The NFL playoffs this year opened up with a very intense Wildcard round. There were many great storylines going into the playoffs compared to the past couple years. After a 1-5 start the Colts surge into the playoffs finishing with a 10-6 record and making a run into the 6th seed. The Philadelphia Eagles sneak into the playoffs behind their backup QB Nick Foles who looked to make another incredible playoff run. Many of the other teams are very youthful such as the Texans, Ravens, Bears, Rams, Chiefs and Cowboys who all have QBs who are all in their 3rd year or less. Other teams like the Chargers, Patriots, and the Saints are relying on their veteran presence as most of their players have been in this situation before. The team that was most hyped up to make a playoff run was the LA Chargers since they ended with a 12-4 record dipsite ending as the 5th seed. On the other hand The Rams were hyped up to be the one and done team. So let's see how these playoffs unfolded.
The NFL playoffs opened up with the 6 seeded Colts heading into Houton to take on the number 3 seeded Texans. This game was hyped up to be a very closely contested match but ended up flopping. The Texans came out flat and didn’t seem ready for the red hot Colts. The Colts ended up winning 21-7 in a very boring second half game. The second Wild-Card game lived up the the hype that was built up. The number 5 seeded Seahawks had to go into Dallas to take on the Cowboys who were the 4th seed. This game had a very anticlimactic first half with Dallas leading 10-6 at the half. The second half definitely had some intense drama. Seattle took the lead 14-10 thanks to a short Russell Wilson run. Prescott then put the team on his back as he used his leg to help Dallas take the lead 24-14 with 2 minutes left in the 4th. Despite Russell Wilson’s miraculous drive under a minute for Seattle to put them down by two their Kicker got hurt and it ended up hurting them in the end as they failed the onside kick. The Chargers Ravens game was a rematch from week 15 as Lamar Jackson and the stellar Ravens defense hosted the dominate chargers. The Chargers had that game in full control from the beginning. They shut down Lamar Jackson on defense and the offense do what they needed to do be able to hold the lead. Despite the late surge from Jackson the Ravens lost 23-17. If you told me that the Bears vs the Eagles would be the game of Wild-card weekend I would’ve called you crazy. Lucky I was very wrong. The Eagles came out with energy and Nick Foles delivered a great performance. The Bears offense was stalled in the first half but thanks to Trubisky in the second half the Bears took the lead late. But 2:00 was too much for Nick Foles as he drove down the field and threw a go ahead Touchdown to Golden Tate. Despite all of that Trubisky lead the Bears into field goal range to win the game and Cody Parkey… missed it. The bears great season ended right on their own field. The Wild-Card weekend was very exciting with close matches and great storylines. Final Grade: B
The Divisional round of the playoffs was very hyped up. Every game was predicted to be close. Some of the games were very close, but some were also duds. The Divisional round opened up with the red hot Colts going against Patrick Mahomes and the dominate Chiefs. Once the game began it looked like the Colts have begun to cool down. The Offense couldn’t move the ball and the defense could stop the Chiefs. This game looked like a mismatch form the start. Chiefs won 31-13. The Rams need to get back on track as they hosted the Cowboys. This game was a great outing for the defense as they shut down Zeke the whole game. The running duo of Gurley and Anderson took over rushing for 238 yards total. Despite the fairly close score the Rams had control of this game from the beginning. The Rams beat the Cowboys 30-22. This was the most hyped game of the week. All the ESPN analysts predicted the Chargers to go into New England and take them out. They were in for a surprise. New England came out strong and fast. Their offense couldn’t be stopped and their defense was in lockdown mode. The Chargers ended up getting blown out 41-28 and had a disappointing end to the season. The next game was the unexpected game of the week. The Eagles opened up strong against the Saints taking a 14-0 lead in the first. But after that the Eagles offense completely shut down and the saints lead by Drew Brees mounted a comeback to take the lead. Even then the Eagles had a chance to win but Alshon Jeffery dropped what could’ve been one of the easiest catches of his life. This lead to an interception and a Saints win. Besides the last game the Divisional round was pretty boring. Final Grade: D.
Following a boring Divisional Round the Championship games had to step their game up. Lets just say we might’ve had the best championship sunday ever. Both games went into overtime and were down to the wire. This was the first time the top 4 offenses all met in the championship round. The first game of the day was the Rams vs the Saints. This was a rematch of the week 9 matchup where the Saints beat the Rams. This game started scary for the Rams as the Saints scored fast and got an early pick on Goff. After being down 13-0 the Rams mounted a strong comeback. Thanks to an absolute dime from Goff to Cooks and a touchdown run by Gurley the Rams were only down by 3 going into the half. The Rams defense only allowed 1 more touchdown pass from Drew and shut down the Saints running game. Thanks to a stellar performance from Goff the Rams tied the game up. This game then hts it's turning point. After a deep pass form Brees to Ginn to get the Saints insides the Rams 15 yard line the Saints faced a third and 8. Drew threw a pass to Tommylee Lewis who was opened but he ended getting hit early… and there was no call. This was the most controversial non call which lead to the Saints just getting a field goal. Goff then proceeded to tie the game up and send it to overtime. In overtime Brees threw a pick and thanks to two incredible Goff throws the Rams got in Field goal range. Greg the leg then won the game for the Rams with a 57 yard field goal!!! The longest game winning field goal in NFL history. Despite the Controversy of the game, the Rams won that game and performed in the clutch. The next game was the Patriots vs the CHiefs. The Patriots had a strong first half leading 14-0. But once the game hit the 4th quarter the Chiefs and Patriots went back and forth. A total of 38 points were scored in the 4th and the game went to OT. Brady, Mahomes, Watkins and Michael were all playing incredible. In TO the Patriots won the toss and scored with ease in OT. That the was it. The Patriots won and are heading to the 9th super bowl. After a very boring divisional round, the Championship weekend was incredible. Final Score: A
Championship weekend created a lot of controversy and will hopefully lead to some rule changes in the future involving OT, and Pass Interference. Besides that though the Playoffs were really good this year. There was drama, rivalries and great plays to be found throughout. This is definitely a playoffs to remember. Now the drama sets up, the Rams will play the Patriots for the Lombardi. A rematch from 17 years ago from when the dynasty started. Now they will try to be the ones to end it. Final Playoff Score: B-