This will be a weekly series where I will be looking at the box score and giving a summary/ my thoughts of how I felt each game went if I was able to watch it. This may change as the season goes on and the article progresses but for now this is how it is.
Wildcard:
Raiders 28 VS Patriots 24
Both of these teams defied expectations this season. Both teams had bottom tier reasons. One team had a rookie quarterback, while the other had a carousel of quarterbacks playing. In this one it was Maye versus Minshew and Minshew showed the rookie that he wasn’t going to get bested by him. Minshew played perfectly for the Raiders. He commanded the offense, throwing 16/20 for 260 yards and 3 touchdowns. Maye tried to keep up but his game manager style just couldn’t do it. The Patriots running game kept them in this one but Mayes lone interception was the difference here. Had he not thrown that interception then maybe the Patriots would be moving on instead.
Eagles 35 VS Cowboys 34
The time is 12pm est, Burn is ready to play the game. Both teams search and BAM, the Cowboys roster needs a player in order to play. Both their tight ends got hurt in practice and they are left with one tight end. Drama after much debate asks CB to raise the player movement in his own way. Drama being the unique personality that he is, irritated CB with his ask. Drama then says he’ll see us later and quits the league. This ends up being a force win for the Eagles.
Bills 48 VS Colts 45
The slump has officially ended in the wildcard. I didn’t watch this game but all it took for the Bills to win is for Allen to not play. That is not a statement that you would think you would read about a playoff game. Trubisky took over the reins in this one and honestly took over the game. You’d think that playing a backup you would have an easier shot in this one but between Mitch having a resurgence game and the Bills defense forcing interceptions it just wasn’t to be for the Colts. Richardson threw four touchdowns but his 5 interceptions was just one to many in a close game. Cb had a great year but he needs to work on the interceptions thrown. If you take even one of these away then the Colts could have won this game.
Giants 24 VS Buccaneers 41
This game was a lot closer than it could have been. Daniel Jones gets a lot of hate in New York, however you see what happens when he isn’t in the game. He isn’t the best quarterback but he is a serviceable one. One who did lead the Giants to the playoffs. Lock stepped in this one and was just lost from the get go. He couldn’t navigate a tough Buccaneer defense and threw 4 interceptions. If we add Baker playing smart and not gambling on throws then you get a result like this. If the Buccaneers can play mistake free football while getting the same production from Baker then you are gonna have a dangerous team.
Chargers 41 VS Browns 26
This was a sad day. I thought HD might be able to pull off the upset and the unbelievable season wouldn’t end here. Alas it did and you have to wonder would a higher overall quarterback been better? DTR didn’t do bad this game, but he did miss some key throws and he had 2 interceptions. With this game being a two score game, these turnovers played a huge part. As for the Chargers, Herbet showed up when it mattered most and he wasn’t alone. The Chargers running game was explosive, rushing for a combined 245 yards. The defense couldn’t handle this at all and it’s surprising considering that the Browns have one of the best defensive units in the game. The question that will remain is, does being in an easy division mean that you aren’t prepared to play playoff games. For now that answer is yes, HD wasn’t prepared for the Chargers and their rushing attack.
Lions 10 VS Seahawks 30
I didn’t get a chance to watch this game but outside of Drama quitting, this had to be the most shocking result. The Lions have been dominant all season and they just came off of a game in which they beat the number one team in the league. They were riding high and I thought that momentum was going to take them far in the playoffs. I was surely and severely wrong. The Seahawk defense forced three Goff turnovers while holding the passing game to under 200 yards and the rushing game to under 65. This had to be the best defensive game any player has played against the Lions all season. It was a great signature win for a newcomer to the league. This win for the Seahawks showed that nothing matters when it comes to the playoffs. You could have had a great season like the Lions did then get beat by 20 points. The Lions will come back next season but no way did they think this was how it was going to end.
Divisional Round:
Seahawks 34 VS Buccaneers 31
I didn’t get to catch this one but it seemed like a great game. The Seahawks continued their improbable playoff run with this win. Sam Howell got the start and he did all he could in order to not lose them the game. They took a game manager approach with him in this one while running the ball efficiently and it worked out. The Seahawks had a combined 201 rushing and 3 touchdowns. Howell only completed 11 passes with one touchdown thrown. The biggest key was the fact that he didn’t throw any interceptions. When you go on the flipside, Baker did what Baker does. He kept the Buccaneers in the game but he threw the back breaking interceptions that have plagued him the entire season. He threw 2 in this one and even if you took one of these ways then maybe that’s the 3 points you needed in order to not lose.
