What a wild weekend in the NFL Playoffs it was. It was so much better than the Wild Card games last weekend, the final moments of Sunday’s games left you on the edge of your seat and makes the Conference championship games this Sunday mean so much more.
Here are some overall thoughts on the NFL Divisional Playoffs.
Patriots Looked Human Against Texans
The New England Patriots are a lot like the Alabama Crimson Tide; they seem unstoppable, football fans love to hate the program, and they have a head coach who doesn’t seem to ever be happy. That comparison seems even more obvious after Saturday evening’s matchup against the Houston Texans. Look back to Alabama in the National Championship game last week, they looked human. The Patriots looked just as human on Saturday night and if not for an offense that was incompetent, could’ve been one of the biggest upsets in recent NFL playoff history.
Seriously, the Houston Texans couldn’t get a single play of more than 20 yards in Foxboro and still had a chance to win this game. If they had a competent quarterback, they might be in the AFC title game this Sunday. New England didn’t look like the world beater they have been the last couple of seasons and it makes the AFC title game next week that much more interesting.
Falcons Look Like the Real Deal
The Atlanta Falcons really showed that they aren’t what the fans of the NFL saw last season. They had started extremely hot in 2015, but after losing to the New Orleans Saints on a Thursday night they began to fade fast. This was a Falcons team obsessed with shedding that image of not being able to win games in the postseason. They may have taken the first steps towards doing so with a big win over Seattle.
The Seahawks aren’t the same team they looked like two seasons ago as they seemed to be becoming a dynasty of sorts with two straight trips to the Super Bowl. However, after that interception in the endzone, it seems like this team is starting to find themselves in the middle of the road and were lucky to get to that point after their up and down season.
Kickers Matter
You look at Sunday’s divisional games, one thing is crystal clear: the kickers still matter. You had the Pittsburgh Steelers win a game thanks to a kicker sending six field goals through the uprights and still winning a game is insane. It reminded me of the LSU-Auburn game from back in September minus the poor clock management.
The Chiefs defense was able to shut down the Steelers offense, but it was the same old song and dance when it comes to big games and the Kansas City Chiefs on the offensive side of the ball. They almost tied it up if not for a holding penalty on the offensive line. Travis Kelce may not have liked it, but it was the right call.
Dallas Can Get to the Heights Fans Want Them At
The Dallas Cowboys showed one thing that can’t be ignored: they have the potential to get back to the heights that many fans haven’t seen since the Aikman days in the 90’s. This season was a pleasant surprise with rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot leading the way and it was all about them in the final quarter.
While the end result wasn’t what they wanted, you saw that this team has the ability to get into contention for a spot in the Super Bowl for the next several years.
-Clint Domingue