1996–97 NFL playoffs

In the United States, ABC broadcast the first two Wild Card playoff games, then NBC broadcast the rest of the AFC playoff games. Fox televised the rest of the NFC games and Super Bowl XXXI (their first ever Super Bowl broadcast since becoming the NFC network in 1994). The 1996-97 playoffs marked the first time that ABC employed ESPN’s NFL announce team for its Wild Card Weekend coverage; Mike Patrick replaced Brent Musburger on play-by-play with Joe Theismann replacing Dick Vermeil as analyst. Musburger and Vermeil, who at the time comprised ABC’s #2 college football broadcast team, had called one of the two Wild Card matchups every year since the playoffs expanded in 1990. ==Wild Card playoffs==

Saturday, December 28, 1996 AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 30, Buffalo Bills 27 The second-year Jaguars forced four turnovers, racked up three sacks, and outgained Buffalo in total yards 409–308 to earn their first playoff win. After trading points back and forth all day, almost drive for drive, Jaguars safety Chris Hudson would make a decisive hit on Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, knocking him out of the game and forcing a fumble that his team would convert into the game-winning score. Jacksonville was forced to punt on their opening drive, and Russell Copeland returned the ball 16 yards to the Jags' 43-yard line, setting up Kelly's 7-yard touchdown pass to running back Thurman Thomas. But later in the quarter, Jacksonville defensive end Clyde Simmons intercepted a shovel pass intended for Thomas and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown to tie the game. Buffalo stormed right back with a 10-play, 68-yard drive that ended with Thomas' 2-yard touchdown run, making the score 14–7. However, Jacksonville running back Natrone Means's 62-yard carry on their next drive moved the ball to the Bills' 5-yard line. The drive stalled there, but Mike Hollis kicked a 27-yard field goal to make the score 14–10 at the end of the first quarter. The Bills drove to the Jags' 2-yard line on their first drive of the second quarter, but came up empty when Kelly was stuffed for no gain by Jeff Lageman while trying to convert a fourth and 1 on a quarterback sneak. Jacksonville then stormed to their first lead of the day with quarterback Mark Brunell completing a 47-yard pass to tight end Pete Mitchell before Means took off for a 30-yard touchdown burst, giving them a 17–14 advantage. However, Eric Moulds returned the ensuing kickoff 57 yards to the Jags' 42-yard line, setting up a 33-yard Steve Christie field goal to tie the game at 17. Jacksonville responded with a drive to the Buffalo 36, but on the last play of the half, Brunell was intercepted by Thomas Smith. Moulds returned the second-half kickoff 26 yards to the Bills' 38-yard line, where the Bills went on to retake the lead with Christie's 47-yard field goal. But after a few punts, Jacksonville managed to tie it again with an 11-play, 62-yard drive that included a 27-yard catch by receiver Keenan McCardell and ended with a 24-yard field goal by Hollis. On the second play of the fourth quarter, Jeff Burris picked off Brunell's pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown to give his team a 27–20 lead. Jacksonville countered right back, moving the ball 65 yards in 10 plays. McCardell caught two passes for 39 yards on the drive, while Means kept it going with a 2-yard run on fourth and 1. Brunell finished the drive with a 2-yard toss to Jimmy Smith that tied the game at 27. On Buffalo's next drive, Hudson made a devastating hit on Kelly, knocking him out of the game and forcing a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Aaron Beasley on the Jags' 42-yard line. Brunell then completed a pair of passes to Smith and McCardell for gains of 14 and 11 yards to set up Hollis's 45-yard field goal, putting them back in front for good at 30–27. The Bills offense, now led by Todd Collins, were unable to move the ball on any of their remaining drives, and during the game's final seconds, Tony Brackens forced a fumble while sacking Collins that linebacker Eddie Robinson recovered to seal the win. Means finished the game with 175 rushing yards. Simmons finished with two sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown. Bills receiver Quinn Early caught nine passes for 122 yards. Moulds returned five kickoffs for 142 yards. This was the final game of Kelly's Hall of Fame career, and the final playoff game for Bills Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy as well. This was the first postseason meeting between the Jaguars and the Bills. A fictionalized version of the game was played during the final season of the ABC series Coach, with the Orlando Breakers as the Jaguars' stand-in that also made the playoffs in their second year of existence; however, the Breakers lost to the Bills in a 63-0 blowout, which ended their season. NFC: Dallas Cowboys 40, Minnesota Vikings 15 Dallas outgained the Vikings in total yards 438–268, plays 78–44, and time of possession 42:03–17:57. They also forced six turnovers and scored on five first half possessions to win the game. Dallas scored first on a 14-play, 88-yard drive in which Troy Aikman completed