What a wild set of games we have seen so far this year in the NFL postseason.
I was happy enough to not have to see Tom Brady and the Patriots in the Super Bowl again but, wow, the remaining teams didn’t disappoint with their performances (with the exception of Minnesota vs. San Fransisco).
Minnesota had no answer for San Fransisco D-Line, Cousins Destroyed as a Result
I’ll start off this edition of the NFL Fieldhouse with the most predictable game of the divisional round – a 49ers victory over the good-but-not-great Vikings squad.
Truth be told, I would’ve rather seen the New Orleans Saints in the place of the Vikings, since I think that the Saints are still a better team on paper and they gave the 49ers a real test earlier in the season.
However, Vikings’ QB Kirk Cousins ended the narrative that he can’t perform in big games and upset the Saints in their own dome. That’s really hard to do and can’t be understated.
As a reward for Cousins’ victory over New Orleans, we get to witness him get absolutely mangled by the 49ers’ defensive line in a 27-10 San Fransisco victory.
The 49ers wasted no time in marching down the field after Minnesota’s initial three-and-out. San Fransisco QB Jimmy Garrapolo made his first scoring drive look like a cakewalk, but Cousins and WR Stefon Diggs made a connection shortly after and evened the two teams up.
The score didn’t stay tied for long. San Fransisco’s time-off, a reward for their efforts during the regular season, paid off tremendously. The 49ers were able to manipulate the fatigue felt by the Vikings, who had to play in a Wild Card game just to make it here.
Time of possession became a real issue for a Vikings squad that really could’ve used a week to relax. San Fransisco was merciless on offense and racked up first downs like nobody’s business. The Vikings struggled to get five over the four quarters of the match.
Running back (RB) Tevin Coleman of the 49ers was used to pound Minnesota into the turf. Coleman racked up 105 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Combined with RB Raheem Mostert, the 49ers collected 163 yards on the ground, and the Vikings had no answer.
In addition, Cousins threw some costly interceptions and was obliterated by the 49ers defensive line. Cousins was sacked over and over again and it seemed like it would never end.
This game wasn’t all that great, and I think that everyone saw a 49ers victory coming. The Vikings are in a good place for next year. Unfortunately for them, they ran into arguably the best football team on the planet this year.
Titans Put an End to Ravens’ Dream Season
For the first time since 2002, the Tennessee Titans will play in the AFC Championship. I’m beyond surprised that I’m saying that.
I was impressed with the Titans after they knocked off New England in the Wild Card round. But against the Ravens, I thought Tennessee would get blown out of the water.
The Patriots team that the Titans beat wasn’t as good as past years (though you should never rule out Tom Brady pulling off some miracles). That New England team, despite having a tier-one defense, had very little offer offensively. The Ravens, apart from having a solid defense, have arguably the best offense in the league led by second-year QB Lamar Jackson.
Jackson broke Micheal Vick’s season record of rushing yards by a QB. With his improved passing game, Jackson and the rest of the Ravens’ offense was unstoppable. They laid waste to the entire NFL.
But the Titans were ruthless. They bent, but they didn’t break. A solid performance by Jackson wasn’t enough to go blow-for-blow with Tennessee’s offense led by RB Derrick Henry and some support by QB Ryan Tannehill.
The Titans won this game because they were able to capitalize off of mistakes by the Ravens. For example, the Ravens were stopped on a crucial fourth-and-one in the second quarter. Tannehill immediately threw a touchdown pass to WR Kalif Raymond on the ensuing play.
Jackson had three turnovers, with two interceptions and a lost fumble. Tennessee used that advantage in field position to extend their lead and put the score out of reach for the Ravens. To complement that, the Titans never turned the ball over.
Scheme fit is a real thing in this league, and what the Titans have done on offense is proof of that. QB Marcus Mariota didn’t really fit into this scheme, and the Titans as a whole suffered for it and eventually benched him.
But with Tannehill, the Titans asked for a lot less. In Miami, when Tannehill played for the Dolphins, he was asked to do much more than he was capable, leading him to being hurt and misused. In Tennessee, Tannehill barely has to throw the ball anymore and it helps the team. The workload on the Titans is put squarely on Henry and the defense.
