The NFL playoffs are always entertaining to watch but this weekend the drama was dialled up to a whole new level. It was the divisional round this weekend and each team was two wins away from making the Super Bowl. With the season on the line we got to see some of the best football matches ever and had enough drama to win an Oscar. Here's a rundown of what happened.
Kansas City Chiefs 42-36 Buffalo Bills
We'll start off with what could possibly be the greatest game in NFL playoffs history. Two of the best quarterbacks in the league were coming up against each other with Patrick Mahomes leading the Chiefs and Josh Allen heading up the Bills. Both are mobile quarterbacks with strong arms, capable of pulling off incredible plays.
Both teams traded blow for blow in the first half, replying to each touchdown by scoring one of their own. But it was the last quarter where the drama really began. The Bills went 29-26 up after a touchdown by Gabriel Davis but the Chiefs replied swiftly when Mahomes threw to wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Hill ran all the way to the house to score a 64 yard touchdown to give the Chiefs a 33-29 lead with just over a minute left.
Allen showed off a mixture of his passing and running ability to march the Bills down the field and it was Gabriel Davis again who scored the touchdown to give the Bills a three point lead with 13 seconds left. However it wasn't just done yet, Mahomes executed two exquisite passes, first to Hill and then to tightend Travis Kelce to put the Chiefs into field goal range and kicker Harrison Butker kicked it over to send the game into overtime.
The Chiefs won the toss and started overtime with the ball. The offence made one last drive and Mahomes connected with Kelce once again to score a touchdown and give the Chiefs a miraculous victory, winning 42-36. Click here to watch the highlights.
KELCE FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/7ZDYjEMuxY
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 24, 2022
LA Rams 30-27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Just before that showdown in Kansas City there was another drama in Florida as the Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers took on the LA Rams. The Rams came out firing and absolutely dominated the first half. The Rams defence swallowed up Brady and didn't give him any time or space. The Rams on the other hand were working brilliantly on offence, racing out to a 10-3 lead after the first quarter. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp connected to score another touchdown for the Rams to make it 17-3. Another field goal gave them a 20-3 lead going into half-time.
The Rams would get their touchdown however in the third quarter to give them a 27-3 lead. If this was against any other team you would think the game is done but Tom Brady is a master of comebacks. The Rams started to make mistakes, fumbling the ball and Brady capitalised. He got the Bucs back into the game and they scored two touchdowns within three minutes to level up the scores 27-27 with 45 seconds left. Matthew Stafford threw to Cooper Kupp two plays in a row to get the Rams into field goal range and kicker Matt Gay slotted over the 30 yard kick to give the Rams victory and eliminate the defending Super Bowl champions.
It might have been Tom Brady's final game.
MATT GAY FOR THE WIN! pic.twitter.com/AQBU54oVhD
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 23, 2022
San Francisco 49ers 13-10 Green Bay Packers
The Packers came into this game as the favourites. They were one of the best teams in the league with 13 wins and hadn't lost at home during the regular season. They were hosting a 49ers team that only went 10-7 in the regular season and only scrapped threw to the playoffs as a wildcard.
It was an attritional game at the legendary Lambeau Field. The Packers scored a touchdown off their first drive but that would be the only points of the half as the Packers lead 7-0 at the break. Both sides exchanged field goasl to make it 10-3 before the 49ers blocked a Packers' punt and Talanoa Hufanga recovered it to score a touchdown and tie the game with less than five minutes to go. Aaron Rodgers couldn't get anything going in the snow at Green Bay and had to give up the ball to the 49ers. Jimmy Garropolo drove the 49ers down the field and teed it up for another last second field goal. Kicker Robbie Gould made the 45 yard field goal at the buzzer to give the 49ers a shock win. Watch the drama here.
WHAT A HEADS UP PLAY BY THE ROOK @TalanoaHufanga 🤙#SFvsGB on FOX/49ers App pic.twitter.com/yzP6NAqWgW
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 23, 2022
Cincinnati Bengals 19-16 Tennessee Titans
This game kicked off the weekend in style and too went down to the wire. The young Cincinnati Bengals are spearheaded by the duo of Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase. The pair played together on one of the best college teams of all time, the 2019 Louisiana State University that were National Champions and both of their paths have crossed again in Cincinnati this season.
The Bengals won their first playoff game since 1992 last weekend and they rode the momentum of that historic victory into this one. The Titans' star running back Derrick Henry was playing with a metal plate a screws in his foot after being out with an injury and it seemed to have an effect on him as he only ran for 62 yards off 20 attempts. He did score a touchdown however and two Bengals field goals meant the score was level 6-6 at halftime.
The Bengals scored a touchdown to start the second half and they scored another field goal to extend their lead to 16-6. The Titans came back with 10 points of their own and the scores were level with the clocking winding down. The Bengals' rookie kicker Evan McPherson stepped up with 4 seconds left to kick over a 52 yard field goal to win it for the Bengals. Watch the Bengals second playoff win in 30 years here.
Money. Mac. Shooter. McPherson. Legend.
Visit https://t.co/KpeqK4RKUm for more highlights. pic.twitter.com/CIrXmzwZI0— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 23, 2022
All four matches had walk-off field goals, which is when a team scores a field goal as the clock hits zero, meaning the game is done. It's the equivalent of a buzzer beater in basketball and to have four in a weekend is incredible. The playoffs have been amazing this week and there's still more to play as the Chiefs host the Bengals in the AFC Championship game and the Rams host the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. The winners will meet at the Super Bowl on 13th February.
See Also: This Year's Nickelodeon NFL Playoffs Takeover Was Surreal And Slimy
