Turnovers Were The Death Of Them
You won’t win many games if you turn the ball over as many times as the Buffalo Bills did against the Denver Broncos. Even with that, the Bills still managed to nearly win this game. In the moment I along with many others contended that WR Brandin Cooks had caught that ball which was ultimately ruled an interception for Denver. Afterwards, I do retract my assertion that it was a catch since if the ball had hit the ground it wouldn’t have been ruled a catch otherwise. However, what Bills head coach was arguing for during the game was an extended review of the play in question. The referees had told him that it was an expedited review and New York was calling it an interception. That in it of itself is the problem with the NFL’s officiating prowess. Taking it away from officials at the site of the game is bringing far too many questions about legitimacy with the results of these games. Add to the fact that every referee has an earpiece which is wired in to the league officials in New York as well and you have a pretty big integrity problem. With all that said the referees nor the league were responsible for the Buffalo Bills losing this game. It was those five turnovers they committed that ultimately cost them a shot at the AFC Championship game.
Outmatched From The Opening Kickoff
The first play of the game was the deciding factor between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. WR Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff all the way for a touchdown in which 49ers kicker Eddie Pinero was flagged for tripping, but failed to actually trip Shaheed on the play. It was pretty down hill from there for the 49ers who managed to chalk up more injuries during the game to RB Christian McCaffrey and TE Jake Tonges. It’s another season of ‘what could have been’ for the Niners as the injuries and talent level at the line of scrimmage on both sides were too much to overcome. Seattle didn’t need to do too much as the running game was on point throughout the contest, but they did lose RB Zach Charbonnet for the rest of the year to a knee injury. The Seahawks defense is clicking at the right time and as long as they don’t stumble they will be making a 4th appearance in the Super Bowl so long as QB Sam Darnold doesn’t see any ghosts.
The Offseason Is Gonna Be Interesting For Houston
The question of whether the Houston Texans should have benched QB C.J. Stroud to start the second half was absolutely warranted. He fumbled the ball five times, lost two of them in the Wild Card game against Pittsburgh. He also threw an interception in that game as well. He followed up that performance by throwing four interceptions against the New England Patriots. You can argue that the offensive line hasn’t done him any favors and that can hold water, but other than one of those interceptions which a receiver didn’t catch the ball he’s missed the mark on his throws. And really it’s been this way for two seasons now. Ever since WR Tank Dell went down with that devastating knee injury against the Kansas City Chiefs near the end of the 2024 season, Stroud has never looked comfortable quarterbacking the Texans. As of now I don’t see Stroud getting his fifth year option picked up, but that could depend on whether Houston is able to keep Stroud’s backup Davis Mills who has looked better in this offense. This offseason will be crucial for Houston if they want to be considered a contender in the AFC going forward with that vaunted defense that they’ve assembled which went to waste with the offense’s terrible performance.
The Cold Didn’t Bother Them
This was certainly another test for the Los Angeles Rams to see if they could overcome the cold weather with their contest against the Chicago Bears. Last year the Rams outplayed the Philadelphia Eagles for most of the game in the snow, but the Eagles pulled away late onto victory. The same was almost said for the Bears as QB Caleb Williams was putting on another heroic show with an insane drop back scramble that had him hurling a nearly 40-yard prayer to TE Cole Kmet who was wide open in the end zone for a game tying touchdown at the end of regulation. However, for Caleb and the Bears it wasn’t a perfect game for them. Momentum had swung their way in overtime, but an errant throw into coverage was intercepted by the Rams and they proceeded to march down the field for the eventual game winning field goal. That last interception was Caleb’s third of the game and it proved that he isn’t quite at the level he will need to be if the Bears are to win in this era. The Rams in this case get another chance to prove why they belong, but they don’t appear to have hit their stride in the playoffs just yet. Maybe that will be the case in the NFC Championship game where they play Seattle for the third and final time this season.
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