By Brandon Simmons
Eagles Fly Over Commanders into the Super Bowl
The Philadelphia Eagles punched, kicked and stabbed their ticket to another Super Bowl appearance. The Eagles beat the Washington Commanders 48-23 in a game in which they flew away with it in the 2nd half. It was another strong defensive effort that saw the team generate 4 turnovers in this game. Eagles linebacker Zack Braun led the team 8 tackles, and also forced 1 one of 3 fumbles in this game. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts found success in the air game throwing for 246 yards and a touchdown. However, the Eagles got things going with what got them to this point, which was the ground game. Philly running back Saquon Barkley ran for 118 yards and 3 touchdowns, adding another game to his impressive postseason run. The game was relatively close nearing the end of the 2nd half, but penalties by the Commanders set the Eagles up for touchdowns on the possessions before and after the fumble recovery on the kickoff return. From there, Philly came out in the 2nd half and just blasted the Commanders. which resulted in 3 touchdowns in the 4th quarter.
The Eagles came into this game expecting to play a conference championship and it turned into a send off party. Both sides of the ball were on point and gave the business to one of the hottest teams in the league at this moment. The one thing that stood out was the passing yardage for the Eagles. Hurts has not had the biggest stat lines through the air in Philly’s recent playoff year, but he certainly has a chance to prove that in this game. It was their biggest blowout this postseason and most complete game.
Chiefs Escape the Bills
The Kansas City Chiefs are on their way to attempting to becoming the first team in NFL history to win 3 straight Super Bowls. The Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in a game that lived up to the height all the way to the end. Both teams traded blows on both sides of the ball. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes led an opening TD drive that included a rushing score from Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt. However , the Bills responded with 10 straight points, which included a rushing TD from Bills RB James Cook, that was set up by a Mahomes fumble. Kansas City then responded to that with 2 straight TD’s to go up 21-10. However, Buffalo QB Josh Allen throws a TD to Buffalo wide receiver Mack Hollins to cut the lead to 21-16. 2nd half, the Bills take the lead with a Cook rushing TD. In the 4th quarter both teams exchange TD’s to tie it up. However, a field goal and defensive pressure gave the game to the Chiefs.
The Buffalo Bills put up a great fight in this game until they couldn’t fight anymore. Allen threw for 237 yards and touchdowns, while also scrambling for 2 4th down conversions. They weren’t bad defensively as they generated the game’s only turnover. Bills linebacker Matt Milano made some stops including getting a sack on 3rd down, which saw Cook rush for a TD on 4th and goal. However, it was little things that kept Buffalo from winning this game. Twice, they attempted a 2 point conversion and failed on both attempts. Also, Bills cornerback Christian Benford suffered a concussion and was ruled out, which left the secondary susceptible to the Chiefs passing attack.
This was a win that brought back memories of the old Chiefs. The offense looked a little more livelier through the air as Mahomes threw for 245 yards and a touchdown. Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy had 6 catches for 85 yards and was the recipient of that lone TD rom the Chiefs QB. In fact, this whole game, Worthy played the X factor wide receiver reminiscent of Tyreek Hill. 2nd quarter, Mahomes connected with Worthy for a 3rd down conversion, which he later caught a pass for his touchdown. On the following offensive possession, Worthy is awarded a contested catch, which set up a Mahomes rushing touchdown, who also rushed for a 4th down conversion earlier in that drive. 4th quarter, Worthy makes a catch that puts the Chiefs into 1st and goal, in play for another Mahomes rushing touchdown. Other players made explosive plays as well such as Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith Schuster, who had a 32 yard reception in the opening drive of the game but also had a first down reception in the 4th quarter.
Quite simply, the Kansas City Chiefs answered the critics who said they didn’t have their flair anymore by bringing it back at the right time. The Chiefs showed that now, more than previous years, they truly have multiple ways of winning. This is not to discredit the Buffalo Bills in any shape or form, who gave a great fight, but it just wasn’t enough to stop Kansas City.
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