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LA Rams 30, Tampa Bay 27
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams jumped ahead earlier and built a very large lead, stunning both the defending champion Bucs as well as the home crowd. By halftime, Los Angeles held a 20-3 lead. They then added a touchdown to build it to a 27-3 lead, one shy of Brady’s memorable comeback with the Patriots from down 28-3 to win Super Bowl LI some years ago.
Indeed, the Buccaneers did storm back, and even managed to tie the game up after a touchdown with just 42 seconds left. However, the Rams used that time wisely, as they went down the field on a five play, 63-yard drive that gave them a 30-yard field goal attempt to avoid overtime and win it outright. Matt Gay split the uprights as time expired, sending the Rams to the NFC Championship Game for a second time in four years.
The Rams held onto the ball for over 34 minutes and gained 428 yards and 24 first downs, while Tampa Bay picked up 359 yards and 20 first downs. The Rams did make a bit of history by becoming the first team in postseason history to commit four turnovers and lose a 24-point lead, yet still managing to win the game. It should be noted that Tampa Bay also had two turnovers of their own in the game.
Matt Stafford was fantastic in the game, completing 28 of 38 passes for 366 yards and two touchdowns. Cooper Kupp was a monster in this game and led all Rams receivers with nine catches for 183 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Cam Akers picked up 48 yards on 24 carries.
As for the Buccaneers, Tom Brady almost orchestrated yet another huge comeback, as the Bucs came back from a 20-point deficit to tie the game up, although the comeback bid ultimately fell just short. On the day, he completed 30 of 54 passes for 329 and one touchdown, although he also had one interception. Mike Evans proved to be his favorite target, as he hauled in eight catches for 119 yards and one TD. On the ground, running back Leonard Fournette picked up 51 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries for the Bucs.
Now, there is the expected speculation over whether Tom Brady will retire following this latest disappointment. He had obviously been hoping to get back to another Super Bowl for a chance to win back-to-back titles for the second time in his career. Now that this is guaranteed not to happen, people are wondering if he will call it a career. For hi part, he said that he is just taking it day to day. In the past, Brady has mentioned that he intended to play until he was 45 years old, which is next year.
The Rams earned the right not only to advance to the NFC title game next weekend, but they will get to host it in Los Angeles, to boot.
My pick: Inaccurate
Kansas City 42, Buffalo 36
Kansas City Chiefs
Many are saying that this was the game of the year. That it may very well have been, but it was the ending that was particularly historic. The two teams combined for 221 yards, 3 touchdowns, 25 points, and no fewer than four lead changes in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter alone. All of those are records.
Then in overtime, KC capped off an 8-play drive of 75 yards with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce for the game winner.
Up to that point, the game had been a back and forth affair. Yet, the Chiefs seemed to have the advantage for most of the game, as they overcame a touchdown deficit in the first quarter to take a lead, then later to retake it early in the third quarter. They held onto that until the crazy flurry of wild activity by both offenses in the final two minutes.
KC held onto the ball for well over 36 minutes and gained 552 yards and 30 downs on offense. Buffalo, meanwhile, picked up 422 yards and 23 first downs offensively. Neither team committed a turnover.
Once again, Patrick Mahomes was simply fantastic, completing 33 of 44 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns. He also led all runners on the team with 69 yards and one touchdown picked up on seven carries. Speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill caught 11 catches for 150 yards and one touchdown, when he sprinted down the field and simply outran all defenders in the fourth quarter.
In a losing cause for Buffalo, quarterback Josh Allen was nevertheless incredible. He completed 27 of 37 passes for 329 yards and four TD’s. He also showed incredible poise and leadership in leading the Bills to not one but two touchdown drives in the final two minutes of the game. Allen also led his team in rushing with 68 yards on 11 carries. Gabriel Davis led all Buffalo receivers with eight receptions for a whopping 201 yards and four TD’s.
Now, Kansas City advances to the AFC title game for a fourth year in a row. Incredibly, they will host the game for the fourth time in a row, as well, which feels like it is surely a record for any team. Not even the New England Patriots, who qualified for eight straight AFC Championship Games, hosted that many in a row. The Chiefs will take on the Cinderella Cincinnati Bengals, who will be making their first AFC title game appearance in over three decades.
My pick: Inaccurate
I watched the end of the Bills game. Heartbreaking finish for those of us who were rooting for Buffalo. Josh Allen's stellar performance wasn't enough to overcome the fact that the Bills completely collapsed defensively three times in a row, at the worst possible time.
ReplyDeleteAs for potential Super Bowl matchups, if the 49ers make it, I'll be rooting for whichever AFC team they face. If the Rams and Chiefs make it, I'll be rooting for the Rams, since they never won a Super Bowl while based in LA. If the Rams and Bengals make it, I'll have mixed feelings, since I would be happy to see either of those teams win it.
Yeah, that Bills game was extremely disappointing. Nothing against the Chiefs, necessarily. But I had high hopes for Buffalo this year, and wanted them not only to reach the Super Bowl again, but to win it, too. Obviously, that will not happen this season. Let's hope that they do it, and do it soon, as well.
DeleteAs for my own choice of who I want to win, it is predictable. For the most part, it pretty much goes in reverse order of Super Bowls already won by each franchise. As you well know, I don't like the 49ers, and don't want to see them take a sixth Lombardi Trophy. Frankly, I could go the rest of my life without seeing them win again. After that, the Chiefs, who have won two Super Bowls, and one recently, at that. Then the Rams, who have won one, although as you stated, they won that one for St. Louis, and not for Los Angeles. The team that I would most hope to see win it is the Bengals, who made it twice in the eighties and came heartbreakingly close, only to fall just short. Not sure that they ever really recovered from that loss in Super Bowl XXIII, either. They missed the playoffs the following season, then had a somewhat successful season in 1990-91, although they only finished 9-7, but they did make it to the divisional round before falling. Since then, they became one of the most notorious teams in terms of lack of success, and only notched their first playoff win since that 1990 season. Ridiculous.
The Bengals are not exactly quite like the Browns and Lions, in that they actually made it to the big game - twice - in fairly recent memory, while those other two teams have never reached the Super Bowl, and their championship success dates back ridiculously far, to ancient times, in sports terms. The Browns last won it in 1964, shortly after Lyndon Johnson had won the presidential election against Goldwater. For the Lions, it goes back even farther, to 1957, when Eisenhower was still in just in the first year of his second term, and John F. Kennedy was not yet a household name, even. My dream Super Bowl would be for those two teams to meet in what would be the first Super Bowl appearance for each franchise, but that obviously will not happen anytime soon.
As for this year, I would love to see the Bengals not only reach their third Super Bowl in franchise history, but finally win a Super Bowl.