NFL Playoffs Update

3 weeks ago, 14 teams entered the NFL playoffs. On February 8, the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots are set to face off in the Superbowl. So, how did we get here? 

It all started with Wild-Card Weekend. 12 teams faced off, and only the 6 winners got to move  forward. Many games were close, only being decided in the last few minutes, and in some cases  the outcome came down to the final play of the game. In the NFC, the Rams scored a touchdown  to seal the win against the Panthers. Unbelievably, the Bears managed to come back and defeat  the Packers after regaining a deficit of 18 points. The 49ers also managed to finish strong by gaining 13 points in the 4^th quarter, eventually defeating the defending Superbowl champions, the   Eagles. 

In the AFC, the Bills were just able to defeat the Jaguars to earn their first road playoff victory in 33 years. The other two AFC wildcard games were less dramatic. The Chargers only  managed to score one field goal and lost to the Patriots. Even so, the game was still close, as in the fourth quarter, the Patriots scored the game’s only touchdown to seal the win. On the  other hand, the hapless Steelers were blown out by the Texans at home. While it was only a 1  point game at halftime, the Texans annihilated the Steelers in the fourth quarter. They scored 23 points against a big goose egg by the Steelers. 

In the Divisional round the following week, 4 NFC teams and 4 AFC teams squared off. In the  AFC, the Texans suffered 4 interceptions and lost to the  Patriots. The Bills put up a good fight against the number one seed Broncos in Denver, but lost in  a squeaker by a field goal in overtime. Although the Broncos won the game, their quarterback suffered an ankle injury, preventing him from playing. In the NFC, the Rams and Bears matchup also went to overtime,  and Matthew Stafford and the Rams managed to pull out a victory with a field goal. The 49ers  traveled to Seattle to face the number one seed Seahawks, but with many key players out with  injuries they weren’t able to put up much of a fight. The Seahawks crushed them 41 to 6. 

Finally, in the Conference Championship round, the 4 teams remaining competed to get to the  Superbowl. In the NFC, our hometown Rams went up against their divisional rival Seahawks in  Seattle. These NFC West rivals each won a matchup during the regular season, and both were  playing well in the playoffs. It was a close game, but the Seahawks were able to pull off a 4 point  win, primarily due to their defense being able to keep the Rams out of the end zone in the final  minutes. It didn’t help that the Rams defense struggled to stop the Seahawks from scoring. There was some drama about the Rams play calling in the final minutes, but it still doesn’t change the  result. Hopefully, next season will yield a rematch. 

The AFC matchup pitted the number one seed Broncos against number two seed Patriots. Both  teams have great defenses, so it was no shocker that the first half remained a 7 to 7 tie.  The second half was where things got crazy. Snow dumped down on the field in Denver, which  made it extra challenging to get good footing and to throw and catch passes. The Patriots  managed to score a field goal early in the third quarter before the snow really came down, and 

that cinched the win. Players were falling down, it looked like receivers were trying to catch blocks of  ice the way the ball slipped through their hands, and kickers couldn’t keep the ball straight.  

Photo via NFL on Instagram

Although Denver’s defense was able to shut down the high-flying Patriots offense, they weren’t  able to score any points in the second half. It didn’t help that their star quarterback was still injured and, therefore, out.

So, there you have it. It’s Patriots vs Seahawks in the Superbowl. I’d much rather it would have been the Green Bay Packers (or at least  Rams) versus the Buffalo Bills, but oh well!