four passes to Michael Irvin for 65 yards and finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Perhaps the key point of the game occurred on the next series when Minnesota running back Amp Lee caught a short pass from quarterback Brad Johnson and appeared to be on his way for a 43-yard touchdown. But Cowboys safety George Teague caught up with Lee at the 1-yard line and poked the ball out of his hands, knocking it out of the end zone for a touchback. Dallas then drove 70 yards, including a 22-yard carry by Herschel Walker, to go up 10–0 on Chris Boniol's 28-yard field goal. Five plays after the ensuing kickoff, Teague stripped the ball from Vikings running back Leroy Hoard. Cornerback Deion Sanders recovered the fumble and lateraled it to Shante Carver, who was tackled on the Minnesota 37, and Emmitt Smith took off for a 37-yard touchdown run on the next play. Then during Minnesota's next possession, Teague intercepted a pass from Johnson and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown, giving the Cowboys a 24–0 lead with 8:36 left in the second quarter. The Dallas dominance would continue as Sanders returned an interception 22 yards to the Vikings 29 to set up a 31-yard Boniol field goal. Even Orlando Thomas's interception of an Aikman pass ended up going against the Vikings as Thomas lost the ball while being tackled by Walker and tight end Eric Bjornson got it back for the Cowboys. This led to Boniol's 22-yard field goal, giving Dallas a 30–0 lead at the end of the half. In the second half, Minnesota drove 47 yards and scored on a 30-yard pass from Johnson to Cris Carter. But this was answered by Dallas, who subsequently moved the ball 80 yards in 16 plays to go up 37–7 on Smith's 1-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, Dallas linebacker Broderick Thomas forced a turnover by sacking Johnson on fourth down, giving Dallas the ball on the Vikings 39, which led to another Boniol field goal. On the ensuing drive, Johnson's 50-yard completion to Qadry Ismail set up the final score of the game on Johnson's 2-yard touchdown run. Smith rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching four passes for 26 yards. Irvin caught eight passes for 103 yards. Teague had five tackles, two forced fumbles, and an interception return for a touchdown. This was the last time the Cowboys won a playoff game until January 9, 2010, when they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2009 NFC Wild Card playoffs 34–14, and their last playoff win at Texas Stadium. Meanwhile, the Vikings fell to 0–4 in the playoffs under coach Dennis Green. This was the fifth postseason meeting between the Vikings and Cowboys. Dallas won three of the prior four meetings. Sunday, December 29, 1996 AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 42, Indianapolis Colts 14 The Steelers blew a 13-point lead in the first half but scored 29 unanswered points in the second half. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh held the Colts to 146 total yards of offense, while gaining 407 yards for themselves (236 on the ground). Pittsburgh drove 51 yards in eight plays, including a 30-yard reception by receiver Charles Johnson, to score on Norm Johnson's 29-yard field goal on their first drive. After the Colts' next drive, Steelers receiver Jahine Arnold returned their punt 36 yards to the Colts' 31-yard line. One play later, Mike Tomczak completed a 20-yard pass to Charles Johnson at the 8. Backup quarterback Kordell Stewart, who was routinely used by the team in short-yardage situations, eventually finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Steelers a 10–0 lead with 4:55 left in the first quarter. Following another Colts punt, Pittsburgh increased their lead to 13–0 with Norm Johnson's 50-yard field goal 10 seconds into the second quarter. Pittsburgh seemed to be taking control of the game, but with 4:35 left in the half, Tomczak threw a short pass intended for Ernie Mills that was too far behind the receiver. Cornerback Eugene Daniel intercepted the ball and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. On the Steelers next possession, Tomczak threw an interception to safety Ray McElroy on the Colts 40-yard line. On the next play, Jim Harbaugh completed a 48-yard pass to Marvin Harrison at the Steelers 12, and he eventually converted a third and 7 situation with a 9-yard touchdown pass to receiver Aaron Bailey, giving the team a 14–13 lead with 31 seconds left before halftime. However, the Steelers dominated the rest of the game. They started out the second half with a 16-play, 91-yard possession that ate 9:30 off the clock. Tomczak completed 5/5 passes for 37 yards on the drive, while Jerome Bettis caught one of them and rushed for 42 yards on eight carries, the last a 1-yard touchdown run. Then Stewart completed a 2-point conversion pass to tight end John Farquhar, giving the team a 21–14 lead. Harbaugh was intercepted by Levon Kirkland on the next drive, and after a Steelers punt, running back Marshall Faulk fumbled a pitch from him which safety Carnell Lake recovered on the Indy 18-yard line. Five plays later, Bettis scored another 1-yard touchdown run to give the Steelers a 28–14 lead less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Stewart