The divisional round of the playoffs is often the best weekend of the year and it didn’t disappoint this year.
There was lot of drama including close games, frantic finishes one big upset and officiating controversy. But when it was over, there were some things that we expect. Three of the four home teams won and turnovers were a key factor. he four winners didn’t have a turnover while the four losers combined for minus 10 in turnover.
–It was no surprise that Kansas City beat Houston but it was much closer than expected. The Texans became the first team to lose a playoff game despite outgaining their opponent by more than 100 yards and not having a turnover. That’s because
the Texans gave up eight sacks and lost seven points to missed kicks. The Texans also complained about the Chiefs always getting the calls, but they made too many mistakes. And bad calls are part of the game. The NFL should do more to improve officiating but it is not a priority for the league.
–The Chiefs will now host the Bills, who beat the Ravens, in the AFC title game. The Ravens were the victim of their own mistakes and couldn’t handle the snowy conditions in Buffalo. Lamar Jackson lost a fumble and threw a pick and Mark Andrews fumbled and dropped a two point conversion that would have tied the game with 1:33 left. And John Harbaugh’s coaching didn’t help. He had the Ravens go for two after they narrowed the deficit to 21-19. When they didn’t get it they had to go for two at 27-25 and Andrews dropped it. If Harbaugh had kicked the extra point the first time they could have tied it the second time with another kick.
–The Lions couldn’t take advantage of being the top seed. They lost to the Commanders and their rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. All their defensive injuries caught up with them. And they made too many mistakes on offense. Coach Dan Campbell was near tears after the game.
–The Commanders will now take on the Eagles in the NFC title game. They split the two regular season games. The Eagles beat the Rams in the regular season and in the playoffs on a snowy field. They couldn’t stop Saquan Barkley either time. According to NFL Research, Barkley is the first player to get 200 plus scrimmage yards against the same opponent in the regular season and playoffs.
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