The Conference Championships are set! In the AFC, the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Buffalo Bills. In the NFC, the Green Bay Packers will host Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. How did they do in the Divisional Round? Let’s have a look:
#1 Packers defeat #6 Rams, 32-18.
It wasn’t a surprise that Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers routed the Rams to get to the NFC Championship. They’ve now made 5 NFC Championship appearances since Rodgers took over at starting quarterback. Rodgers passed for 23 completions on 36 attempts, 296 yards, and two touchdowns. He also found his way in the end zone on a one-yard run. The top receiver for him that day was Allen Lazard, who had 96 receiving yards and a touchdown on 4 receptions. His best receiver overall, Davante Adams, had 9 receptions, 66 receiving yards, and one touchdown. The offensive line was terrific, only letting Aaron Donald get 1 total tackle. Aaron Jones led the way on the ground, rushing for 99 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts. Jared Goff didn’t have many incompletions, but he couldn’t move the ball to get into scoring position. Out of 8 drives, the Rams either punted or turned the ball over on downs five times. The offense made a few field goals, but getting in the end zone could’ve changed the game there. Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark gave Goff lots of pressure, each with 1.5 sacks and tackles for loss.
#2 Bills defeat #5 Ravens, 17-3.
At halftime, people were comparing this game to Super Bowl LIII, where both teams did not score a touchdown at the half. However, in the second quarter, Justin Tucker kicked the team’s final points of their season because the Bills scored twice in the third quarter and that was it for the second half. It was the battle of two quarterbacks that came out of the 2018 NFL Draft class. Josh Allen was the best and secured the Bills’ first AFC Championship game appearance since January 1994. What’s funny is that they’re playing the same opponent they played in that game, the Kansas City Chiefs. Another fun fact is that the Bills made 4 appearances in a row, won all of them, but didn’t end up winning a Super Bowl. Stefon Diggs was still Stefon Diggs, with 8 receptions, 106 yards, and a touchdown. For the Ravens, I was slightly impressed by Marquise Brown. He had 4 receptions for 87 yards. That gives him 21.8 yards per reception. However, he didn’t find his way in the end zone, as the rest of the Ravens couldn’t either. For next season, I’d like to see how the Ravens running game will be, as they released Mark Ingram and they still have J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Tremaine Edmunds was terrific, putting up 9 total tackles, 6 solo tackles, 1 pass deflection, and 1 quarterback hit. Taron Johnson picked off Lamar Jackson and took it to the house for 101 yards. The Bills defense looked dominant compared to what the Ravens were able to do.
#1 Chiefs defeat #6 Browns, 22-17.
The whole game changed when Patrick Mahomes went down. And at one point, I thought the Browns were going to take the lead. However, Chad Henne’s scramble won them the game. I didn’t even know he was still in the league when he came out. The Chiefs certainly struggled for a while, giving up a touchdown and Henne threw a pick. I used to think Mahomes was slightly carried by Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, but after this game, you can see that he changes the entire team. I have to give the Chiefs defense credit for forcing a punt on the Browns’ last drive of the game. Before getting hurt, Patrick Mahomes went 21/30 and passed for 255 yards and a touchdown. He also had a one-yard touchdown run. His best target in the game was tight end Travis Kelce, who had 8 receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown. Tyreek Hill, one of the best receivers out there, had the same amount of receptions for 110 yards. Running back Darrel Williams saw the field the most, carrying the ball 13 times for 78 yards. I’m surprised they didn’t feed Le’Veon Bell more. The best defensive player was Tyrann Mathieu, who had 7 total tackles, 5 solo tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass deflection, and an interception in the second half. I felt like he was everywhere on defense. Baker Mayfield wasn’t great, but I’ve definitely seen worse, especially from him. He threw 23 completions on 37 attempts, passing for 204 yards, a touchdown, and a pick. The Chiefs are in the AFC Championship for the third year in a row and fourth overall. Facing the Bills, will they be headed to Tampa? The last time an AFC team won two AFC championships in a row was when the New England Patriots won in 2018 and 2019.
#5 Buccaneers defeat #2 Saints, 30-20.
If this is the last time we see Drew Brees on the field, thank you for all the memories. If he does retire, I’ll talk about his accolades on another post, but I’ll talk about the game now. As expected, both teams battled for four quarters. However, Drew Brees’ three interceptions were rather costly. Deonte Harris didn’t seem like much when you looked at the box score, but he was fast! Too bad he got injured after a hot start because he could’ve helped the Saints. Tom Brady wasn’t terrific, but his performance was better than Drew Brees. Brady threw 18 completions on 33 attempts, passed for 199 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran a QB sneak at the one-yard line to earn himself a rushing touchdown. My favorite player of the game wasn’t on the offense but Tampa Bay’s defense. Devin White had himself a game with 11 total tackles, 10 solo tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass deflection, a fumble recovery, and a crucial interception. He’s one of my favorite non-Patriot defensive players in the league. For the Saints, I liked how Emmanuel Sanders played. He had 6 receptions for 48 yards, averaging 8 yards per reception, and moved the chains a lot, putting the Saints in a better position to score. He was a great pick up after Sanders went from the Denver Broncos to the San Francisco 49ers. Of course, Sanders wasn’t the best receiver that day. That went to Tre’Quan Smith, who had 4 receptions for 85 yards and two touchdowns. No matter the team, he was the best offensive player. Now Tom Brady gets to face Aaron Rodgers for the first time in the playoffs. You can really see how Tom Brady is better off without Bill Belichick and the Patriots than Belichick and the Patriots are without Brady.
Calhoun's Corner 