Widely regarded as the best weekend in the football calendar, the Divisional Round went on schedule and did not disappoint. Upsets, snowy weather, a high-octane offense, great plays on defense – everything we were looking for as fans, we found to some degree over these four games. There were also some sensational individual efforts.
While some of these contests played out as most expected, there were certainly some surprises along the way that provided definitive answers to questions we originally had. Below, we highlight some of the things we learned from yet another intense weekend of playoff football.
Travis Kelce can still flip the switch
At 35 years old, Travis Kelce is nearing the end of his career, not the beginning. With that in mind, there’s always the question surrounding the legendary tight end whether he can still be a game-breaking force when the situation calls for it. In recent years, Kelce has been picking his spots throughout the regular season. Last season, he was able to turn on the lights and help Kansas City win the Super Bowl. As we stepped into the playoffs, the same questions loomed: could he turn on, and he answered them admirably.
In Canas City’s win over the Texans, the tight end had seven catches for a season-high 117 yards and a touchdown. This was his ninth career game with over 100 yards receiving in the playoffs, passing Jerry Rice for the most.
One of the big storylines heading into Sunday’s playoff matchup between the Rams and Eagles was whether Barkley could come close to his dominant performance against Los Angeles earlier this season. Well, it looks like he can/did it. Back in Week 12, Barkley had 255 yards rushing against the Rams, followed by a 205-yard rushing performance in the Divisional Round win. Those totals on Sunday ranked him fifth all-time in rushing yards in a playoff game.
Considering all of his previous totals, Barkley has totaled 534 scrimmage yards against the Rams this season, the most against a single team in a season since 1950 (including playoffs).
Daniels played for LSU and was exposed to many hostile environments during his playing career, but Saturday’s playoff game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field was perhaps the biggest stage of his life. Ta. And he didn’t even blink. Daniels led his managers to Detroit and pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory. He completed 22 of 31 passes for 299 yards, two touchdowns, and added 51 yards rushing.
Daniels is the second rookie to beat a No. 1 seed in the playoffs and the sixth rookie to start in a conference championship game. He also joins Patrick Mahomes (2019) and Josh Allen (2021) in NFL history with at least 500 passing yards, 75 rushing yards, four passing touchdowns, and zero interceptions in two postseason games. He is also the third player. He is tied with Ben Roethlisberger for the most wins by a rookie in NFL history (14), and if he breaks that record he will become the first rookie to start in a Super Bowl.
The Lions couldn’t overcome the rash of injuries.
Every team deals with injuries, but the Lions have struggled throughout the season, especially defensively. Aidan Hutchinson remained the headliner all season after suffering a serious foot injury, but various other injuries began to pile up throughout the roster, keeping Dan Campbell’s club a strong contender to win the Super Bowl. The question arose as to whether or not. -I was able to withstand it. These injuries persisted, and starting corner Amik Robertson went down early in Saturday’s playoff game against Washington. This latest injury was one of the many straws that broke the camel’s back, forcing the Lions to play on the practice squad in a playoff game. It ended up being part of their demise in a come-from-behind loss.
The Ravens themselves are their biggest enemy.
The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Buffalo Bills 416-273 in a playoff matchup on Sunday, converting seven of 10 third-down opportunities and averaging 7.3 yards per play. Nevertheless, they were sent packing, mostly because they had lost. Baltimore committed three turnovers, resulting in a two-point loss while Buffalo scored 10 points. The Ravens gave the ball away and failed to execute when they needed it most. After orchestrating an 88-yard touchdown drive and a chance to tie the game, Lamar Jackson attempted to score by setting Mark Andrews open, but the veteran tight end (who had fumbled earlier in the game) ) easily decided to drop the ball. catch.
It’s eerily similar to last year’s loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship in Baltimore, when mental errors and turnovers cost the Ravens a chance to win the Super Bowl. If they had played a little more careful soccer and practiced simple plays like aiming for the two points mentioned above, there was a good chance they could have won this match.
