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I’m not sure how one extra game in each conference makes the first round of the NFL Playoffs “super,” but whatever. The games certainly were far from “super.”
I don’t really feel like deep-diving these games at this point, but here are a few takeaways I had as we head into the Divisional Round.
Are the Texans… actually good?
Full disclosure – I was at a wedding and couldn’t even watch this game. I know. Fake fan.
It seemed like every time I snook a peak at the score under the table, the Texans were scoring more and more. Even before Joe Flacco’s epically bad third quarter, CJ Stroud was humming the ball around.
I mean, it’s easy to rack up yards when your second tight end is faster than any defender on the field:
Cleveland was clearly not ready to play this game in any facet. Perhaps they took Houston a little lightly after they dismantled them (without Stroud, for what it’s worth) a few weeks earlier. I don’t know what happened to them, but they certainly did not look like the team everyone said could give Baltimore a scare in the AFC.
Back-to-back pick sixes should lead to an automatic forfeit, by the way.
Does Houston actually pose a threat to Baltimore in round two? I’m not sure, but you wouldn’t be surprised if Stroud and the boys kept it close.
The Dolphins sure wish they had won that gross week 18 game!
Miami never stood a chance in that Kansas City weather.
If they had just won that gross week 18 game against Buffalo, they could’ve had a home game against the shitty Steelers. Instead, they had to go to Antarctica and try to play a style of game they aren’t at all suited for.
The Chiefs probably would’ve beaten Miami in any weather given how injured the Dolphins were, but it still stings for such an exciting season to get frozen in place like that.
Cowboys are disgusting
Yuck. I already covered this at length. Check it out here.
Blow up the team and start all over.
Lions survive the Rams
It was an emotional game on both ends and ultimately the only one of the weekend that was close until the end.
Matthew Stafford was incredible, but ironically, Jared Goff was just slightly better. You don’t go 22/27 for 277 yards by accident. It was pretty awesome to see a guy that the Rams had given up on torch them in a playoff game.
My main takeaway is that I’m incredibly happy for the city of Detroit, finally getting a playoff win. It’s been a long time. Huge credit goes to Goff, Dan Campbell, and Ben Johnson for turning the team into a contender that quickly.
Now that Dallas and Philly are out of the way, Detroit looks like the primary challenger to the 49ers in the NFC.
I’m not convinced by the Bills
Yeah, they won. Yeah, the weather was disgusting. But how do you let a bad Steelers team, without its best player and potentially the worst playoff team in the history of the league, hang in with you into the fourth quarter?
Josh Allen made the plays that he needed to make, including this incredible touchdown run. Still, am I the only one that just sees Steelers defenders giving up and flailing around?
Also, I saw some people weighing in on that iffy stop-and-go. I don’t think it’s a fake slide per se, but he definitely stops in a way that convinces the defender he’s about to go down. A legal play, just kind of shitty for the defender in the end.
Nonetheless, Bills/Chiefs in the divisional shapes up to be a fascinating one, and I’m still not convinced either team is all that good.
Eagles are even more disgusting
Eagles fans had one night to celebrate the Cowboys’ downfall, only for their own team to follow it up with an even more pitiful and inexcusable performance. At least the Cowboys showed some fight in the end.
Philadelphia showed signs the entire season that it was fraudulent, and pretty much every sign came to fruition last night. No protection from the offensive line, no consistency in the ground game, no ability to stop the run, and no pass coverage whatsoever. One of those issues alone can be fatal; it’s impossible to win with all of them going on.
I mean, Philly couldn’t even get the Tush Push to work last night. I get it, though. I too would not be able to move Vita Vea off the line.
Tampa now heads to Detroit for a dome game that I weirdly think it could win. We’ll see.
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