The Game Was Decided by A Coin Toss!

What a weekend of NFL Divisional Playoff games! This divisional playoff round was the first in NFL History where all four games came down to the final play of the game. Special teams accounted for three walk-off playoff field goal wins. It was wild! Now, let’s recap how it all went down.

Bengals vs. Titans
The Titans were the number one AFC seed. Derrek Henry was back and all of sudden Nashville was ready to win it all. But winning it all is hard when your QB, Ryan Tannehill, started and ended the game with interceptions. (Only three interceptions were thrown in all four divisional games. Tannehill had all three.) A.J. Brown’s one-handed catch on a Tannehill 33-yard pass was the highlight for the Titans.

https://twitter.com/brieorie/status/1485039851288281090?s=10

Derrick Henry was not the Henry fans hoped for. He scored their only TD and was held to 62-rushing yards. The Titans defense showed up to play and sacked Cincinnati QB, Joe Burrow 9, NINE, times and they still lost! (The last time a QB was sacked 9 times or more and won was in 2000.) Bengals kicker, Evan McPherson hit a 52-yard field goal with 0:04 left to win 19-16 and Nashville was left singing the blues and Joey cool lighting a cigar.

49ers vs. Packers
Packers head coach, Matt LaFleur never has on a real coat. The temperature in Green Bay was one degree with wind gusts up to 28-mph and flurries. To clarify, how does LaFleur not get cold? I was cold just watching the game. But you know who was cold? The 49ers offensive and the Packers Special Teams. In fact, the 49ers had zero offensive touchdowns and won in Green Bay! How? The 49ers blocked punt for a DT and kicker Robbie Gould. Gould hit a 45-yard field goal with 0:04 left to win 13-10. This loss was the 5th time in Aaron Rodgers career he has lost a playoff game on the last play of the game. It could also be the last time Rodgers is a Green Bay Packer. (Hey, Aaron, come to Washington!)

If Matt LaFleur ever wears a real coat, I’ll know it’s cold. #GreenBayPackers

— Nicole Briscoe (@RB_Mrs) January 23, 2022

Rams vs Buccaneers
Georgia beat Michigan, again. This time it was the LA Rams QB, Matt Stafford who beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB, Tom Brady. At first, the game was looking like a blow out with seven minutes left in the 3rd quarter as Rams lead 20-3. Ha, don’t ever count Tom Brady out. A bloody lip (Von Miller is so dirty) and Brady’s first ever unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in his career fueled Brady to a 24-point comeback to tie 27-27 with 0:42 left in the game.  As a result, Stafford said to Brady; ‘hold my beer’ and went deep to Cooper Kupp to get the Rams in field goal range. With 0:06 left on the clock, Matt Gay hit a 30-yard field goal to win 30-27.

Tom Brady showing he's bleeding his own blood lol pic.twitter.com/jEP4InR6RH

— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) January 23, 2022

Bills vs Chiefs
One of the best football games ever played and it all came down to heads or tails. There have only been two postseason performances in the history of the NFL where a QB passed for at least 325 yards, threw a least 3 TD’s, had zero interceptions and rush for 60-yards. One: John Allen vs Chiefs 1/23/22 and two: Patrick Mahomes vs the Bills 1/23/22. This game was the only playoff game over the last 10 years where both starting QB’s had QBRs in the 90’s: Mahomes 96.3, Allen 90.3.

This game was John Madden level cheat codes. In the last two minutes of the game the Bills and the Chiefs combined for 25-points! During those two minutes, Bills WR, Stefon Diggs, sacked a KC fan who ran on the field, Chiefs WR, Tyreek Hill, threw up the deuces (mom, that’s a peace sign) as he scored. However, no taunting penalties were called. The Bills scored again and with the clock 0:13, Mahomes got KC kicker, Harrison Butker, in field goal range and the game went to overtime.

Stefon Diggs wrecked the Chiefs fan who ran on the field. pic.twitter.com/A2NprOlREy

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 24, 2022

Basically, NFL overtime rules are simple, first team to score a TD wins. The coin toss is everything! Heads or tails who gets the ball and who is going to win. There was no way whoever had the ball was not going to score in this game. Josh Allen’s only mistake of the game was not calling ‘heads’ in the coin toss. Chiefs won the toss, got ball, TD Travis Kelce, Chiefs win. (Mahomes has been to four straight AFC Championship games. Additionally, he’s been the Chiefs’ starting QB for all four years and hosted all four of those games.)

In other words, NFL overtime rules are brutal. Whoever scores a TD first wins. Meaning most games will come down to luck; also known as the coin toss. I feel like I would always call ‘tails’ because of the law of gravity and the heads side of the coin has more metal. But that’s with a normal coin. The NFL plays with an NFL coin and it’s all based on luck. You can’t get mad at KC for winning the toss. They were in the Bills situation in 2019 and lost in OT to Tom Brady. In the off season, KC proposed a new rule that in overtime, both teams would have a possession and it was voted on and did not pass. Maybe one day the luck will come back in the Bills favor, but that’s not likely, they are still the Buffalo Bills.

In conclusion, the Bengals will play the Chiefs on Sunday at 3:00 for the AFC Championship and the 49ers will play the Rams at 6:30 for the NFC Championship.

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