ended up as the Steelers' QB for the rest of the game. He finished with just one pass attempt, but his 24-yard run on a quarterback draw set up running back Jon Witman's 31-yard touchdown play. Stewart added a 3-yard touchdown run with 3:10 left in the game, making the final score 42–14. It was the second straight year the Steelers eliminated the Colts from the playoffs. Bettis rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns (his 11th 100-yard game of the year), while also catching a pass for four yards. Johnson caught five passes for 109 yards. Neither starting quarterback had a big day. Tomczak completed 13 of 21 passes for 176 yards, with two interceptions and no touchdowns. Harbaugh completed 12 of 32 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown with one pick. He was also sacked four times, three by Chad Brown. This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Colts and Steelers. Pittsburgh had won all three prior meetings. Despite the poor weather, San Francisco finished the game without losing any turnovers. Kicker Gary Anderson missed a 40-yard field goal attempt on Philadelphia's first possession. In the second quarter, San Francisco quarterback Steve Young completed 6/7 passes for 60 yards on a 74-yard drive and finished it off with a 9-yard touchdown run. The Eagles then reached the San Francisco 8-yard line, but quarterback Ty Detmer threw an interception to Marquez Pope. The 49ers were forced to punt on their next drive, and Philadelphia advanced to the San Francisco 5-yard line. However, 49ers defensive end Roy Barker intercepted Detmer with 43 seconds left in the half, and the Eagles would never seriously threaten again. Detmer was knocked out of the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury, and his replacement Mark Rypien completed only five of 12 passes for 77 yards, including an interception to Tim McDonald on the last play of the game. Meanwhile, a one handed 36-yard reception by 49ers receiver Jerry Rice set up the final score of the game with his 3-yard touchdown catch from Young, finishing off a 61-yard drive in the third quarter. This was the lowest scoring wild-card playoff game in NFL history. Young finished the game 14/21 for 161 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 65 yards and another score. 49ers defensive tackle Bryant Young had two sacks. This would be the last time the Eagles lost in the Wild Card game until 2009. The two teams met again in the 2022 NFC Championship game. This was the first postseason meeting between the Eagles and 49ers. ==Divisional playoffs==

Saturday, January 4, 1997 NFC: Green Bay Packers 35, San Francisco 49ers 14 The Packers defense forced five turnovers en route to victory, while Desmond Howard's key punt returns enabled the Packers to jump to a 14–0 lead after only three offensive plays. On his first punt return, Howard ran 71 yards for a touchdown. At the end of the next series, he returned punt 46 yards to the 49ers 7-yard line to set up quarterback Brett Favre's 4-yard touchdown to wide receiver Andre Rison. Early in the second quarter, cornerback Craig Newsome's interception set up the Packers third touchdown of the day. Newsome fumbled the ball while being hit during the interception return, but his teammate Sean Jones recovered the ball on the 49ers 15-yard line. Three plays later, Edgar Bennett's touchdown run increased the Packers lead to 21–0. Two Green Bay turnovers enabled San Francisco to mount a comeback attempt. First, a 49ers punt bounced into Packers safety Chris Hayes and was recovered by San Francisco's Curtis Buckley at the Green Bay 26-yard line. Six plays later, backup quarterback Elvis Grbac (who had replaced injured starter Steve Young) threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Terry Kirby with 24 seconds left in the half. Then in a odd error, Howard did not come out of the locker room in time for the second-half kickoff, and no one on the team noticed. With only 10 Green Bay players on the field to receive the second-half kickoff and no one in the returner position, the kickoff bounced into the ground and Iheanyi Uwaezuoke recovered it for San Francisco on the Green Bay 4-yard line. On the next play, Grbac's 4-yard touchdown run cut the score to 21–14. However, the Packers marched 72 yards for another touchdown, in which a fumble by Bennett was recovered in the end zone by wide receiver Antonio Freeman. Later on, with 5:31 left in the game, Kirby lost a fumble while being tackled by Green Bay defensive back Mike Prior, and Hayes recovered the ball on the 49ers' 32-yard line. Six plays later, Bennett scored his second touchdown of the game on an 11-yard run to close out the scoring. Because the weather dipped in and out of freezing, causing both rain and snow, the field got extremely muddy as the game went on. The Green Bay Press-Gazette called the game the "Mud Bowl." Neither team had much success moving the ball on offense due to the field conditions. The Packers, who averaged over 345 yards per game during the season, gained just 210 yards, while the 49ers managed only 196. The longest completion of the day was an 18-yard reception by Freeman. Bennett was one of the top players of the day with 80 