It Wasn’t Meant To Be

This wasn’t Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s first playoff game, but it will go down as his worst so far. He threw four interceptions and the Chargers offense never got in sync as a result. The Houston Texans to their credit never gave in and scored 10 points just before halftime to take the momentum for the rest of the game. The biggest issue that came to a head for Los Angeles was that Herbert needs more than WR Ladd McConkey. The running game was no where to be found and that didn’t help matters. Houston was not overtly impressive, but they played their part on defense and that was the difference in the game.

The Hell Was That?

I’m probably speaking not just for any football fans, but also for the Pittsburgh Steelers fans. The novelty has worn off that head coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season since being the head coach. They have now lost six consecutive playoff games with their latest dud against the Baltimore Ravens. For some strange reason, Pittsburgh actually tried to make a game of it in the 3rd quarter with Baltimore seeming to forget that they needed to continue running the ball. When the Ravens give the ball to RB Derrick Henry, good things will happen. Pittsburgh’s offense was lackluster and while the score is a bit misleading, they were never in this game. It won’t be a hard reset for the Steelers in the offseason. They’ll retool and go for another 9-8 or better season and call that a success.

That Was More Like It

After the Denver Broncos scored a touchdown on the opening drive of the game, I figured it was going to be a long day for the Buffalos Bills’ pass defense. That wasn’t the case as the Broncos didn’t score another point the rest of the game and Buffalo scored 31 unanswered points. There are still questions going forward about Buffalo’s defense, but if they can play like that the rest of these playoffs they could be heading to an AFC Championship appearance at minimum.

The Better Team Won

There was a moment where the Green Bay Packers could have given the Philadelphia Eagles a run for their money. Turnovers or stalled drives were their undoing as the Eagles eventually had RB Saquon Barkley take over in the second half. Injuries took their toll on the Packers wide receivers as well during the game. This wasn’t the kind of game that the Eagles would want to brag about, but it’s a lesson that they need to learn quickly. Don’t get complacent with your inconsistent passing game. Run the ball until the opponent actually forces you to adjust. Saquon Barkley ran for over 2,000 yards during the season. That’s why the Eagles were able to clinch the second seed in the NFC. Yet, they appear to be forgetting that at the worst time.

The Best Game By Far

If you were starving for a good game during Wild Card weekend, you finally got one Sunday night. Both quarterbacks were doing their best to will their team to a victory. In the end, it was Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels who came out on top. His dual-threat capabilities in being able to pass or run in a pinch were the difference. Tampa Bay played well, but they couldn’t figure out how to contain Daniels at the end of the game. This could be the lone factor for why Washington will be looking to accomplish another upset in the Divisional Round against the favored Detroit Lions.

This Was An Odd One

Besides the game not being in Los Angeles because of the fires in Los Angeles County, the Minnesota Vikings had no semblance of the offense that helped them win 14 games during the regulars season. The offensive line didn’t do QB Sam Darnold any favors, but the same can be said of Darnold for the offensive line. The Rams defense sacked Darnold nine times and on some of those plays Darnold didn’t get rid of the ball in a timely manner. He wasn’t in sync with some of his receivers and the results show in Minnesota scoring only 9 points. It became a repeat of what happened to the Vikings during the last regular season game against the Detroit Lions. Sam Darnold’s future in Minnesota appears to be over and the Rams will move on to Philadelphia.