Josh Allen booked another blockbuster playoff date alongside Patrick Mahomes, while Jayden Daniels and Saquon Barkley once again stole the show. Sky Sports NFL presenter Neil Reynolds has made his final decision on the divisional round weekend…
After a so-so wild card weekend, the games and tension were high in the divisional round and the results did not disappoint.
We’ve been filled with great matches, incredible storylines, and legacy and career-defining moments both early and late in our careers. We’ve seen it all.
Old stories about the chieftains
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Best action from the Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.
Let’s start in Kansas City, where it felt very familiar as the Chiefs cruised to a 23-14 win over the Houston Texans. It’ll be playoff time again because Patrick Mahomes is throwing strikes to Travis Kelce. The two combined for over 100 yards per reception and over 16 yards per reception when Kelce averaged 8.5 yards per reception during the regular season.
Make no mistake. Now the Chiefs are a defensive football team. They gained just 212 yards of offense, the fewest of any team to win in the playoffs since 1991, and relied on CJ Stroud’s eight sacks to advance to the next round.
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Patrick Mahomes found reliable tight end Travis Kelce to extend the Kansas City Chiefs’ lead over the Houston Texans in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
This is a period of incredible success for the Chiefs as they prepare to make their seventh consecutive AFC Championship game appearance. Mahomes is a huge part of that, but Andy Reid has been a huge factor in how this team has been able to develop to where it is now with championship runs over the past few years. This is a play by the ‘magical man’ Mahomes.
They are very capable of winning a Super Bowl three years in a row.
Detroit’s Cinderella story shattered
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Highlights from the Washington Commanders against the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.
I’d love to say something dramatic about the birth of a star at the beginning of this section, but Jayden Daniels was already going well as the Washington Commanders’ rookie quarterback before leading his team to a 45-31 win over the Detroit Lions on Saturday. .
And so the Lions’ magical season came to an end. Daniels was so cool and calm that he looked more like a Super Bowl-chasing veteran than Jared Goff, who was really struggling in the bright lights. It’s flipped with these two quarterbacks.
Detroit came from behind five times and directly gained 21 points from Washington, which is a large amount in a game decided by 14 points. It was an amazing game with an attack distance of over 1,000 yards. There were six touchdowns and 42 points in the second quarter (the latter a playoff record), with five of those touchdowns coming in under six minutes.
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Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta stunned commentator Tom Brady with a spectacular one-handed catch against the Washington Commanders.
The team came and went, but it was Jared Goff who made the major mistake. It was a pick-six for one Washington touchdown and an end zone interception in the first half. Daniels took the ice, was unwavering, made every big play on every big down, and is a key reason the Commanders, who won just four games a year ago, are just 60 minutes away from the Super Bowl.
For the Lions, their Cinderella season was shattered into a thousand pieces. What’s next for them? Ben Johnson is the new head coach of the Chicago Bears, and Aaron Glenn could also leave. What’s next for Dan Campbell in terms of coaching? And will the Super Bowl window still be open?
sakon star in the snow
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Best action from the Los Angeles Rams’ clash with the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.
I had the pleasure of seeing a snowball fight in Philadelphia on Sunday. i like it. This is a fantastic backdrop for NFL drama, especially during playoff time.
For Matthew Stafford, it must have been déjà vu. In 2013, he led the Lions against an Eagles team in a snowstorm in a game where LeSean McCoy rushed for over 200 yards for the Eagles. On Sunday, Stafford played against the Eagles in the Snow Game, and Philadelphia’s running back gained over 200 yards. This time it was Saquon Barkley.
Barkley broke the Rams’ hearts in Week 12 by rushing for 255 yards. This time he rushed for 205 yards, scoring on runs of 62 and 78 yards, and took advantage of the huge hole created by a great offensive line.
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Saquon Barkley’s second 78-yard touchdown run of the game secured the Philadelphia Eagles’ spot in the NFC Championship Game.
The knock for the Eagles was Jalen Hurts, who suffered a knee injury. He threw for just 131 yards last week, but was sacked seven times that night while throwing for just 128 yards. Should we worry about that? And will the lack of a passing game catch up, or will Barkley lead this team all the way to New Orleans?
The Rams showed great fight and almost won at the end, while the Eagles relied on late defense. Sean McVay’s team enters the offseason with a lot of excitement and optimism heading into 2025.
Another lost season for Lamar Jackson
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Best action from the Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills matchup in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.
We conclude with the most anticipated game of the weekend as the Baltimore Ravens take on the Buffalo Bills.
The score was 27-25 for Buffalo in the final two minutes, with Lamar Jackson just coming off some late heroics to throw a touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely, a two-point conversion to tie a tense game in cold weather, and Mark Andrews scoring a touchdown. I dropped the football!
His tight end has been very reliable, catching 11 red zone touchdowns this year, but he dropped this one as he fell back toward the goal line. It’s an absolute heartbreaker for the Ravens. It’s another lost season for Jackson, who won’t find much consolation in being named MVP for the third time before the Super Bowl.
Mistakes killed the Ravens in this close game. Lamar threw an interception and forced a fumble, and Andrews also failed to make a catch in the fourth quarter. But I think Lamar has been magical when we need him on the right side, so I shouldn’t criticize him too much. This is still true. Although he has had a stellar career on an individual level, he has yet to reach the Super Bowl.
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We take a look back at the leads and best moments from last year’s Super Bowl victory for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Josh Allen, Buffalo’s MVP candidate, was able to hold his own with just 127 yards passing and a touchdown while also scoring a pair of scores. The Bills were balanced and came up with big defensive plays when they needed to while giving up over 400 yards of offense to Baltimore.
Buffalo certainly appears to have the ability to get into Kansas City and give the Chiefs a run for their money. This is a defining moment for Allen. He played against Mahomes three times in the playoffs, and each game ended in a Chiefs win. Can he lead the Bills to the Super Bowl?
What’s next?
It’s the NFL Conference Championships on Sunday, January 26 – and it’ll be live. Sky Sports NFL – The Philadelphia Eagles first host the Washington Commanders in the NFC title game starting at 8 p.m., then the Chiefs take on the Bills starting at 11:30 p.m.
Super Bowl LIX takes place on Sunday, February 9 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Sky Sports NFL Live Stream.
