In this series of articles, I will highlight the best NFL games of the weekend as we get into the playoffs. In the Divisional Round, there was a major upset and games that kept you on the edge of your seat. Here are the highlights.
Bills vs Ravens
The Bills survive the Ravens' late comeback effort and move on to the AFC Championship Game.
On their first drive, Allen found Khalil Shakir for 34 yards to convert on a third down. Allen later gets another first down with his legs on a fourth and two. James Cook led them to the one-yard line and Ray Davis took it in to tie up the game early.
After a strip sack fumble from Lamar Jackson, the Bills start their drive at the Baltimore 24-yard line. Cook once again rushes to the one-yard line and this time Allen got in for the touchdown. Right before the half, the Bills benefitted from a defensive pass interference call to get them into the red zone on what would’ve been a fourth down. Shortly after, Allen got his second rushing touchdown of the night and Buffalo was up by 11 at halftime.
Looking to capitalize on having possession out of the half, the Bills could not move the ball and went three and out. They punted again on the next possession. Tyler Bass hit a 51-yard field goal on the next drive to go up by five with 12 minutes left in the game.
After a Ravens fumble, the Bills drive down the field and get to the two-yard line. On third down, they tried to run Allen in, but the Ravens’ line held him behind the line of scrimmage. On fourth down, they chose to kick the field goal and secure three more points.
Baltimore had one chance to tie the game, and they couldn’t. Buffalo will be moving on to the championship game in Arrowhead next week.
The Ravens struck quickly with a four-minute touchdown drive to start the game. In that drive, Isaiah Likely picked up a 39-yard reception and Lamar Jackson found Rashod Bateman for the 16-yard touchdown catch.
Two plays into their next drive, Jackson is intercepted, quickly ending that possession. Their next possession started with four straight long runs that got them to midfield. On a third and nine, Jackson finds Anthony Miller for the first down. Soon after, Jackson was sacked and lost the ball.
They got a field goal before the half and were facing an 11-point deficit. Out of the half, they scored another field goal to cut into the deficit. Justice Hill and Derrick Henry then led the Ravens to the red zone where Henry finished off the drive with a touchdown. They failed the two-point conversion attempt.
Down by five and needing a touchdown, Mark Andrews fumbled and gave the ball back to the Bills offense. With the ball back for one more time, they needed eight points to tie the game. Lamar got the ball to Likely in the endzone and they had the chance to tie with a two-point conversion, but Mark Andrews dropped the pass. Buffalo kneeled out the rest of the clock.
Eagles vs Rams
The Eagles pulled away from the Rams and advanced to host the NFC Championship Game.
It didn’t take long for the Eagles to score when Jalen Hurts ran 44 yards for a touchdown within the first four minutes of the game, but Jake Elliott missed the extra point. After the explosive play, they went three and out and had to punt. It was then Saquon Barkley’s turn to break off a huge run. He ran 62 yards to the endzone on just the third play of the drive.
Two sacks ended the last two possessions of the half for Philadelphia. Out of the half, snow started to fall and cover the field making it hard to run or keep a hold on the ball. This did not stop Elliott from making a 44-yard field goal in the windy, snowy conditions. The Eagles were up 16-13 at this point.
From the eight-yard line, Hurts was sacked in the endzone, giving the Rams defense a safety, and it cut their lead to only one point. Luckily for Philadelphia, they recovered a fumble and took it to the 10-yard line. Barkley then was ruled short of the endzone on 3rd and goal at the one. On what should’ve been an easy quarterback sneak touchdown, Lane Johnson false-started and brought them out to the 5-yard line. The Eagles kicked the field goal instead of going for it.
After another Rams fumble, Philadelphia makes it a 7-point game with another field goal. On the first play of the next possession, Barkley broke through the line again for a 78-yard touchdown run to seemingly ice the game.
The Eagles' defense was able to hold off the Rams and secure the win on the last drive. Philadelphia will host the Commanders for the Championship game.
The Rams put together an efficient drive that balanced both rushes and passes to start the game. Tyler Higbee capped off the drive with a touchdown reception. After a punt, Matthew Stafford found Demarcus Robinson for 48 yards through the air. They would then kick the field goal to cut into Philly’s lead.
In the red zone, Stafford was sacked on a third and goal forcing them to kick a field goal to tie the game at 13. After that possession, they had to punt and then the two fumbles came. Kyren Williams fumbled, and the Eagles recovered on the very next drive, Stafford was strip-sacked, and Philly recovered again.
