Take a breath. Wipe off the sweat. Maybe you even need a shower. Take a moment and just appreciate what football fans were blessed to watch this weekend. Four playoff games. Four games that were won on the final play of the game. Three road teams escaping with victories. Kickers with ice in their veins. Fan bases who are both devastatingly crushed and excitedly relieved. A near epic collapse. All time greats who we now ask “What’s next?”. A quarterback duel for the ages in one of the greatest games ever played. You could watch football for another 50 years and we may never see anything like it again.
Chiefs Find More Magic in Overtime Classic Win Over Bills
The final game of a loaded Divisional Round weekend ended up being the cherry on top of a stacked sundae. Scratch that, it was like adding the Powerball number to five already correct lottery numbers. The Chiefs 42-36 overtime win the Buffalo Bills had fans frustrated. Not because the game had controversy or anything like that, but because the NFL’s overtime rules prevented us from continuing to see the best two young quarterbacks put on a show for the ages.
From the onset of the game, you knew this wasn’t going to be anything like the first match up between the Chiefs and Bills, a game that Buffalo rag dolled Kansas City. Both Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes were dialed in with combinations of sniper throws, mad scrambling, and large yardage runs. The teams went into halftime tied at 14 after a missed Kansas City field goal.
The Chiefs opened the second half by gaining those three points back, then forcing a three and out before a drive that ended in a Mecole Hardman 25 yard touchdown run. A Harrison Butker missed extra point kept the Bills deficit to only nine points.
The very next play was a 75 yard touchdown bomb from Allen to Gabriel Davis to put the pressure back on Kansas City just before the end of the third quarter. It was at this moment this game really started to feel special.
The teams would trade off punts for each of their next possession before the game went from good to all time classic.
Kansas City put a four play drive together to kick a field goal and take a 26-21 lead with just under nine minutes left in the game. At the time, it didn’t feel like that would be enough to put away Buffalo and that was an understatement. The remainder of the game was some of the wildest football ever seen.
The Bills put together a clock draining seven minute drive that included two fourth down conversions, including a Gabriel Davis 27 yard touchdown catch that sent Kansas City defensive back Mike Hughes’ jock to a place not yet traveled by the human species. A two-point conversion was also successful on a throw to Stefon Diggs.
But there was too much time.
Mahomes followed up Allen’s drive with a quick five play, 75 yard drive that ended with a Tyreek Hill crossing route in which “Cheetah” left everyone in the dust for a 64 yard touchdown catch. The touchdown reclaimed the lead and the Butker extra point forced Buffalo to have to find the end zone in the final 1:02 of the game as they were down 33-29.
BUT there was too much time.
You likely already know where this is going. Allen did just that. By completing four passes in 49 seconds, Allen found Davis in the end zone for his fourth receiving touchdown of the game and reclaimed a three point lead. The Bills left only 13 seconds in the game.
BUT THERE WAS TOO MUCH TIME.
A questionable Bills kickoff out of the end zone took no time off the clock. With the Bills defense giving up a good portion of the middle of the field, Mahomes found Hill for a quick catch and 19 yard gain before a timeout with eight seconds remaining. On another questionable decision, the Bills rushed four men on a play where Mahomes would need to get rid of the ball quickly to get in field goal range, get down, and call a timeout for a last second kick. The rush allowed Travis Kelce to get up for a quick hit and a 25 yard gain. Butker who had the earlier missed field goal and extra point then drained a 49 yard field goal to send the game to overtime.
This is where the fans ultimately lose. Considering the final minutes of the game, it already felt like whoever would win the coin toss would march down the field, score a touchdown, and be welcoming Cincinnati to their home field for the AFC Championship. That’s essentially what happened. KC won the toss, received, and Mahomes put together an eight play, 75 yard drive that ended the game with a nice Travis Kelce eight yard touchdown catch on the end zone sideline.
