Was that the greatest weekend of National Football League playoff football ever?
It would be hard to argue against that fact: the first three games had a field goal to win the game as time expired, while the fourth had one to send the game to overtime. Three of the four winners were road teams, and underdogs.
That last game, Kansas City vs. Buffalo, may also go down as the greatest game of all time. Just the fact that there were 25 points scored in the final 1:52 of the contest should ensure that, but the emotional rollercoaster watching it (as a neutral as well: I can’t begin to think about what it was like as a fan or as someone who had A LOT of money riding on it) was incredible. And we all knew what was going to happen when the coin flip went to Patrick “Grim Reaper” Mahomes: he went right down the field to lock up a fourth-straight AFC title game appearance.
Now think back to those games, if you can. Mahomes was an overtime coin flip in 2019 from going to four Super Bowls in a row (ironic, right?) All four of the games have been at Arrowhead, which shows you how good Mahomes and the Chiefs have been for an extended period of time. In the first three appearances, the Chiefs scored 31, 35, and 38 points, against three different teams. Cincinnati will be the fourth different opponent to come to Missouri, which shows you how hard it is to stay at the top in the NFL.
In the late game this Sunday, the dominance of the NFC West will be on showcase, as the Los Angeles Rams host the San Francisco 49ers, with the winner advancing to the Super Bowl in… EXACTLY THE SAME PLACE. SoFi will host the Super Bowl on February 13, and one of these two teams will be playing in it for the second time in four years.
Sometimes it is tough to see just how good teams are when they play in tough divisions. Just think about this: what would San Fran’s record have been this season if it played in the NFC East? Surely not 10-7, considering the 49ers beat both NFC East playoff participants this year, Philadelphia and Dallas.
This game will be a test for those people who like to wager on trends, and others who might use the eye test. The 49ers swept LA this year in the regular season, and have done so in the previous two campaigns as well. All but one of the games had 40+ points (the over/under here is 43.5). The Rams nearly collapsed last weekend, but pulled it out of the fire. San Fran has some key players banged up after playing in the frigid Green Bay temps.
I guess what bettors and fans want to know is, will there be chaos like last weekend, or will the games be relatively straightforward?
At this point of the NFL season, we could see anything. But I would say we are going to get another great weekend of games, on the final day of the NFL season with multiple contests.
