NFL Divisional Round left football fans satisfied

NFL divisional round is one to remember as all four of the games were nail biters.

Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Moreau (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

NFL divisional round is one to remember as all four of the games were nail biters.

Bills fall to the Chiefs in a heartbreaking finish 

In a game no team deserved to lose, the Bills headed home to Buffalo, after what sports announcers have claimed to be the most exciting playoff game in all NFL history. It only took 13 seconds to shatter the hearts of Buffalo fans while simultaneously creating electric smiles from ear to ear on the faces of Kansas City fans. While the Bills and most football fans believed that Gabriel Davis’s touchdown with 13 seconds would secure Buffalo’s win, their three-point lead with 13 seconds left did not intimidate Chief’s all-star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes did not panic. 13 seconds to reach field goal range. That was all Mahomes needed. 13 seconds. The exciting finish to regulation got both team’s fans and players psyched to enter an intense overtime, but the Bills never even got the chance to touch the ball, as they lost the coin toss and the Chiefs made the starting possession count. The Bills’ number one ranked defense in the league fell apart, allowing Mahomes to complete six out of six passes. 42-36. Game over. The Bills left Arrowhead stadium for the second year in a row with shattered hearts.

 

49ers outlast Aaron Rodgers and the Packers

Jimmy Gorropolo and the San Francisco 49ers knocked out the number one seeded Green Bay Packers after scoring ten unanswered points in the fourth quarter. The special teams unit for San Francisco is what gave them any shot of beating the talented Green Bay Packers. Neither team scored an offensive touchdown, yet a blocked punt led the 49ers into the Packer’s end zone. The Packer’s defeat is mainly due to the lack of offense and the disappointment with their special teams. Some mistakes included kicker Mason Crosby missing a field goal to end the first half, just over 30 yards were allowed off of a punt return, and most of all, on the walk-off field goal, only ten packers took the field. The 49ers are set to play the Los Angeles Rams in the AFC Conference Championship. 

 

Joe Burrow leads his pack of underdogs past the Titans 

The AFC’s number one seeded Tennessee Titans was defeated by the Cincinnati Bengals in an intense last second 52-yard field goal from rookie kicker Evan McPherson. After getting an early lead of six to end the first quarter, the Titans didn’t give up. Fans were on the edge of their seats the entire game, eager to see the Titans emerge dominant against a young Bengal squad, viewers were waiting for the Titans to take control. They never did. They had their opportunities. Instead of kicking a field goal at the Titans 37, the Bengals received the ball back with seven and a half minutes remaining after stopping Titan’s star running back Derrick Henry. Titian’s Ryan Tannehill also received the ball with plenty of time to tie the game up, but just couldn’t convert, so the ball was given back into the hands of Joe Burrow to lead the Bengals to a winning drive. 

 

The LA Rams take down the notorious Tom Brady and the reigning champs of Tampa Bay

The Los Angeles Rams got off to an exciting start leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-3, but as NFL fans have been watching for years, you never bet against Tom Brady. As arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Brady has proven his ability to come back in big games and pull off miracles. It’s kind of his thing. And that’s exactly what he did. He led his team’s impressive surge, scoring 24 unanswered points to tie the game up at 27. But  Rams quarterback, Mathew Stafford made the most of what was left on the clock and quickly led his team charging down the field to finish the game with a 30-yard field goal from Mathew Gay. Throughout the entire game, wide receiver Cooper Kupp came up big for the Rams, including a 70-yard touchdown to push the lead to 17-3 and a deep catch to set up the game winning field goal. The Rams are set to host the AFC Conference Championship where they will take on the 49ers.


Photo Credit: “NFL” by Jonathan Moreau is licensed under (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)