By Brandon Simmons
Bengals Shock the Titans on Game Winning Field Goal
The Cincinnati Bengals pulled off a huge upset by beating the Tennessee Titans on a walk-off field goal. The Bengals staved off a mini-comeback and a variety of other factors to score their 4th field goal of the day as time expired. The Bengals stars were in effect as quarterback Joe Burrow throwing 28/37 for 348 yards and one 1 interception while wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase had 5 catches for 109 yards. Cincy running back Joe Mixon had the team’s lone touchdown to go along with his 54 yards rushing. The Cincinnati defense brought the offense plenty of opportunities with their 3 interceptions.
The only people who will not consider this an upset is the Cincinnati Bengals and they looked like the favorite this entire game. On the very first play, Bengals safety Jessie Bates got a pick, which might have set the tone for the game. Even at the times that it looked like Tennessee had them on the ropes, Cincy always responded. When the Titans had them on a 2nd down deep in their own territory, Chase makes a 57 yard catch and run to put the team in field goal range. Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins also made big receptions on 3rd down to keep their drives alive. The best thing the Titans had going for them, was their pass rush that racked up 9 sacks. Defensively, Tennessee did not let the Bengals go wild on offense, but their quarterback did them no favors. Titans QB Ryan Tannehill didn’t just throw 3 picks, but they all came at crucial moments of the game, especially his 3rd one which gave the ball to the Bengals with 28 seconds left and close to field position. Still, that is no reason to take away from how Cincinnati came in this game and played great football from start to finish. The Bengals have 2 solid games to build from heading into the AFC championship game.
49ers Walk Off with Win on Game Winning Field Goal
The San Francisco 49ers also brought an upset through a game winning field goal, as they beat the Green Bay Packers, who was another top seed that fell. While the Niners had their own offensive hiccups, it was the defense and special teams that really set this team for success all evening. The defensive line was menacing, tallying up 5 sacks, with defensive ends Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead getting 2 apiece. Bosa – who was in concussion protocol since last Sunday’s Wild Card win – also had 3 tackles and forced one of the fumbles; linebacker Fred Warner forced the other. However, it was special teams that made two crucial plays in this game. At the end of the first half, San Fran blocked a field goal and in the waning moments of the 4th quarter, defensive end Jordan Ellis blocked a punt while rookie safety Talanoa Hufunga returned it for a touchdown, which tied the game.
Without their defense, there is no way that the 49ers pull off this win. The Niners offense was basically inept the entire game. The one good drive in the first half, Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo threw an interception. In addition to that, he was sacked 4 times in this game. But while San Francisco had issues offensively, Green Bay’s offense was being dealt their own frustrations. There were a few 3rd downs where the 49ers sacked Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, including the drive where the Pack kicked a field goal to go up 10-3. At one point, the Niners defense forced 6 straight scoreless drives on the Packers that were either punts, a loss fumble and the blocked field goal. Green Bay blew plenty of opportunities to win this game, but it should not overshadow that San Francisco played hard until the end of the game. The 49ers took advantage of their opportunities to win at the right time and cashed them in for a shot at the NFC championship.
Rams Survive Tom Brady with Game Winning Field Goal
The Los Angeles Rams have beaten the “Don’t Bet against Tom Brady” mantra with a game-winning field goal. The Rams accomplished this feat despite almost blowing a 24 point lead in the second half. This was to be expected going against Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, the guy known for eradicating one of the biggest leads in Super Bowl history. However, he could could not overcome the play of Rams QB Matthew Stafford. Stafford had a spectacular game throwing 28/38 for 366 yards and 2 touchdowns. Rams receiver Cooper Kupp put up 9 catches for 183 yards, including a 44 yard catch that set up the game winning field goal.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford and his defense was a perfect match for this game, as they both played a part in securing this win. Starting with the defense, the pass rush was relentless on the QB. Bucs quarterback Tom Brady was harassed in the pocket all day. L.A. put up 3 sacks all day against Brady but really impacted the game on hurries and QB hits. The pressure helped the Rams secondary take away the Bucs wide receivers, which made it difficult for Brady to push the ball down the field most of the game. While the Rams defense was giving the Bucs offense fits, the Rams offense was flourishing behind the play of Stafford. In addition to Kupp, the L.A. quarterback found receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. early and often to stabilize their aerial attack. This win was impressive in a bad and good way. Not only did Los Angeles blow a huge lead but they weathered the storm against Tom Brady, who has history of being being a threat in these moments. Usually, analysts warn teams to not let Brady touch the ball in under 2 minutes, but in this case, that logic was flipped on him. Brady had the ball early in the 2 minute warning and his opponent sliced him, much like he’s done in recent years.
Chiefs Add to Walk off Weekend Beating the Bills in Thriller
The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills closed out a thrilling playoff weekend by putting on a classic of their own, with the Chiefs winning 42-36 in overtime. It was a closed game from start to finish, with Kansas City holding the lead most of the game. It wasn’t until late in the 4th quarter that things really took wild turn for both teams. Down 26 -21, at the 2 minute warning on 4th down, Bills QB Josh Allen threw a TD strike to wide receiver Gabriel Davis, then threw the 2 point conversion to wide receiver Stefon Diggs to go up 29-26. The Chiefs responded with QB Patrick Mahomes completing a pass to wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a 64 yard catch and run touchdown, to go up 33-29. Allen responded with another TD pass to Davis to go up 36-33. With 13 seconds left, Mahomes brought Kansas City within field goal range off of 2 passes, including a 25 yard completion to tight end Travis Kelce, which set up the game tying field goal. Kansas City received the ball first in overtime, in which they never looked back, as Kelce also scored the game winning touchdown.
This game went as expected with the difference being which offense could outduel the other. The game was close for the most part and never got out of hand, because neither QB was going to let that happen. The Bills had utilized Allen’s scrambling abilities to sustain drives, including on their first possession in the game when he rushed for it on 4th and 2. Mahomes did some scrambling as well, but it was not designed for him to do so. The KC quarterback – who threw 33/44 for 378 yards and 3 touchdowns – was escaping the pocket for the most part and gaining the yards that he could. This did not last often as he found his primary receiving weapons, Hill (11 catches, 150 yards and a touchdown) and Kelce (8 catches, 96 yards and a touchdown) for some big plays. The Kansas City defense really tried to hold it down in the front 7, but with safety Tyrann Matthieu leaving the game because of a head injury, their secondary became vulnerable to the Bills’ passing attack, especially late in the game. The only thing that could save them was Mahomes playing out of his mind and engineering one of the more thrilling finishes in NFL history.
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