All the reasons why last weekend may have been the greatest in NFL history.
I hope you were among the sports fans who at least looked in on the divisional weekend of the pro football playoffs. For me, I was lucky to be clear-headed without a dog in the fight and plenty of time on my hands.
What became of the four games that would determine the Super Bowl semi finalists was literally all for the books. It began with classic matchups and just the hint of a possible upset or two and ended with heart-stopping excitement, no matter who came out the victors.
There were two sub-themes of the weekend. Iconic Hall of Fame quarterbacks trying to win one more Super Bowl and young guns who personified where the position is going along with three game managers trying to, well, manage their teams packed with stars on both sides of the ball.
The weekend opened Saturday afternoon with top-seeded Tennessee, which had earned the first-round bye in the American Conference, against Cincinnati and one of those stars of the future, Joe Burrow. The game ended with the Bengals kicking a winning field goal as time ran out on the Titans and workman QB Ryan Tannehill.
That had to be the one walk-off field goal of the weekend. We hadn’t seen anything yet. That night, on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, the Packers lost in exactly the same way, as Aaron Rodgers completed a disastrous month where his popularity tanked over his vaccine controversy and some political misspeak. The 49ers prevailed as the clock hit zero, and Jimmy Garoppolo was the surviving QB.
San Francisco 49ers’ Robbie Gould celebrates after making the game-winning field goal during the second half of an NFC divisional playoff NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, in Green Bay, Wis. The 49ers won 13-10 to advance to the NFC Chasmpionship game. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Sunday couldn’t match those two games. And it looked that way when the LA Rams led defending champ Tampa Bay 27-3 and 44-year-old Tom Brady not going on to win his eighth Super Bowl ring. But Brady mounted one of his patented rallies to tie the game in the final minute. He wound up furious at the Bucs defense that allowed Matthew Stafford to throw two long completions and put the Rams in position to win with a 49-yard field goal at the gun. Impossible.
The fourth game could not have ended the same way, for sure. And, for sure, it was even better. The clear future of the NFL, the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Bills’ Josh Allen displayed their passing and running brilliance that could last another 10 years, at least.
By the last two minutes, someone must have called you to scream, “TURN ON THE TV!” Three touchdowns and a field goal at the end of regulation sent the game into overtime, where Mahomes sliced up a pooped Buffalo defense to win what I concluded was the greatest football game I’ve ever seen.
Photo via AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
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