Divisional Playoff Recap

NFC Divisional Playoff 
San Francisco-27 Minnesota-10 

1) This game was just an ass-kicking by the 49ers for most of the contest. This was a #1 seed coming off a bye and taking care of business in the playoffs. We don’t always see that in the Divisional Round, but the 49ers imposed their will on the Vikings from the first drive of the game.

2) There were few moments when the game was close, but for me the key sequence was when Jimmy Garoppolo got picked off in 49er territory, but the Vikings got stuffed by the Niners defense and settled for a field goal to cut the SF lead to 14-10 instead of tying it at 14 in the second quarter. That proved to me that the Niners were going to win this game.

3) After Jimmy G’s pick, Kyle Shanahan decided to run the ball down the Vikings throat, and the rushing attack dominated the Vikings defense. San Fran built a 24-10 lead and then after a muffed punt by the Vikings, they officially put the game away with a field goal and a 27-10 lead.

4) The Vikings rushing game was completely shut down by the 49ers defense, and Kirk Cousins was harassed all game long. After pulling the upset win over New Orleans last week, the Vikings simply took their beating and limped out of the playoffs.

5) Give the 49ers credit. They have been the best team in the NFC all year long-from Week 1 to Week 17. They backed it up on Sunday with a tremendous performance and now they get to host the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2011.

AFC Divisional Playoff 
Tennessee-28 Baltimore-12 

1) The Titans followed the formula for pulling the Divisional Round upset over a heavily favored opponent by getting a quick start/lead, getting a turnover, and the higher seed making uncharacteristic mistakes that they haven’t made all year as the home crowd starts to get nervous. That is how the first part of this game played out.

2) I don’t want to hear about bye week rust or not playing starters in Week 17 for the Ravens. They got beat in this game because they made mistakes and didn’t play as well as they had played from October on. Lamar Jackson’s pass off of Mark Andrews hands and interception in the first quarter set the tone. Tennessee converted to make it 7-0 after a great catch by Jonnu Smith in the corner of the end zone. After stopping the Ravens on a 4th and 1, the Titans went up top and Ryan Tannehill hit Kalif Raymond with a 45 yard TD to make it 14-0 only 15 seconds into the second quarter. Those two plays gave the Titans the lead, put doubt in the Ravens and completely changed the game.

3) The next big sequence came in the third quarter when the Titans stopped the Ravens once again on a 4th and short. With the score 14-6, Tennessee stopped Jackson again and once again they made him pay for it when Derrick Henry broke through on a long run that set up another Titans touchdown to make it 21-6. That was the back breaker.

4) The Titans touchdown to make it 21-6 was a sweet play. They put Marcus Mariota in at QB in shotgun, motioned him out of the backfield, and direct snapped it to Henry, who then completed a jump pass to Corey Davis for the 3 yard touchdown.

5) The next play, Lamar Jackson got sacked and fumbled and the Titans recovered deep in Baltimore territory. That set up a Tannehill touchdown run and at 28-6, this game was over.

6) The Baltimore crowd was stunned and you could feel that from watching the game at home. When we look back on this upset in the future, we will remember that Baltimore was 14-2, won 12 straight games, 10 point favorites, and by the advanced metrics stats, was one of the best teams in recent league history. This is one of the bigger playoff upsets in a long time.

7) Derrick Henry continues his incredible postseason and 2019 campaign. He passed Terrell Davis for the most playoff rushing yards in their first five playoff games. It is pretty amazing to watch him during this run.

8) The Titans certainly have something going. They went into New England and knocked off the Patriots, went into Baltimore and upset the Ravens, and now head to Arrowhead to take on the Chiefs. Can they really go through NE, Baltimore, and KC in three straight weeks?

AFC Divisional Playoff 
Kansas City-51 Houston-31 

1) I can’t remember a game that changed so quickly or comeback that happened that fast. Houston was up 24-0 early in the second quarter and by the time it was halftime, they were down 28-24. It was surreal, but you could almost see it coming.

2) Houston couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game. They got a quick touchdown to make it 7-0, then a blocked punt for a touchdown to make it 14-0, then a Tyreek Hill muffed punt inside the five yard line to set up another touchdown, and it was 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Chiefs dropped passes on key third downs and it looked like they were going to unravel. At 24-0, if you are a Houston fan, you had to believe you were hosting the AFC Championship Game next Sunday.

3) Everything changed so quickly. KC got a big return to set up a touchdown to cut it 24-7, and then Houston collapsed. A fake punt on 4th and 4 was stopped by the Chiefs and Pat Mahomes started going to work. The Chiefs cut it 24-14, and then Houston fumbles the kick return and Mahomes makes them pay again and it is 24-21. At that point, I really felt like the Texans were done and they weren’t going to be able to hold on. Mahomes throws another TD before the half and KC had the lead for good.

4) The second half was all KC, and Houston had absolutely no answers for the Chiefs offense and Mahomes. He ends up throwing 5 TDs and KC went on a 51-7 run to close the game. Just remarkable.

5) This was the fourth biggest comeback in playoff history, but the difference between this one and those other games was the fact that it took teams a half or three quarters to get back into the game. This 24-0 lead by Houston vanished in a matter of minutes. That was the most surprising part to me.

6) The Houston Oilers blew a 35-3 lead to the Bills in the 1992 Wild Card Game, and now the Houston Texans have their own version of a playoff collapse. You can’t jump out to a 24-0 lead in the playoffs and then lose by 20 points. That was an all-time meltdown and it will be interesting to see how they affects this team going forward.

7) Give KC credit. They deserve the accolades for the comeback. Mahomes is unbelievable. There is no question his status as the new face of the NFL. He was dynamic on Sunday. It looked like they were headed to another home playoff disappointment, but they rallied and could very well be on their way to the Super Bowl. They get to host the AFC Championship Game against Tennessee instead of having to go on the road to Baltimore. Things have set up perfectly for KC this year.

NFC Divisional Playoff 
Green Bay-28 Seattle-23 

1) Great win for the Packers, and I had picked Seattle to win the game. Aaron Rodgers reminded you of why is still one of the best QBs on the planet. He made big throw after big throw and Davante Adams had a great game. Rodgers made the key throws at the key moments of the game and that is what you need from your franchise QB.

2) Green Bay built a 21-3 lead at halftime, but you just knew that Russell Wilson was going to make a run and get Seattle back into the game. He played great in the second half, and he cut the lead to 28-23 after the missed 2 point play. He is just so gutty and really did everything he could to possibly pull this game out for the Seahawks.

3) The key for Seattle was when they cut the lead to 28-23 and they forced GB to go 3 and out, and they got the ball back with 4:54 left on their own 23. He hit Tyler Lockett for 14 yards and first down. Then, Malik Turner dropped a first down pass that would have moved the chains once again. Two plays later on third down, Wilson got sacked, Seattle punted and they never got the ball back. That drop will haunt Seattle all offseason.

4) The Packers won the game like they have won a lot of games this season. They were good offensively and Rodgers made the throws he needed to make. The defense played well and they got the stop they needed at the critical time. It has been their recipe all season long.

5) The Packers now head to San Francisco to take on the 49ers. The Packers were embarrassed by the 49ers earlier this season, so we will see how they respond the second time around. The last time they were in the NFC Championship in 2016, they got killed by Atlanta. Now, they get a chance to redeem themselves a few years later.