2008–09 NFL playoffs

The National Football League playoffs for the 2008 season began on January 3, 2009. The postseason tournament concluded with the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, 27–23, on February 1, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Participants

Bracket

Schedule

In the United States, NBC broadcast the first two Wild Card playoff games and Super Bowl XLIII (their first Super Bowl broadcast since Super Bowl XXXII at the end of the 1997–98 playoffs). CBS telecast the rest of the AFC playoff games and Fox the rest of the NFC games.

Wild Card playoffs

Saturday, January 3, 2009

NFC: Arizona Cardinals 30, Atlanta Falcons 24

Playing in their first playoff game at home since 1947 and first playoff game in University of Phoenix Stadium, Arizona outgained the Falcons in total yards 357–250 and forced three turnovers. Atlanta running back Michael Turner, who rushed for 1,699 yards during the season, was held to 42 yards on 18 carries.

One minute into the game, Atlanta receiver Harry Douglas gave his team a scoring opportunity by returning a punt 21 yards to the Cardinals 48-yard line. But two plays later, rookie quarterback Matt Ryan's pass was intercepted by Ralph Brown. The Cardinals offense started off their ensuing drive with three runs for 21 yards by Edgerrin James, and then took the lead over the Falcons with a 42-yard touchdown pass from Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald on a flea flicker play.

In the second quarter, Ryan led Atlanta 80 yards to the Cardinals 12-yard line where Jason Elam finished the drive with a 30-yard field goal to cut the score to 7–3. But three plays after the kickoff, Warner threw a short pass to receiver Anquan Boldin, who caught the ball and cut away from Lawyer Milloy, taking off down the left sideline for a 71-yard touchdown reception to give his team a 14–3 lead.

Atlanta responded with touchdowns on their next two drives to take the lead before halftime. First, Ryan threw for 67 yards on a 77-yard drive that ended with Turner's 7-yard touchdown run. Then, Falcons defensive back Chevis Jackson intercepted a pass from Warner on the Cardinals 23-yard line. Five plays later, Ryan threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Justin Peelle, giving Atlanta a 17–14 lead with 23 seconds left in the second quarter.

However, Arizona would score 16 unanswered points in the second half. Three plays after the second half kickoff, Darnell Dockett burst up the middle on a running play, knocking the ball out of Ryan's hands before he could hand it off. Antrel Rolle (who was blitzing on the play) snagged the ball out of midair and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown. Then following two Atlanta punts and a missed 51-yard field goal by Neil Rackers, Arizona running back Tim Hightower finished a 76-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run, making the score 28–17. Early in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals increased their lead to 30–17 when defensive end Antonio Smith sacked Ryan in the end zone for a safety.

With 4:14 left in the game, Atlanta managed to get back within one touchdown with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Ryan to Roddy White. But with the aid of a key 24-yard reception by reserve tight end Stephen Spach (who caught only two passes for 15 yards during the season) on third down and 16, the Cardinals managed to run out the rest of the clock.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Falcons and Cardinals.

AFC: San Diego Chargers 23, Indianapolis Colts 17 (OT)

Chargers running back Darren Sproles had 328 all-purpose yards (105 rushing, 45 receiving, 106 kickoff return yards, 72 yards on three punt returns), the third highest total in playoff history, and two touchdowns, including the game winning score in overtime.

Late in the first quarter, three receptions by Colts receiver Anthony Gonzalez for 59 yards set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Joseph Addai, putting Indianapolis on the board. In the second quarter, an 18-yard punt return by Sproles gave the Chargers good field position on the Colts 44-yard line. A few plays later, Philip Rivers' 30-yard completion to tight end Antonio Gates set up a 1-yard touchdown run by LaDainian Tomlinson to tie the game. But two more receptions by Gonzalez, for gains of 20 and 11 yards, led to an Adam Vinatieri field goal.

After an exchange of punts, Hunter Smith's 34-yard punt from his own 11-yard line gave San Diego the ball on the Colts 45. Five plays later, Sproles scored on a 9-yard touchdown run, giving his team a 14–10 halftime lead.

Midway into the third quarter, Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning managed to hurry his offense onto the line of scrimmage for a play while San Diego's defense was making substitutions. As a result, receiver Reggie Wayne ran past defensive back Antonio Cromartie (who didn't even realize the play had started), caught a pass from Manning, and took off for a 72-yard touchdown catch, retaking the lead for the Colts at 17–14. This would be the last score from both teams until late in the fourth quarter. San Diego responded on their ensuing drive by moving the ball to the Colts 9-yard line. But Sproles fumbled the ball into the end zone while being tackled by Tim Jennings and defensive tackle Raheem Brock recovered it for a touchback.

With under three minutes left in the game, Mike Scifres's 52-yard punt pinned the Colts back at their own 1-yard line. The Colts managed to get away from their own end zone with their first two plays, but on third down and two, linebacker Tim Dobbins drove them back to the 1 by sacking Manning for an 8-yard loss. Sproles then returned the ensuing punt 26 yards to the Colts 38-yard line. Following two receptions by Gates for 22 yards and an 8-yard run by Sproles, Nate Kaeding's field goal tied the game with 31 seconds left, sending it into sudden death.

