The First Two Rounds of the NFL Playoffs
After two competitive rounds in the NFL playoffs, only four teams remain as they all look to add a Super Bowl to their team’s accomplishments and legacy.
Even though none of the Wild Card teams remain, the first round was definitely an interesting one to say the least. The round started with the Indianapolis Colts picking up a win against their division rivals, the Houston Texans. Led by Andrew Luck and Marlon Mack on offense, the Colts were able to beat the AFC South divisional winners easily. (Final Score: 21-7)
Next in the Wild Card, the Dallas Cowboys won an intense back-and-forth battle against the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks were able to rally back in the second half after a slow start, but Dak Prescott’s effort along with Ezekiel Elliott's talent and tenacity helped the Cowboys in the fourth quarter. (Final Score: 24-22)
The Los Angeles Chargers were also able to win their Wild Card matchup against a tough Baltimore Ravens team that was looking to prove the doubters wrong. The game was very defensive, as most points came from field goals, but the Ravens were unsuccessful in a fourth quarter comeback. If they had just caught fire a little earlier on, maybe quarterback Lamar Jackson could have helped the Ravens win as he would have become the youngest quarterback to ever win a playoff game. (Final Score: 23-17)
In the final Wild Card matchup, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Chicago Bears in the most intense game of the round. Nick Foles was able to keep the Eagles from going down easy by throwing two touchdown passes, but the Bears defense also forced him to throw two interceptions. The game came down to the final play, where the Eagles were able to block a field goal kick and keep their Super Bowl dreams alive for another round. (Final Score: 16-15)
The Divisional Round of the playoffs started with the Kansas City Chiefs getting an easy victory of the Colts. After coming off of an easy win over the Texans, Andrew Luck was unable to keep up with the explosive Chiefs offense led by Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill. (Final Score: 31-13)
The Los Angeles Rams were able to put away the Dallas Cowboys after a second quarter surge during their Divisional Round game. The Cowboys defense was unable to stop the Rams’ running back combination of C.J. Anderson and Todd Gurley as their own running back, Ezekiel Elliott, had an ineffective game. (Final Score: 30-22)
The New England Patriots came out on fire during their Divisional Round game against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Patriots looked unstoppable on offense, from Toby Brady’s consistency to their four rushing touchdowns by Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead. The Chargers were unable to keep up, even with Phillip Rivers’ three passing touchdowns. (Final Score: 41-28)
The final Divisional Round game was once again the most intense of the four, and it once again had the Philadelphia Eagles involved. This time, however, the Eagles were matched up against the New Orleans Saints. After gaining a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, the Eagles didn’t score for the rest of the entire game as the Saints came back to win 20-0. Marshon Lattimore was able to seal the win for the Saints by intercepting Nick Foles’ pass to Alshon Jeffery late in the fourth quarter. (Final Score: 20-14)
Going into the Conference Championship, the Patriots, Chiefs, Rams, and Saints all look to pick up big wins in order to seal their place in the Super Bowl and prove their greatness.