The divisional round of the NFL playoffs has concluded, and the excitement is building as one team moves closer to its ultimate goal of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. With only four teams remaining, the stage is set for a thrilling weekend of conference championship games featuring the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Commanders. Let’s see how they get here.
The Chiefs beat the Texans 23-14
In the last two seasons, the Houston Texans’ ceiling has been the divisional round of the playoffs. Last year, as underdogs, they beat the top defensive team in the NFL at that time, the Cleveland Browns, which allowed them to advance. However, they lost to the Baltimore Ravens in that round. This year, the Texans defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, again as underdogs, but they faced the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the divisional round, and again, they lost. Notably, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes remains undefeated in playoff games, and the Texans have never made it past the divisional round in the franchise’s history. The Texans didn’t play that badly in this game. They didn’t turn the ball over. They totaled more overall yards than the Chiefs, 336-212. However, a few costly mistakes by the Texans’ field goal unit and the Chiefs’ defensive pressure cost the Texans this game. Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed a 55-yard field goal attempt and a PAT attempt, and with 1:46 left, he had his field goal attempt blocked. Also at the end of the game, the Chiefs defense sacked CJ Stroud on fourth down and forced a a punt on back-to-back drives amid Houston’s comeback attempt. The sack was by George Karlaftis on fourth down near the 50-yard-line with about 10 minutes remaining. The second drive ended when Stroud misfired on consecutive passes, forcing Houston to punt with just over seven minutes left in the game. The Chiefs will now play the Buffalo Bills in the conference championship game, which is set to be an exciting rematch. Earlier in the season, the Bills gave the Chiefs their first loss of the season. If the Chiefs win, they’ll be one step closer to completing the first-ever three-peat in NFL history during the Super Bowl era.
The Bills beat the Ravens 27-25
Undoubtedly, this was the best game of the divisional rounds. The top two MVP candidates, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson faced off, and the game lived up to expectations. This game was different from the 35-10 whopping the Baltimore Ravens put on the Buffalo Bills in the regular season. This game was a fierce battle decided by costly turnovers, dropped passes, and poor analytic decisions by the Ravens. Baltimore jumped out of the gate and scored on their first drive. Jackson found Rashod Bateman on a 16-yard touchdown pass. At that point, it appeared the Ravens would take off, but the Bills responded by scoring on their first drive. Baltimore scored a field goal, but the first half was too much Josh Allen. After his touchdown pass in the first quarter, he rushed for two more in the second. The Ravens did make a comeback in the second half. With the score 24-19, the Ravens drove the ball downfield looking to score. However, when Jackson found Mark Andrews for 16 yards, Andrews fumbled the ball, and the Bills responded with a field goal. The Ravens managed to score again, bringing the game to a tight 27-25. However, Andrews dropped the two-point conversion pass that could have tied the game, and ultimately, the game ended there. Earlier, when the Ravens scored a touchdown to make it 21-19, they failed on a different two-point conversion. If they had opted for an extra point (PAT) instead, they wouldn’t have needed a two-point conversion on their final drive to tie the game. Despite the turnovers, the Ravens allowed their reliance on analytics to cost them this game. The Bills remain undefeated at home this year and their next game will be against the Chiefs for a chance to finally get over the hump and make it to the Super Bowl.
The Eagles beat the Rams 28-22
Philadelphia Eagles escaped this game with a win, and their 2,000-yard rusher should get most of the credit. Saquon Barkley came up huge for his team as he rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns. His two touchdowns were huge explosive runs, the first one for 62 yards and the second one for 78 yards. Remember, Barkley had a chance to break the single-season rushing record, as he only needed 101 yards, but his team decided to rest him in hopes of being fully healthy for this postseason as they pursue a Super Bowl. Currently, it seems their decision is paying off as they continue to win, but if they fail to win it all, how will Barkley feel? He wanted the record and his father wanted the record. The only justification for him not having the record is that he sacrificed it to win the Super Bowl, so the Eagles better win it, but Barkley will need some help. In the divisional game, the Eagle’s defense stepped up at the end and forced the Rams to go 4-and-out on their final drive that would have won them the game. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts rushed for one touchdown but didn’t throw for any, and only threw for 128 yards. Next week, they will play the high-powered offense of the Washington Commanders in the conference championship game. If the Eagles’ offense continues to heavily rely on Barkley, it could become a problem next week.
The Commanders beat the Lions 45-31
This game was the biggest surprise of the divisional round weekend. While we knew that Washington Commanders’ rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, was talented, his performance exceeded all expectations. We anticipated that the Commanders could score against the Detroit Lions, given their questionable defense, but no one expected a victory. Throughout the season, the Lions were considered one of the favorites to win it all due to their high-powered offense, but they met their match in Washington. Not only did the Commanders keep pace with the Lions offensively, but their defense also stepped up significantly. They forced Jared Goff to throw three interceptions—two of which were grabbed by Washington’s rookie defensive player, Mike Sainristil—as well as causing a fumble. Meanwhile, Daniels had an impressive game, throwing for 299 yards, rushing for 51 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Washington outscored Detroit 28-14 in the second quarter — the highest-scoring quarter in NFL playoff history — to take a 31-21 lead at halftime. Daniels had 242 yards passing in the first half, setting a rookie record one week after becoming the first rookie to lead his team in yards rushing and passing in a playoff win. Daniels became the second rookie quarterback to knock off a top-seeded team, joining Joe Flacco, who led Baltimore past Tennessee on Jan. 10, 2009. Next week, the Commanders will play the Eagles for a chance to play in the Super Bowl. Nobody expected the rookie-led Commanders to go this far, so there is no pressure on them, but will they pull off the upset? We’ll have to wait and see.