In overtime, the Chargers won the coin toss and drove for the winning score, aided by two key penalties against the Colts defense. First Sproles returned the kickoff 31 yards to his own 25-yard line, and two plays later he caught a 13-yard pass on third down and 11. Six plays later from the Indianapolis 40-yard line, Jennings was called for defensive holding while trying to cover Chris Chambers on a third down play, giving the Chargers a first down. On the next play, a 15-yard facemask penalty on Clint Session moved the ball to the 20. Sproles was tackled for a 2-yard loss on the next play, but after that he ran 22 yards for a game-winning touchdown to win the game for San Diego.

This would be the Chargers' last playoff win until the 2013 NFL playoffs & last home playoff win for the Chargers in San Diego.

This was the third postseason meeting between the Colts and Chargers, and the second consecutive postseason meeting. Both teams have split the previous two meetings. San Diego won the previous meeting 28–24 in the 2007 AFC Divisional playoffs.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

AFC: Baltimore Ravens 27, Miami Dolphins 9

The game featured a Dolphins offense which had an NFL-low 13 giveaways against a Ravens defense that led the league in takeaways with 34. The Ravens defense ended up triumphant, forcing five turnovers en route to victory.

On the game's opening drive, Baltimore running back Le'Ron McClain lost a fumble which linebacker Joey Porter recovered and returned to midfield. Several plays later, Miami advanced to the Ravens 1-yard line, but was unable to get into the end zone with two consecutive plays and ended up settling for a Dan Carpenter field goal to take a 3–0 lead. Baltimore responded with a drive to the Dolphins 5-yard line, featuring a 31-yard reception by tight end Todd Heap and scored with Matt Stover's 23-yard field goal to tie the game.

Midway through the second quarter, Ravens safety Ed Reed intercepted a pass from Chad Pennington and returned it 64 yards for a touchdown. Then after forcing a punt, Joe Flacco's 31-yard completion to Derrick Mason set up Stover's second field goal to give the Ravens a 13–3 halftime lead.

Miami's misfortunes continued in the second half. On their first drive of the second half, Pennington threw his third interception of the game. Then after a punt, Dolphins running back Patrick Cobbs lost a fumble while being tackled by Marques Douglas and linebacker Terrell Suggs recovered it on Miami's 19-yard line. Three plays later, McClain scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to make it 20–3. The Dolphins responded with a drive to the Ravens 13-yard line, only to lose the ball on Pennington's fourth interception of the game, and his second to Reed.

Early in the fourth quarter, Pennington's 45-yard completion to Davone Bess set up his 2-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Brown, cutting the score to 20–9 after Frank Walker blocked the extra point attempt. But the Ravens defense shut out Miami for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, a 48-yard run by Willis McGahee set up a 5-yard touchdown by Flacco, making the final score 27–9.

This would be the Dolphins last playoff appearance until the 2016 NFL playoffs.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Ravens and Dolphins, with Baltimore winning the only prior meeting 20–3 in the 2001 AFC Wild Card playoffs.

NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 26, Minnesota Vikings 14

Brian Westbrook's 71-yard touchdown reception in the second half gave the Eagles a two-score lead they never relinquished. Philadelphia's special teams unit also played a key role in their victory, as David Akers kicked four field goals, while DeSean Jackson returned five punts for a franchise playoff record 106 yards.

Early in the first quarter, Jackson's 62-yard punt return set up a field goal from Akers. Then after a punt, Donovan McNabb's 27-yard completion to Correll Buckhalter set up a 51-yard field goal by Akers on the last play of the quarter, making it 6–0. But Minnesota took the lead on their next drive with a 40-yard touchdown run from Adrian Peterson.

However, this turned out to be the only lead the Vikings would have for the entire game, and it would be short-lived. First, a 34-yard reception by Jackson set up Akers' third field goal. Then on Minnesota's next drive, cornerback Asante Samuel intercepted a pass from Tarvaris Jackson and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown, giving the Eagles a 16–7 lead.

With less than two minutes left in the first half, Peterson scored his second touchdown on a 3-yard run to cut the deficit to 16–14. But after a scoreless third quarter, Westbrook's 71-yard touchdown reception put the Eagles back up by nine points. Then with less than three minutes left in the game, a low snap by center Matt Birk in shotgun formation bounced off Tarvaris Jackson's foot and was recovered by Eagles defensive end Juqua Parker. Five plays later, Akers kicked his fourth field goal, this one from 45 yards, to put the game away.

This was the third postseason meeting between the Eagles and Vikings, with Philadelphia winning both prior meetings, including 27–14 in the 2004 NFC Divisional playoffs.

