NFL 2020-2021 Divisionals Recap
Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers was the Saturday afternoon game. Light snow flurries came down as the 10-6 Rams fresh off their win at Seattle, took on the well-rested 13-3 NFC North champion Packers. The Packers from their own 32 moved 63 yards in 12 plays and nearly 5 minutes. Yet on 2nd and goal from the 5, Rodgers threw incomplete twice. Mason Crosby hit the 24 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Packers. The Rams from their own 19 responded and moved to a 4th and inches at the Green Bay 14. Sean McVay decided to go for it but a false start killed the chance. Matt Gay hit the 37 yard field goal for a 3-3 game.
The Packers soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 25. Williams gained 8 yards. Runs and short passes had the Packers beginning the second quarter at the rams 39. Unnecessary roughness on defender Aaron Donald gave the Packers 15 more yards. On 3rd and goal at the one, Rodgers rifled a quick pass to Devonta Adams in the flat for the touchdown. The 14 play, 84 yard, 8 minute drive had the Packers up 10-3. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Rams punt gave the Packers a short field at the Rams 47. Rodgers hit Aaron Jones for 14 and Marques Valdez-Scantling for 11. On 3rd and 2 from the Rams 13, Williams gained 5, 4 and 3. On 3rd and goal at the one, Rodgers rolled out, faked a throw, totally juked out the defender, and ran it in for the touchdown. The extra point snap was mishandled but the Packers still led 16-3. Even with a short field, they took 6 minutes off the clock and held the ball for 19 minutes in the first half.
After a touchback, Akers ran for 6, 10, 4 and 13. Goff went to Reynolds for 21, Robert Woods for 5, Akers for 6, and Jefferson for a 4 yard touchdown. with 30 seconds left in the half, the Rams were within 16-10. After a touchback, Rodgers went to Adams for 21 and Robert Tonyan for 33. On 1st and 10 from the Rams 21 with 14 seconds left, Rodgers went to the end zone twice and should have been intercepted both times. He was lucky to escape with incompletions and 4 seconds left. Crosby hit the 39 yard field goal to make it 19-10 Packers. After a touchback to start the third quarter, Jones took a handoff on the first play from scrimmage took a handoff up the gut, broke several tackles, and raced for a 60 yard gain. On 3rd and 2 from the Rams 7, Williams gained 4. On 3rd and goal at the one, Jones got in. The 2 point conversion failed but the Packers led 25-10. Packers The scored the first 5 times they had the ball.
The Rams finally forced a punt and got the ball back at their own 21. Goff hit Jefferson for 4, Woods for 6, Reynolds for 16, Tyler Higbee for 4, Woods for 5, and on 3rd and 1 from the Green Bay 44, Jefferson for 16. On 2nd and 5 from the Green Bay 12, Akers ran for 5 and then out of a wildcat snap bulldozed threw defenders and stretched the ball over the plane of the goal for a 7 yard touchdown. Sean McVay pulled out all the stops on the 2 point conversion. Goff worked the hook and lateral and Akers took it in. The 11 play, 79 yard, 6 minute drive had the Rams within 25-18 with 1:45 left in the third quarter. The 9 minutes left in regulation the Packers faced 2nd and 4 from their own 33. Dillon got belted by 2 defenders and fumbled. Luckily for the Packers, Rodgers recovered it. On 3rd and 3, Rodgers threw short to Valdes-Scantling, who appeared stopped but lunged forward for a key 4 yard gain. Rodgers then found a wide open Lazard deep for a 58 yard touchdown bomb. Midway through the fourth quarter the Packers had the 14 point lead. With 5 minutes left on 4th and 13 from midfield, Goff was sacked. The Rams were game, but without Cooper Kupp, with an injured Goff, and an injured Donald, the Rams did the best they could on the road. The Packers are in the NFC Title Game for the second straight year, but unlike last year, this year it will be a Green Bay home game. 32-18 Packers
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills was the Saturday night game. The 11-5 Ravens went on the road and got revenge against Tennessee. Now they had to go at the 13-3 AFC East champion Bills. The weather was above freezing and the skies were clear, but winds took their toll on the offenses and the kickers. In the first quarter Justin Tucker had a 41 yard field goal doink off the left upright no good. Tyler Bass hit from 28 but in the second quarter missed from 43. Tucker then clanged one off the right upright no good. Tucker barely snuck a 34 yarder inside the right upright to end the half with a 3-3 deadlock. Bass missed again from 44 late in the game as well. The Bills began the third quarter facing 3rd and 2 from their own 42. Josh Allen hit Knox for 14 and Stefan Diggs for 20. Singletary ran for 12. On 3rd and 4 from the Baltimore 12, Allen hit Singletary for 9 and Diggs for a 3 yard touchdown. The 11 play, 66 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive had the Bills up 10-3. After a touchback, the Ravens moved 68 yards in 15 plays and took nearly 9 minutes off the clock. The drive ended with the play of the game. The Ravens faced 3rd and goal at the 9, and were one play from a 10-10 game.
Lamar Jackson fired over the middle to the end zone and was intercepted by Taron Johnson, who split the seams, got a block, and tied an NFL record with a 101 yard interception return touchdown. The monster play had the Bills up by 14 after three quarters. There would be no comeback. The third quarter ended with a wild snap going past Jackson in the shotgun. He barely avoided a safety, but the intentional grounding meant the Ravens had 3rd and 33 from their own 2. Making matters worse, Jackson was belted on the play and left with a concussion. Backup Tyler Huntley finished the game as the Ravens finished their season. The Bills are back in the AFC Title Game for the first time since 1993. That year they beat Kansas City at home. This year, they travel to Kansas City. 17-3 Bills
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills was the Saturday night game. The 11-5 Ravens went on the road and got revenge against Tennessee. Now they had to go at the 13-3 AFC East champion Bills. The weather was above freezing and the skies were clear, but winds took their toll on the offenses and the kickers. In the first quarter Justin Tucker had a 41 yard field goal doink off the left upright no good. Tyler Bass hit from 28 but in the second quarter missed from 43. Tucker then clanged one off the right upright no good. Tucker barely snuck a 34 yarder inside the right upright to end the half with a 3-3 deadlock. Bass missed again from 44 late in the game as well. The Bills began the third quarter facing 3rd and 2 from their own 42. Josh Allen hit Knox for 14 and Stefan Diggs for 20. Singletary ran for 12. On 3rd and 4 from the Baltimore 12, Allen hit Singletary for 9 and Diggs for a 3 yard touchdown. The 11 play, 66 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive had the Bills up 10-3. After a touchback, the Ravens moved 68 yards in 15 plays and took nearly 9 minutes off the clock. The drive ended with the play of the game. The Ravens faced 3rd and goal at the 9, and were one play from a 10-10 game.
Lamar Jackson fired over the middle to the end zone and was intercepted by Taron Johnson, who split the seams, got a block, and tied an NFL record with a 101 yard interception return touchdown. The monster play had the Bills up by 14 after three quarters. There would be no comeback. The third quarter ended with a wild snap going past Jackson in the shotgun. He barely avoided a safety, but the intentional grounding meant the Ravens had 3rd and 33 from their own 2. Making matters worse, Jackson was belted on the play and left with a concussion. Backup Tyler Huntley finished the game as the Ravens finished their season. The Bills are back in the AFC Title Game for the first time since 1993. That year they beat Kansas City at home. This year, they travel to Kansas City. 17-3 Bills
Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs is the Sunday afternoon game. The 11-5 Browns went on the road and shocked Pittsburgh last week, but now they faced the 14-2 Chiefs in Arrowhead. One of those 2 losses was in the regular season finale when Walrus Andy Reid rested his starters. The Chiefs were without the injured Sammy Watkins and Carl Edwards-Helaire. Yet they had Patrick Mahomes, and for some bizarre reason, the Browns decided to defer and let him on the field first. Pass-happy Andy Reid decided to send a message by starting with running plays. Tyreek Hill gained 4 and Williams added 12. Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for 7 and Hill for 26. On 3rd and 2 from the Cleveland 7, Hill gained 4. From the one, Mahomes rolled out, faked out a defender, and walked into the end zone for the touchdown. The extra point was no good but the 10 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive put the Chiefs led 6-0.
The Browns after a touchback moved to a 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 20. A completion lost 3 yards and Baker Mayfield was sacked for another 8 yard loss. Cody Parkey hit a 46 yard field goal to cap the 12 play, 6 1/2 minute drive and get the Browns within 6-3. After a touchback, a short completion by Mahomes to Mecole Hardman went for a 42 yard gain. Mahomes then it Hardman for 9 and Pringle for 11. On 2nd and 19 from the Cleveland 20, Mahomes hit Kelce for the touchdown to make it 13-3 Chiefs early in the second quarter. The Chiefs moved from their own 15 to a 1st and goal at the Cleveland 27. A pair of incompletions was followed by a completion for a 5 yard loss. Harrison Butler hit a 50 yard field goal, the longest field goal ever at Arrowhead, for a 16-3 Chiefs lead.
After a touchback, the Browns moved to a 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 26 with 1:45 left in the half. Mayfield had just completed a 23 yard pass to Higgins. Mayfield went back to Higgins for a 25 yard gain. Yet disaster struck when Higgins tried to stretch the ball over the plane of the goal. Higgins lunged for the pylon and had the ball knocked out inches short of the pylon. The fumble went out the side of the end zone for a touchback. With 1:34 left in the half from their own 20, Mahomes hit Kelce for 9 and Williams for 7. On 3rd and 7 from their own 39, Mahomes hit Hill for 13 and Kelce for 22. That was enough for Butker to hit from 28. Instead of only being up 16-10, the Chiefs had a 19-3 halftime lead.
Early in the third quarter mayfield was intercepted. The Chiefs failed to capitalize when Butker doinked a 33 yard field goal off the upright no good. From their own 23, Nick Chubb ripped off gains of 23 and 18.Mayfield hit Higgins for 18. On 3rd and 1 from the Chiefs 7, Mayfield gained 3. Mayfield then hit Jarvis Landry for the 4 yard touchdown to get the Browns within 19-10. After a touchback, Mahomes hit Robinson for 14 and Kelce for 8. On 3rd and 1 from their own 48 midway through the third quarter, Mahomes rolled out and tried to run for the first down. He was hit legally by Wilson and stopped inches short. Worse, Mahomes was injured on the play. He had a concussion, and was out for the rest of the game. The hit was clean, and it was the worst nightmare for Chiefs fans. With backup Chad Henne in, Andy Reid gambled on 4th and inches. Henne lateraled to Williams for a 12 yard gain. Then Williams gained 16 more. On 3rd and 6 from the Cleveland 20, Henne hit Kelce for 5. Andy Reid was not in a gambling mood on this 4th and 1. Butker hit from 33 for a 22-10 Chiefs lead with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.
The Browns then began their longest drive of the year. On 3rd and 3 from their own 32, a completion gained only 2 yards. With 3 minutes left in the third quarter, Kevin Stefanski gambled on 4th and 1 from his own 34. Chubb went up the gut for 3. On 3rd and 4 from their own 43, Mayfield hit Higgins for 17. The fourth quarter began with the Browns facing 3rd and 3 at the Chiefs 33. Mayfield went to Njoke for 4. Hunt gained 10 and 4. On 3rd and 6 from the Chiefs 15, Mayfield hit Landry for only 3. With 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation, Kevin Stefanski went for it on 4th and 3 from the Chiefs 12. Mayfield hit Austin Hooper for 5. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Hunt ran it in. A staggering 18 plays. 75 yards. Over 8 minutes off the clock. With 11 minutes left in regulation, the Browns were within 5 points. The Chiefs moved from their own 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Cleveland 23. A field goal would put them up by 8. Then came a 15 yard illegal crackajack penalty on the offense. Rather than play for field position, Henne went for it all. He threw to the end zone and was intercepted for a touchback. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Browns from their own 20 had a chance to pull off the upset of the year.
On 4th and 1 from their own 29 with 6 minutes left, Kevin Stefansk went for it again and Mayfield snuck across for 2. Yet on 4th and 9 from their own 32, Stefanski opted to punt. The Chiefs took over at their own 28 with 4 minutes left. On 3rd and 4 from their own 34, Henne hit Williams for 5 as the Browns took their final timeout. A sack of Henne brought everything down to the 2 minute warning. The Chiefs faced 3rd and 14 from their own 35. In this situation you run the ball. Every. Single. Time. Everybody in the world except Andy Reid. Henne went back to pass and could not find anyone. He ran for it and gained 13. It was now 4th and inches from their own 48. As the clock wound down to 1:15, Reid lined up to go for it. If the Chiefs don’t make it, the Browns have a short field. If you have to go for it, you run the ball. Only crazy Andy Reid would call a pass play on 4th and inches with a backup quarterback and the entire season on the line. Henne fired a pass to Hill, who caught it for a 5 yard gain and immediately went down inbounds. The Browns were game, but the Chiefs survived the worst adversity to get to the AFC Title game. For the first time in AFC history, the AFC Title Game will be played in the same stadium for 3 straight years. That stadium is Arrowhead, where the Chiefs will host Buffalo. This makes Andy Reid a most Happy Walrus indeed, provided he has Mahomes back. 22-17 Chiefs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints was the Sunday night game. For the first and possibly the last time, Tom Brady and Drew Brees faced off in the playoffs. Rumors are swirling that Pinball Wizard Brees will retire after this season. The 11-5 Buccaneers were swept by the 12-4 NFC South champion Saints in the regular season, including a 38-3 Saints thrashing of the Buccaneers in Tampa. This time the Saints would be without their versatile playmaker Taysom Hill. Early on it was the Saints special teams that got them going. Diontae Harris returned his first punt 54 yards to the Saints 21. Yet on 3rd and goal from the 5, Brees threw incomplete. Wil Lutz hit the 23 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Saints. Harris returned the next punt 67 yards for a Saints touchdown, but it was called back due to an illegal block. The Saints faced 3rd and 11 from their own 29. Brees hit Smith for 13. A defensive tripping penalty added 15 more yards. Alvin Kamara gained 10. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Tampa 25, a run gained one yard and Brees threw incomplete twice. Lutz hit from 42. The Saints were dominating but only led 6-0.
The Buccaneers soon faced 3rd and 1 from their own 34. Ronald Jones was stopped and Bruce Arians went high risk and decided to go for it. Brady got 2 yards. Leonard Fournette gained 5 and 8. On 3rd and 10 from just shy of midfield, the Saints jumped into the neutral zone. On 3rd and 5, Brady hit Chris Godwin for 11. The second quarter began with the Buccaneers facing 2nd and 8 at the Saints 33. Brady hit Brate for 16. Yet on 3rd and 1 from the Saints 8, Brady threw incomplete. This time Bruce Arians played it safe. Ryan Succop hit the 26 yard field goal to get the Buccaneers within 6-3. Brees was then intercepted by Murphy-Bunting, who returned it 36 yards to the Saints 3. Brady hit Mike Evans for the touchdown to make it 10-6 Buccaneers.
The Saints soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 29. Brees threw incomplete but defensive holding meant an automatic first down. On 3rd and 1 from their own 43, Brees got the yard. Sean Payton then went to the bag of tricks. Former Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston is now the backup for the Saints. Kamara took the direct snap and handed it to Emanuel Sanders, who lateraled it back to Winston. Winston went bombs away to a wide open Smith for a 56 yard touchdown and a 13-10 Saints lead. With 2 1/2 minutes left in the half the Buccaneers faced 3rd and 7 from their own 21. Brady hit Fournette for 8, Godwin for 8, and Fournette for 14. On 3rd and 2 from the Saints 41, Fournette gained 7. On 2nd and 15 from the Saints 29, Brady went for the home run ball and had Godwin in the end zone. Godwin got both feet down but the ball at the last moment popped out when he hit the ground for an incompletion. On 3rd and 15, Brady played it safe and hit Brate for 10. Succop hit the 37 yard field goal for a 13-13 halftime game.
The Saints began the third quarter with authority. From their 25, Brees hit Kamara for 7. On 3rd and 1 from their own 46, Brees gained 2. Kamara gained 17 and 6. Brees hit Montgomery for 13. Brees then threw a perfect fade to the end zone and Tre-Quan Smith came down with it over the defender and got both feet inbounds for a 16 yard touchdown. The 10 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive put the Saints up 20-13. The Saints got it back at their own 15 and were on the move to try and put the game away. On 3rd and 2 from their own 45, Brees hit Jared Cook for 8 yards, but Cook had the ball stripped. White recovered it for the defense and returned it 18 yards to the Saints 40. Brady hit Brate for 19. Jones ran for 10 and 5. On 3rd and 5 from the Saints 6, Brady fired to Fournette for the touchdown. Late in the third quarter the game was tied 20-20.
The Buccaneers soon faced 3rd and 11 from their own 20. Brady went to Johnson for 15. On 3rd and 5 from their own 40, Brady went to Miller for 29. Jones ran for 12. On 2nd and 9 from the Saints 18, Brady threw incomplete twice. Succop hit the 36 yard field goal. The 11 play, 61 yard, 6 minute drive put the Buccaneers in front 23-20 with 10 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback, the Saints faced 2nd and 8 from their own 38 midway through the fourth quarter. Brees went over the middle and was intercepted by White. This time the defender returned it 28 yards to the Saints 20. Now it was the Buccaneers with a chance to close the door. Brady hit Gronkowski for 14 yards down to the 4. From the one, Brady snuck across for the touchdown. With 5 minutes left in regulation the Buccaneers had the 30-20 lead. For the fourth straight year, the Saints had blown a fourth quarter postseason lead. For the third straight year, they had blown this lead at home. In desperation mode, Brees had a ball bounce off of a receiver and was intercepted again. 4 turnovers including turnovers on 3 straight possessions doomed the Saints. If this was Brees’s final game, it was a bitter end. As for Brady, he was on to the NFC Title Game at Green Bay. Earlier this year the Buccaneers throttled Green Bay in Green Bay 38-10. Brady has already said he will be back next year. Now he has a chance for a 7th Super Bowl ring. 30-20 Buccaneers.
The Conference Title Games are set. Both games will be played on Sunday, January 24, 2021.
NFC Title Game:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers/New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers at 3:00 p.m. on FOX
AFC Title Game:
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs at 6:30 p.m. on CBS