CHICAGO (AFP) – Defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia edged the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Chargers ousted Baltimore from the championship chase in two NFL playoff thrillers Sunday.
Bears kicker Cody Parkey clanked a 43-yard field goal attempt off the left upright and crossbar with five seconds remaining as the Eagles sealed a 16-15 victory at Chicago.
“It came down to the wire. We were just hoping for a miss,’’ said Eagles quarterback Nick Foles.
“The big thing is we saw some adversity in the first half with a couple turnovers but no one loses faith. We were able to rally behind our defense and we were able to get the win.’’
The Chargers seized a 20-point lead but needed a turnover in the final seconds to thwart a Ravens fightback and claim a 23-17 first-round triumph at Baltimore.
“Our defense was unbelievable,’’ Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said. “We couldn’t get anything but field goals early on offense but we finally got it done. It was a great team win.’’
The Eagles booked a trip to top seed New Orleans next Sunday with the other National Conference playoff matchup sending the Dallas Cowboys to the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday.
The Chargers have a second-round date next Sunday at New England while top seed Kansas City will entertain the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday in the other American Conference contest.
Mitch Trubisky drove Chicago 80 yards and connected with Allen Robinson on a 22-yard touchdown pass for a 15-10 Bears lead with 9:04 remaining, but Chicago failed on a 2-point conversion run.
Foles, last year’s Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, drove the Eagles to Chicago’s 2-yard line, where the NFL’s stingiest defenders at allowing points denied two runs and a pass to set up a tension-packed fourth-down all-or-nothing play.
Foles hit Golden Tate with a 2-yard touchdown pass for a 16-15 Eagles lead with 56 seconds remaining but a 2-point conversion run failed, giving Chicago a final chance.
“I just waited on my opportunity. I just tried to make a play and it worked out,’’ Tate said. “A great collective effort. We found a way.’’
Parkey’s misery miss
But the drama wasn’t over. Trubisky marched the Bears downfield where Parkey was foiled the first time when the Eagles called timeout just before the snap to negate a kick he booted down the middle between the uprights.
On the next attempt, Parkey struck an upright for the fifth time this season and saw the ball bounce off the crossbar before falling on the wrong side for the Bears.
