The divisional round of the NFL playoffs provided some great games, per usual. The Ravens sent the Texans home, the 49ers avoided a major upset at the hands of the Packers, the Lions slipped past the Buccaneers and the Chiefs out-dueled the Bills.
Starting on Saturday afternoon, the first game of the weekend had rookie CJ Stroud and his Texans go to Baltimore after their big win in the Wild Card Round over the Browns. The Texans were coming in with a lot of momentum and the Ravens hadn’t played their starters since Week 17 against the Dolphins, so they were a bit rusty. In the first half, both offenses struggled, only scoring 10 points each. The Ravens were able to drive down the field a few times but were stopped by the Houston defense several times, despite scoring a touchdown. The Texans’ touchdown didn’t come on offense, however, as a punt return touchdown Steven Sims tied the game. The second half, however, was all Ravens. Lamar Jackson and the offense scored with ease and the defense completely shut down CJ Stroud and his weapons, winning 34-10 and advancing to host the AFC Championship.
The other top seed was in San Francisco, where the 49ers took on the upset-minded Packers, who’d just come off a blowout win over the Cowboys. The Packers struck first with a field goal, but then Brock Purdy threw a touchdown strike to George Kittle. The Packers got another field goal to make it 7-6 at halftime. The two teams then traded scores for most of the second half, with the Packers scoring to make it 13-6, then a Christian McCaffery touchdown to reclaim the lead for San Francisco 14-13, before the Packers retook the lead 21-14. A made 49ers field goal and missed Packers goal made it 21-17, as the 49ers drove down on a drive to save their season. McCaffery ran it in again and the second interception of the game by Dre Greenlaw sealed the win for the 49ers.
The first game on Sunday featured the Buccaneers and Lions. This game was very evenly matched, with both teams matching each other’s scoring until the fourth quarter. The main difference in this game was the turnovers, with the Lions’ secondary intercepting Baker Mayfield twice, stopping promising Tampa Bay drives. With the score tied at 17-17 in the fourth quarter, the Detroit offense came alive, scoring 14 unanswered to put the game out of reach and clinch a 31-23 win for the Lions and a meeting with the 49ers in San Francisco.
The last game of the weekend was also the most highly anticipated. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen have played several times, with Allen winning the regular season games and Mahomes the playoffs. However, Mahomes has never played a playoff game on the road before, and this would be his first one. With the Bills already having beat the Chiefs earlier this year in Kansas City, this was the Bills’ best chance yet. It started that way, taking a 10-3 lead on a Josh Allen rushing touchdown. After a Harrison Butker field goal, Mahomes found Travis Kelce for a wide-open touchdown to give the Chiefs a 13-10 lead. The Bills then responded with a touchdown of their own before halftime to give themselves a 17-13 lead. Kansas City then came out in the second half and went right down the field, reclaiming the lead. The two teams traded touchdowns again and the Bills had the ball, down 27-24. They faked a punt deep in their own territory, and it didn’t work, giving the Chiefs a short field, which they took advantage of, until they fumbled into the end zone, turning the ball over. Buffalo had one more chance and after being forced to take a field goal, they missed and gave Kansas City yet another win over them, crushing their hopes again.
After another great week of playoff games, the world gets closer and closer to the best day of the football year. The number one and three seeds in each conference are the only ones left, meaning the Super Bowl will truly be the two best teams in the league, and it’s only a few weeks away.
