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The Bengals are Super Bowl Bound
The Kansas City Chiefs’ postseason will probably be defined by the number of instant classic games that they’ve played. Following last week’s wild victory against the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs were not as lucky this week in overtime. They lost the AFC Championship game to the Cincinnati Bengals 27-24 in overtime.
The game was truly a tale of two halves. The Chiefs looked to be unstoppable in the first half, moving the football at will and heading into the half up 21-3. This game had all the makings of a rout. Chiefs running backs were ripping off big gains and the auxiliary receivers such as Mecole Hardman (3-52-1 on four targets) were making big plays. Of note, Jerick McKinnon led the Chiefs’ backfield in carries, posting a 12-65-0 rushing line and adding 3-30-0 on four targets through the air. Clyde Edwards-Helaire chipped in with a 6-36-0 effort on the ground. Note that both Tyreek Hill (7-78-1 on 10 targets) and Travis Kelce (10-95-1 on 11 targets) still got theirs. Most of the Chiefs’ production came in the first half of football. Following half time, the Chiefs failed to build on their 18-point lead and for large stretches of the game appeared to be completely out of sync. The Bengals were aided by Patrick Mahomes turning in one of the worst halves of football he’s played over the course of his young career.
I should note that Mahomes’ underperformance in the second half was largely the result of some fantastic adjustments on defense by the Bengals. CB Chidobe Awuzie, DE Sam Hubbard, CB Eli Apple, S Von Bell all made major plays on defense, preventing Mahomes and Co. from marching the ball down their throats for the rest of the game. Apple in particular did a good job covering Hill for most of the second half, preventing any big back-breaking plays. The game ostensibly turned on a big BJ Hill interception, resulting in seven points for the Bengals and tying the game up at 21-21. I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that the stellar performances from Tee Higgins (6-103-0 on 10 targets), Ja’Marr Chase (6-54-1 on nine targets), Joe Mixon (21-88-0 rushing), and Samaje Perine (3-43-1 on four targets) helped keep them in the mix. K Evan McPherson came up clutch yet again, making all four of his field-goal attempts and sending the Bengals to the Super Bowl.
Matthew Stafford Finally Gets To Play In The Big Game
The Los Angeles Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers 20-17, punching their ticket to the Super Bowl. Congratulations to Matthew Stafford and company here. We’ve covered the Rams extensively in this space, but it should be noted just how lethal the team looks with the upgrade at quarterback. Despite losing star WR Robert Woods early in the season, the aerial attack has continued to hum along thanks to fellow star WR, Cooper Kupp. Kupp posted an 11-142-2 receiving line on 14 targets and was ostensibly the reason that they won the game. The Rams erased a 10 point defect en route to their victory and Kupp’s stellar play was a large reason for it. I will add that Odell Beckham has been an integral part of the aerial attack since joining the Rams and he put together his best game yet. Beckham posted 9-113-0 on 11 targets and has minimized the role that Van Jefferson (2-9-0 on five targets) has in the offense. Cam Akers had a serviceable day on the ground, posting 13-48-0 rushing. TE Kendall Blanton (5-57-0 on five targets) came up big after TE Tyler Higbee was sidelined with a knee injury. I’ll be monitoring Higbee’s status and if he will play in the Super Bowl.
The Niners ostensibly lost this game because of Kyle Shanahan’s cowardice. Both coaches were bafflingly conservative on fourth down, but Shanahan committed the largest mistake in the game. He opted to punt on fourth-and-2 at the Rams’ 45-yard line, despite being up only three points with approximately 10 minutes remaining. The Niners never made it back that deep into Rams territory for the rest of the game and went on to lose the game. I’m still flabbergasted at Shanahan’s refusal to deploy WR Deebo Samuel (4-72-1 on seven targets, 7-26-0 rushing) or George Kittle (2-27-1 on five targets) in that situation. Brandon Aiyuk (4-69-0 on eight targets) played all right but made some egregious drops late in the game. I should add that the Niners are well-positioned to make a run at glory next year. All that comes is trying to figure out what they do with QB Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason and if we get to see them turn the keys over to QB Trey Lance.
