Josh Allen v Lamar Jackson was set to be an epic. The thought of this season’s MVP favorites sharing a subject was chill inducing. As a result of whichever quarterback punctuated an excellent particular person season with a convention championship berth would achieve this as a result of he outplayed his counterpart.
Then the precise sport was performed in snowy Buffalo. It turns on the market’s a lot extra to a soccer sport than the 2 males beneath heart, even males as supremely gifted as Allen and Jackson. Many will blame Jackson for Buffalo’s 27-25 win over the Ravens, particularly because the weeks and months go on. They’ll credit score Allen too. However neither participant was the important thing issue within the final result. It’s typically the simple possibilities gamers don’t take slightly than flashes of brilliance that resolve video games.
Jackson wasn’t excellent on Sunday however he stepped up when it counted. Driving 88 yards in eight performs to arrange a game-tying two-point conversion within the last moments of a playoff contest is what MVPs do. However Jackson didn’t dial up the play name for the two-point conversion, and his go was tremendous – it was tight finish Mark Andrews who dropped the best of catches to successfully hand the sport to the Payments.
Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken determined to place the season within the fingers of Andrews, who had fumbled and squashed a promising Ravens drive earlier within the half.
“We wouldn’t be right here with out Mark Andrews. … It’s like the rest. Future is a call that you just make, and the way you deal with what is available in life. And Mark will deal with it unbelievable,” John Harbaugh stated in his postgame press convention.
“Future is a call that you just make” sounds fancy and metaphysical. On this sport, it was the little selections that led to Buffalo advancing to the AFC championship.
Taking part in Sliding Doorways is simple however, within the second, the choice to not put the ball within the fingers of Jackson or Derrick Henry with the sport on the road was unconscionable. That is Henry who rushed for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. That is Jackson, a magician.
Jackson did flip over the ball twice within the sport’s first 16 minutes on a misfired deep ball snagged by Taylor Rapp and a fumble brought on by Damar Hamlin. However Jackson shook it off, and the Ravens counterpunched with a superior offense. The Ravens outgained the Payments 416 yards to 273 and averaged 7.3 yards per play to Buffalo’s 4.6. Allen was largely a non-factor by his excessive requirements. Buffalo had been by no means in a position to set up a deep passing sport; actually, Allen solely had 96 passing yards after three quarters.
However, crucially, he didn’t flip over the ball, and neither did working again James Cook dinner, who was glorious. Allen additionally muscled his means into the top zone twice, however he didn’t must play hero. Once more, it was the little issues. It was not solely Baltimore’s three turnovers, it was their lack of self-discipline. The Ravens drew 5 penalties for 43 yards whereas the Payments had been solely flagged as soon as. It was the Ravens’ resolution to go for a two-point conversion on the finish of the third quarter, the results of which was an incompletion to Isaiah Seemingly. Had they made an additional level, there would have been no two-point conversion try for Andrews to drop. Or maybe Harbaugh would have tried for the win however put the ball within the fingers of Jackson or Henry. We’ll by no means know.
After which there was the decreased utilization of Henry. Previous to the Buffalo sport, Henry had no less than 20 carries and 135 speeding yards in every of Baltimore’s final 4 video games. In opposition to the Payments, Henry had 16 carries, together with simply seven within the first half.
The main focus might be on Jackson and Andrews, simply because it was on Zay Flowers when he fumbled a would-be landing in opposition to the Chiefs in final yr’s AFC championship sport.
“It’s f’ing annoying. I’m bored with this shit,” Jackson stated after Sunday’s sport.
Had Andrews held on and the Ravens gained in time beyond regulation, it could be the Payments questioning a litany of selections and being bored with the ache. They’d be asking why their offense was particularly conservative to open the second half. The Payments punted on consecutive drives. Why they by no means tried to ascertain a reputable passing assault when Allen’s arm is insane. Who knew Allen v Jackson would characteristic an abundance of receiver screens.
Now the hype strikes on from Allen v Jackson to Allen v Mahomes. The storylines these two quarterbacks – their aptitude for the dramatic, and their historical past – might be omnipresent within the lead as much as Sunday. Similar to Allen v Jackson, it will likely be enjoyable to pore over. However when the sport is performed, the little issues will virtually definitely resolve who advances.
MVP of the week
Jayden Daniels, quarterback, Washington Commanders. There may be poise, a phrase thrown round to explain Daniels all through his rookie season. After which there may be the jaw-dropping spectacle of psychological and bodily domination he displayed in Washington’s commanding 45-31 win to oust the NFC’s high seed, the Detroit Lions. It was no shock that Daniels waltzed into Ford Area brimming with confidence – in any case, within the wildcard spherical he grew to become the primary rookie quarterback since 2012 to win a highway playoff sport. However how he was unfazed by the raucous crowd, how he remained aggressive, changing three of his 4 fourth-down makes an attempt, how he made just about zero errors … that is the stuff of legends.
