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Cincinnati Bengals 26, Las Vegas Raiders 19
The Bengals won their first playoff game in 31 years, although it did not happen without a serious controversy. Unfortunately, that controversy almost casts a shadow on the team's historic win, easily the biggest in franchise history in over three decades.
That is a real shame, because fans in Cincy should be able to celebrate this huge win without having to worry about something which possibly detracts from it. After all, think about how long it has been for this team since they had last won a playoff game. Think about how different the world was. The NFL only had 28 teams, and the original Browns were still in Cleveland, while the franchise in Houston was still the Oilers. Baltimore has lost their team almost a decade earlier, and still did not have a franchise. Michael Jordan had yet to win his first NBA title. Canadian teams were dominant in the NHL, having won seven straight Stanley Cup titles between three Canadian franchises. I was still a junior in high school. Nobody had heard of the internet or texting, and cell phones were in the dinosaur age, and exclusively the domain in the elite. The Soviet Union still existed, and Mikhail Gorbachev was still in power. The Soviet Union were the superpower that had been forced to withdraw after a miserable time spent in Afghanistan during the prior decade. So was FW DeKlerk and the white minority government in South Africa, even though that country had already begin the process of reform. It was still the Reagan/Bush era in the United States. Hardly anyone outside of Arkansas really knew Bill Clinton, and nobody would know who or what a Barack Obama, or probably even how to pronounce it. Donald Trump was still an arrogant ass, but he was just a slick New York city businessman with a flair for getting publicity almost no matter what he did. September 11th had not yet happened, so the Twin Towers still dominated the Manhattan skyline. Hardly anybody knew what it was like to live through a global pandemic. as the only people who would have known were people old enough to remember the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918-1919. Seattle was about to unleash an entire musical scene that would completely transform the musical, and even the cultural, landscape around the world. Nobody had heard of movies like the Matrix or the Fast and the Furious, and superhero movies were only starting to enjoy their first taste of modern success after the release of Batman, who was played by Michael Keaton.
Yes, that was how long ago it had been since the Bengals last won a playoff game. Now, the longest active playoff drought belongs to....you guessed it - the Detroit Lions, who last won a playoff game the next year, following the 1991-92 season.
So how did the Bengals manage to pull it out?
Well, it was not easy. They held onto the ball for over 31 minutes. Yet, the Raiders outgained them, with 385 and 23 first downs to just 308 yards and 18 first downs for the Bengals. However, the Silver and Black also committed two turnovers, while Cincy had none.
The Bengals owned a 20-6 lead at one point, and seemed well on their way to a convincing victory. Yet, they just could not put the Raiders away. Las Vegas kept hanging around, and were able to mount a comeback, even getting a field goal late in the fourth quarter to make it a one possession game. So Cincy really had to hang onto this one for dear life, but they did ultimately manage to earn the victory and secure that elusive playoff win.
Joe Burrow was splendid in his first postseason start, completing 24 of 34 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Ja'Marr Chase proved to be his favorite target, catching nine balls for 116 yards. Joe Mixon added 48 yards on 17 carries.
In a losing cause for the Raiders, Derek Carr completed 29 of 54 for 310 yards, with one touchdown and one INT. Daren Waller was his go to receiver, as he grabbed seven catches for 76 yards. On the ground, Josh Jacobs added 83 yards on 13 carries.
So the Bengals advance to the divisional round for the first time in over three decades. They will find out who they play after tomorrow night's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers is completed.
My pick: Inaccurate
Buffalo Bills 47, New England Patriots 17
On an absolutely frigid night in Orchard Park, the Bills just absolutely came out ready to play. They put on a clinic early on, and the first half was embarrassingly lopsided in their favor as a result.
How bad was it?
It was the most lopsided win that Buffalo has had in the playoffs since they crushed the Raiders 51-3 in the AFC Championship Game back in January of 1991. It might not have been quite as bad as that, but Buffalo jumped out early, and never really relented, either. This one was over long before it was officially over. In fact, it was pretty much over by halftime. The Bills put that New England defense to shame, as they gained 300 yards and 19 first downs, and scored 27 points. Josh Allen completed 12 of 16 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns. He also led Buffalo in running, with 63 yards picked up on just five carries.
All of that in the first half alone.
Yes, Buffalo held onto the ball for over 18 minutes during the first half alone, and completely dictated the tempo of the game from the outset. During that same dominant stretch, the Bills held the Pats to just 127 yards and 7 first downs. New England also committed a turnover during that first half, while the Bills had none themselves.
So by halftime, the hometown Bills owned a 27-3 lead, and the Patriots needed to work hard in the final minute or so of the half just to get that field goal, which were their first and only points for a half in which they were outplayed on every level and in every way.
Needless to say, when a team gets outplayed that badly and are outscored by that much in the first half, it will be tough to even make a game of it. That is especially true when that team is on the road, and likely even truer when it is as mercilessly cold as it was in Buffalo last night for this game.
Then, early in the second half Mac Jones threw his second interception in the game. Obviously, not what New England needed or wanted if they were going to make a serious comeback. A few minutes later, the Bills scored a touchdown, and whatever little suspense that had remained was over. There would be no serious comeback attempt. Not on a day when the Bills offense looked this unstoppable, and their defense looked this impregnable (at least when it mattered most).
Looking back just a little over a month ago, it is almost hard to believe that these two teams were in the positions that they were in back then. Remember, the Patriots were on a massive winning streak, and the Bills were struggling, when they met in Orchard Park. The Pats won that game to improve to 9-4,. At the time, they owned a comfortable, seemingly insurmountable two game lead over the 7-6 Bills in the AFC East, with four games remaining. That was the low point for the Bills. Man, did they ever turn things around!
Buffalo won out the rest of their games, and with the Patriots suddenly struggling and losing three of their final four games. The Bills won the division title and earned the right to host this game. Then, they just demolished the Pats, scoring touchdowns on seven drives to earn their most lopsided postseason win in over three decades. They also made history by being the first team in NFL postseason history not to punt, have a field goal, or commit a turnover in the same game. Looking at that, there was just no way that New England was going to find a way to win this one, no matter what schemes Belichick managed to think up.
Josh Allen was unstoppable for the Bills, completing 21 of 25 for 308 yards and a whopping five touchdowns. Dawson Knox proved to be his favorite target, reeling in five catches for 89 yards and two TD's. Devin Singletary was a force on the ground, as well, 81 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Overall, Buffalo's offense controlled the clock for over 31 minutes and gained 482 yards and 29 first downs. New England's defense simply had no answers to slow down that Buffalo offense last night.
In a losing cause for the Patriots, Mac Jones showed more reminders that he is still a rookie than he had for much of this season. He completed 24 of 38 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had two very costly INT's. Both of his interceptions led to Buffalo touchdowns. Kendrick Bourne proved to be his favorite target, as he got seven catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns. But the New England ground game was largely a non factor in this game, with Damien Harris leading all Patriots runners with just 30 yards on 15 carries. Overall, the Pats gained 305 yards and 20 first downs, although they also had those two turnovers by Jones.
My pick: Accurate
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