One step closer to Arizona, the NFL’s Divisional Round provided us with a few marquee matchups to decide who would be heading to the conference title games. On tap was the opportunity for a rematch in the AFC title game, as well as a few potential upsets across the board.
Ultimately, the upsets never came as once Saturday’s slate of games was out of the way, we were left with the six best teams in the NFL this season. That’s no disrespect to the New York Giants or Jacksonville Jaguars, but that’s the truth.
Here’s what stood out this past weekend as the Conference Championships were finalized.
The Chiefs are back in the AFC Championship Game
Make it five straight AFC Championship Games for the Kansas City Chiefs. However, it wasn’t easy. The Jacksonville Jaguars played well and were in this game from start to finish.
They ran the ball well, were efficient on third down, and performed well enough on defense while getting after Patrick Mahomes. The Jaguars’ time will come with Trevor Lawrence under center, but this is all about the Chiefs and the growing legend of Mahomes.
The Chiefs started hot, scoring on their first drive of the game, but after Arden Key inadvertently landed on Mahomes’ ankle it looked like the soon-to-be MVP would be knocked out of the game. He briefly was as Chad Henne came into the game and remarkably led the Chiefs on a 98-yard touchdown drive to send Arrowhead into a fever pitch. But the Chiefs needed Mahomes back in the game to ward off the Jags even if he was effectively on one leg.
Even though he didn’t have the mobility to extend drives with his legs, or even generate much torque into his throws, he was able to dictate the offense in the pocket – often relying on Travis Kelce’s ability to win against man and zone coverages, which he did to the tune of 14 catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Ironically, this game was just as much about the Chiefs stepping up around Mahomes as it was about Mahomes himself.
That’s the DNA of a great team, though. Mahomes makes them a bonafide Super Bowl contender, even on one leg, but everyone around Mahomes stepped up to get the job done. Henne did his job for one drive, the running game, particularly Isaiah Pacheco, excelled, and the defense did its thing. The Chiefs are one game away from the Big Dance.
Giants storybook tale ends with a humbling loss
Like it or not, the Philadelphia Eagles are the most complete team in the NFL. From top to bottom, their roster is so well constructed. The offensive line is the best in the NFL, they have a totally diverse run game, difference makers in the passing game, and one of the best defenses in football.
The totality of it is this: the Eagles are a damn good football team, complemented by some of the best coaching in the NFL. Everything that made them a successful team in the regular season was on show against the Giants as they ran out 38-7 winners.
The Eagles were clear favourites, but after the Giants knocked off the Vikings in the Wildcard Round, there was an element of doubt in the game – even if the Eagles had outscored the Giants 70-38 across their two divisional wins in the regular season.
There wasn’t too much to suggest it would be different – unless the Giants could dominate in the run game. They had brief moments of success there, but the Eagles rushed out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, completely changing the dimensions of the game – and with it, likely the Giants game plan.
They couldn’t dedicate the usual amount of touches to Saquon Barkley – the best player on their team – and it hurt them. Barkley had just 11 total touches in the game, which just isn’t enough to get him going.
A worry for the Giants in the postseason has been the looming talent deficit against a better team. They got by against the Vikings with an excellent game plan (and played against an awful defense) but were outmatched across the board on Saturday. The Eagles were deserving winners from start to finish, and their 28-0 lead at halftime was a reminder of how devastating this team can be.
The Bengals look better than last year
There are two ways to look at Sunday’s Divisional Round matchup between the Bills and Bengals. You could say that the Bills played an absolutely atrocious game and you would be right. But you could also say that the Bengals were excellent across all three phases of the game from start to finish. The Bills underwhelmed when it mattered the most, but the Bengals were dominant.
For a team struggling with offensive line injuries, it sure didn’t show. The Bengals won the battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and that visibly set the tone for the game.
Joe Burrow – who was sacked 41 times in the regular season – was rarely under pressure and was able to dictate the game in the snow, completing 23-of-36 passes for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns, and was sacked just once for two yards lost.
The line’s dominance translated into the run game as well. Joe Mixon had only rushed for more than 100 yards once this season – in his five-touchdown performance against the Panthers – but added 105 yards on the ground against the Bills. The offense hit all the right notes without ever actually getting out of second gear, but it was still impressive.
Truthfully, this team looks even better than the one that made it to the Super Bowl last season. The offense is a much more efficient unit, while the defense is one of the better units in the NFL. They’ve earned a rematch against the Chiefs once more, and considering how well they’ve played against them in recent matchups, it would be rude to call them underdogs. They can go all the way again.
The 49ers’ defense proves why it’s the best in the NFL
Considering this was a matchup between two of the best defenses in the league, it was always going to be something of a slugfest. But it also seemed like there was too much offensive talent for there to only be two touchdowns throughout the game.
The 49ers scraped by 19-12 to make it to the NFC Championship Game for the second straight year, and for the third time in four years. Just like the Bengals, this 49ers team is better than last year’s unit. The defense leads the NFL in EPA per play and the offense is electric – and they’re doing it with their third-string quarterback under center.
Once again, Brock Purdy didn’t play like a seventh-round rookie. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 214 yards but didn’t throw a touchdown. He outplayed Dak Prescott and started the 49ers’ only touchdown drive with a strike to George Kittle.
That was the turning point in the game and it epitomised everything good about Purdy. He was able to improvise outside of the pocket, set his feet, and deliver a ball to his favourite receiver in Kittle. It wasn’t the offensive performance we’ve come to expect from the 49ers during their 12 game win streak, but the offense moved the ball down the field, and controlled possession when they desperately had to. This was on full display on their final drive of the game which left the Cowboys with less than a minute to drive 94 yards down the field. They never got close.
For the Cowboys, this is another disappointing loss in a big game. Prescott played poorly aside from one or two drives and, in peak Cowboys fashion, the team continues to find bizarre ways to lose games.
Take nothing away from the 49ers’ defense which was playing with their hair on fire, but the Cowboys’ offense couldn’t take advantage of anything the defense gave them. There shouldn’t be a referendum on Prescott’s status among the game’s best, but this was a bad game for him.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.