Ravens Edge Broncos, Niners Dump Packers

Defense was not the name of the game in Saturday's NFL playoff games. In Denver the Broncos and Ravens combined for 73 points while in San Francisco the 49ers and Green Bay combined for 76 points.

In the second game of the day, San Francisco advanced to the NFC Championship game with a 45-31 thumping of Green Bay. The game was close for two quarters but the Niners came alive with 21 points in the second half to just 10 for the Packers.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick led the way for the Niners, passing for two scores and running for two more. He completed 17 of 31 passes for 263 yards and ran the ball 16 times for an additional 181 yards. He set an NFL rushing record for yards gained in a playoff game by a quarterback.

For the game the Niners had 579 total yards against a Packers defense that held Adrian Peterson to just 99 yards the week before.

Aaron Rodgers passed for two scores.

Earlier in the day the Baltimore Ravens earned a spot in the AFC Championship game. Rookie Justin Tucker provided the heroics as he kicked a 47 yard field goal 1:42 into the second overtime to give Baltimore a 38-35 win over favored Denver in the AFC Divisional playoff.

The game-winning kick was set up when Corey Graham intercepted a Peyton Manning pass near midfield. For the game Manning was intercepted twice and he had a fumble as well.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco kept his team alive by throwing a 70-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones over Tony Carter and Rahim Moore with 31 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. The first overtime was scoreless.

This was the fourth longest playoff game in league history.

The Broncos became the latest No. 1 seed to lose in the divisional round. Since 2005, nine top-seeded teams lost their first game in the playoffs.

The Ravens will face either Houston or New England on the road next week in the AFC title game.