Say what you want about the NFL scriptwriters, but they were at their best on Sunday.
Two playoff games, in the cold and snow, coming down to the final minutes. It was football nirvana.
The most anticipated game of the playoffs between the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills lived up to its billing. Add in a feisty Los Angeles Rams team giving the talented Philadelphia Eagles all they could handle, and a less-than-thrilling wild-card round now seems like a distant memory.
The NFL’s final four is officially set, but before we look forward, here are some takeaways from Sunday’s thrilling divisional-round matchups.
BILLS 27, RAVENS 22
Bills play mistake-free football in “complete” win
It was billed as the Lamar Jackson versus Josh Allen game. The two MVP favourites going head-to-head in a heavyweight clash.
But while both quarterbacks made their plays, what Sunday’s game really came down to, as playoff games often do, was the turnover margin.
The Bills’ defence stepped up and forced the Ravens into three turnovers, while the Bills didn’t give the Ravens one. Buffalo turned those turnovers into 10 points in what ended up a two-point win.
Jackson had two turnovers himself (one interception and one fumble), while TE Mark Andrews fumbled in the fourth quarter with the Ravens driving to take the lead.
Jackson, whose career playoff record dropped to 3-5 with the loss, knew that was what cost his team the game.
“Turnovers. We can’t have that s—,” a clearly frustrated Jackson told reporters after the game. “… Hold onto the (expletive) ball. I’m sorry for my language. This s— is annoying. I’m tired of this s—.”
Meanwhile, though he rushed for two touchdowns, Allen’s stats aren’t going to wow anyone in this game, as he finished with just 127 yards passing and 20 yards on the ground. But something Allen has gotten much better at over his career, which he displayed against the Ravens, is not playing “hero ball” and cutting out the game-altering mistakes.
“We’ve just put our head down and worked hard,” Allen said of his team’s win. “I’m so proud of our defence. I’m so proud of our offence and special teams. What a complete win.”
This game has no impact on the regular-season awards voting, and Jackson may very well win his third MVP. But at this point, it’s clear he’d trade accolades for a chance at the trophy Allen and the Bills are now just two wins away from.
Long off-season coming for Mark Andrews
There are going to be a lot of sleepless nights in Baltimore over the next few days, but it might be a few sleepless weeks for Andrews.
Despite the three turnovers, including the back-breaking one from Andrews, the Ravens still had a chance to tie this game up with under two minutes to play.
Trailing by eight, Jackson threw a 24-yard TD strike to Isaiah Likely to get his team within two.
The Ravens appeared to dial up the perfect two-point conversion call, with Andrews wide open in the front-right corner of the endzone. But the usually sure-handed TE saw the ball bounce off his hands to the turf and the Bills then ran out the clock.
Andrews didn’t make himself available to the media after the game, but his teammates came to his defence.
“One play doesn’t define anybody. He’s the all-time leading touchdown receiver in Ravens history,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. “He’s been a consistent beacon of success the whole time he’s been here.”
One play also doesn’t define a football game, and Andrews’ mistakes weren’t the only reason the Ravens lost the game. Still, you can bet Andrews is going to be wishing for a do-over all off-season.
Get your popcorn ready
If you thought the hype for the Bills-Ravens game was a lot, get ready for the anticipation that’s about to build this week.
The Bills’ win sets up a heavyweight tilt with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship, a playoff matchup that has produced absolute magic in the past.
Since Allen and Mahomes entered the league, these two teams have met on three previous occasions in the post-season, with the Chiefs winning all three.
The Bills have actually had the Chiefs’ number of late, winning three of the last four head-to-head matchups, including a 30-21 win this season in Buffalo.
But Allen has yet to best Mahomes in the playoffs, and this one will be played at Arrowhead Stadium.
“We know what they are. They’re the perennial of what you want to be in the NFL,” Allen said after beating the Ravens. “You’ve got to beat them to get past them.”
If they don’t, the Chiefs will be one win away from becoming the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls.
But it seems only fitting that Allen and the Bills will get a chance to end that threat.
EAGLES 28, RAMS 22
Barkley is inevitable
Saquon Barkley may never have to pay for a Philly cheesesteak ever again.
The Eagles’ off-season acquisition of Barkley is paying dividends when it matters the most and is simultaneously making New York Giants fans cringe with every passing week.
After Barkley gashed the Rams for an Eagles franchise-record 255 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Week 12, he followed it up with 205 yards and two scores in Sunday’s divisional-round win.
It’s not often that a team’s biggest threat for a game-breaking play comes from a handoff, but with the Eagles, that’s exactly the case.
Despite the Rams’ best efforts to contain Barkley, the 27-year-old broke away for two home-run balls to the tune of 62 and 78 yards. The 78-yarder came with less than five minutes remaining and turned out to be the game-winner after the Rams rallied late.
Adding in his playoff totals, Barkley now has 2,218 total rushing yards this season, which is the third-best mark ever behind two back-to-back seasons from legendary Denver Broncos RB Terrell Davis.
Barkley is the driving force for the Eagles’ offence, especially with question marks still surrounding Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia’s passing attack. Through two playoff games, Hurts has thrown for a combined 259 yards.
But in large part thanks to Barkley, it’s still been two Ws.
If the Eagles are going to win the Super Bowl, it’s going to be behind No. 26 and their big, bruising offensive line.
Elements, Eagles D too much for Rams to overcome
The Rams didn’t do any favours to dispel the idea that teams from Southern California aren’t built for the cold on Sunday.
All week, the forecast showed snow in the forecast for the game, and Mother Nature didn’t disappoint, bringing heaps of snow throughout the second half.
It turned out to be a problem for the Rams on offence.
After a huge safety brought Los Angeles within a point of Philadelphia, the Rams followed it with two consecutive fumbles, one by RB Kyren Williams and one by QB Matthew Stafford.
The Rams’ only success on offence in the second half came when they were in hurry-up mode in the final five minutes, but it was clear the weather impacted their main game plan.
To make matters even more difficult, they were also going up against the No. 1 ranked defence in the NFL and a rising star in DT Jalen Carter. The second-year pro was double-teamed all day but still persevered for two sacks, including one to snuff out a potential game-winning drive by the Rams with time ticking down.
Carter and the rest of the Eagles’ defence will be tested in the NFC championship against Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders, but if any group could figure out a way to contain the unflappable rookie, it might be this one.
Verse backs up his words
It’s a dangerous game to give Philadelphia sports fans more reasons to be angry at you as an opposing player, but if you do, you better back it up.
Rams star rookie DE Jared Verse did that on Sunday.
After being quoted as saying that he “hates Eagles fans” ahead of the game, Verse was enemy No. 1 all day on Sunday.
But the hate only fuelled him as he finished the game with two sacks, five pressures and three tackles for loss.
The result on the scoreboard wasn’t what Verse was hoping for, obviously. But he’ll most likely be named Defensive Rookie of the Year in a matter of weeks and is the key piece to this young, up-and-coming Rams defence that only got better as the season went on.
Los Angeles finished with 16 sacks through two playoff games, three away from the most ever by an NFL team in a single post-season — and they did it in just two games.
It wasn’t the finish the Rams were hoping for, but with Verse leading the way, the future looks bright for the L.A. defence.
“I don’t want my teammates to feel like this again,” Verse told reporters after the loss. “Only want to look in their eyes and see anything but pure bliss and pure happiness. And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
