Fantasy Playoffs: The Divisional Round

ETHAN NOVICK

Bengals at Titans:

The first half of this game went pretty slowly, being only a 9-6 halftime score. However this quickly changed as Ryan Tannehill, the QB of the Titans, threw a total of 3 interceptions including the one which sealed the game for the Bengals. In my eyes, the Bengals are a very underrated team with a lot of offensive weapons surrounding Joe Burrow. However, I question how good their offensive line is as they gave up a record-tying 9 sacks. Joe Burrow is a very great QB for only being in the league a couple of years. I really don’t want Joe to obtain more injuries other than already tearing his ACL. This game was very enjoyable to watch and I hope they can beat the Chiefs in the next round of the playoffs. 

49ers at Packers:

Typically, playing in Lambeau field in single-degree weather is no easy task. However, Jimmy G and the 49ers went into their stadium and beat the number 1 seed in the NFC! Jimmy G didn’t play the best game himself under center, but the special teams and defense of the 49ers held the Packers to only 10 points. This game taught us that football is a team game and is unable to win solely by one player. This game came down to the wire and was very enjoyable to watch. I wonder what the Packers team will look like next year? Aaron Rodgers and Davantae Adams being free agents can not only shake up this Packers team but the entire NFL.

Rams at Bucs:

This game was one to remember. The Bucs led by Tom Brady were down 27-3. Yes, this score is 1 point away from the infamous 28-3 comeback where the New England Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons despite losing 28-3 to win the Super Bowl. This game had everything, to a controversial dead-ball foul, missed field goals, fumbles, interceptions, and coaching mistakes. However, it ended when Cooper Kupp exploded through the middle of the Bucs defense what seemed to be untouched in an eventual FG win for the Rams. With this Rams upset beating the Bucs 30-27, I believe they have a very good shot at winning the Super Bowl. They are a very well-coached team and Sean McVay does a great job getting his team ready for the next week’s opponents. To me, this game was easily the game of the year. 

Bills at Cheifs:

This game was an excellent distraction for me from studying for my AP Psychology exam the following day. This was a QB battle for the ages. Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs and Josh Allen of the Bills are easily both top 5 QBs in the NFL. This game was close and back and forth the entire game. However the MVP wasn’t a QB, but a wide receiver. Number 13 on the Buffalo Bills is Gabriel Davis. He went OFF for 208 yards and 4 touchdowns! That is unheard of in a playoff game. Despite losing, he was easily my MVP of the game. The chiefs were down by 3 and tied the game with an FG while driving down the field with less than a minute to go. Then by winning the coin toss in overtime, drove down the field to secure a touchdown and a win. I feel that we definitely were blessed with the games that we saw On the 22nd and 23rd on January.