NFL divisional round: Sights and sounds from Ravens-Bills in Buffalo

ByESPN Staff ESPN logo
Monday, January 20, 2025
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With the wild-card games in the rearview mirror, the road to the Vince Lombardi Trophy rolls into the divisional round.

Eight teams began the weekend dreaming of a Super Bowl appearance, but by Sunday night, only four will remain standing. Saturday's action saw the Detroit Lions hosting the Washington Commanders in what was the Lions' most expensive ticket in franchise history. However, the home-field advantage wasn't enough, as rookie sensation Jayden Daniels led the Commanders to a stunning victory. Meanwhile, in Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes continued his divisional round dominance, moving to 7-0 all-time as the Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans.

Now, all eyes turn to Sunday, where Philadelphia and Buffalo host the weekend's final two matchups. The Philadelphia Eagles welcomed the Los Angeles Rams to a wintry mix at Lincoln Financial Field for an intense NFC showdown, while the Buffalo Bills take on the Baltimore Ravens in a clash of AFC powerhouses.

The stakes are high and the energy is unmatched as the NFL's elite battle for a spot in the conference championships.

Here are the sights and sounds from the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

Buffalo Bills 27, Baltimore Ravens 25

Neat audible from Josh Allen

Vibes are high

Philadelphia Eagles 28, Los Angeles Rams 22

Washington Commanders 45, Detroit Lions 31

KD rubs salt in the wound

LiAngelo Ball takes center stage for surprise performance

DETROIT -- LiAngelo Ball delivered a surprise performance during the first quarter of the Detroit Lions ' NFC Divisional Round showdown versus the Washington Commanders on Saturday night.

Ball, the middle brother of NBA guards Lonzo Ball (Chicago Bulls) and LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets), performed his popular song" Tweaker" in a No. 3 Lions jersey and Honolulu Blue skull cap to help hype up the Ford Field crowd near the end of the quarter.

A video of Ball rehearsing at the stadium for the performance surfaced online, hours ahead of the game, but the team didn't reveal his involvement beforehand. However, he did check in with a pregame video from the Lions' X account in team gear saying, "we're about to get to it, playoff time. Let's get that dub."

After the Lions' regular season finale win over the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 5, members of the Lions posted social media videos blasting Ball's new song inside the locker room as they celebrated.

Sources told ESPN's Shams Charania that Ball recently signed a deal with Def Jam and Universal Music Group that is worth as much as $13 million, with $8 million guaranteed. The deal also gives Ball full ownership of music and his own record label Born To Ball Music Group.

Ball, 26, went unselected in the 2018 NBA draft and never made a regular-season roster, but did sign training camp deals with the Detroit Pistons in 2020 and the Charlotte Hornets in 2021 and 2022. He also played for the Greensboro Swarm in NBA G League from 2021-23.-- Eric Woodyard

Gibbs hits KD's dance after opening the scoring for Detroit

Daniels and Brady chop it up pregame

Detroit's backfield duo is ready to roll

Capitals, Durant show love to the Commanders from afar

Starpower in Detroit to support the home team

Kansas City Chiefs 23, Houston Texans 14

Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark link up to cheer on Kelce & Co.

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