rushing yards and two touchdowns, along with two receptions for 14 yards. This was the second postseason meeting between the 49ers and Packers with the first happening the previous year, which Green Bay won. "I'm just going to go home, sit on my couch and probably cry," said Sharpe after the game. Red Cashion, the game's referee retired after this game, capping off a 25-year career in the NFL that saw him referee two Super Bowls, XX and XXX. The game was featured as one of the ''NFL's Greatest Games'' as Ambush at Mile High. This game was also the original "Mile High Miracle", which is now more commonly used to describe the 2012 divisional playoff game between the Denver Broncos (the #1 seed at 13–3) and the Baltimore Ravens (the #4 seed at 10–6). This was the first postseason meeting between the Broncos and Jaguars, and the last time the Broncos ever wore their "Orange Crush" uniforms, they would bring them back just one more time as alternate uniforms in 2001. Sunday, January 5, 1997 AFC: New England Patriots 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 3 In their first home playoff game in 18 years, the Patriots blew out the Steelers 28–3 with 346 yards of total offense, while limiting the Steelers to 213. On the first play from scrimmage, the Steelers got a taste of what lay in store as Pats quarterback Drew Bledsoe completed a 53-yard pass to Terry Glenn that set up Curtis Martin's 2-yard touchdown run. Pittsburgh was quickly forced to punt, and New England took just four plays to score again, the last a 34-yard touchdown on a screen pass from Bledsoe to fullback Keith Byars, giving the team a 14–0 lead just over seven minutes into the first quarter. Then on the first play of the second quarter, Martin burst through a hole in the right line, dodged a tackle attempt by Carnell Lake, and raced 78 yards for a touchdown. This would end up not only being the longest run of his Hall of Fame career, but this was the second longest scoring run in NFL postseason history. Near the end of the half, Steelers cornerback Willie Williams intercepted a pass from Bledsoe to give his team a chance to get back in the game. But Pittsburgh turned the ball over on downs on the Pats' 24-yard line and the score remained 21–0 going into halftime. The Steelers lone score of the game occurred with 3:50 left in the third quarter, when linebacker Chad Brown's interception of a Bledsoe pass led to a 29-yard field goal by Norm Johnson. Pittsburgh then got the ball back on their own 36 following a Patriots punt, but any hope of a comeback was dashed when safety Lawyer Milloy intercepted a pass from Mike Tomczak on the New England 39-yard line. Six plays later, Martin's 23-yard touchdown run increased New England's lead to 28–3. In the fourth quarter, the Steelers managed a drive to the Patriots 15, only to lose the ball again on an interception by linebacker Willie Clay. Martin finished the day with 166 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while running back Dave Meggett returned seven punts for 72 yards and rushed for 18. Tomczak was held to 110 passing yards and intercepted twice in the final postseason game of his career. He was periodically replaced by versatile quarterback Kordell Stewart, but he fared no better, finishing the game 0/10 on pass attempts. Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, who rushed for 1,431 yards during the season and 102 yards in the previous playoff game, was held to just 43 yards on the ground and was limited by groin and ankle injuries. This was New England's first playoff win since their 1985 Super Bowl season. "That might be my longest run ever", Martin (a Pittsburgh native) said after the game about his 78-yard score. "College, Pop Warner, everything. To me, the Steelers are my second-favorite team. I kind of worry about when I go home, how infamous I'll be." This was the first postseason meeting between the Steelers and Patriots. This was the first postseason meeting between the Panthers and Cowboys. ==Conference championships==

Sunday, January 12, 1997 NFC: Green Bay Packers 30, Carolina Panthers 13 The Packers recorded 201 rushing yards and 476 total yards of offense. Green Bay running back Dorsey Levens recorded 117 yards receiving and 88 yards rushing, including a 29-yard touchdown catch. Quarterback Brett Favre managed to overcome two early turnovers that set up 10 Carolina points, completing 19 out of 29 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns. Packers running back Edgar Bennett, who recorded 99 rushing yards, scored a touchdown from four yards out, and kicker Chris Jacke added three field goals. Carolina was held to just 251 total yards and had only one drive longer than 42 yards. Early in the first quarter, Panthers linebacker Sam Mills intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it 10 yards to the Packers' 3-yard line, setting up Kerry Collins's 3-yard touchdown pass to fullback Howard Griffith. Green Bay struck back with a 35-yard run by Levens before Favre found him in the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown catch. But after the Packers forced a punt, Favre inexplicably dropped the ball while scrambling around in the backfield. Carolina defensive end Lamar Lathon