After a week of build-up and excitement, the NFL's divisional round was pretty mundane, with most of the games controlled by one team. But there were certainly winners and losers of this past playoff weekend on both sides.
Winner: Green Bay Packers
Yes, the Packers are literally winners from this past weekend with a 32-18 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. However, it goes a little deeper than that. While Aaron Rodgers certainly played a good game, with 296 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, it never felt like he dominated the game. But the rest of the Packers played so well, on both sides of the ball, that a dominating performance from Rodgers was unnecessary. This past weekend against the Rams showed that Green Bay is a complete team that isn't overly reliant on great performances from their Green Bay quarterback, something the Packers have been a victim of in the past. If play as they did against Los Angeles next week, and Aaron Rodgers plays up to what he is capable of, there is no doubt they should defeat Tampa Bay. So yes, the whole Green Bay squad is a winner because they showed they are a more complete team than they have been since their Superbowl XLV team.
Winner: Jared Goff
Despite playing with a broken thumb that was surgically repaired less than two weeks ago and having to deal with below-freezing weather, Jared Goff played outstanding. Goff was 21/27 for 174 passing yards and one touchdown in the loss to the Packers. And while the loss does sting nobody really expected the Rams to come out on top of this game with all the injuries and the talent gap on the offensive side of the ball for the Rams. Goff played better than most expected so for that he deserves some credit.
Loser: Aaron Donald
Aaron Donald's rib injury clearly hindered the All-Pro defensive linemen against the Packers, as he only recorded a single tackle and a single quarterback pressure on Saturday. Furthermore, he only played 55% of Los Angeles' defensive snaps against Green Bay., a season-low He struggled all night long against Elgton Jenkins as well. If he was 100% against the Packers last weekend it may have made a huge difference. Unfortunately, he struggled against Green Bay's interior offensive line and the Rams paid the price for his struggles.
Winner: Buffalo Bills' Defense
In what could have been a difficult matchup for Buffalo, the Bills were able to silence what was one of the most effective rushing offenses in the NFL. While the final stat line shows 150 yards given up, They held Lamar Jackson, Gus Edwards, and JK Dobbins to 118 yards on the ground for an average of 4.02 yards per carry. I thought the Baltimore offense would be able to have their way on the ground but the Bills showed that they were the stout defense that had come to fruition over the second half of the season. They also kept Lamar Jackson from doing any serious damage through the air, holding him to 162 yards on the game and returning an interception for a touchdown to seal the game in the third quarter. This Bills defense will need to continue playing at an elite level next week, especially if Patrick Mahomes is ready to go next week.
Loser: Justin Tucker
While Tucker isn't the reason why Baltimore lost, the usually sure-footed kicker missed two field goals, both in the first half and in opportunities where the Ravens could have taken the lead. The wind was certainly a huge factor in the kicking game (Buffalo's kicker Tyler Bass also missed two kicks) but it was also concerning to see the nine-year veteran struggle so much in crucial spots.
Loser: Lamar Jackson
Simply put the Bills were able to shut down the Raven's offense. Lamar Jackson was never able to get anything going consistently on the ground or through the air. And in the third quarter when he was finally able to find a rhythm, accounting for 55 of Baltimore's 65 yards on their opening drive in the second half, he then through a pick-six which gave Buffalo a 17-3 lead. Then, on Baltimore's very next drive Jackson took a huge intentional grounding penalty while suffering a concussion on the same play, ending his night. After winning his first career playoff game last week versus Tenessee, this past week's performance against Buffalo was certainly a forgettable one for Jackson.
Winner: Andy Reid
In a game where the Chiefs could have imploded after the injury to Patrick Mahomes, Reid was able to steady Kansas City to a hard-fought victory. But what will be remembered most from this game was the decision to go for it on fourth down from their own 48-yard line to ice the game. Pretty much everyone watching thought the Chiefs were going to punt the ball back and dare Cleveland to try and drive down the field with less than a minute left. However, Reid's bold choice to go for it kept the result from ever being in doubt and reminding everyone why Reid has been one of the NFL's most successful head coaches.
Loser: Patrick Mahomes
There is only one real reason why Mahomes would ever be a loser and it's injury-related. On Sunday afternoon Mahomes came down with a foot injury (likely turf toe) that hampered his mobility, and if that wasn't bad enough he then appeared to suffer a concussion in a scary scene where he had trouble standing up and walking after being brought down in an awkward tackle. Hopefully, Mahomes will be ready to go on Sunday, and it appears that he is on track to do so according to Andy Reid, but there are certainly no guarantees.
Loser: Fumble for a Touchback Rule
Maybe this is a "winner" for the rule since we actually got to see it implemented once again. However, this atrocity of a rule needs to go away. Late in the second half when Cleveland was attempting to cut Kansas City's lead, Browns' wide receiver Rashard Higgins stretched out in an attempt to score but had the ball knocked loose. Instead of the ball going directly out of bounds it went forward enough to cross into the endzone, then out of bounds. So instead of getting the ball at the one-yard line, it became a touchback and Kansas City football. The worst part? The hit that caused the loose ball should have been flagged for illegal use of the helmet, negating the fumble. This play seriously altered the course of the game, and instead of going into the half down 16-10, Cleveland found itself trailing 19-3. If Cleveland scores that touchdown it is entirely possible they win that game, especially since they lost by five points. There is no reason that a fumble that rolls out at the one and one that rolls through the side of the endzone should have drastically different outcomes, and simply put it continues to alter the course of games and the rule needs to go.
Winner: Tampa Bay Pass Defense
We all knew how good the Tampa Bay front seven were, and it was on full display against Washington where the Football Team struggled to get anything going on the ground. However, the pass defense was a whole different question after a rough outing against Taylor Heinicke. Those doubts were silenced for at least last Sunday night where the Bucs' pass defense shut down the Saints' air attack. They held Michael Thomas to zero receptions for the first time in his career and forced three interceptions from Drew Brees. While they gave up the big 56-yard passing touchdown to Jamies Winston, it was off a trick-play so it wasn't super concerning, especially when they held Drew Brees to 3.9 yards per passing attempt.
Winner: Leonard Fournette
While "Playoff Lenny" wasn't super effective on the ground, with 63 yards on 3.7 yards per carry, his presence in the passing game cannot be denied. His five receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown were a major factor in keeping the Saints' defense off-balance and provided Tom Brady a safety blanked in a night where the star quarterback was not super efficient. Fournette is playing himself into another opportunity in the NFL whether that be with the Buccaneers, or elsewhere after his career looked dead in the water at the beginning of the year.
Loser: Drew Brees
If that was it for the future hall of fame quarterback it was really a sad and bitter ending. In what was potentially his final NFL game Brees simply looked physically unable to make the throws that he was attempting. While he was making most of the right reads his arm has simply given out on him, turning deep ball completions into underthrown interceptions. Maybe Brees simply did not understand his physical limitations from his age, or maybe the rib injuries were really hampering his ability to make plays. Regardless of the reason, if this was it Brees' career did not go out with a bang but a whimper.
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