After a football playoff weekend full of nail biters, game-winning drives and much debate about the overtime rules, the 2022 NFL Divisional Round served up a ton of emotions to all viewers.
In what is being described as the best weekend of NFL playoffs in history, the 2022 NFL Divisional Round did not disappoint and will be remembered for ages. There were three games decided by a last-second field goal and the weekend’s finale was decided in OT. All four games were walk-off wins and three of those were by underdogs who were the away team. Whether you were an average fan or a football fanatic, the Divisional Round games were classic.
Bengals vs. Titans (19-16)
The AFC top-seeded Tennessee Titans hosted Joe Burrow and the hungry four-seed Cincinnati Bengals. This game set the tone for the rest of the matchups and it concluded with Bengals’ rookie kicker Evan McPherson nailing a 52-yard field goal that walked off the 19-16 upset victory.
Thanks to the defense, the Bengals intercepted Titan’s quarterback Ryan Tannehill with 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Tannehill just couldn’t get things going and were swarmed by the Bengals defense throughout, scoring zero points in the first and fourth quarter.
The Bengals now will head to Arrowhead to face the Kansas City Chiefs on January 30th at noon.
49ers vs. Packers
In what may have been the most shocking outcome of the weekend, Jimmy Garoppolo and the six-seed San Francisco 49ers went into snowy Lambeau Field and beat the NFC’s top-seeded Green Bay Packers. This game was also decided by a last-second field goal. Veteran kicker Robbie Gould slotted home the walk-off field goal from 45 yards out. The 49ers came back from 10-3 in the fourth quarter, with their defense stepping up to finish off a 13-10 upset.
This brings Aaron Rodgers to 0-4 against the 49ers in the playoffs and questions continue to loom about the future hall of famers next steps in his career.
The 49ers will now come back to SoCal and face the Rams in SoFi Stadium this Sunday.
Rams vs. Buccaneers
The NFC two-seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the LA Rams at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. The Buccaneers could not stop Rams QB Matthew Stafford from setting up the Rams for the winner.
Tom Brady showed everyone all again why you can’t leave the door open in the fourth quarter. After being down 24 points late in the third. The GOAT worked his magic to get the Bucs to tie the Rams 27-27 late in the fourth.
His magic was not backed up by the Bucs defense as Stafford hit the league’s leading receiver in yards, Cooper Kupp, for 44 yards. That catch set up the 30-yard game-winning field goal for former Bucs kicker Matt Gay, sealing the 30-27 upset.
The Rams will host the 49ers Sunday, where there may be a sea of red traveling down from Santa Clara.
Chiefs vs. Bills (42-36)
This game was one for the ages— an OT thriller that left room for so much to debate about.
The Bills were not able to avenge themselves from last season’s playoff loss to the Chiefs as Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce connected for the game winning touchdown.
Bills wide-receiver Gabriel Davis set an NFL playoff record with four receiving touchdowns, including the fourth that gave the Bills the lead with 13 seconds left in regulation.
Many thought that the Bills having the lead with 0:13 seconds left was enough, but Mahomes defied all odds once again and drove his team down the field to set up a field goal that forced overtime.
In the end, the Chiefs quickly scored a touchdown winning the game 42-36 and sparked debate about the NFL overtime rules.
The Chiefs will go into the AFC Championship with a favorable matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Championship Sunday Preview
Conference Championship Sunday is all set. In the AFC, it is Chiefs vs. Bengals and in the NFC it is Rams vs. 49ers. The Chiefs are favored by -7.0 pts while the Rams are favored by just -3.5 via Cesar’s Sportsbook.
Both home teams are expected to win, but on Championship Sunday a lot can go down.
Chiefs vs. Bengals
Although the Bengals beat the Chiefs in Week 17 at home, 34-31, on a last-second field goal, the Chiefs ultimately have too much for the Bengals.The Chiefs are back looking for another Super Bowl appearance and the Bengals’ lack of experience in the playoffs doesn’t help. Joe Burrow has a bright future in the league but I predict a Chiefs win 31-21.
Rams vs. 49ers
This in-division playoff game leaves a lot to think about. The 49ers swept the regular-season series with two wins against the Rams. The 49ers faithful swarmed SoFi stadium Week 18 turning the matchup into a 49ers home game.
Rams are doing everything they can to make sure it is “RAMS HOUSE” this Sunday. With that being said, Rams only seem to be getting better. With two very impressive playoff wins so far, Stafford and McVay have a lot to dissect. It is hard to beat a team twice, let alone three times in a season as the case for their Sunday matchup against the 49ers.
The Rams will be looking forward to home field in LA but the 49ers are too hot and too physical. The tough defense of the 49ers and the innovative offense under Kyle Shanahan will again outlast the Rams. The 49ers should win, 24-21.