DIVISIONAL ROUND: SUNDAY RAPID REACTION

The weekend had 2 blowouts bookended by 2 tightly contested playoff bouts.

The pair of games on Saturday paired upstart underdogs against the Top Seeds in both conferences. The Jaguars showed up in KC determined to pull off the monumental upset. Early in the game Patrick Mahomes was rolled up on and was in visible pain. He left the contest for the remainder of the 1st half, but re-emerged after halftime in an attempt to tough it out. He was not himself by any stretch, but the Chiefs kept fighting. In his absence, veteran Chad Henne immediately entered the game when it was at a tipping point and guided the Chiefs 98 yards for a score. Travis Kelce reminded the Universe that he’s the best Tight End and it’s not close. Kansas City is heading to another AFC Title Game. Trevor Lawrence and the Jags had their chances throughout the game, but 2 late turnovers proved to be too much to overcome. The Jaguars are clearly the best team in the AFC South, they were a year ahead of schedule in 2022, have a championship caliber QB and do not have the post 2017 team Primadonna drama waiting for them this offseason. The only place the Jaguars are going is up. On the other side, we’ll all be watching the status of Patrick Mahomes ankle/shin/ right leg all week. The NFC matchup on Saturday Night was more like a one sided bar fight than a playoff game. The Eagles pummeled the artists formally known as Giants, so much that pop culture realty TV shows were more competitive.

The Divisional Round doubleheader started in Orchard Park, New York. Joe Burrow and the Bengals jumped out to a flawless 14 point lead in their first 2 drives of the game. The Bills were never able to mount a resistance, much less make it look competitive. Josh Allen looked very average on Sunday, only slightly better than his turnover filled effort the week before. The Bengals were excellent in every aspect and played with the mindset of defending AFC Champions. They have their sights set on returning to Arrowhead for a rematch of last seasons title game. The Bills and their passionate mafia fan base will have another long offseason wondering when they’ll return to the Super Bowl.

The final act of Divisional Weekend took us to the Bay Area for another installment of Cowboys at 49ers. The first half was a showcase of two very capable defenses. The Cowboys scored the only TD of the 1st half, but Maher’s struggles continued when the extra point was blocked. The Cowboys also lost Tony Pollard in addition to 2 Dak Prescott interceptions. The 49ers managed 3 field goals to take a 9-6 lead to the locker room, but their offense struggled to finish drives. The scoring opened in the third quarter with Maher making a field goal to tie it up. It went back and forth until the 49ers recaptured the lead with a McCaffrey touchdown on the initial play of the fourth quarter. The Cowboys offense really didn’t have an answer for a smothering San Francisco defense all night, but especially in the final quarter. The 9ers are a very physical team and they will pose a large challenge for the Eagles in the title game.

STARS OF THE WEEKEND:

• TRAVIS KELCE
• JALEN HURTS
• DALLAS GOEDERT
• DeVONTA SMITH
• JA’MAAR CHASE
• JOE BURROW
• JOE MIXON
• CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY
• GEORGE KITTLE

CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY —JANUARY 29TH:

• SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES. 3PM EST. FOX
• CINCINNATI BENGALS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS. 6:30PM EST. CBS

Buckle up…..we only have 3 meaningful football games left until September, with the Draft as a nice little tease in between.