Divisional playoffs

Saturday, January 10, 2009

AFC: Baltimore Ravens 13, Tennessee Titans 10

Matt Stover kicked a 43-yard field goal with 57 seconds remaining to send the Ravens into the AFC Championship Game at the expense of the Titans, as quarterback Joe Flacco became the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games in a single postseason. Tennessee turned the ball over three times, which proved to be the difference between the two teams, as Baltimore never gave the ball away.

The Titans took the lead on their second drive of the game with Kerry Collins completing a 28-yard pass to rookie running back Chris Johnson and a 20-yarder to Justin Gage before Johnson finished the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. But the Ravens answered back with Flacco's 48-yard touchdown pass to former Titan Derrick Mason.

Early in the second quarter, Tennessee drove to the Ravens 25-yard line, only to turn the ball over on downs due to a fumbled snap on a fourth down conversion attempt. Then after forcing a punt, their drive to the Ravens 32-yard line also ended with no points when a pass from Collins was picked off by former Titan Samari Rolle. Following another punt, the Titans moved the ball into scoring range for the third time in a row, this time driving to the Baltimore 22. But once again they came up empty after LenDale White's fumble was recovered by Ravens safety Jim Leonhard with 25 seconds left in the half.

In the second half, a 29-yard punt return by Leonhard and a 37-yard reception by Mark Clayton set up a Stover field goal to take a 10–7 lead. Meanwhile, the Titans failed to score again, as Rob Bironas missed a 51-yard field goal after Stover's field goal, and Ravens cornerback Fabian Washington forced and recovered a fumble from tight end Alge Crumpler on Baltimore's 1-yard line.

However, the Ravens were unable to gain any yards with their ensuing drive and Tennessee got the ball back with great field position at the Ravens 42-yard line. This time, they managed to drive to the 10-yard line and score with a Bironas field goal to tie the game at 10.

Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Baltimore faced third down and 2. On the next play, the play clock appeared to expire before the snap, but no penalty flag was thrown and Flacco ended up completing a 23-yard pass to Todd Heap. Five plays later, Stover's 43-yard field goal gave the Ravens a 13–10 lead with 53 seconds left. Baltimore's defense then sealed the victory by forcing Tennessee to turn the ball over on downs on their own 40-yard line. This would be the last playoff appearance for the Titans until the 2017 Season.

This was the third postseason meeting between the Ravens and Titans. Both teams split the prior two meetings with the victor winning on the road. Tennessee won the most recent meeting 20–17 in the 2003 AFC Wild Card playoffs.

NFC: Arizona Cardinals 33, Carolina Panthers 13

Jake Delhomme was intercepted five times and lost a fumble as the Cardinals reached the NFC Championship Game for the first time in their history, winning for the first time in the Eastern Time Zone all season, and not only handing the Panthers their first home defeat of the season, but also handing them their first playoff home defeat. Delhomme, playing on his 34th birthday, became the first player to have five picks in the playoffs since Rich Gannon in Super Bowl XXXVII, with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Gerald Hayes, Antrel Rolle, Ralph Brown, and Roderick Hood all hauling the ball in. Meanwhile, Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald set a franchise postseason record with 166 yards on eight receptions including a touchdown.

Panthers receiver Mark Jones gave his team good field position on their first drive, returning the opening kickoff 39 yards to the Arizona 48-yard line. A few plays later a 31-yard burst from DeAngelo Williams set up a 9-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Stewart giving Carolina a 7–0 lead. But this would be short lived as the Cardinals would respond with 33 unanswered points.

After an exchange of punts, Kurt Warner's 48-yard completion to Fitzgerald set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Tim Hightower. Then on the first play of the Panthers next drive, Cardinals defensive end Antonio Smith knocked the ball out of Delhomme's hand as he was about to throw and recovered it on the Carolina 13-yard line. One play later, Edgerrin James' 4-yard touchdown run gave Arizona a 14–7 lead.

Later on, a 45-yard pass interference penalty on Rolle gave the Panthers the ball on the Arizona 13-yard line. But on the first play of the second quarter, Delhomme's pass was intercepted by Rodgers-Cromartie, who returned the ball 20 yards to the 20-yard line. Arizona then drove to the Panthers 31-yard line where Neil Rackers made a 49-yard field goal. Following a Carolina punt, two receptions by Fitzgerald for 42 yards set up another Rackers field goal. Then Hayes intercepted a pass from Delhomme, which led to another Arizona score, this one a 29-yard touchdown pass from Warner to Fitzgerald, making the score 27–7 by halftime.

The situation didn't get any better for the Panthers in the second half. Six minutes into the third quarter, Rolle's 46-yard interception return led to Rackers' third field goal. Then in the fourth quarter, Delhomme was intercepted on two consecutive drives. After the second one, the Cardinals executed 12 consecutive running plays with Hightower, gaining 48 yards and setting up Rackers' fourth field goal.

Carolina managed to respond with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Delhomme to Steve Smith, but by then there were only 53 seconds left in the game.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Cardinals and Panthers.

Sunday, Janu