4 Out Of 5

Yes, I did state that I couldn’t see this Kansas City Chiefs team make another appearance in the Super Bowl this year. I was writing that opinion in a few of my Weekly Reviews towards the tail end of the regular season. The games they had played until the beginning of the playoffs suggested to me that they were not capable of advancing to compete for another championship. I have been proven wrong. Even with the Baltimore Ravens rushing the ball only 16 times while passing the ball 37 times when they were down by no more than 10 points. The best rushing attack in the NFL seemingly refused to do just that from the beginning of the game. Penalties played a part in the Ravens unraveling, but turnovers were the worst part. QB Lamar Jackson fumbled early in the game and threw an interception into triple coverage in the end zone. WR Zay Flowers also fumbled at the goal line which was the final blow for Baltimore. The Chiefs defense played well and ultimately got them to another Super Bowl. QB Patrick Mahomes was damn near perfect being 30 for 39 passing and 241 yards. His lone touchdown was to his favorite target, TE Travis Kelce who caught 11 passes for 116 yards. It wasn’t a pretty game or one that will be remembered for its stellar play. Lots of puzzling questions will linger going into next year including, was this the Ravens best chance to get to a Super Bowl with Lamar Jackson?

Down, But Never Out

Just like the Atlanta Falcons will always have the score of 28-3 thrown about forever and ever, the score of 24-7 will be the same for the Detroit Lions. If you’re new here, I haven’t been shy to admit that I am a San Francisco 49ers fan. Have been since 1992. With that said I’ve tried to be fair when discussing them, whether they’re good or bad. From the outset of this game this was a completely different Niners team. The defense was undisciplined in controlling the Lions run game and were prone to far too many big plays which is Detroit’s bread and butter. When the second half started it was as if it was a whole new ballgame. The Lions abandoned their effective running game and suffered from a case of butterfingers from a particular receiver (Josh Reynolds). Their head coach Dan Campbell has always loved to go for it on 4th down and they failed to convert on two crucial drives in the second half. Kicking field goals would have fared better, but you have to say he is consistent in that department since he was hired. The one thing though that has been the Lions achilles heel all year long has been their secondary and it bit them in the but in this one. It was not a perfect game by any stretch for the 49ers, but they never gave up. RB Christian McCaffrey showed why he would have a case for MVP with another two rushing touchdowns and 132 yards from scrimmage. The Niners punched their ticket to another Super Bowl when they were dealt some bad luck in last years NFC Championship game.