By WILLIAM WRIGHT HEATLEY
Staff Writer
It appears that the football gods have brought good tidings to the NFL fans this year. Any one of the teams that qualified for the playoffs had a shot of at least advancing to Super Bowl LIII. However, with the divisional round and the conferences decided, the 2018-19 playoffs are officially coming to close. Before making picks for the Super Bowl, let’s examine how the other playoff teams fared.
AFC
Houston Texans (11-6)
Though narrowly winning the heavily contested AFC South, it was pretty clear that Bill O’Brien’s team battered with injuries on both side of the ball would be an outsider looking for a deep playoff run. What their Wild Card 21-7 loss to Indianapolis proved is that lack of depth can kill a season. However, quarterback Deshaun Watson is a talent though, and has performed relatively well in his sophomore season in the NFL.
Baltimore Ravens (10-7)
This was a Ravens team that surprised many people this season. John Harbaugh’s squad did fairly well considering they are in the midst of a rebuild. Interestingly enough, Super Bowl winning QB Joe Flacco may have finished his last season with Baltimore, as rookie Lamar Jackson has helped transition Baltimore’s traditionally passing offense into a West Coast, run happy one. Though a critical fumble on Jackson’s part with just under half a minute to go sealed the loss, the team played a great defensive game against the Chargers.
NFC
Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
The Seahawks should take pride in the fact that they managed to nab a postseason spot at all. This was one of the toughest seasons recently for Seattle, as the last remnants of the Legion of Boom defense were killed off one by one faster than characters in an episode of Game of Thrones. Despite all of this, Russell Wilson continued to carry his battered team where no team ever wants to go; into an away playoff game against the Cowboys. Much to the ire of everyone who isn’t a Cowboys fan, they lost by just two points. Even if they did win wild card weekend, there was little chance they would have made it out of the divisional round. Pete Carroll and his team may have honored their late owner Paul Allen with only one postseason appearance this year, but next year will really be an interesting one.
Chicago Bears (12-5)
The ending of the Bears/Eagles Wild Card Game which launched a million memes. This was as good of a game defensively as anyone could have wanted. The Bears’ front seven made Nick Foles turn back into his old self, holding his offense to three points in the whole first half. However, Mitch Trubisky and company had to agonizingly watch as Philadelphia iced Chicago’s kicker as time expired, where he put the ball down the center of the uprights, only to have him try again and hit the left goal post, bounce and hit the top of the crossbar, and then back out, for a miss. Chicago’s future looks bright though. Divisional
AFC
Los Angeles Chargers (12-5)
Many pundits in sports media had the red hot Chargers upsetting the Patriots in Foxborough. Philip Rivers’s high powered offense was as talented as when LaDainian Tomlinson was in the backfield. The Chargers averaged over 25 points of offense all year, and Rivers was putting up incredible numbers. After their defense led by superstar lineman Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram limited Baltimore’s offense in the wild card, many expected them to hurry and rattle Tom Brady; those people were wrong. In the Chargers 41-28 blowout loss to New England, both Bosa and Ingram were virtually non-existent. A couple of questionable coaching decisions from L.A. also made it hard to get back into the game. Enjoy your swan song, Antonio Gates.
NFC
Philadelphia Eagles (10-8)
The Eagles surprised me with their late season surge to get back to the playoffs. Most teams who win their first championship suffer the “Super Bowl Hangover.” But Nick Foles and his offense went to Chicago and won in the wild card round, (courtesy of Cody Parkey) and led at the Saints in the divisional round. The injury riddled secondary made it hard to contain Drew Brees’s passing attack, but Philly kept it close throughout. With little time remaining, Foles had the opportunity to drive down the field and retake the lead. Unfortunately a tipped pass intended for receiver Alshon Jeffery was intercepted by Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore with one timeout remaining. It was a tough way to end the game and the season, but now Eagles fans will be able to empathize with how Patriots fans felt at the end of Super Bowl LII.
Conference Championships
NFC
New Orleans Saints (14-4)
This was a Saints team destined to represent the NFC in the big game this year. Drew Brees was in the MVP conversation, the offense featuring the likes of Alvin Kamara, Ted Ginn Jr., and Ben Watson were arguably the best in the league. The Saints’ defense was sturdy and stalwart, and they had home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Their overtime loss to the Rams was a really hard pill to swallow because they should have won that game. Pundits and fans alike will look at the obvious pass interference with under two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Deep in Rams territory, a pass intended for Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis was ruled incomplete, though clear contact by Rams corner Nickell Robey-Coleman could be seen. The non call led to the Saints only picking up three points on the drive, which L.A. ended up coming back to tie to send the game into overtime. The outrageous non call on that play should be subject to inquiry, because it was blatant, obvious, and prevented a chance for the Saints to win the game. I had the Saints to represent the NFC this year in the Super Bowl, but unfortunately a poor call resulted in that not happening. Hello, New Orleans police? I’d like to report a robbery…
AFC
Kansas City Chiefs (13-5)
Chiefs Kingdom, I salute you. The young gun of Patrick Mahomes (who will most likely win MVP this year) is the key to your future. The team full of talent and explosiveness on both sides of the ball was in Arrowhead, in the cold, with the crowd, and came to play….late. The Patriots came into the game holding Mahomes and company to no points in the first half, for the first time in Arrowhead history. A couple of mistakes by New England (Tom Brady interception from the 1 yard line in the end zone), sloppy penalties on the defense, and failed conversion on fourth down allowed KC to keep it competitive. Mahomes and his offense showed their worth in the fourth quarter however, scoring 24 points, coming back from the 14 point deficit. It was everything one wanted in a Championship playoff game, with the Chiefs tying the game 31-31 with a field goal to send the game into overtime (the first time that both conference championships did so). The Patriots won the coin toss, and at that point, the world knew; the GOAT was going to do it again. Brady drove the Patriots to the Chiefs two, throwing critical passes from third down to Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, and Rob Gronkowski, respectively. A two yard Rex Burkhead rushing touchdown ensured that Brady and Belichick would be going to their fourth Super Bowl in five years, an unbelievable achievement. Kansas City put up impressive numbers, and Mahomes is most likely going to be the future face of the league. it truly was a historical season for the Chiefs, as winning a playoff game for the first time in over thirty years in Arrowhead put belief back into the fans. Tom Brady. once again heads to the promised land, with a chance to win his sixth Lombardi trophy.
That’s the matchup for Super Bowl LIII; Rams versus Patriots. How fitting that it will be seventeen years to the day, when Brady and Belichick won their first together in 2002, showing the longevity of their success in the league. Jared Goff and the high powered L.A. Rams against Tom Brady and the Patriots. This should be a game to remember.
