What a day of football it was! Two overtimes, clutch plays, controversial calls and more. In the NFC, the young Rams went into New Orleans to square off with the veteran Saints. In the AFC, the loaded Chiefs welcomed the Patriots, who have the greatest quarterback-coach duo ever, into Arrowhead Stadium.
The early game, featuring the most dominant defensive tackle ever and a sure-fire Hall of Fame quarterback, was as exciting as advertised. Aaron Donald and the Rams matched wits with Drew Brees and the Saints. The Saints quickly grabbed momentum and jumped out to a 13-0 lead. Jared Goff missed several throws and the Rams, who have averaged 426 yards of offense per game, had only 15 total yards after one quarter. The defense, however, held the Saints to 14 yards in the second quarter allowing the Rams to get back into the game. After a beautiful two-minute offensive drive, the Rams trailed by 3 at the half.
After crawling all the way back, the Rams trailed by 3 points with 5 minutes left. Sean McVay elected to kick the field goal and tie it up. The Saints marched down the field and looked poised to run the clock all the way down and kick the field goal, but a controversial defensive pass interference no-call forced them to kick earlier than they wanted to, and the Rams were able to march down and tie it with 15 seconds left.
In overtime, Brees got hit as he threw on their first possession and the ball was intercepted. The Rams kicker, Greg Zuerlein, proceeded to kick a 57-yard walk off field goal, the longest game winner in NFL playoff history.
In the AFC, the Chiefs, led by likely MVP Patrick Mahomes, went to battle with the familiar Patriots (in their 8th straight AFC championship). The Chiefs got off to a slow start, accumulating -11 yards in the first quarter after averaging 482 yards per game in the regular season. They were shutout in the first half and Mahomes had a mere 65 yards passing.
In the second half, the Chiefs scored instantly, and the teams would trade a few scores until the Chiefs found themselves leading 28-24 with two minutes remaining. The Patriots, led by Brady, marched down the field and scored with 39 seconds left. Before that the game appeared to end on an interception, but Chiefs edge rusher Dee Ford was lined up offside and the interception was called back. Mahomes and the Chiefs can never be counted out. With 32 seconds and one timeout left, Mahomes guided them down for a game tying field goal.
Overtime rules state that if the team to possess the ball first scores a touchdown, the game is over. Brady drove down the field, converting three 3rd and 10’s on his way to the touchdown and the Super Bowl berth. Mahomes never got to see the ball in the overtime period.
Both games were phenomenal, and the Super Bowl, which pits legendary coach Bill Belichick and young offensive mastermind Sean McVay against each other, is sure to be another great game. The game opens with the Rams as one-point favorites.