The "Where's the Beef?" Award: The Chiefs' Pass Rush
People will remember this game for Andy Reid's typically awful clock management more than anything else, but that would be underselling how good the Patriots were while overlooking lots of other problems that put the Chiefs in a situation where they needed 14 points in six minutes. I prophesied a different outcome in my pick for this game, and a big reason for that was Kansas City's pass rush. The Chiefs were fourth in the NFL in sacking quarterbacks this season, and they kept the pressure on the Texans well last week with Justin Houston and Tamba Hali returning to the fold. The story was very different this weekend though - Kansas City failed to get any kind of consistent pressure on Tom Brady with two hits and no sacks despite the Patriots throwing the ball on a massive 75% of offensive snaps. They also seemed unwilling to adjust their defensive approach after getting burned for sitting back in coverage repeatedly in the first half - I can only recall a couple of instances where they sent more than three or four linemen to the pocket, which effectively gave Brady all the time in the world to wait for receivers to get open. Anyway, the Pats look great as usual and now have a healthy Gronk, Edelman and Vollmer back for what seems like an inevitable seventh Super Bowl appearance in the Belichick-Brady era. Meanwhile, the Chiefs probably have another three to four good years of contention left in them in their current form, but they absolutely have to take more risks on both sides of the ball against the better teams in the AFC and stop treating the two-minute drill like this:
There's a mantra that I've found true in my own life as a repeat fantasy league champion this year: it's better to be lucky than good. Of course, Super Bowl contenders usually have a healthy mix of both, and that was true for the Patriots and Cardinals this weekend. For the Pats, two plays in particular stand out in my mind. First, on a Chiefs' desperation fourth down play late in the game, Duron Harmon appeared to intercept Alex Smith's 28-yard pass, which in effect would have pushed the Patriots back nearly 30 yards in their own territory instead of taking over near midfield. The turnover was reviewed though, and the officiating crew determined that the play was actually an incomplete pass, which made it even easier for New England to run down the clock. Second, the Pats tried a pass play on their final possession that was deflected by a Chiefs defender but then caught by Julian Edelman for the game-clinching first down. What should have been an interception on an unnecessary pass that would have given Kansas City one last shot at the end zone sealed the game the other way. For the Cardinals, a similar deflected pass probably should have resulted in Carson Palmer's third interception in the end zone on Saturday night, but the ball ended up squarely in Michael Floyd's hands for a go-ahead touchdown. Like New England, Arizona also called a pass play very late in the game that fell incomplete, stopped the clock and ultimately gave Aaron Rodgers 35 more seconds to work with for that miraculous, overtime-clinching Hail Mary. And then, the Cardinals' fortunes looked grim for a moment when Packers LB Mike Neal was just a fingernail away from sacking Carson Palmer deep in his own territory to start overtime. That only resulted in an 88-yard reception to Larry Fitzgerald that set the Cards up for the game-winning touchdown.
The Another Twist of the Knife Award - Aaron Rodgers' Prime
If Packers fans thought things couldn't get more heartbreaking than last year's epic collapse in Seattle, Saturday's rollercoaster ride in Glendale likely plunged them into new depths of despair. Regardless of the outcome, Aaron Rodgers had a game for the ages. Down his top two receivers, Rodgers was the workhorse for Green Bay, scrambling around the Cardinals' pass rush and throwing open a new cast of receivers who've spent most of their time on the practice squad and special teams this year. It wasn't the prettiest performance from a QB rating standpoint, but no one can deny that Rodgers still exists on another planet after that miraculous final drive. After being sacked for a near safety in his own end zone with less than a minute remaining, No. 12 somehow found an open Jeff Janis 60 yards downfield for a first down. Three plays later, he found Janis again on a Hail Mary in the end zone despite having an Arizona defender in his face as he threw. There may not be another quarterback in the league who can make that throw once, much less twice this season. And yet, for all the euphoria of that unbelievable moment, the Packers defense immediately gave up another big play in overtime to hand the game over in another disappointing postseason loss. Here's a soul-crushing factoid for the Green Bay faithful: Since Aaron Rodgers became a starter in 2008, the Packers have lost in six of their seven postseasons; four of those losses have come on the final play of the game when Rodgers's offense was not on the field and the other team made the go-ahead score. He looks as good as ever and he'll get Jordy Nelson back next season, but Green Bay's defense has done few favors for one of the best QBs in the league while he's in his prime.
Everyone who writes about the NFL is almost legally obligated to call Sunday's divisional game between the Panthers and Seahawks A Tale of Two Halves. We saw the best and "least best" of both teams in reverse order. Carolina came out swinging both arms in a fury with two touchdowns in the game's first five minutes, while Seattle did just about everything wrong possible. All told the Panthers scored 31 points and racked up over 220 yards of offense in the first half compared to the Seahawks' 110 yards and total shut out. In the second half, it was obvious the Panthers were content with winding down the clock and avoiding turnovers, but things got a little dicey by the fourth quarter when the defense was failing to get stops and the offense couldn't keep the chains moving. In the second half, the Panthers offense only mustered 82 yards and zero points while the Seahawks had 270 and 24, respectively. Knowing the Seattle devil magic that has won them more improbable games than just about any team, I was fully prepared for the Seahawks make a stunning grab at overtime. But Carolina managed to do just enough in the end to retain the win with a big onside kick recovery from Thomas Davis - surely the cherry on top for any Packers fan nursing that Saturday night hangover. I don't think Carolina was "exposed" by letting Seattle back into the game since the whole second half was in prevent mode, but it'll be intriguing to see how aggressive Riverboat Ron stays next week against the equally bold Bruce Arians. This NFC championship should be a great one.
I didn't really have a dog in the fight for the final game of the divisional round, but there are plenty of reasons for the Broncos to feel bittersweet about making their second AFC championship appearance in three years. They'll be hosting the Patriots, whom they beat at Mile High back in Week 12, but watching Denver struggle against a banged up Steelers team Sunday isn't exactly a vote of confidence that they can repeat this time. Peyton Manning had a difficult time putting a spiral on the football consistently and taking advantage of Pittsburgh's very bad secondary. Part of that could have had to do with the wind, but Manning's receivers had plenty of open looks that were misses and/or drops. Unless the wind is as bad or worse next Sunday, I don't see how the Broncos offense will be able to match the kind of offensive production New England has shown when its starters are healthy. You might want to plan on having a book or crossword puzzle nearby is all I'm saying.
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