Rams vs. Eagles
In the first half of this game, as expected, both teams proved to be highly competitive against one another, and it could be argued that it was anyone’s game. The underdogs of this year’s playoffs, the Rams, whose 11-7 record did not expect to take them this far, played one of the best games of their season only losing by six points. The Eagles, who as of now have a 26% chance of making it to the Super Bowl, proved their speed and agility this game through scoring two touchdown runs in the snow. Both ran by running back, Saquon Barkley, who was elected to the Pro Bowl later on in the year. The Eagles likely won due to their experience in the snow as well as coaching. Compared to the Rams, the Eagles only scored on run plays, which is smart due to the slipperiness of the ball from the snow and makes it much harder to catch. The Eagles will go on to face the Commanders in the National Football Confederation (NFC) Conference Championship.
Ravens vs. Bills
Another anticipated match up in the playoffs was the Ravens vs. the Bills. Earlier in the season, the Ravens smashed the Bills, beating them by 25 points. However, as that game took place early on, it was not an accurate representation of what was to come. The Ravens took an early lead in the first half scoring a touchdown in the first five minutes of the game. However, the Bills matched their energy, scoring a touchdown themselves on the next drive. The Bills then rose to the challenge, scoring two more touchdowns which set the score at 21-10 at the end of the first half. The second half was most definitely the Ravens comeback as they managed to score two touchdown passes to match the score. However, they fell short on a two point conversion in the last minute of the game to tie and go into overtime. This cost them the opportunity to advance to the divisional championship. The Ravens will face the Chiefs for the championship and a chance to play in the Super Bowl.
Commanders vs. Lions
Going into this match, the Lions were most likely to win as their record was 15-2, only losing two games in the regular season. Whereas, the Commanders were 13-5 and lost five games throughout the season. However, this was the first match up between the teams and nobody could have predicted what was to come. In the first quarter, the Lions led as expected due to a touchdown early in the game. In the second quarter though, the Commanders figured out what they needed to do to secure the win as they scored 28 points in a 15 minute quarter. Following this quarter, the Commanders led throughout the rest of the game and secured the win 45-31. The Commanders will face the Eagles for the NFC Divisional Championship.
Chiefs vs. Texans
Similar to the Commanders vs. Lions game, the Chiefs have been dominating all season only losing one game. Therefore, they were expected to sweep the Texans whose record is not nearly as good. These two teams met earlier in the season right before the holidays and the Chiefs won 27-19. With a similar result, the Chiefs once again beat the Texans and will advance. However, the Texans were able to hold their own and only lost in the fourth quarter as they were basically tied throughout the rest of the game. After scoring 10 points in the last quarter, the Chiefs will advance to play the Bills for the AFC Divisional Championship.
Ravens vs. Bills (27-25) Bills Advance
Commanders vs. Lions (45-31) Commanders Advance
Rams vs. Eagles (28-22) Eagles Advance
Chiefs vs. Texans (23-14) Chiefs Advance
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Both the AFC and NFC Divisional Championships will be held on Sunday, January 26. The Commanders and the Eagles will play in Philadelphia at 12:00. The winner will go on to the Super Bowl in two weeks and will face the winner of the AFC Divisional Championship. The Chiefs and the Bills will play right after 3:30 in Kansas City.