Daniels completed the day with 299 yards, two landing throws and no turnovers. He added 51 yards on the bottom. However the statline doesn’t inform the entire story. Daniels had a solution to all the things Detroit’s hobbled protection threw at him. Washington’s punter was given the first-half off as drive-after-drive resulted in factors. Every time the Lions answered, Daniels may have reverted to rookie mode and pressed or panicked. However Daniels is a rookie in identify solely.
He was notably masterful in opposition to the blitz. And within the third quarter, when the Lions pulled inside three, Daniels led a 15 play, 70-yard drive, the spotlight of which was the quarterback changing a fourth-and-two together with his legs.
Video of the week
When NFL officers are accused of favoritism towards a specific participant or workforce, it typically reeks of jealously. However there is no such thing as a denying that the officiating crew working the Houston Texans-Kansas Metropolis Chiefs sport made two of the worst calls you’ll ever see in a playoff sport. Each favored Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
The primary got here on a Will Anderson Jr sack that was flagged for roughing the passer. Not solely was it a clear sack, it was known as on third and eight, which prolonged Kansas Metropolis’s drive and led to a subject objective. Then within the third quarter, with the rating Chiefs 13-12 Texans, Mahomes fumbled from his personal 35 earlier than he recovered and stood up untouched. Clearly a runner at this level, Mahomes gained 9 yards after which danced round goading the Texans to the touch him. Houston linebacker Henry To’o To’o did simply that as Mahomes slid late. As referee Clay Martin introduced the pointless roughness name on To’o To’o, Troy Aikman echoed most of humanity when he exclaimed, “Oh, come on.”
You’ll be able to’t blame Mahomes for utilizing each device to his benefit, particularly given the Texans’ punishing protection. However it didn’t make two massively botched calls simpler to abdomen.
The Chiefs took management within the fourth quarter and finally gained 23-14. CJ Stroud had an uneven sport for the Texans, so maybe the Chiefs would have gained anyway. However the officers gifting Kansas Metropolis free momentum performed a component within the last rating.
Stat of the week
205. That was what number of yards Saquon Barkley rushed for within the Philadelphia Eagles’ 28-22 win over the Los Angeles Rams. The lone brilliant spot for the Rams is that they gained’t must face Barkley once more for some time. In Week 12, the working again collected 255 yards in opposition to the Rams, an Eagles franchise document. On Sunday, he added 205 extra, together with two touchdowns. Each of Barkley’s touchdowns, a 62-yarder within the first and a game-sealing 78-yarder within the fourth, had been masterpieces. Barkley’s ardour, imaginative and prescient, and explosive velocity had been once more on show throughout these runs, together with the Eagles offensive line at its greatest. Based on NFL on Prime, Barkley now holds the NFL document for many touchdowns over 60 yards in a season, together with playoffs (5).
“That is the explanation I got here right here,” Barkley advised reporters after the sport. Impressed performances like Sunday’s are the explanation that Barkley is beloved effectively past Philadelphia.
Elsewhere across the league
As anticipated, the Eagles offensive line was far superior to its Rams counterpart, however Sunday was nonetheless among the many unit’s worst performances of the season. The Rams go rush made some shrewd half-time changes and got here out on fireplace within the second half. All advised the Rams collected seven sacks. Philly’s line nonetheless showcased itself because the best-in-the-league at instances, notably on the 2 Barkley landing runs. However all advised they had been crushed extra typically than we’re used to seeing. Given Jalen Hurts’s struggles, this line goes to must be phenomenal in all 4 quarters subsequent Sunday.
The award for many disastrous unit of the divisional weekend goes to the Texans’ particular groups. It began with Kris Boyd tearing off his helmet and shoving particular groups coach Frank Ross. Then issues bought actually unhealthy. Houston’s particular groups dedicated two penalties, missed two subject objectives and an additional level, allowed a protracted return, and had a horrible punt.
Not solely do the Dallas Cowboys have to look at their division rivals duke it out for the NFC championship, however Washington’s win implies that each different NFC workforce has made a convention championship look for the reason that Cowboys final performed in a title sport in 1995.
Tom Brady has been largely panned in his first yr as Fox’s lead analyst, however he got here to play, eh, analyze the Lions-Commanders tilt. Brady was insightful all through. Along with being the primary to level out 12 males on the sphere and predicting Zach Ertz’s landing, he delved into the intricacies of the working back-offensive line relationship. He’s nonetheless not on the identical degree as Greg Olsen however the enchancment is noticeable.
