Everything Wildcard Weekend wasn't, that Divisional Round just made up for. Man, four (or maybe 3.5, for you Texans fans) outstanding battles, between eight highly deserving franchises.
As we know though, there can only be one. And we're now just two games away from finding out which team that'll be. Until then, let's look back at this weekend's action fondly.
Ravens 34- Texans 10
-What an atmosphere in Baltimore. Despite the unbearably cold temperatures, the fan base showed out with 72,000 strong to support Lamar Jackson's first divisional round victory
-The future MVP was masterful, racking up 2 passing and 2 rushing touchdowns with 252 total yards. He had just 6 incompletions and rushed for 9.1 yards a carry. Jackson's a weapon to the fullest extent of the definition, breaking the will of a defense that had been improving
-Justice Hill looked really fast for the Ravens, having the most impressive day of the three running backs
-I'm a big fan of Derek Stingley Jr., but Isaiah Likely mossed the shit out of him on an early 4th quarter score. The backup tight end is a freak athlete that'll be hard to take off the field once Mark Andrews returns
-Absolutely incredible that the Baltimore stifled CJ Stroud and the Houston offense the way they did without recording a sack. The run D was incredible, while the secondary shut down anything downfield. Another elite unit for a franchise that takes so much pride in their defense
-Stroud fell way short of the performance he put together during his playoff debut, going just 19/33 for 175 yards
-Steven Sims' punt return touchdown was electric, providing arguably their only spark of the game
-But worry not Texans fans! The future is very, very bright. Just ran into a buzz saw Saturday
49ers 24- Packers 21
-You can exhale now 49ers fans. What a tight contest that ended up being!
-It was far from Brock Purdy's finest outing, but he at his best when it was most important-- going 6/7 on their go-ahead touchdown drive, while adding 11 with his legs. What more could you ask for?
-Christian McCaffery is a tremendous football player. 17/98/2 on the ground, plus 7 catches for 30 yards through the air. Tailor made for this offense
-George Kittle rules
-Keep an eye on Deebo Samuel's status. The star receiver underwent tests on an injured shoulder that could very well sideline him for not just the NFC championship, but possibly beyond
-Two interceptions by Dre Greenlaw, one more than Jordan Love had thrown over the previous nine weeks
-Love definitely struggled against this stout San Francisco defense, only posting a 5.7 YPA en route to an underwhelming 194 yards
-Green Bay's lack of quarterback production wasted a big day from Aaron Jones, who ran all over a great front seven. He handled 18 carries for 108 yards
-Time to put a little respect on Romeo Doubs' name. He's far from a top wideout, but given his fourth round draft status, he's become a nice player for this team
Lions 31- Buccaneers 23
-Sunday provided us some really high quality football games, started off right in Motor City. The Lions and Bucs went blow for blow all afternoon in what'll go down as a classic for the Detroit faithful
-Jared Goff was efficient, putting the ball in the right spot more often than not for his pass catchers. With the running game struggling early too, it showed he's more than a game manager
-Jahmyr Gibbs, not David Montgomery, was the running back who broke through for Detroit. The rookie took 9 carries for 74 and a score on the ground, while adding 40 on 4 receptions in the pass game. The organization took a ton of flak for "reaching" for Gibbs in the first round of this most recent draft, but the kid's been a sensational piece of their attack
-Fellow rookie Sam LaPorta cooked too, catching 9/11 targets for 65 yards. Whenever Goff needed a first down, LaPorta was looking for him on the other side of the sticks
-Chauncey Gardner-Johnson picked Baker Mayfield off on Tampa's first possession of the game, ending the week-long social media tiff emphatically in the favor of the Lions' cornerback. The ball toss to Baker after the fact was the epitome of disrespect
-Take away his two interceptions and one has to commend Mayfield's performance. It wasn't perfect, but it was gutsy and gave his team a chance late in a tough road playoff game. Given the league-wide state of the quarterback position, the Bucs would be remiss to let him test free agency
-Rachaad White looked really good in the run and pass game, contributing 91 total yards on 13 touches. Was low on him coming into the season and he proved me very incorrect
-The world doesn't talk about Mike Evans enough. 8 catches for 147 yards and a trip to the end zone, including a few ridiculous ones along the way. He did, as he always tends to, have two seemingly easy drops, but it's rare to be witnessing a surefire Hall of Famer in live action not get more roses
Chiefs 27- Bills 24
-Wide right. Brutal.
-Hated Buffalo going conservative on their final drive. They had minimal issues moving the ball all afternoon, but got cute playing with the clock instead of keeping their foot on the gas and ended up stalling out, leaving themselves with the 44-yard field goal in really tough conditions. That's on coaching, loser football
-Josh Allen is an absolute load, leading the team with 72 rushing yards and 2 scores. He also was sharp through the air
-James Cook ran hard as well, helping pace the offense with 18 carries. KC locked him up as the game went along, but Cook was a monster early
-For as much pouting as he did on the sidelines this season, Stefon Diggs should be ashamed of himself for not catching this BOMB from Josh Allen on their final drive. The ball must've travelled 70 yards in the air, right through the hands of the diva receiver. The play immediately would've had the Bills in better field goal range than they ultimately ended up with, worst case scenario. There were still 8 minutes left on the clock too, in what will go down as a haunting misconnection
-Even though the Damar Hamlin fake punt didn't end up hurting Buffalo, it was one of the more ill-advised, reckless, idiotic coaching decisions I've seen in a long time too. Sean McDermott owes Mecole Hardman a thank you card for distracting many of us pundits from that
-This Chiefs' offensive unit is clicking at the right time. Patrick Mahomes played clean, making plays routinely with his arm and legs. Hard to bet against him come playoff time
-Isiah Pacheco is a man among men, violently rushing for 97 on 15 totes. When he gets a full head of steam going, he has people bouncing off of him
-All-World tight end Travis Kelce is playing up to form this postseason as well, catching 5 balls for 75 and two touchdowns. Kind of a stupid statement, but this team is substantially better when he's involved
-Circling back to Mecole Hardman to wrap up this review: how the fuck do you get two touches in the game and fumble them both? 1 carry for -1 yards, 1 reception for 2 yards, 2 fumbles, 1 lost. On a team with Kadarius Toney and Marques Valdes-Scantling, we somehow have a third horse in the race for most incapable receiver!
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@Choppinglines
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