recovered the fumble on the Packers' 45-yard line. A few plays later, John Kasay's 22-yard field goal put the Panthers back in the lead, 10–7. But after that the Packers dominated the rest of the game. Favre responded by leading Green Bay 71 yards in 15 plays and scoring with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman. Then on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Tyrone Williams intercepted a pass from Collins on the Packers' 38-yard line. Favre's completions to Andre Rison and Freeman for gains of 23 and 25 yards moved the ball into field-goal range, and Jacke's 31-yard field goal finished the drive, giving Green Bay a 17–10 halftime lead. On the first drive of the second half, Green Bay moved the ball 73 yards in 11 plays and scored with another Jacke field goal. The Panthers managed to respond with an 11-play, 73-yard drive of their own and score with Kasay's second field goal, which cut their deficit to seven points. But Green Bay stormed right back with a 74-yard touchdown drive, featuring a 66-yard reception by Levens. On the next play, Bennett's 4-yard touchdown run gave the Packers a 27–13 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Packers defensive tackle Gilbert Brown slapped the ball out of the hands of running back Anthony Johnson and safety LeRoy Butler recovered the fumble, leading to Jacke's third field goal that made the score 30–13 with 10:02 left in the game. This NFC Championship Game was the first one since 1991 that did not feature either the Dallas Cowboys or San Francisco 49ers. It was the first one ever to not feature either the Cowboys, Redskins, 49ers, or Rams. This was the first postseason meeting between the Panthers and Packers. AFC: New England Patriots 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 6 Although New England gained just 234 yards compared to the Jags' 289, they made up the difference by forcing four turnovers, including three consecutive takeaways on the last three Jacksonville possessions of the game. The Jaguars were forced to punt on their first possession, but a high snap enabled cornerback Larry Whigham to tackle punter Bryan Barker at the Jacksonville 4-yard line. Moments later, New England running back Curtis Martin scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run. After a few punts, New England managed a drive into Jaguars' territory, but cornerback Aaron Beasley intercepted Drew Bledsoe's pass at the 8-yard line to keep the score 7–0 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Jaguars kicker Mike Hollis made a 32-yard field goal at the end of a 13-play, 62-yard drive. Their defense then forced the Patriots to punt, but returner Chris Hudson lost the ball from a hit by Marty Moore and Mike Bartrum recovered for New England on the Jags' 19-yard line. Adam Vinatieri kicked a 29-yard field goal as a result of the turnover, making the score 10–3. Later on, with 1:29 left in the half, Bledsoe led the Patriots down the field on a 68-yard drive, completing a 19-yard pass to Shawn Jefferson, a 5-yard toss to tight end Ben Coates on fourth and 5, and another completion to Jefferson that moved the ball 38 yards to the Jacksonville 3-yard line. New England could go no further, however, so Vinatieri kicked his second field goal of the day to increase their lead to 13–3 going into halftime. Jacksonville took the second-half kickoff and drove to the New England 31-yard line, only to lose the ball when quarterback Mark Brunell was stuffed for no gain on fourth and 1. Three plays later, Bledsoe lost a fumble while being tackled by Kevin Hardy, which linebacker Eddie Robinson recovered for Jacksonville on the Pats' 37 to set up a 28-yard Hollis field goal that cut the score to 13–6. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Patriots drove to the Jacksonville 23-yard line. They were in prime position to build a big lead, but Bledsoe was sacked for a 6-yard loss on third down and Vinatieri drilled his 46-yard field goal attempt wide left. Jacksonville took the ball back and drove to the New England 5-yard line, but with just under four minutes left in the game, Patriots safety Willie Clay intercepted a Brunell pass in the end zone. Following a punt, Jacksonville got another chance to drive for the tying touchdown with 2:36 left. However, this time they lost the ball on their first play with a fumble by James Stewart. New England cornerback Otis Smith recovered the ball and returned it 47 yards for the game-clinching touchdown, giving his team a 20–6 lead. Jacksonville would get one more possession, which ended with an interception by middle linebacker Tedy Bruschi. The game was also notable for a power outage (due to the power use at and around the stadium due to very cold temperatures) just minutes before halftime, which knocked out much of the lighting of the stadium, as well as most of the power in the surrounding community. (The television broadcast, however, was not affected, and stayed on throughout the outage by using generators.) This was the first postseason meeting between the Patriots and Jaguars. ==Super Bowl XXXI: Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 21==

This was the first Super Bowl meeting between the Patriots and Packers. ==References==