DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF WEEKEND RUNDOWN
In what’s being hailed as one of the greatest weekends of football in NFL history, the Divisional round of the playoffs was must-see TV from beginning to end.
For those struggling to remember the dizzying array of action from this past weekend, here’s how each matchup was decided:
MCPHERSON HEROICS IN TENNESSEE
For the first time since the 2010 season, both no.1 seeds were eliminated from the playoffs in the Divisional Round as Tennessee and Green Bay failed to win on Saturday. Tennessee were massive favorites heading into the weekend and their chances to advance were boosted by the return of 2020 offensive player of the year, Derrick Henry. The Cincinnati Bengals on the other hand had never won a playoff game on the road. They came into Nashville with an abysmal playoff record. Their last playoff win came over three decades ago in a 41-14 demolition of the Houston Oilers.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill termed the loss as “brutal” having himself a game to forget. He threw 3 interceptions, one on the first play of the game and two in the second half. Tannehill became just the second QB since 1991 to throw an interception on his first pass attempt in both halves of a playoff game, joining Hall of Famer Jim Kelly in Super Bowl XXVI. After the third interception, Joe ‘Cool’ Burrow got the ball on his 47-yard line and with 20 seconds to go, engineered a two-play drive for 21 yards, setting up a 52-yard field goal for rookie kicker Evan McPherson. He threw for 348 yards despite the Titans sacking him an incredible nine times. The Bengals will make a trip to the AFC Championship game for the first time since 1988.
GREEN BAY LOSE AT LAMBEAU FIELD….AGAIN
The ‘Last Dance’ season is over in Wisconsin for Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, and the Green Bay Packers as they suffered a 13-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. This will be the first time in twelve years that neither conference game will have a quarterback named Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers.
The Packers broke down in a special teams disaster. According to Rick Gosselin’s annual NFL Special Teams Rankings, the Packers ranked dead last on special teams this year and they lived up to their ranking at a crucial moment last weekend. The Packers special teams allowed the 49ers to: block a 39-yard field goal that would have given them a 10-point advantage, return the second-half kickoff for 45 yards, and block a punt that was returned for a touchdown in a massive 13-point swing for San Francisco.
The Packers led San Francisco 10-3 with 4:52 of regulation time left to play and had to punt after the offense couldn’t convert on a 3rd & 8. 49ers defensive end Jordan Willis blocked the punt, which was scooped up and returned for a 6-yard touchdown run by Talanoa Hufanga. That tied the game before Kyle Shanahan and a gutsy Deebo Samuel 3rd & 7 run helped set up Robbie Gould for a 45-yard field goal.
In almost poetic fashion, Green Bay’s much maligned special teams finished the year in shambles as they only fielded 10 men on the game winning field goal attempt. Niners Robbie Gould has proved one of the most clutch placekickers in football and is now 20 for 20 in the playoffs.
Green Bay fired special teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga last offseason after they ranked 29th on Gosselin’s special teams rankings in 2020 and promoted his assistant, Maurice Dayton.
RAMS DEFEAT SUPER BOWL CHAMPS
Rams kicker Matt Gay kicked the game winning field goal for the Los Angeles Rams as time expired, setting up an NFC Championship game at SoFi Stadium against division rival San Francisco next weekend. The Pro Bowl kicker was drafted by the Buccaneers in 2019 in the fifth round and played only one season before the Rams picked him up from waivers.
The Rams went up early and were leading the Super Bowl champions 27-3 before a Brady-engineered comeback gave the Bucs a fighting chance. Tied at 27, Matt Stafford led Los Angeles on a 77-yard drive, hitting Cooper Kupp twice for 64 yards and setting up a 30-yard field goal for Matt Gay. For the third time in the first three divisional playoff games, a walk-off field goal determined the result of the game as Gay converted straight down the middle.
MAHOMES WINS QB BATTLE AT ARROWHEAD
Two of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the AFC faced off in the playoffs for the second season in a row at Arrowhead.
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs needed an overtime drive and touchdown to beat Josh Allen and the Bills in the weekend’s blockbuster game. Mahomes threw for 447 yards and 4 touchdowns in a game that saw three lead changes inside the last two minutes of regulation, with 177 of his passing yards coming after the two-minute warning. The game was a rematch of a week five encounter between the two teams -a game that ultimately went to the Bills. In probably one of the best performances by opposing quarterbacks in NFL playoff history, Josh Allen matched Mahomes’ 4 touchdowns and threw for nearly 400 yards, completing 27 of his 37 passes in the process.
There were 17 points scored in the final 73 seconds of regulation. Bills wide receiver Gabriel Davis became the first player in NFL history to score 4 receiving touchdowns in a playoff game. His 8 catches for 201 yards marked the best game of his career to date.
The Kansas City Chiefs will now be the first team in NFL history to host the AFC Championship game in four straight seasons.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero