By Lucas Camacho
Welcome to the Divisional Round! Going into this weekend, only 8 NFL teams were left standing. By Sunday night, only 4 remain. It was an exciting weekend that featured one of the biggest upsets we’ve seen in a long time. Let’s have a look at each game, what the defeated teams can do in the offseason, and what the teams advancing can do to get to the Super Bowl.
RAMS 22 – EAGLES 28
The hopes for the local fans here in Los Angeles were dashed this weekend. They’ll have to settle for just the Dodgers and the Galaxy hoisting championship trophies for the time being as the Rams fell in a snow-covered matchup with the mighty Eagles. Jalen Hurts, who has led the Eagles to turn things around after last year’s disastrous season, completed 15 of 20 passes for 128 yards, and he rushed it himself 7 times for 70 yards and a touchdown. On the other side, Matthew Stafford completed only 26 of 44 passes for 324 yards and 2 touchdowns. In the end, the fumbles doomed the Rams, as well as another monster game from Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Eagles now look to the NFC Championship, where they’ll have to go toe-to-toe once again with the Commanders led by Rookie of the Year favorite Jayden Daniels.
This will be a painful offseason for the Rams. To come so close and yet fall so far from the Super Bowl. In a city like Los Angeles, the pressure is always on to bring home a championship. Obviously, the defense has made great gains, but not nearly enough as shown by how Barkley shredded them (again as he did during their regular season meeting, too). Also, the offensive line is going to be a priority to protect the quarterback. Notice I didn’t say Stafford there…that’s because he said at the end of the game that he was going to take some time to decide his future. That’s not what you want to hear for a team that doesn’t have a clear answer as to who will eventually replace Stafford. Whether he stays or retires, this is a question the Rams will have in the backs of their minds, as well as dealing with an aging Cooper Kupp.
As for the Eagles, things have never been better. They managed to stop a team that was just as hot, if not hotter, going into this postseason. Now comes the NFC Championship game with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line. They’ll have to go up against the Commanders again for the third time. Both teams have won once, so this will be the rubber match. They know how to beat this team, but the Commanders know how to beat them, too. They need Barkley to keep producing and they need to stop Jayden Daniels in his tracks. If they can pull that off, the Eagles are Super Bowl-bound.
TEXANS 14 – CHIEFS 23
The Chiefs have to be the luckiest team in the NFL, and I don’t mean that in a biased or good way. In a game where the Texans had more yards, more first downs, and more time of possession…the Chiefs still won. CJ Stroud, last year’s Rookie of the Year, actually outdueled Patrick Mahomes throwing for 245 compared to only 177 from Mahomes (although Mahomes had a touchdown pass while Stroud had none). There is no other explanation other than the Chiefs are just too lucky, but can that luck hold up when the Bills come rolling into town.
So, what can the Texans do in the offseason? This should be obvious: they need more receivers. Stefon Diggs went down early, and then Tank Dell went down (and might miss next season). Right now, the Texans hold the number 25 pick, so they could get a receiver, or hope that they can re-sign Diggs. The offensive line could also use some reinforcement as Stroud felt pressure on 35.8% of his drop backs (in layman’s terms, that’s too much). They need to take the pressure off of Stroud and give Joe Mixon more room to run, which is why he wasn’t as effective down the stretch this season. This team really should have been better, and it will when they fix the offensive line and get reinforcements for their receiving corps.
As for the Chiefs, evidently luck hasn’t run out yet. I will say this, Taylor Swift’s boy toy, Travis Kelce, saved the day for his team. Kelce caught it 7 times for 117 yards and a touchdown. Despite what the headlines read; the Chiefs DID NOT roll to this victory. The special teams are the real heroes of this game, especially when they blocked a Texans field goal attempt that would have made the game much more interesting. That may not fly next week when they host the AFC championship game against the same Bills team that ended their perfect season.
COMMANDERS 45 – LIONS 31
HOLY MOLE HOLES! In the biggest upset so far of these playoffs, the Commanders, led by Rookie of the Year favorite Jayden Daniels, took down the heavy favorite Lions to set up a rematch against the Eagles. Daniels was nearly perfect as he completed 22 of 31 passes for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns while also rushing for 51 yards. As for the Lions, this was a game Jared Goff would like to forget. Though Goff threw for more yards than Daniels with 313, he completed only 23 of his 40 passes for a touchdown and 3 interceptions. This will be a long offseason for the Lions while the Commanders prepare to face the Eagles for the third time this season.
The Lions have an interesting offseason ahead of them. They have a great team, but defensive depth looks a little thin. Losing Aidan Hutchinson for the year ultimately doomed them and their pass rush, but I seriously doubt that would have made a difference against a nearly blitz proof quarterback like Daniels. Now the real reason that their offseason will be interesting is that their offensive and defensive coordinators are being eyed as head coach candidates. Both men have drawn interest from other teams, including DA RAIDERS and the Bears (it would certainly be devastating to lose either of their coordinators to their division rival). If they leave, they’ll leave pretty big shoes behind to fill, and coach Dan Campbell may do more crying.
As for the Commanders, they’ve slayed the dragon. They’ve accomplished more than anyone could have dared to dream. Now they have to play the Eagles yet again. This will be the third time they’ve played each other. The Eagles easily won the first matchup 26-18, but then the Commanders tied it up with a 36-33 victory in the stretch run of the regular season. Obviously, as seen from their game against the Rams, Saquon Barkley is an absolute monster. Letting him or Jalen Hurts run to their heart’s delight will doom the Commanders. They need Jayden Daniels to keep producing like he has all season. They’ve conquered one titan of the NFC, now they’ll need to keep it together to take down another.
RAVENS 25 – BILLS 27
This was the most entertaining game of the weekend, and it may also decide the Super Bowl. In the end of this frozen game, a dropped pass by Ravens tight end Mark Andrews decided the game, and the Bills hung on to force a rematch with the Chiefs. Josh Allen didn’t have the best of games, completing 16 of 22 passes for 127 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. On the other side, Lamar Jackson tried his best for the Ravens completing 18 of 25 passes for 254 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. The Bills will now try to exercise some of their playoff demons as they once again go toe-to-toe with the defending champs.
The Ravens go into another disappointing offseason. So what do they do? Well, the Ravens are a complete team with very few weaknesses. They also don’t have much wiggle room with an estimated $2 million cap space. Although, stars like Mark Andrews and Justin Tucker are showing their age. Then there’s the issue of their left tackle Ronnie Stanley hitting free agency. He may be great, but the Ravens may elect to go younger as they hold the number 27 pick in the draft. Whether they add a safety or another tackle or whatever, the Ravens have to be wondering what could they possibly do to finally get over the hump. Like I said, it’s another disappointing offseason for the Ravens as they desperately search for how they can win a Super Bowl with Lamar Jackson nearing his prime.
As for the Bills, they’re the best team left standing (although the Eagles are a very close second). That’s why they SHOULD win against the Chiefs; they’re just the better team. They’ve already beaten the Chiefs convincingly during Week 11 earlier in the season. Of course they have two things going against them: history and luck. The Bills have NEVER beaten Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs no matter how good the Bills have been. The Chiefs also have the benefit of some kind of dumb luck that has allowed them to hold the honor of being the WORST number one seeded team in recent NFL history. It should be pretty simple: shut down the Chiefs’ primary weapons and let Josh Allen be Josh Allen. If the Bills can do that, they are one step closer to achieving something that the Bills of the 90’s failed to do in four straight (and painful) seasons: win the Super Bowl.