Raiders 14 VS Chiefs 27
The fact that the Raiders were able to get to this position is a fantastic achievement. This was always going to be a hard task. It was a David versus Goliath matchup and for the most part Codes and the Raiders handled it well. Minshew had a great game last week but when play this Chiefs roster, he wasn’t the same. He threw the ball a lot, and made some great plays but you need to play mistake free football in these kinds of games and he threw 3 difference making interceptions. Hypemike and the Chiefs continued their great season and showed the league that he does in fact have what it takes in order to take the best quarterback to the Superbowl and try to win.
Eagles 20 VS Vikings 41
This was a one score game until the fourth quarter. I was down 27-20 and driving into Viking territory. I ran a play out of split close and sent Smith on a streak. He had his man beat to the inside so i threw it inside, however, the defender from the outside jumped and intercepted the ball and this is what started the downfall. I couldn’t stop him on defense after this interception and just forced a few more passes trying to comeback which led to the three touchdown loss. It was a great game and it was disappointing that I threw this interception and couldn’t come back from it. When watching the replay I shouldn’t have trusted the inside throw and should have lobbed it over the top, letting Smith run from the guy and catch the touchdown. Nonetheless, I was proud to get here with this team, but next season will be looking to go further.
Bills 20 VS Chargers 45
I wonder would this game be the same if Allen was suspended? Trubisky didn’t play too badly throwing 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, however, he isn’t Josh Allen. Allen isn’t going to throw the same and you have to significantly reduce the passes you want to attempt without him. Allen would have been able to keep up with Herbert and it’s a shame we didn’t get to see these two battle it out. Instead we got a shell of a game that involved Trubisky throwing 3 interceptions that turned the tide and led to the blowout.
Conference Round:
Seahawks 30 VS Vikings 41
The Seahawks great season and playoff run finally came to an end in the conference round. It isn’t a surprise as the Vikings have been playing like the best team in the league all season. This game was an impressive offensive one with no quarterback throwing an interception. The Vikings went with both Darnold and Tannehill and they both scored a touchdown. It’s just amazing to see that Spdot can play with both of these guys at a high level. He can make every throw he needs to and it worked again here. This wasn’t a bad defense either. The Seahawks just held the Lions to 10 points so it’s even more impressive given that fact. Both of these teams played well and I’d expect that the Seahawks would be back in this same spot next year.
Chargers 14 VS Chiefs 20
The AFC west was designated as the superbowl division and they lived up to that name. Three teams made the playoffs and the computer almost made it four. It’s not surprising that these two teams made it to the AFC Championship. I am surprised that this wasn’t a high scoring game and instead was a defensive one. Mahomes didn’t play in this one, instead he was replaced by Carson Wentz but that didn’t matter. Wentz did everything that he could to be game manager and not be the reason that a turnover was forced. The Chiefs defense held Herbert in check and they were the big story in this one. Hype proved that he could win a big game with a bad quarterback and honestly I thought that he would be able to take this momentum into the superbowl and win it.
Superbowl:
Chiefs 34 VS Vikings 38
I only caught the last bit of this game so I am going to write about that and what I heard. I heard that at one point the Chiefs were up 10 and they let the Vikings come back. I saw a few questionable throws by Mahomes and the one that was a back breaking was a corner route that was switch sticked and intercepted. I can see why the ball was tried to fit in there but when you know your opponent is good at using that new feature then you can throw it. The reason for the Vikings comeback was all on Tannehill. He didn’t care that he was going against the best quarterback in the league. He accepted the challenge and delivered for the Vikings. He brought them back, throwing for 380 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interceptions. He actually outplayed Mahomes and was rewarded as the superbowl MVP. This was a great game by both teams but you have to be disappointed if you were the Chiefs. It was a superbowl or bust for them and unfortunately they couldn’t get it done. I do expect them to run the AFC next season like they did this season.
