DALLAS — Tony Romo threw a pair of touchdown passes to Terrance Williams as the Dallas Cowboys erased a 13-point second-half deficit for its second playoff victory since 1996, 24-20 over the Detroit Lions Sunday in an NFC wild-card contest.
Romo finished 19-of-31 for 293 yards and capped the comeback with an 8-yard scoring pass to Williams with 2:32 to play — a touchdown that followed a huge reversal of a penalty against the Cowboys (13-4), who will play at No. 2 Green Bay next Sunday. DeMarco Murray rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown while Williams made three catches for 92 yards and the two TDs to lift Dallas to its fifth straight win.
Matthew Stafford threw for 323 yards with one touchdown and one interception for Detroit (11-6), which absorbed its eighth consecutive playoff defeat since beating the Cowboys in January 1992. Golden Tate had six receptions for 89 yards and a TD while Calvin Johnson added five catches for 85 yards for the Lions, who were driving for a potential clinching score when an obvious pass interference penalty was called on Dallas’ Anthony Hitchens — only to see the officials pick up the flag.
Detroit’s Sam Martin shanked a 10-yard punt on the next play and Romo moved the Cowboys 59 yards in 11 plays, ending the drive by finding Williams in the back of the end zone. Detroit, which led 20-7 with just over 8 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, drove to the Dallas 42 with 1:00 to play, but Demarcus Lawrence sacked Stafford to end it.
Romo found Dez Bryant for 46 yards to set up Murray’s 1-yard plunge on fourth down late in the third to cut the deficit to 20-14 and Dan Bailey booted a 51-yard field goal with 12:16 to play to bring the Cowboys within three points. The Lions stunned the home crowd by bolting to a 14-0 first-quarter lead, following a 51-yard strike from Stafford to Tate by driving 99 yards in 14 plays, capped by Reggie Bush’s 18-yard TD run.
The Cowboys got on the board when Williams took a short pass and split the defense for a 76-yard touchdown with 1:37 left in the half, but Prater kicked a 39-yard field goal for a 17-7 halftime lead.
Ravens 30, Steelers 17
Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes as visiting Baltimore notched its first-ever playoff win against Pittsburgh on Saturday .
Steve Smith racked up 101 receiving yards on five receptions while Torrey Smith and rookie Crockett Gillmore each caught a touchdown as the sixth-seeded Ravens (11-6) advanced to this Saturday’s matchup against top-seeded New England. Justin Forsett was limited to 36 rushing yards on 16 attempts, although Bernard Pierce scored on a TD on his only carry.
Recently signed Ben Tate, undrafted rookie Josh Harris and fellow rookie Dri Archer combined for 43 rushing yards on 15 carries for the third-seeded Steelers (11-6), who played without Le’Veon Bell after the NFL’s second-leading rusher suffered a hyperextended knee last weekend. Ben Roethlisberger threw two costly interceptions and finished 31-of-45 for 334 yards and a touchdown, with the rest of Pittsburgh’s points coming from three first-half field goals by Shaun Suisham and a late safety after the outcome had been decided.
Panthers 27, Cardinals 16
Cam Newton threw a pair of touchdown passes 1:32 apart in the third quarter as host Carolina pulled away to advance to the NFC Divisional Round on Saturday.
Newton finished 18-of-32 for 198 yards and Jonathan Stewart rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown as the Panthers (8-8-1) overcame a pair of costly first-half turnovers to extend their winning streak to five and set up a matchup at top-seeded Seattle. Running backs Fozzy Whittaker and Mike Tolbert each had scoring receptions while Carolina limited Arizona to 78 total yards — the fewest in postseason history.
Third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley threw for 81 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions as the Cardinals (11-6) closed the season with three consecutive defeats. Tight end Darren Fells and running back Marion Grice each scored a second-quarter touchdown, but Lindley was picked off inside the 5-yard line by Luke Kuechly and Tre Boston in the final 11:48 to stifle any comeback hopes.