By: Adamo Marinelli
January 15th, 2020
What an incredible weekend of divisional-round games! Let’s break them down. Before we get started, keep in mind that last weekend, all but one road team won. This weekend, all but one home team won. What a difference a first-round bye can make.
Minnesota Vikings 10 @ San Francisco 49ers 27
This is exactly the result most people expected despite the Vikings receiving some praise after dominating the Saints on the road. The Vikings were missing key pieces in their secondary and key linebackers against New Orleans and head coach Mike Zimmer had to switch up personnel on some coverages. Minnesota’s run game was too much for New Orleans and the Vikings’ defense took away the big play element for the Saints’ offense. But, it was time for a reality check. The Vikings were banged up on defense heading to San Fransisco, the 49ers eliminated Dalvin Cook from the game by running unique blitz packages and by lining up several guys on the line of scrimmage to rush the passer and cover the run simultaneously and Kirk Cousins reverted back to the real version of himself the big games and the playoffs: simply inconsistent. Cousins had 172 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT and Cook registered only 18 yards on 9 carries. Jimmy Garapolo had 133 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT, but their offensive line outpowered the Vikings’ defensive line which allowed the running game to shine. Tevin Coleman had 105 yards and 2 TDs, Raheem Mostert had 58 yards. Also, the 49ers had 6 sacks compared to 2 for the Vikings. The better team won this game.
Tennesee Titans 28 @ Baltimore Ravens 12
Upset alert! The number one seed Ravens got eliminated already. The Titans were consistent on the ground, controlled the line of scrimmage and the clock and they played mistake-free football. The Ravens’ league-best run defense could not stop Derrick Henry, who exploded for 195 yards on the ground - this is his third consecutive game recording over 180 rushing yards. Henry also threw a TD pass on a wildcat formation. Their potent offense turned the ball over several times, including 2 interceptions thrown by Lamar Jackson and getting stopped on fourth and short twice. They simply could not rally back after a slow start. By the time their offense found any rhythm, the Titans had already run away with the game. Arguably, the best team in the playoffs, with lots of talent on both sides of the ball, just lost. The Titans’ formula is simple. Pound the ball to control the line of scrimmage and clock, then set up your play-action passing game downfield. Keep opposing QBs on the sideline! Lastly, what a game by Tannehill who had 2 TDs, yet recorded less than 100 passing yards for the second game in a row and only completed 50% of his passes. Also, what a catch by Jonnu Smith!
Houston Texans 31 @ Kansas City Chiefs 51
Believe it or not, the Texans were up 24-0 early in the second quarter. But through that lead, shone Bill O’Brien’s inept coaching abilities to make decisions regarding game management, and the field position battle. He also clearly doesn’t know what momentum is. He elected to kick a field goal on a 4th and 1 at the Chiefs’ 10-yard line up 21-0. I understand this because it’s still early in the game and you take all the points you can get. But he stubbornly decided to run a fake punt on his own 31-yard line up 24-7 after the Chiefs scored a TD in 3 quick plays on the previous drive. The fake punt was stopped, the Chiefs scored another quick TD and at that point, everyone knew KC would win. That fake punt was the turning point. Against the Chiefs, you control the clock and the line of scrimmage by running the ball and when a drive fails, punt it away. You cannot give them any momentum, you have to make the drive down the field to earn points. The Texans did the opposite of this. Mahomes had 5 TDs on 321 passing yards and Kelce recorded 134 yards and hauled in 3 receiving TDs. The Texans’ defense was good in the first half, the Chiefs’ in the second half. The Texans have been inconsistent all year, especially their lackluster coaching and depleted secondary. It showed today.
Seattle Seahawks 23 @ Green Bay Packers 28
At halftime, the score was 21-7 for Green Bay. The Packers moved the ball well on offense and on defense and controlled the clock and the scoreboard. Seattle’s injured defense couldn’t stop Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay’s offense. However, Seattle was the dominant team in the 2nd half, outscoring the Packers 16-7. Despite this, the Packers strung together a long drive with mere minutes left in the game and were able to run out the clock after a controversial catch was confirmed as a first down even though he appeared short of the marker. Russell Wilson threw for 277 yards and only a single TD. Marshawn Lynch made up for Wilson’s lack of touchdowns and big plays with 26 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs. But Aaron Rodgers was excellent with 243 yards and 2 TDs and running back Aaron Jones controlled the clock with his effective running, recording 62 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. In the end, the game came down to who had the better defense. The Packers’ decent defense outperformed Seattle’s very depleted secondary and linebacking core, who was torched by Davante Adams who had 160 yards and 2 TDs.
I cannot wait for the conference championship games! Tennessee will visit Kansas City in the AFC and Green Bay will visit San Fransisco in the NFC.
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