The game of the year, decade, millennium…whatever you want to call it, ended feeling like we were missing something. How great would it have been to see Allen have a chance to respond? To see these two great young quarterbacks continue to shine in one of football’s biggest moments? We didn’t get that opportunity. We lost the chance to see these two duel to the death, to claim this game as “The Gabriel Davis Game”, to maybe see all four of the higher seeds bounced in dramatic fashion in one weekend. It doesn’t take away from how great the game was and the performances that made it great, but leaves an empty feeling of what could’ve been.
Needless to say, Kansas City will be making a well deserved fourth straight trip to the AFC Championship Game. Buffalo sees their season end at the hands of the Chiefs for the second straight year. It may be a tough pill to swallow for Bills fans now, but they should gain hope in the likeliness that this is just another early loss in a rivalry between two great quarterbacks and two contending franchises for years to come.
Rams Blow Big Lead Before Walk Off Win
Was this the last time we will see Brady play a game in the NFL? The conversation wasn’t discussed much heading into the weekend, but something just felt like this could be the end after the Bucs’ 30-27 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.
It looked like Tampa Bay was shell shocked early at home as the Bucs’ offense couldn’t do anything against a Rams defense that has really come on lately. Tampa also seemed rattled with two personal foul calls between Brady and Ndamukong Suh…yeah referee Shawn Hochuli decided he wanted to make sure he was involved in the game. I’m not a “let Brady get away with anything” guy, but come on. We’ve watched Brady chew out referees for a lot less in the past and he doesn’t get that flag.
The Rams looked like they were going to blow Tampa out of their own building, but a Cam Akers fumble in front of the end zone kept the Bucs’ deficit to 20-3 at the half.
The third quarter didn’t give off much other optimism as the lead increased to 27-6 when Cooper Kupp was stripped slightly before the final quarter. Tampa Bay quickly turned that turnover into seven points after a Leonard Fournette touchdown.
Momentum quickly changed hands as the next Tampa Bay drive ended with a Von Miller strip sack and fumble recovery which was immediately followed by a snap that Matthew Stafford wasn’t ready for, went past him, and the Bucs recovered the ball right back.
With less than four minutes left in the game and the Tampa Bay season nearing its end, Brady found Mike Evans for a 55 yard touchdown bomb. It only took the Rams two plays for Cam Akers to cough the ball up again to Tampa.
Tampa took that ball and Brady lead a 30 yard drive that ended with another Fournette touchdown that brought the Bucs back from the 24 point deficit they faced to tie the game.
With only 42 seconds remaining, the ball was placed in Matthew Stafford’s hands after coming off his first playoff win last week. On 2nd & 11 from the Rams’ own 24 yard line and only 35 seconds remaining, Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles dialed up a Cover 0 blitz which ended with a wide open MVP candidate Cooper Kupp and 44 yard reception that allowed Stafford to spike the ball. Matt Gay would then kick the 30 yard field goal for the win.
Stafford and the Rams will now find themselves one game away from a home Super Bowl berth. After years of missing the playoffs with the Detroit Lions, Stafford is now performing on some of the biggest stages in the sport. It’s hard not to be happy for him.
The biggest story after the game will certainly be Brady’s future though. He will be 45 years of age by next season and even though there is no doubt he can still play the game at high level, what’s the purpose of coming back other than just loving the game? No one can touch his accolades and he can still walk away without leaving a bad taste in everyone’s mouth like many greats who hold on too long. Of course many of us are probably hoping to see how long he can test the fountain of youth and there is something to say for that. Whatever the decision, it likely won’t be known until after the Super Bowl.
49ers Hang Around to Stun Packers at Lambeau
Aaron Rodgers will be joining Tom Brady in one of the biggest question marks heading into the offseason. It’s unlikely that Rodgers would step away from the game, especially considering he will likely win his second straight MVP, but the chances of him playing in a Green Bay Packers jersey again seem very unknown after another disappoint playoff exit. This version of the Packers’ playoff drowning was brought to you once again by the San Francisco 49ers by the score of 13-10.
