A Fantastic Final Four
In the NFL playoffs, the top two seeds of each conference are supposed to take advantage of the divisional round, coming off the bye week and playing a home game.
That they certainly did this year. For the sixth straight year, the Super Bowl will have a №1 or №2 seed in it. Unlike the wild card round where three of the four road teams won, it was the home teams that all won last weekend. Championship Sunday will have some of the best offensive teams to ever play in this round while both games will be regular season rematches.
On Sunday in the NFC Championship Game at 2:05 CT on FOX, the Super Bowl favorite New Orleans Saints host the up-and-coming Los Angeles Rams. In the divisional round, the Rams dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, winning their first playoff game in 14 years and beating the Dallas Cowboys, 30–22. They ran for a whopping 273 yards with Todd Gurley and CJ Anderson doing most of the damage. On defense, they limited to Ezekiel Elliott to 47 rushing yards.
(Time for my Cowboys rant.)
As a Cowboys fan, let me say that while it always sucks losing in the playoffs, I’m not terribly disappointed with the season. This team was once 3–5 and won their next eight of nine games before losing to a better team. They were out-coached a bit and didn’t play good on defense, only forcing one punt the whole game.
Head coach Jason Garrett really should be fired if this team wants to get further in the playoffs as he’s never gotten past the divisional round the three times he’s been there out of eight years. And it’s the sixth time they’ve lost in that round since last winning a Super Bowl 23 years ago. He has one year left on his contract. If he wants to get another one, then next year he SHOULD at least not do worse than this year.
The good news, as of today, is that offensive coordinator Scott Linehan got fired after six years of being with the team, the last five as OC. The offense may have had a few good years on the staff, but he went downhill the past two. He looked the worst this year when his team finished 22nd in total offense, 23rd in passing while being a porous 31st in red zone efficiency (scoring touchdowns). Poor, predictable play-calling and a lack of creativity is a big reason for those numbers.
As a team, there are some good pieces to the puzzle. This season, the Cowboys were the second-youngest team with an average age of 25.4. (Even I would be old at 27.) And this defense is young and good, which is why I didn’t freak out unlike most fans when the secondary got an overhaul of rookies in 2017. Keeping defensive assistant Kris Richard is key to the continued success.
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Elliott is a beast. Wide receiver Amari Cooper was well worth a first-rounder. Quarterback Dak Prescott responded to adversity in the second half of the season. He’s shown he can be a winner with a record of 32–17 while picking up his first playoff win, which is the first of many, according to Hall of Famer Troy Aikman. Hopefully, this new era will get past that divisional round and win a Super Bowl.
(Now back to this weekend’s matchups.)
Last Sunday, the Saints went cold in the first quarter on both sides of the ball while being in a 14–0 hole to the Philadelphia Eagles. But just when people thought Nick Foles magic was still going, it went out as New Orleans went on a 20–0 run the rest of the game and got a second interception from Marcus Lattimore on this costly error from Alson Jeffery to seal the win when the Eagles were driving. Drew Brees threw for 301 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
This Saints team, as I’ve mentioned in my previous post, is very difficult to beat at home. The fans are going to be really loud on Sunday. Brees has thrown 24 touchdowns and two interceptions at home this year. But the Rams are a great offensive team and are very balanced as they were against the Cowboys. They just haven’t been as good on defense as they rank middle of the pack.
Revenge from that 45–35 loss in November at New Orleans will be on their minds. Also, Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, who has 14 sacks on the season, and veteran tight end Benjamin Watson being inactive keeps the game interesting as the Saints are only a three-point favorite. I just don’t pick against the Saints at home. Unlike last week, Will Lutz makes the big kick that will win this game. Saints 34, Rams 31.
In the AFC Championship Game, it’s a battle of generational quarterbacks as the young Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs host the old Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at 5:40 CT on CBS.
Last Saturday, the Chiefs dominated the Indianapolis Colts from the start of the whistle, winning 31–13, and not blowing a big lead like the last time these two teams met in the playoffs. Mahomes threw for 278 yards with a rushing touchdown while Damien Williams rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs and their 31st-ranked defense shut down the Colts, who could not move the ball until the end of the first half, which resulted in a 23-yard field goal miss by the reliable Adam Vinateri.
And then on Sunday, the Patriots, who to some were like underdogs in a home playoff game, also dominated their game from the beginning, beating the Los Angeles Chargers, 41–28. The game was pretty much decided by the third quarter when it was was 38–7. Brady threw for 343 yards and a touchdown. Sony Michel rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns. Veteran Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers couldn’t capitalize on a late-career Super Bowl run as he struggled in the first half.
Brady’s best season was when he threw for 50 touchdowns in the 2007 Patriots team that went 16–0 in the regular season. Mahomes, who is 23, threw 50 in his first year as a starter. Brady, 41, is arguably the GOAT (greatest of all time) at quarterback. Mahomes could surpass that if he continues to get better as he matures.
When these teams met in October, the Pats had to kick a game-winning field goal to beat the Chiefs, 43–40, at home. They’re in their eighth-straight AFC Championship Game. They’ve won four of their last seven, but they lost in the two on the road. This Chiefs team has more going for them this year. Mahomes is the quarterback to finally take them back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 49 years. Chiefs 31, Patriots 27.
So there you have it. Brees and Mahomes. It would be the fifth time in six years for the №1 seeds to meet. I’m picking the Saints and the Chiefs in Atlanta for Super Bowl 53 in what I see as an offensive showdown.
