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NFL Today
Houston Texans

NFL Today

Published Jan. 10, 2016 10:35 p.m. ET

SCOREBOARD

Sunday, Jan. 10

Seattle at Minnesota, 1 p.m. (NBC). The temperature at kickoff is expected to be around zero degrees when Russell Wilson and the Seahawks (10-6) take the next step in their quest for a third straight Super Bowl appearance. Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikings (11-5) host their first playoff game in six years.

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Green Bay at Washington, 4:30 p.m. (FOX). Aaron Rodgers and the wild-card Packers (10-6) enter the playoffs having won only four of their past 10 games. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins and the NFC East champion Redskins (9-7) have won four in a row.

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STARS

Passing

- Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers, threw for 229 yards and a touchdown and led Pittsburgh to the winning field goal after being carted off the field with a shoulder injury in an 18-16 win at Cincinnati.

- Alex Smith, Chiefs, was 17 of 22 for 190 yards and a touchdown to Chris Conley, leading Kansas City to a 30-0 victory at Houston.

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Rushing

- Alfred Blue, Texans, ran for 99 yards on 17 carries in Houston's 30-0 loss to Kansas City.

- Spencer Ware, Chiefs, had 67 yards rushing and a touchdown in Kansas City's 30-0 win at Houston.

- Fitzgerald Toussaint, Steelers, rushed for 58 yards on 17 carries and had 60 yards receiving on four catches in Pittsburgh's 18-16 win at Cincinnati.

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Receiving

- Travis Kelce, Chiefs, had eight receptions for 128 yards in Kansas City's 30-0 rout of Houston.

- Antonio Brown, Steelers, caught seven passes for 119 yards in Pittsburgh's 18-16 win at Cincinnati.

- A.J. Green, Bengals, had five catches for 71 yards and a touchdown in Cincinnati's 18-16 loss to Pittsburgh.

- Martavis Bryant, Steelers, caught a 10-yard TD pass, pinning the ball against his legs while somersaulting out of the end zone in Pittsburgh's 18-16 victory at Cincinnati.

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Special Teams

- Knile Davis, Chiefs, had a 106-yard kickoff return for a score, the second-longest kickoff return TD in postseason history, jumpstarting Kansas City's 30-0 win at Houston.

- Chris Boswell, Steelers, booted a 35-yard field goal - his fourth kick of the game - with 14 seconds remaining in Pittsburgh's 18-16 victory at Cincinnati.

- Cairo Santos, Chiefs, kicked three field goals in Kansas City's 30-0 victory over Houston.

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Defense

- Allen Bailey, Chiefs, had two sacks and forced two fumbles in Kansas City's 30-0 win at Houston.

- Ryan Shazier, Steelers, had 13 total tackles, including nine solo, and forced two fumbles in Pittsburgh's 18-16 win at Cincinnati.

- Whitney Mercilus, Texans, had three sacks in Houston's 30-0 loss to Kansas City.

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STREAKS & STATS

Kansas City's 30-0 victory at Houston broke a streak of eight straight playoff losses by the Chiefs and was their first postseason win since beating the Oilers in Houston on Jan. 16, 1994. The Chiefs also extended their NFL-best winning streak to 11 games and will face New England next week. ... Cincinnati's 18-16 loss to Pittsburgh marked the fifth straight season the Bengals dropped an opening-round game. The Bengals' 25-year playoff drought is the sixth-longest in NFL history. ... Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis fell to 0-7 in the playoffs, moving ahead of Jim Mora for the NFL record of futility.

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KANSAS CITY CATALYST

On the opening kickoff, Kansas City's Knile Davis got three good blocks around the 10-yard line and then simply outran the rest of the defenders for the 106-yard kickoff return score, the second-longest kickoff return TD in postseason history. The play jumpstarted the Chiefs' 30-0 victory over Houston.

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BUMBLING BENGALS

After Vontaze Burfict picked off a pass that seemed to seal it for Cincinnati, Jeremy Hill fumbled to give Pittsburgh (11-6) another chance. Ben Roethlisberger returned from a shoulder injury to lead the winning drive, with 15-yard personal fouls on Burfict and Adam ''Pacman'' Jones moving them within range. Chris Boswell's fourth field goal extended Cincinnati's playoff drought to 25 years, the sixth-longest in NFL history, with the Steelers' 18-16 win.

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K.C. MASTERPIECE

Kansas City forced Houston quarterback Brian Hoyer into the worst game of his career with four interceptions and a fumble in the Chiefs' 30-0 rout. Eric Berry, Josh Mauga, Marcus Peters and Sean Smith all had interceptions, Allen Bailey had two sacks and forced two fumbles and Dontari Poe recovered a fumble.

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SIDELINED

Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger left with a right shoulder injury on the final play of the third quarter, but returned for the Steelers' last-gasp drive in an 18-16 win at Cincinnati. ... Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has a concussion, according to coach Mike Tomlin, after taking a hit to the head from Vontaze Burfict. ... Houston's J.J. Watt missed most of the second half of the Texans' 30-0 loss to Kansas City after injuring his groin in the third quarter. He returned after a few plays, but soon left the game again when he was pushed to the ground by the head by tackle Eric Fisher. Kansas City receiver Jeremy Maclin injured his right knee on the same play and didn't return. ... Houston's Jadeveon Clowney, the top overall pick in the 2014 draft, was inactive with a foot injury.

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SPEAKING

''This one's on me. This city, this organization deserves better. Only thing to do is continue to fight and come back stronger.'' - Cincinnati's Jeremy Hill said on Twitter after his late fumble helped give Pittsburgh another chance in the Steelers' 18-16 win.

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''It was a huge deal, man. It set the tempo. It quieted everybody, kind of made everybody relax.'' - Kansas City's Knile Davis on his 106-yard kickoff return at the start of the Chiefs' 30-0 victory at Houston.

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

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