Divisional round performance: 4-0! YEAHHHHH BOI!
What I learned this past weekend…
– Time to break out the ol’ list again from two years ago and add to it. Ever since the 90s…
1) Wide right
2) Getting pasted by Washington and Dallas in three Super Bowls
3) Music City Miracle
4) Playing a must-win game in Week 17 against Tommy Maddox in 2004 and losing, missing the playoffs as a result
5) Starting Nathan Peterman in 2017
6) Finally making the playoffs in 2017 after an 18-year hiatus only to not score a touchdown against Jacksonville
7) Making a hype video for Nathan Peterman in 2018
8) Starting Nathan Peterman in 2018 when you have a perfectly good rookie Josh Allen
9) Blowing a 2-touchdown lead to Houston in the playoffs
10) 13 seconds against Kansas City
11) Losing the top seed when Damar Hamlin’s huge scare with death canceled an entire game
12) And finally, Wide Right Part II: The Musical
There’s no doubt in my mind now: the Buffalo Bills are cursed. Josh Allen had another performance that will go down as one of the best of his career, only to have it dashed by his wide receivers having no hands and Patrick Mahomes.
This is where I’d say the refs helped Kansas City in that win, but the only poor call I recall seeing was when Buffalo got penalized for pass interference before Mahomes even released the ball. On top of that, the Chiefs didn’t get anything out of that drive.
Around that same part of the game, Buffalo opted to attempt a fake punt with Damar Hamlin and put the Chiefs in great territory to score. Then, almost immediately, Mekole Hardman fumbles the ball into the end zone and was a potential candidate for the weekend dud award. A few moments later, Josh Allen fumbles the ball and Kansas City’s attempt to scoop up the ball failed (moral of the story: just dive on it!).
Make no mistake about it, both teams did their fair share of screwups in this game. However, never underestimate Buffalo’s ability to Buffalo themselves out of the playoffs. As a result, Patrick Mahomes will play in his sixth consecutive AFC Championship game, needing only two to match Tom Brady’s record set between 2011 and 2018.
– Baker Mayfield comes up short again in his second postseason appearance, losing by one possession in a divisional round for the second time in four seasons. However, there are a few silver linings to this:
1) Mayfield becomes only the fifth quarterback in NFL history to win a postseason game on two different teams.
2) Last season, Mayfield’s career was in questionable status after rough stints in both Carolina and Los Angeles. This year, he achieved career highs across the board.
Baker may feel gutted over the loss to Detroit, but there’s no shame in losing to a motivated Lions team, nor is there shame in his playoff exit considering the season he had. He was the best quarterback in his division by a mile and that can’t be taken away from him.
If Flacco doesn’t win Comeback Player of the Year, Baker should be highly considered instead.
– I don’t know if it was Green Bay’s attempt at being Cinderella or San Francisco regressing after a week off, but the Niners did not look good last Saturday. Deebo Samuel got hurt midway through the game, the defense was getting exposed on occasions, and it took a late drive by Purdy and McCaffrey to get the 49ers to the NFC Championship, their fourth appearance in the last five seasons. However, if the Niners had their hands full with the Packers…
– …then they are going to have their hands full with the newly reinvigorated Goffense from Detroit. For the first time since the 1991-92 season, the Lions are in the NFC Championship after three decades of absolute struggle. To put it even further into perspective, Detroit in 8 days has won twice as many playoff games as they have in the last 65 years. The culture has changed immensely, and a team with a ton of motivation behind them can do crazy things when traveling on the road against an advertised juggernaut of an opponent.
Just ask Carolina in 2003 or Cincinnati in 2021.
– A handful of teams have found their coaches for the 2024 season. My thoughts on the confirmed hirings…
1) Carolina – Dave Canales, Tampa Bay offensive coordinator. Reports say Carolina hired Dave due to his ability to work with Baker Mayfield this past season. While Baker Mayfield and Bryce Young being completely different types of quarterbacks, this is quite the hiring. I still think they should have counted their losses and called Steve Wilks, but that’s just me. They also hired Dan Morgan to be the new General Manager. While I always hope for the best, we all saw what happened the last time a Carolina pro sports team got one of their alumni to work in a huge managerial position; Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time and still can’t get the Hornets a successful season of any kind.
2) New England – Jerod Mayo, New England inside linebackers coach. Mayo has the history with New England, which includes winning Super Bowl XLIX with them and then working as a coach for five years with the franchise. He’s young and knows a thing or two about defense. Potentially a good hire, but they have to figure out who’s going to be their quarterback next season.
3) Tennessee – Brian Callahan, Cincinnati offensive coordinator. It took three seasons, but Callahan was able to get the Bengals’ offense rollin’ starting in 2021. He also has a Super Bowl ring thanks to his time as an Offensive Assistant for the Broncos in 2015, so he’s no stranger to success. The Titans, however, seem like they’re about to implode so next season might be a rebuilding phase.
4) Las Vegas – Antonio Pierce, Las Vegas linebackers coach. After Josh McDaniels made a complete mess out of the franchise, Pierce was given a chance to do something with the Raiders and made good on his promise to turn things around. It wasn’t a complete success, as Vegas finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs, but his 5-4 with the Raiders was better than McDaniels’ 3-5; plus the players competed with more heart under Pierce, and sometimes that’s all that matters.
5) Los Angeles Chargers – Jim Harbaugh, Michigan head coach. The Chargers swung for the fences and landed on a huge acquisition. Harbaugh rejoins the NFL after a nine year absence and after leading the Wolverines to the CFP National Championship. His previous stint in the NFL was helping the 49ers become relevant again, leading the team to three consecutive NFC championship games (one of which they won) and winning the NFL Coach of the Year award in 2011. The crazy part is he did that with Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick; Justin Herbert is better than both of those QBs and under the right coach, the Chargers could be dangerous for the first time since the Schottenheimer era.
– Divisional Round MVP: Lamar Jackson was red hot in his first postseason game in three years to take last weekend’s award. Honorable mentions to Travis Kelce and Jared Goff.
– Divisional Round Dud: This one’s a hard-earned win for Sean McDermott for that fake punt attempt in Buffalo’s own territory.
AFC Championship: Kansas City Chiefs (13-6) @ Baltimore Ravens (14-4)
No one should sell the Chiefs short in this game, but I don’t see any miracles from Mahomes and crew this time around. Kansas City’s two wins in the playoffs were against a depleted Dolphins team and a Bills team that, despite Josh Allen’s best efforts, still struggled in multiple games during their winning streak. Now, the Chiefs are traveling once again, except this time they play a team with an actual defense, plus an MVP candidate leading the offense. Lamar is playing with a level of determination we haven’t seen in him before and that’s going to be enough to get the Ravens to their third Super Bowl.
Pick: Baltimore
NFC Championship: Detroit Lions (14-5) @ San Francisco 49ers (13-5)
With the recent announcement that the Niners will be without Deebo Samuel, the perfect storm is further into place for Detroit to do the unthinkable. They’re playing with a ton of momentum on their side, along with the fact that San Francisco didn’t look so hot in their playoff opener. At this rate, all the Lions have to do is find a way to contain Christian McCaffrey and this game is not as hard as some think it will be. Brace yourselves, folks: we might see Detroit in the Super Bowl. If this happens, Dan Campbell is the NFL Coach of the Ever.
Pick: Detroit
At one point, I said Dak Prescott was the most successful quarterback from 2016. While Dak’s career has been nice, there’s no shame in being wrong because it’s looking more and more like Goff was the right answer over a series of seasons. Also, that Lions/Rams trade may end up being a win for both franchises after all.
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