
New England Patriots
CBS
44.1
24.3

3
NFC Championship
January 21, 2018, 6:40 ET
Minnesota Vikings
7–38
Philadelphia Eagles
Fox
42.3
21.7

4
Divisional Round
January 14, 2018, 4:40 ET
New Orleans Saints
24–29
Minnesota Vikings
35.6
19.3

5
Divisional Round
January 14, 2018, 1:05 ET
Jacksonville Jaguars
45–42
Pittsburgh Steelers
CBS
31.4
18.3

6
Wild Card Round
January 7, 2018, 4:40 ET
Carolina Panthers
26–31
New Orleans Saints
Fox
31.2
17.5

7
Divisional Round
January 13, 2018, 4:20 ET
Atlanta Falcons
10–15
Philadelphia Eagles
NBC
27.1
15.5

8
Divisional Round
January 13, 2018, 8:15 ET
Tennessee Titans
14–35
New England Patriots
CBS
26.7
14.5

9
Wild Card Round
January 7, 2018, 1:05 ET
Buffalo Bills
3–10
Jacksonville Jaguars
25.3
15.2

10
Wild Card Round
January 6, 2018, 8:15 ET
Atlanta Falcons
26–13
Los Angeles Rams
NBC
22.8
12.8

11
Wild Card Round
January 6, 2018, 4:20 ET
Tennessee Titans
22–21
Kansas City Chiefs
ABC/ESPN
22.2
13.0