By Brandon Simmons
Mahomes Hurts Ankle and Hurts Jaguars playoff hopes
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs put the Jacksonville Jaguars out of the playoffs but are facing the possibility of their QB not being the postseason as well. Mahomes suffered an ankle injury late in the 1st quarter, even leaving the game for a brief moment. While he was affected by the ailment most of the game, the Chiefs still managed to pull off a win with different players across the board. Tight end Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns while Rookie running back Isiah Pacheco gave a solid contribution with 12 rushes for 95 yards. Defensively, defensive end Frank Clark and defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi each shared a sack while cornerback Justin Watson had a pick.
The key to this game was the Chiefs’ ability to protect Mahomes with his injury. A lot of the play calls were quick throws or passes to the flats, so it wasn’t a lot of time allowed for the Jaguars pass rush to force Mahomes to scramble. This explains why Kelce averaged 7 yards per reception. Even though the passing aspect of Mahomes’ game is higher than is rushing, it’s not that wide of a margin between the two and he can still make huge plays with his feet. Still, if thins ankle injury becomes something much more, the Chiefs might not have a gameplan big enough to push themselves into the Super Bowl.
Eagles Soar Higher than the Giants
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New York Giants as if they were giant eagles. Philly beat down New /York 38-7 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the score. The Eagles jumped out to a 28-0 in the first half and never looked back. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts – who proclaimed to not be 100% — had a decent game going 16/24 for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, the running game was tough for the Eagles. Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell ran 12 times for 112 yards while RB Myles Sanders ran 17 times for 90 yards.
This was a mismatch from the beginning. The Eagles kept bringing the pressure all night and it disrupted the Giants offense. Philly’s pash rush ended up generating 5 sacks, with linebacker Hassan Redick and defensive end Josh Sweat both sharing 1.5 each. Giants QB Daniel Jones threw for over 300 yards last week but totaled only 135 this week. It’s really not a lot to get into other than the Eagles lplayed the team they were expected to be. With an MVP candidate at quarterback and a ferocious defense, Philly dominated this matchup and rolled right into the NFC Championship game.
Bengals Maul the Bills
In what was supposed to be a close game the Cincinnati Bengals turned it into a pure shredding of the Buffalo Bills. Cincy tore through Buffalo like a 15 piece wing dinner with a side of ranch. The Bengals started early with QB Joe Burrow throwing touchdowns to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and tight end Hayden Hurst to go up 14-0. The Bills responded with a touchdown run by QB Josh Allen, which capped off a drive that lasted half the quarter, but Cincy responded with a field goal. However, it was not the last of the Bengals for the game. Cincy Rb Joe Mixon scored a rushing touchdown near the end of the 3rd quarter. Add a field goal in the 4th quarter and it completed the 27-10 score needed tp put the Bengals in the AFC Championship.
The Cincinnati Bengals looked way more efficient on offense than their Buffalo counterparts, as well as other phases of football. The Bills started the game with two 3 and outs while the Bengals started with two touchdown drives. On top of that, the Bengals defense was extremely tough. They held Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs to just 4 catches and 35 yards in addition to no touchdown passes by Josh Allen. Even with the Bengals missing 3 starters on their offensive line, it’s shocking the Bills would not take advantage of that with a defensive line consisting of Ed Oliver and Boogie Basham. The Bengals were not expected to be a pushover in this game but nobody expected them to be as domineering in this matchup as they were.
Niners Strike Gold with Their Defense
The San Francisco 49ers took out the Dallas Cowboys in a defensive 19-12 battle. This was a game that proved to be a tough matchup for both sides, but not surprising that it was a defensive struggle, considering how both teams had elite defensive units. The game started out with 3 and outs and punts, as well as an interception thrown by Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. Prescott made up for it with a touchdown pass to Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz to go up 6-3; and yes, Cowboys kicker Brett Maher missed the extra point. San Francisco responded with 2 more field goals, including one before the half. The 3rd quarter saw more of the same punts and field goals battle, with the Cowboys scoring one in this quarter. However, the Niners responded back in the 4th quarter. At the top of the quarter, Niners RB Christian McCaffrey runs in for a touchdown to go up 16-9. The Cowboys added another field goal of their own, but so did the Niners which sealed the 19-12 victory for San Fran.
It was obvious this game that the 49ers had the superior defense. Niners linebacker Fred Warner put a stamp on this game, with his 9 total tackles in addition to an interception that set up the field goal before the half. Outside of Cowboys wide receiver Ceedee Lamb getting 117 yards receiving, none of the Dallas skill players had an effective game. Their leading rusher was running back Ezekiel Elliot, who had 26 yards rushing; but running back Tony Pollard also got hurt and did not return. While the Niners offense was not as explosive as their Wild Card performance, the performance of their defensive unit show that this team is as complete as they come, which is a positive going to into the NFC Championship.