The 49ers, who are now 4-0 against Rodgers-led Packers teams in the playoffs, had the ultimate gut check performance in their upset of the number one seed. The Packers marched right down the field on the opening drive for a touchdown and immediately forced a San Fran three and out.
Green Bay continued to march on their second drive until Mercedes Lewis lost a fumble. From that moment on, both offensives were essentially inept. Each team punted for multiple drives until the Niners put together a nice 58 yard drive at the end of the half and ended it with your weekly Jimmy Garoppolo bad interception in the redzone.
With the Packers looking content to run out the clock and enter the half with a seven point lead, San Francisco called a timeout which forced the Packers to continue to play on. Aaron Jones broke loose on a broken coverage and Rodgers hit him for what was nearly a half ending touchdown. The Packers then saw their atrocious special teams make the first of a couple appearances when Mason Crosby’s field goal was blocked.
The Niners opened the second half with a field goal, but the game continued to take on more of the lackluster offense. Eventually Rodgers was able to put together a 57 yard drive for a Green Bay field goal to extend the lead to 10-3.
With San Francisco’s offense showing little life, they went for a 4th & 1 on the Green Bay 19 yard line, but were stuffed. At that moment, it felt like the Packers’ ugly performance at home would survive the weekend.
Then came the apocalyptic silence to Lambeau Field. After a 49ers sack pushed the Packers back to their own 12 yard line, Green Bay was forced to punt with just under five minutes to go. The Packers’ special teams unit left its mark for the second time when the punt was blocked and returned for a Niners touchdown to tie the game up.
Aaron Rodgers returned to the field in what many would expect to be another classic game winning drive. That didn’t happen. What did happen was a lifeless Packers offense ran three plays for negative six yards that included a 3rd & 11 play where Rodgers threw a deep ball prayer to Davante Adams in double coverage that was incomplete. Alan Lazard was wide open underneath on the same play.
The Packers punted and the Niners, who never seemed in the game until the final five minutes even though they remained within one possession, went 44 yards down field in 3:20. The biggest play prior to Robbie Gould’s game winning field goal as time expired was a 3rd & 7 call on the Green Bay 38 yard line with about a minute left. A failed conversion would’ve meant that Kyle Shanahan would’ve had to decide whether to attempt a field goal from deep that could end in a miss and good Packers’ field position, a punt, or going for fourth down. Fortunately for Niners fans, Deebo Samuel broke off a nine yard run for first down that ended up sealing the Packers’ fate.
Now the 49ers who have had moments where they look like they can beat anyone will travel to Los Angeles to face the division rival Rams, who they’ve defeated twice already, for a trip to the Super Bowl. Kyle Shanahan is only one game away from getting the niners to a second Super Bowl with Garoppolo, a decent to good quarterback, as the head of the offense. That’s impressive.
The Packers will enter the offseason with just about as many questions as any other team. This loss felt like the end of an era. Yes, the special teams was as bad as it can be (they only had 10 players on the field for the final field goal as well), but Rodgers was unable to conjure anything replicating an MVP quarterback. Just the visual of Rodgers walking off Lambeau and then you consider the preseason drama built up with the other off the field controversies Rodgers was involved in. Everything seemed to be going fine between him and the Packers while the season was a success, but another early exit could spring more frustration. When you consider that Green Bay is in such a salary cap hell that they may not be able to even bring back Davante Adams, the chances of Rodgers voicing his want to take his career elsewhere seems even more likely. Come training camp, a new era may be starting in Green Bay.
Last Year’s Prey Is This Year’s Predator
How can you not love this Bengals team? Every week they keep proving they are even better than the what some of their biggest fans thought they were. This weekend’s statement was louder than ever as they eliminated the number one seeded Tennessee Titans, 19-16.