Despite the fumbles, it was a seven-point game when they got the ball back. They couldn’t do anything with that possession, so they punted it back to the Eagles. Down by 13, they put a drive together and scored a touchdown to go down by only six points.
They got the ball back again with a chance to win, only down by six. Puka Nacua made a clutch catch along the sideline for 37 yards, putting them on the 21-yard line. But the drive ended after a false start penalty and a sack. They turned it over on downs and the game was over.
Commanders vs Lions
The Commanders pull off the upset to beat the number one-seeded Lions and advance to the Championship game.
Washington looked to get ahead early by going for it on fourth down, but they were stopped short and turned it over on downs. They were then able to get a field goal before the end of the third quarter. The Commanders took advantage of a Lions fumble and scored a touchdown off a Brian Robinson run.
Washington came out hot again with a touchdown drive that only needed three plays. Terry McLaurin took Jayden Daniels’ pass to the house on a 58-yard catch and run. The defense added to the score with a pick-six off of Jared Goff’s pass.
Right before the two-minute warning Daniels aired it out to Dyami Brown for a 38-yard pass that put them on the six-yard line. From there, Zach Ertz caught the touchdown pass from Daniels. Washington led 31-21 at the half after a combined 36-point second quarter.
The Commanders got their first points of the second half with another Robinson touchdown run. After a costly interception from Jameson Williams, Washington got the ball in good field position to set them up to score once again. This time Jeremy McNichols took it in from the one-yard line.
Jeremy Chinn picked off Goff to end the game. The Commanders will face the Eagles next week led by their rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
Jahmyr Gibbs started off the scoring for the Lions with a one-yard touchdown run. Then, the turnovers started for Detroit. In the red zone, Goff fumbled the ball into an awaiting defender's hands.
Bouncing back from the fumble, the Lions put together another touchdown drive ending in a Sam LaPorta one-handed touchdown catch in the back of the endzone. On the next drive, Goff got intercepted for a pick-six. After the turnover, the Lions tapped into their trick plays with a reverse pick to Jameson Williams who took it the rest of the way on his own for 61 yards and the touchdown.
Gibbs continues his dominance with a strong eight-yard rushing touchdown. Down by 10, the Lions' usual trick play creativity ran out when Williams threw a pick in the fourth quarter of the game. With the ball back, they had to kick a field goal to cut the deficit to 14 points. This was too much to overcome for the Lions that late into the game. Goff threw his third pick of the game to end it.
Chiefs vs Texans
The Chiefs continue their dominance in the Divisional Round and advance to the AFC Championship Game.
On the opening kickoff, Kansas City got a 63-yard return and a 15-yard penalty to put them at the 13-yard line right out of the gate. The Houston defense held strong and forced them into a field goal. On a third and eight on the next drive, a roughing the passer penalty is enforced to save the Chiefs’ drive. Kansas City kicked a field goal again.
They had to punt on the next possession, but Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce connected on a 49-yard catch and run on the ensuing drive. Kareem Hunt found the endzone for the first touchdown of the game. The Chiefs led 13-6 at halftime.
Out of the half, the Chiefs put together a strong drive to find Kelce in the endzone as Mahomes was falling to the ground. They would punt again on the next drive.
After a punt from the Texans, Kansas City got the ball at the Houston 45-yard line, already in good field position. After seven plays, they kicked a field goal to go up by 11 with only four and a half minutes left.
The Chiefs could then kneel the game out to 15 seconds left and then their punter, Matt Araiza ran out of the endzone to waste more time but also got a safety.
Kansas City will host the Bills in the AFC Championship game next week with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. This will also be the fourth time Josh Allen and Mahomes will meet in the playoffs.
Mahomes throws a touchdown pass to Travis Kelce while falling to the ground. Photo Courtesy: chiefs.com
The Texans were able to get off to a good start with a big gain to Dalton Schultz of 34 yards. After that, they had to kick a field goal. They then punted and Fairbairn missed a 55-yard field goal later in the half.
On their last possession of the half, Houston was driving down the field until a sack and an offensive holding derailed their momentum. They were able to get a field goal before the half. With the ball out of the half, the Texans took advantage of the possession with Mixon scoring the touchdown.
Down eight, Houston tried to be aggressive by going for it on fourth and 10, but Stroud was sacked, leading to a turnover on downs. On their next drive, they went three and out and had to punt. Facing a two-score deficit with less than five minutes left, their field goal attempt got blocked and they ran out of time.
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