Well, the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs certainly delivered all the drama and excitement that was missing in the Wild Card Round. After a relatively easy slate of picks last week, the intensity ratcheted up and every game in the Divisional Round was decided by a single score, on the final possession of the game. I picked every game incorrectly as three of the four road teams won and, of the 12 total predictions, I only hit the 49ers to cover and the over on two games. I didn’t write down all our picks from the podcast, but I don’t need a piece of paper to remind me of how poorly I did.
Despite getting brutalized on picks this week, it all would have been just fine if things went well on Sunday night. And, with 13-seconds remaining in the game, it looked like the Bills were on their way to host the AFC Championship game in Buffalo as they led KC 36-33. However, some little details allowed the Chiefs to get into field goal range, tie the game, and force overtime. They would win the toss and go down the field where Patrick Mahomes found his favorite target, Travis Kelce, for the game-winning touchdown.
As much as it hurt, it was one of the best games in the history of the NFL. Both Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes played incredible football and traded the lead back-and-forth in the game’s final moments. These guys are 25 and 26 respectively, so get ready to watch a long rivalry play out. The game was the highest watched divisional game in five years, averaging north of 40-million viewers and peaking at over 51-million. In the aftermath, the overtime rules will likely be adjusted as a result of this game because a coin toss carrying so much weight in a game where so much skill was displayed didn’t feel like justice.
The morning game on Sunday was loaded with its fair share of drama as well as the Rams went into Tampa Bay and pulled off the upset over Tom Brady and the defending champion Buccaneers. It was 20-3 Rams at the half after the Tampa defense forced a very timely fumble right before the break and things were looking bleak, but you can never count out TB12.
Los Angeles extended their lead to 27-3 but, somehow, some way, the Bucs didn’t break. They responded with a FG and scored off a turnover, and then traded turnovers until a missed FG by the Rams opened the door. After scoring a TD to make it 27-20, Cam Akers lost his second fumble of the game when the Rams shifted to a conservative approach to try and protect the lead. As the sun set in Florida, Leonard Fournette scored his second TD of the game to tie the game at 27-27 with 42-seconds remaining in the game. As unlikely as ever, Brady had found a way to get his team back to even.
The Rams’ final drive started with Stafford getting sacked and it looked like we were destined for OT as the Rams burned their final timeout. However, Stafford would find Cooper Kupp on back-to-back passes, more or less wide open, for a total gain of 64-yards. They ran up and spiked the ball at the TB 12-yard line to set up a FG try for Matt Gay who had missed earlier. The ex-Buc put it through and sent his former team into the offseason.
It was a crazy game, but the first half was so one-sided that the Tom Brady retirement talk started with the halftime broadcast. Whether or not that talk subsides after the finish remains to be seen. As wild as the Sunday games were, there were two equally dramatic (albeit not as high-scoring) games on Saturday.
The NFC West produced three playoff teams that all had at least 10-wins and two of them will square off in the NFC title game after the 49ers pulled off the improbable road win in Green Bay against the Packers.
Green Bay was surgical on their first drive of the game to go up 7-0 and it looked like it might be a smooth ride for the #1 seed in the NFC, but the 49ers weren’t having it. Despite being unable to get their offense going in the freezing temperatutes, the San Francisco defense never lost faith. Even after a disastrously managed offensive possession that resulted in a Jimmy Garoppolo interception right in front of the Packers goal line, the Niners defense never wavered. Green Bay maneuvered into FG range but the 49ers defense came up with a huge block to keep it 7-0 heading into halftime.
The Niners regrouped and managed a FG after a great Deebo Sameul kickoff return set them up with a short field. Green Bay got the FG back a couple of possessions later to make it 10-3 but they remained locked in a very tight defensive game where Aaron Rodgers was unable to assert his greatness. With snow falling, SF faced a 4th & 1 at the GB 19-yard line, at the end of a long drive, with just over 6-minutes remaining in the game. They opted to go for it and turned the ball over on downs. The game was in the Packers’ hands now, or so it seemed.
Green Bay was trying not to make a critical error and Rodgers was incomplete to Devante Adams and then took a huge sack that lost 11-yards on 3rd down, setting up a 4th & 19 from their own 12-yard line. The Niners special teams seized the opportunity, blocked the punt and Talanoaa Hufanga scooped it up and scored to tie the game at 10. At that point Green Bay had nothing left. They came out on their next possession and ran 3-plays for negative-6-yards and punted the game away. Despite not playing a great game, Jimmy G did what good leaders do and found the throws at the right time. A huge Samuel run on 3rd & 7 would secure the first down and give Robbie Gould the kick that would be the game-winner.
The Niners head to LA for the third leg of a trilogy in which they are 2-0 against the Rams this season. The future of the Packers and Aaron Rodgers are both very much in question after they lost at home, with the #1 seed, and a top-10 offense and defense, again.
The legend of Joe Burrow continues to grow as he was able to overcome a 9-sack game to still throw for 348-yards and pick up the road win over the #1 seed in the AFC, the Tennessee Titans. It’s the most I’ve seen a QB get sacked in a game that didn’t result in a loss, but Ryan Tannehill was determined to put his stamp on the W-L record as a QB stat conversation that reignited over the weekend.
Tennessee went playaction on the first play with Derrick Henry in the backfield, but the Bengals weren’t fooled and Tannehill threw the ball right into a trap set by Jessie Bates III for the interception. Cincy would get a FG out of it but it gave them the lead on the scoreboard and in the possession game. It looked like the Titans hadn’t played in a while, at least offensively, as they got down 6-0 before scoring a TD towards the end of the 1st half. They oddly went for the 2-point conversion and failed, so it was tied at 6-6. The Bengals got into long field goal range and their rookie kicker Evan McPherson driled a 54-yarder to give them a 9-6 lead at the half.
Joe Mixon finally got some room on the first drive of the 2nd half for the Bengals and his TD put them up 16-6. It wasn’t looking good for the Titans when Tannehill threw his second interception of the game on 1st & goal. A taunting penalty on the Bengals nuetralized the field position and Tennessee would force the punt and get a FG. Still trailing by a TD they needed a spark and they got one on the next play as Joe Burrow threw an interception at the first play of Cincy’s next drive after a great kick return. It was borderline but it the call stood and Tannehill found A.J. Brown on a great throw and a better catch to tie it at 16-16.
The Titans’ defense forced punts on the Bengals next two possessions but their offense turned the ball over on downs and then Tannehill threw his 3rd and final interception of the game on a contested pass near midfield with just 20-seconds left. Burrow responded by finding Ja’Marr Chase for 19 yards into Titans’ territory. A couple of positioning plays later, and McPherson nailed the 52-yarder as time expired to win it 19-16.
Cincy will head to Arrowhead for a rematch with the Chiefs, who they just beat in Cincy a few weeks ago, for the AFC Championship game. The Titans are going to have to reasses some things in the offseason, but Mike Vrabel deserves credit for how he was able to reshape the defense in just a season.
The matchups are set with opportunities to go to the Super Bowl on the line and we should be in for some good games as both matchups feature rematches.
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