I keep telling myself that Cincinnati is built well for Super Bowl runs in the next couple years with their abundance of young talent at important positions and tons of salary cap space. At this point, how can anyone say they may not just go win the whole thing now? Sure, it wasn’t the highlight reel Joe Burrow/Ja’Marr Chase combo game that we’ve grown accustomed too, but this team had the mental toughness to go into arguable the most mentally tough team in the NFL this year and win a nail biting victory.
Burrow didn’t score a touchdown and had one pick, but threw for 348 yards and never seemed rattled in the biggest game of his young career. The “Joe Cool” comparisons are so spot on. Even in a game where the Titans broke the playoff single game sack record with nine, Burrow continued to be composed and deal to his abundance of weapons. The drives only ended with one touchdown, a Joe Mixon rush, but Burrow was able to get “The Man with the Golden Leg”, Even McPherson, in range for four field goals including the game winning 52 yarder.
Where Burrow seemed composed, Tennessee quarterback Ryan Tannehill seemed anything but that. A team that won off of limiting mistakes and playing smart, mentally sound football throughout the season albeit key injuries, found themselves in a tough spot after Tannehill threw three interceptions. The moment seemed too big for Tannehill and at no point did he seem like he carried the confidence of a quarterback leading a team that has home field throughout the playoffs.
The Titans also saw the long awaited return of Derrick Henry and although he found the end zone, he was still held to 62 yards rushing on 20 carries. The Cincinnati defense definitely bent, but never broke in the game as they refused to let Henry have his return party that many expected.
This was a season where the Titans seemed primed to have a realistic chance at the Super Bowl. The NFL’s parity hasn’t been this good in a long time and the Titans had defeated many of the best teams in the league. Earning a number one seed is never easy and it won’t get easier with all of the great young quarterbacks in the AFC.
Now the Bengals, who finished last in their division last season, have not only won the AFC North, but put together two playoff wins and find themselves in the AFC Conference Championship against a Kansas City team that they just defeated a couple weeks ago. They definitely won’t be favorites, nor should they. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the playoffs will be a different beast. At this point though, how can anyone brush off the idea that we may be seeing a Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati squad into Los Angeles in just a couple weeks?
Looking Ahead to the Conference Championships
First we must just come to the realization that we will not be able to relive this past weekend. Weekends like that don’t come around often, but how can a football fan not be excited about how these playoffs have played out? The Chiefs will be heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl, but the Bengals, Rams, and Niners are all feisty, tested teams who deserve a fair shot.
Next Sunday opens with Cincinnati traveling to Kansas City for the AFC Championship. The regular season matchup in which the Bengals won 34-31 was one of the best games of the season and don’t get it twisted, the Chiefs were not only playing to win that game, but that was when they were playing really well. Cincinnati 100% can win this game. If Joe Burrow is not turned into human puddy by Chris Jones and gets any form of protection, he can pick apart this Chiefs defense. That being said, Pat Mahomes looked like a playoff natural against Buffalo and I would have no reason to expect anything less. These two teams will likely be competing in the AFC playoffs for years to come. Let’s enjoy the first of likely many battles.
The NFC West was the best NFC division and frankly it wasn’t close. San Francisco and Los Angeles were the best two teams in that division and we get to see them for round three. The 49ers won both rounds one and two, but this is a Rams team that is playing better than it has all season. The additions of Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller are now paying dividends. Cam Akers didn’t have a great game against Tampa Bay, but he is an additional weapon to a loaded offense. This Niners team is just gritty though. I don’t care what anyone says. There isn’t a tougher team in the playoffs. If you watched the beating some of those players took at Lambeau, you know San Francisco defines “leaving it all out on the field”. The question will be whether they have anything left in the tank to give the Rams a knockout blow in the final round.
Sure, we won’t get an all time NFL weekend like this past weekend, but the championship games have their own glimmer. In the year of ultimate parity, we have found a mostly unexpected final four where any team can still bring him the Lombardi Trophy. We all need seven days to appreciate what we just viewed. Come next Sunday it will be time for some more great games.