The Ravens will come back with a vengeance next year, that I have no doubt. However, they need to learn how to adapt to the postseason. What worked in this year’s regular season didn’t work in the playoffs. Baltimore went a perfect 8-8 on fourth-and-one attempts, but were stonewalled twice this time around.
Packers Extend Seattle’s Losing Streak at Lambeau Field
QB Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers find themselves in an NFC Championship berth after failed comeback effort by the Seattle Seahawks, resulting in a 28-23 win.
Unfortunately for myself, my team’s season is over, but I didn’t see them making the Super Bowl this year anyway, despite heroics all season long by QB Russel Wilson. If I’m being completely honest, the Seahawks wouldn’t even be in the postseason if not for their quarterback.
Since the dissolution of the Legion of Boom, Wilson has been asked to carry the Seahawks year after year. WR Tyler Lockett has become a lethal weapon on the receiving core, but Wilson and Lockett, and to an extent LB Bobby Wagner, alone can’t carry the team all the time.
A spotty defense was bad enough, but Seattle’s RB core was decimated, and the team went out and signed a couple of old faces to the lineup, most noticeably Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch. His return sparked the fanbase, but not much else.
As for Green Bay, they didn’t look that good this season, despite their 13-3 record. I still love Rodgers at QB, but even he looked off this year. He had a good season, but not that great by his standards. But in the Divisional Round, he did more than enough.
Both Wilson and Rodgers, fantastic QB’s, were phenomenal in this matchup. In the second half, the Seahawks only punted once and scored 23 points. Wilson was the only reason Seattle managed to stay in the game, thanks to his big plays and team-leading 64 rush yards. This is concerning and only further proves how much of a workload Wilson has.
Rodgers balled out with 243 passing yards and two touchdowns, but I’d argue that WE Devante Adams did the most work on offense for the Packers. On eight receptions, Adams tallied 160 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 20 yards per catch. Green Bay’s defense also pitched in with four sacks.
The Seahawks really shot themselves in the foot with how they underutilized WR D.K. Metcalf, who had an amazing performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round. Metcalf only had four catches against the Packers, and for whatever reason, the Seattle coaching staff opted to run the ball over passing it, which is really questionable in since Lynch is 33-years-old.
The Packers didn’t impress many people over the course of the season. They beat out teams in ugly fashion seemingly every week, but hey, a win is a win. Rodgers, Adams and the defense performed when it matters most, and I have no qualms with them advancing forward.
Chiefs Rally in Second Quarter, Texans Blow 24-Point Lead
I went into this game thinking that either side had a chance to pull out a win, but then the Texans went up 24-0 before halftime rolled around.
Then I thought that the Texans would cruise to a victory, but then the unthinkable happened. The Chiefs scored 41 consecutive points, and cruised to a second-straight AFC Championship.
It was a wild game, but I never thought that the Texans could blow a lead seemingly as insurmountable as that. The Atlanta Falcons’ 2016 Super Bowl defeat, where they somehow lost a 28-3 lead against the New England Patriots, was only a point more than what the Texans blew.
A big part of that comeback is the QB Patrick Mahomes and tight end (TE) Travis Kelce/WR Damien Williams connection. Kelce and Williams had three touchdowns each and Mahomes had five passing touchdowns.
Texan’s QB Deshaun Watson played really well, but that wasn’t enough to offset the Chiefs’ atrocious second and third quarters. Fun fact, the reborn Houston franchise is 0-4 in the divisional round and has never won a road playoff game since their inception in 2002, according to CBS.
The AFC Championship looks to be a great matchup, and I also feel that it can go either way. The Titans are a team that battles to the bitter end and is playing really good football, beating out the perennial Super Bowl team (Patriots) in the Wild Card and the AFC’s No. 1 seed (Ravens) in the divisional.
Mahomes is a generational talent that I want to see be very successful. That QB deserves a ring, as do the rest of the Chiefs. Coming back from a lead that big is huge for a team’s momentum.
NFC Championship: Green Bay Packers at San Fransisco 49ers
AFC Championship: Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs
