NFL 2024-2025 Conference Title Games Recap
The Divisional Playoffs are in the history books.
The Conference Championship Games are set.
NFC Title Game: Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles was the Sunday afternoon game. These teams split the season series. The Commanders are back in the NFC Title Game for the first time in 33 years when they were known s the Redskins. The Eagles were looking to go to their second Super Bowl in 3 years. The Commanders were feeling confident after going on the road and shocking top seeded Detroit last week. Jayden Daniels is a rookie and Dan Quinn in in his first year as Commanders coach. The Commanders after a touchback went on a mind numbing 18 play drive that went 54 yards and took 7 minutes off the clock. On 4th and 3 from the Philadelphia 16, Quinn played it safe. Zane Gonzalez hit the 34 yard field goal for the 3-0
Commanders lead. Gonzalez hit the ensuing kickoff out of bounds to set up the Eagles at their own 40. One play and 18 seconds later, the Eagles had the lead. Saquon Barkley raced for a 60 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Eagles. The Commanders took over at their own 27. For their own 39, a short completion was fumbled. The Eagles took over at their Washington 48. Jalen Hurts hit Dallas Goedert for 10 and Devonta Smith for 20. Hurts hit AK Brown for 11. Barkley ran for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 14-3. Eagles.
The Commanders moved from their own 27 to the Philadelphia 28 as the first quarter ended/ The second quarter began with a failed run and a pair of Daniels incompletions. Gonzalez hit from 46 to have the Commanders within 14-6. The Eagles moved from their own 29 to a 3rd and 6 at the Washington 27. Hurts was sacked for a 9 yard loss. Nick Sirianni went for a 54 yard field goal try but Jake Elliott’s kick was no good. The Commanders took over at their own 44. On 3rd and 3 from the Washington 36, Daniels went to Terry McLaurin, who worked his way all the way for the touchdown. Dan Quinn went for 2 unsuccessfully but the Commanders were within 14-12.
The Eagles soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 37. Hurts did the tush push and got the yard. Barkley ran for 10. With 2:14 left in the half on 4th and 5 from the Washington 45, Nick Sirianni gambled. Hurts went deep to AJ Brown for a 31 yard gain. On 3rd and 13 from the Washington 17, Hurts threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant 16 yards and 1st and goal at the one. Again it was a Hurt tush push fo the touchdown. Sirianni went for 2 unsuccessfully but the Eagles led 20-12 with 1:44 left. A close game was broken open when the Commanders fumbled the ensuing kickoff. he eagles recovered at the Washington 24. On 3rd and 10 a completion only gained 4 yards but defensive unnecessary roughness added 10 more. Hurts went to Brown for a 4 yard touchdown to have the Eagles up 27-12 with 39 ticks left.
The Commanders managed a third field goal before the half but in the third quarter the Eagles kept coming. A field position game had the Eagles taking over at their own 42. Hurts went to Brown for 16, to Goedert for 7, and to Goedert again for 26. Hurts ran for a 9 yard touchdown to have the Eagles up 34-15. After a touchback Daniels hit Brown for 12 and Zac Ertz for 21. On 3rd and 1 from the Philadelphia 10, Daniels ran it in. Dan Quinn again went for 2 and Jones hit Zaccheaus successfully. The Commanders only trailed 34-23 after three quarters. The Commanders got the ball back at their own 20 and moved to a 1st and 10 just shy of midfield. On the last play of the third quarter, the Commanders fumbled and the Eagles recovered just shy of the mid stripe. In the fourth quarter the Eagles carpet-bombed the Commanders into oblivion.
Hurts went to Brown for 19. Goedert ran for 9 and Barkley added 22 down to the one. Trying to prevent the tush push touchdown, the Commanders kept diving over the pile offsides trying to guess the snap count. After 3 straight penalties, exhausted officials offered to penalize the Commanders in a way that may not even be legal according to the rules. The officials warned that the next time the Commanders jumped offsides from the one inch line, the Eagles would simply be given the touchdown. This is unprecedented and again may not even be allowable within the rules. The issue became moot when Hurts did tush push his way into the end zone for a 41-23 Eagles lead with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation.
After a touchback and forced to go for it on 4th and 11 from their own 40, Daniels was sacked. The Eagles took over at the Washington 31. On 3rd and 4, Hurts threw incomplete but defensive pass interference meant a 17 yard gain. Barkley ran for a 4 yard touchdown to have the Eagles up 48-23. The Commanders moved from their own 35 to a 3rd and 10 at the Philadelphia 29. Daniels went deep and was intercepted in the end zone for a touchback. With 5 minutes left in regulation, Nick Sirianni pulled his starters. From his own 20, Shipley did the rest as Barkley watched in excitement. Shipley ran for 16 and then ripped off a 57 yard gain. Shipley ran for a 2 yard touchdown with 3 minutes left to complete the scoring.
The Eagles win the George Halas Trophy for the second time in 3 years. The Eagles ran for 229 yards on 36 carries, led by Barkley’s 118 yards on 15 carries. One week after winning the turnover battle 5-0, the Commanders lost the turnover battle 4-0. The Commanders had a great season, but the Eagle experience won out on this day. They lost in the Super Bowl to Kansas City 2 years ago on a last second field goal. Now they get a rematch. It took the Eagles 13 years to exact revenge on New England. They can avenge their Kansas City loss in just 24 months. 55-23 Eagles
AFC Title Game: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs was the Sunday night game. In the 2020 AFC Title Game in Kansas City, the Chiefs overcame a 9-0 deficit and won 38-24. In the 2021 AFC Divisional Playoff Game, the Bills took the lead 36-33 with only 13 seconds remaining. That was enough time for the Chiefs to tie the game in regulation, and score the winning touchdown in overtime. The Bills never saw the ball in overtime, prompting a change to the overtime rules. In the 2023 Divisional Playoffs, the Bills had home field advantage. Yet the Chiefs won 27-24 when Buffalo’s tying field goal attempt was no good. The bottom line is simple. In this so-called rivalry, Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs win while Sean McDermott, Josh Allen and the Bills lose. The Bills routinely beat the Chiefs in the regular season, which means nothing. The Chiefs routine win very close games in controversial fashion.
The Chiefs took over at their own 10. Mahomes went to Malcolm Hollywood Brown for 11 and 9 and to Xavier Worthy or 10. Mahomes hit Juju Smith-Schuster for 31. Kareem Hunt for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Chiefs. after a touchback the Bills moved to a 4th and 5 at the Kansas City 35. Tyler Bass hit the 53 yard field goal to have the Bills within 7-3. The Chiefs moved from their own 32 to a 2nd and 2 at the Buffalo 23. Mahomes out of the shotgun fumbled the snap and the Bills recovered at their own 28. James Cook ran for 9 and 3 as the first quarter ended. The second quarter began with Allen hitting Cook for 17 with defensive holding adding 5 more. On 3rd and 9 from the Kansas City 37, Allen went to Amari Cooper for 10, to Mack Hollins for 7, and to Shakir for 24. Cook ran for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Bills.
The Chiefs after a touchback soon faced 3rd and 1 at their own 39. Kareem Hunt got stopped for no gain. Walrus Andy Reid took a major gamble knowing that a stop could have the Chiefs down by 2 scores. Mahomes ran for 6. Mahomes went to Worthy for 10 and to Deandre Hopkins for 11. On 3rd and 4 from the Buffalo 27, Mahomes went to Worthy for 5 with a defensive facemark adding 11 more yards. Mahomes went to Worthy for an 11 yard touchdown. Rather than possibly trail 17-10, the Chiefs led 14-10 Chiefs with 4 minutes left in the half. The Bills went 3 and out and took barely more than 30 seconds off the clock. A 41 yard punt return had the Chiefs set up at the Buffalo 34. On 3rd and 5, Mahomes went to worthy for 26. On 3rd and goal at the one, Mahomes got in. The Chiefs were about to put the game away up 21-10 with 1:55 left in the half.
The Bills took over at their own 27. Runs and short passes had the Bills at the Kansas City 46 with 43 seconds left. Allen went to Coleman for 12. Allen then went to Hollins for a leaping 34 yard touchdown with 23 seconds left. The extra point was good and for a moment the Bills were within 21-17. Yet the Chiefs committed a defensive penalty on the extra point. Sean McDermott took the extra point off the board and tried a 2 point conversion from the one. This was a major mistake that would affect the entire game. Samuel got the carry and got stopped cold for no gain. The Bills trailed 21-16 at the half. In the third quarter the Bills took over at their own 20 and played smash mouth. Cook ran for 5, 33, and 5 more. On 4th and 1 from the Kansas City 33, McDermott gambled. Allen gained 3. Johnson gained 8 and Allen added 13. On 3rd and goal at the one, Allen got stopped. McDermott gambled again. On 4th and goal at the one, Cook got around the right end for the touchdown. The Bills led 22-21, but because of the earlier failed 2 point conversion, McDermott decided to double down and chase points with another 2 point try. Again it failed.
The Bills got it back at their own 30 and moved to a 4th and 1 at their own 48 to start the fourth quarter. Sean McDermott kept gambling. Allen gained 2, fumbled, and somehow fell on top of the ball to retain possession. With 13 minutes left in regulation, the Bills faced 4th and 1 at the Kansas City 41. The Bills had all the momentum. They were pounding the Chiefs into submission on the ground. McDermott gambled and controversy ensued. Allen ran into the pile and after a great second and third effort appeared to just barely get the first down. Officials ruled Allen was short. McDermott challenged the spot and lost. The Bills howled in protest. Those who believe the games are rigged in favor of the Chiefs had more ammunition. This was a terrible call and of course it greatly affected the game.
Mahomes ran for 7 and then went deep to Smith-Schuster for 29. Hunt ran for 7 and 6. Mahomes ran for a 10 yard touchdown. Walrus Andy Reid went for 2. Mahoems went to Watson for the conversion. Just like that, the Chiefs led 29-22 with 10 minutes left in regulation. After a touchback Cook ran for 9. Allen went to Cook for 23. On 3rd and 8 from the Kansas City 36, Allen went deep to Hollins for 32. On 4th and goal at the 4 with 6:15 left in the game, mcDermott of course went for it. Allen went to Samuel for the touchdown. This thriller was tied 29-29.
The Chiefs took over at their own 32 and moved to a 1st and goal at the 10. Mahomes was then sacked and threw incomplete twice. Harrison Butker hit the 35 yard field goal. The Chiefs led by 3, the same margin they won by against Buffalo last year. Yet they did not bleed the clock. A full 3 1/2 minutes remained. Now it was time for Sean McDermott and Josh Allen to silence their critics and for Allen to finally be the hero. They moved after a touchback to a 4th and 5 at their own 47 at the 2 minute warning. Allen under heavy pressure from a Steve Spagnuolo blitz threw a deep ball prayer that could have been caught. Kincaid dropped it.
The Bills were not dead yet. They had all 3 timeouts on defense. They needed a stop. Mahomes went to Isaiah Pacheco for a 10 yard gain. Everything came down to 3rd and 9 at the Buffalo 35 with 1:35 left and the Bills out of timeouts. Mahomes went to Perine for 17 yards and then took a couple of knees. For the third time in four years, the Chiefs led by Walrus Andy Reid and Mahomes won while the Bills led by Sean McDermott and Allen lost. Yes, the officiating was miserable on that early fourth quarter 4th down call. Allen absolutely had the first down. Yet McDermott made the same mistakes that John Fox made in the 2003 Super Bowl regarding failed unnecessary 2 point conversions. Instead of trailing 32-29, the game should have been tied 31-31. That is on McDermott, not the officials.
The Chiefs won the Lamar Hunt Trophy for the third straight season. They hav a rematch in the Super Bowl with Philadelphia, who they beat 2 years ago. The Chiefs are the 2 time defending champions. No team has ever won 3 straight super Bowls. Walrus Andy Reid and Mahomes are going for more than a Super Bowl win. They are one win from football immortality. This makes andy Reid a most happy Walrus indeed. 32-29 Chiefs
Super Bowl XLIX (59) is set. AFC Kansas City Chiefs vs NFC Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, February 9th.
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