Chiefs Cap Off a Wild NFL Playoffs
March 3, 2020
Since the start of the NFL playoffs in January, there have been a lot of crazy games from the Wild Card round to the Divisional Round.
The playoffs started (9-7) Philadelphia Eagles losing to the (11-5) Seattle Seahawks by a score of 17-9, and Eagles starting quarterback Carson Wentz left the game early with an injury. The 10-6 Minnesota Vikings beat the 13-3 New Orleans Saints in the NFC. Once again a light was shined on officiating in this game, as there was a potential offensive pass interference call on the game winning touchdown. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins also proved he was able to win a big game on the road. His magic soon ran out though, as the Vikings would get blown out 27-10 against the San Francisco 49ers, in what many thought was an expected outcome. The Green Bay Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-23, as the Seahawks offense could not deliver down the stretch during the game, setting up a 49ers versus Packers NFC Championship game.
The AFC slate of games was just as weird and crazy. Starting with the 10-6 Buffalo Bills losing to the 10-6 Houston Texans by a field goal in overtime. This round also saw the defending champion 12-4 New England Patriots losing to the 9-7 underdogs Tennessee Titans by a score of 20-13. This game featured Derrick Henry rushing for 182 yards on the road. The Divisional Round had a lot of upsets and unexpected losses. The overwhelming favorite to win the Super Bowl, Baltimore Ravens (14-2) lost to the Titans 28-12 which eliminated them. The Titans again won on the road against a really good team and stunned the league. Yet again it was the Derrick Henry show, as he rushed for 195 yards, as well as throwing a touchdown to help propel the Titans to the AFC Championship. The opponent for the AFC Championship would be determined by a game between the Texans and Chiefs. The Chiefs were losing 24-0 to the Texans at home, in the first half. Then by halftime the score was 28-24 in favor of the Chiefs. The potent Chief offense did not look back from there, as they finished the game strong winning 51-31, to advance to the AFC Championship.
Now on to the Conference Championship games.
Many expected these games to be the best games of the season. The Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Tennessee Titans for the first time this season. The game started out in the Titans favor, but soon Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes rushed for an insane 27 yard touchdown, nearing the end of the first half, to give the Chiefs a 21-17 lead going into the break. They did not look back from there, winning the game 35-24, and sending the Chiefs to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1970. In the NFC championship it was not as exciting as the AFC’s bout. This game seemed to be over from the beginning. The 49er offense was firing on all cylinders, and the Packers could not stop their run game. In addition, their defense was as good as advertised forcing the Packers and Aaron Rodgers to make mistakes and won the game 37-20.
Then in the biggest game of the year, the Chiefs and 49ers met in Super Bowl 54. The game started out going the Chiefs way, but the 49ers stayed in it, and tied it at 10 going to half. Then in the third quarter, the 49ers took a 20-10 lead. With 6:13 left in the game, the Chiefs would need some magic, if they wanted to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Kansas City. Mahomes once again was the magician Chiefs fans were looking for. He led the Chiefs to scoring 21 unanswered points, while winning Super Bowl MVP, as the Chiefs won the Super Bowl 31-20. These playoffs had many unexpected outcomes, whether it was the end of a dynasty in New England, or the Ravens losing at home. These playoffs, and this Super Bowl did not disappoint, as the Kansas City Chiefs took home a Super Bowl victory.