Mahomes, LAC’s phantom defense, Gurley/Anderson, and Saints’ persistence highlight Divisional Weekend.
Mahomes scrambles and scores! (photo, WaPo.com)
The Chiefs-Colts game showed me Patrick Mahomes’ greatness. He didn’t play like a rookie in his first playoff game. Just think about the way he threw blind, across-the-body passes–and accurately, too.
He got the defense to go offside more than once. He scrambled for a TD just like a veteran would. Wow!
Primary because of Mahomes, I think KC is headed for the Super Bowl.
It was running back play that highlighted the Rams’ win against the Cowboys. Todd Gurley and CJ Anderson carried the team on their backs, literally! The Cowboys’ offense threatened to come back late, but ultimately Dallas didn’t prevail. The postseason drought continues.
Defense caught my attention in the Chargers-Pats game–the lack thereof, I mean. I anxiously awaited the arrival of the Chargers’ defense, but the D that stymied the Ravens last week never showed up in Foxboro. Yes, LAC managed to keep Gronkowski in check, but Edelman was open time and time again.
The Saints vs. Eagles was a complete reversal of their Week 11 meeting (a Saints’ blowout). Nick Foles didn’t start in that game, but he began this one hot–fire-throwing a touchdown and getting another by himself. The Eagles took at a huge 14-0 lead.
The Saints, on the other hand, started off cold and it looked like ‘Foles Magic’ would continue. But that wasn’t to be. The Saints’ defense grabbed the momentum with a 1st Half interception, and the Eagles were hurt by injuries to key players, like Jason Peters and Fletcher Cox.
The Eagles never recovered. The Saints put the pedal to the metal, winning the possession battle by taking 11 mins off the clock in the 3rd quarter.
Yes, the Eagles fought valiantly, including a stout third-down stop by defensive standout, Michael Bennett. But when a late pass went through Alshon Jeffery’ hands for an interception, Foles and his Eagles were clipped.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O82NnSQKb04
So much for the possibility of a Super Bowl rematch!
So it now comes down to four favorites playing: #1-seed Chiefs v. #2-seed Pats (AFC) and #1-seed Saints v. #2-seed Rams (NFC).
