After complete pandemonium befell the Divisional Round of this year's NFL Playoffs, I, for one, was absolutely certain that the NFC and AFC Championship games were certain to disappoint. We had two obvious favorites in the Chiefs and Rams, two teams that bolstered star-studded rosters and supposedly excellent, innovative head coaches, who would surely have their locker rooms in prime position to win out at home and punch their tickets to the Super Bowl. A Chiefs-Rams finale wouldn't be the most interesting matchup on paper, but both possess dazzling offenses, and would likely bring in a huge viewership for the NFL to crow about. It would be the most obvious ending possible, but in year that's been one of the most unpredictable in recent memory, just being a favorite on paper didn't mean jack squat.
#4 Cincinnati Bengals (27) def. #2 Kansas City Chiefs (24)
The Bengals looked, for all the world, like dead meat in the first half of this one, failing to generate anything on offense behind a line that was quickly overwhelmed, and surrendering big plays through the air with reckless abandon. The Samaje Perine screen pass provided some hope, but as many on social media called it, the Bengals left too much time on the clock in the first half, as with a 21-7 lead, Patrick Mahomes drove the length of the field with ease, likely setting up a fourth TD that, when combined with them getting the ball to start the second half, would essentially be the dagger. The Bengals' magic carpet ride was sure to be over, and in one misguided call, Kansas City threw an easy lead into the trash heap. Running playaction with Jerick McKinnon, of all people, was insane, especially considering Kansas City only had five seconds left and no timeouts, ensuring that no one on the Bengals defense was playing the run. Instead, they forced Mahomes to check down to Tyreek Hill, Eli Apple made the biggest tackle of his life, and the Bengals proceeded to annihilate Kansas City after the break. Bengals Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo, a virtual unknown to me, deserves all the praise in the world for anchoring his unit in the second half, as they took Hill and Hardman, who had made their secondary look silly in the first half, completely out of the game, and got after Mahomes, piling up crucial sacks. Meanwhile, the Bengals offense kept it simple, stupid, dialing up easy completions for Joe Burrow on slant passes to Tee Higgins that Kansas City, for whatever reason, let them get away with time after time. Ja'Marr Chase made his contribution, high-pointing a Burrow pass for a touchdown, Joe Mixon got a ton of wide open running lanes, and the Bengals slammed the door shut inside the five yard-line to close regulation, again holding Kansas City out of the endzone. (This was in spite of the supposed "experts" telling them to just allow the Chiefs to score, the type of loser's mentality that explains why none of them coach in the NFL). In overtime, Mahomes made one more horrible decision with the football, capping off a rough year for him, forcing a pass to Hill that was never open, a throw that Jessie Bates knocked into the hands of Vonn Bell, as the two safeties sealed Kansas City's fate. A few more Joe Mixon runs set up the game-winner for young Evan McPherson, as for the first time since 1989, the Bengals will play for the Lombardi Trophy. That second half was simply brilliant strategy on the part of Cincinnati, and a horrific collapse for Kansas City, one that they hopefully will spend the entire offseason studying.
#4 Los Angeles Rams (20) def. #6 San Francisco 49ers (17)
Leads meant nothing on Sunday, as after Kansas City surrendered a 14 point advantage in the second half in the AFC Championship, the 49ers couldn't hold a 10 point fourth quarter lead in the NFC Championship. This one featured a titanic amount of horrible coaching on both sidelines, as Sean McVay squandered two of LA's timeouts with dumb challenges, while Kyle Shanahan couldn't get his offense moving at all in the final 15 minutes. Most of the focus for SF's horrible fourth quarter play will go to the final possession, which in all fairness, did suck, as no one could get open and Jimmy Garoppolo tossed away the season on a lame duck that Travin Howard snatched to win it for LA. But it's the 49ers first drive of the fourth that I want to focus on. It came after a Cooper Kupp touchdown, which cut the lead to three, and the 49ers drove to the Rams' 44, where they faced a 2nd and 1. In this situation, with one of the best run games in the NFL, it would seem a certainty that the 49ers would convert, and at least reach field goal range to put points on the board and begin to turn the tides. Instead, Eli Mitchell and Kyle Juszczyk were stuffed on back-to-back runs, and the 49ers lined up to punt, only for Sean McVay to intervene with his second wasted challenge, wanting a fumble that clearly never occurred. As the review took place, Shanahan brought the offense back out, ostensibly to go for it, which the sizeable 49ers contingent in SoFi Stadium was all for. Instead, they squandered that brief burst of adrenaline, by running a hard count, before taking a delay of game penalty, punting anyway. The Rams tied the game, then took the lead on Matt Gay kicks, and the 49ers would never past midfield again. Not going for it there could've worked out in an alternate scenario, and while I think they should've, it's more the teasing of the fanbase that irks me. Kyle Shanahan, this is the NFC Championship, not a random pre-season game. It's okay to take a risk to give your team some hope, and trust them to find a conversion with the season at stake. It would also be okay to just punt, like you originally intended to, since you had confidence in that call the first time. What separates the best from the also-rans is knowing what you are, translating that to wins, then sticking to it, and Shanahan didn't in that moment. The good news for the 49ers is that they have a great system, and if they stay healthy and figure out what they want to do at quarterback, there's a good chance that they'll be back playing January football next year. I hope, when that moment presents itself again, this type of indecision is left behind.
All things told, this was another fantastic day of playoff football, with two more games decided by a field goal, and while the Bengals-Rams is an odd matchup, the Super Bowl should be a blast. I've loved the opportunity to add more football content to my blog, and I hope you enjoyed hearing my thoughts the last two weeks. I'll likely be back for a recap of the battle for the Lombardi Trophy, and I might also add some offseason coverage, if I have something more to say. See you soon.
- Henry
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