Rare feats, impossible comebacks, and a staggering defeat highlight this year’s divisional round playoffs.
Vikings: 10
49ers: 27
The Vikings were hot off an upset win against the New Orleans Saints. The San Francisco 49ers came off a bye week rested and ready to play some hard-hitting playoff football. This game was decided on the defensive side of the ball for the 49ers. The 49ers ended up with 6 sacks total, 1 interception, and 3 forced fumbles. The Vikings couldn’t get anything going on offense after an initial 41 yard touchdown by Stefon Diggs. The Vikings only got one field goal after the initial touchdown being stuffed by the 49er defense repeatedly. The offensive side of the ball for the 49ers was inconsistent at best. They only had 131 passing yards with 186 rushing yards with only 3 touchdowns and 2 field goals, but then again, when your defense is as reliable as the 49er’s defense was, then scoring touchdowns seems like a formality.
Titans: 28
Ravens: 12
Baltimore was supposed to rewrite playoff history, but not like this. The Ravens, having come off one of the best regular seasons in the history of the NFL as well as having Lamar Jackson, a surefire bet for MVP, ended up losing to a Titans team that many had projected to lose to the Patriots in the opening wildcard round. This was a case of flat out better coaching, simple as that. Mike Vrabel, the head coach of the Titans, had one huge obstacle ahead of him: How do you stop Lamar Jackson? The Titans defense came out with a new style of defense which was to make sure Lamar Jackson stays in the pocket and if he scrambles, to contain him with multiple defenders. This plan worked, but one main reason for their win has to be stated: The beast that is known as Derrick Henry. Derrick Henry ran for 195 yards, himself, as well as throwing a touchdown. Derrick Henry is a force of nature, plain and simple, and Mike Vrabel made sure to accommodate him.
Texans: 31
Chiefs: 51
When you think of insane comebacks in NFL history, a few come to mind: the 1993 Buffalo Bills overcoming 32-point deficit to beat the Houston Oilers, the New England Patriots overcoming a 25 point deficit to win Super Bowl LI, but now you have one more game to think about: The Chiefs v Texans. The key to this game was offense, offense, offense. The Texans jumped out to an early 24-point lead against the Chiefs due to some costly mistakes made by the Chiefs who hadn’t played a down of football in a week due to their bye. Then it was Mahomes Magic Time. Mahomes and the Chief’s offense scored a touchdown on 7 STRAIGHT drives plus a field goal, giving them 51 points. The Texans, on the other hand, only scored one more measly field goal after their lead was shot to smithereens. Mahomes ended up with 5 passing touchdowns, Travis Kelce TE ended up with 3 receiving touchdowns, and Damien Williams ended up with 3 overall touchdowns himself (one receiving two rushing), while Blake Bell got one receiving touchdown himself, ending up with 7 total touchdowns.
Packers: 28
Seahawks: 23
Aaron Rodgers is the face of the franchise, future Hall of Famer, and one of the most gifted passers that ever graced the field. However, it looks the Packers’ key to getting to the Super Bowl might be their Pro Bowl receiver Davante Adams who had 160 receiving yards as well as two touchdowns. The Packers, led by their clutch quarterback, great receiver, and imposing Tight End, helped seal the deal in this statement win against the Seahawks. But credit is given where credit is due, and Russell Wilson carried his team on his back with 277 passing yards and 64 rushing yards (more than the other Seahawks running backs combined) to help take his team into striking distance. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to stop the Packers whose next stop is the Conference Championship.
Preview for the AFC And NFC Conference Championship Games
NFC: The Packers are going into this game as underdogs for two reasons. One: their blowout loss to the 49ers in Week 12, and two: their lack of consistency. The 49ers are clearly the more talented team with both sides of the ball stacked with playmakers, while the Packers are maddeningly inconsistent with Rodgers switching from Hall of Fame caliber player to overthrowing receivers by a mile and then some. However, this matchup won’t seem so one-sided if Rodgers can play like the clutch performer citizens of Wisconsin have known and loved for over a decade. We’ve already seen huge upsets throughout these playoffs, so the Packers going to the Super Bowl isn’t unfathomable, but no doubt that this game is going to be a good one.
AFC: Both the Chiefs and the Titans are forces to be reckoned with. The Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, the stud quarterback who seems to get more and more magical as the season goes on with mystifying plays and oh-my-God-did-he-just-do-that moments that remind us why we love football. The Titans, however, have Derrick Henry. Derrick Henry has the strength of the Hulk and the speed of the Flash combined into this absolute freak of nature. He will steamroll over defenders on one play, then juke the living daylights out of a defender on the very next play. This game will come down to which of these two players will be more clutch and put their team on their back. If I were watching this game, I would glue my eyes to the screen and never look away because you never know what will happen with these two playmakers.
