2022 Playoffs

[trents]

How many of those ill advised throws were more about the -10 degree wind-chill and his frozen fingers? I'll wager quite a few. Notice that AR stopped throwing as much as the game went on, too.
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As much as I'm stoked AR lost, that totally screwed up our Seahawks football pool. The Packers were my #1 high seen... arrrrggggg....

None of the were. They were all about throwing into coverage, not weather.

[Aseahawkfan]

Yeah Rodgers isn’t as lucky as Brady . This is almost certainly his last year there now. Bye bye . Although I sense an NFC West title game . Brady is mulling his future apparently . It could be now the way this week is going

II don't even know why Brady keeps playing. The rest of the league should be embarrassed if he leads Tampa to another Super Bowl.

[Hawktawk]

It’s not looking good . We may be seeing the last game of his career . They can’t protect him , his receivers are dropping passes, he’s looking his age a bit . Rams look like a machine . I hate it

[RiverDog]

Bengals getting this far is crazy.

No kidding. That was their first road playoff win in franchise history, going back to the old AFL in 1968.

[RiverDog]

Bucs caught a huge break when Akers fumbled at the 1 yardline. Rams take that one in and it's game over.

[Aseahawkfan]

Good, Bucs look like they're done. Get them out. Rams vs. 49ers in the NFC championship game. I guess our division was the toughest.

[RiverDog]

Good, Bucs look like they're done. Get them out. Rams vs. 49ers in the NFC championship game. I guess our division was the toughest.

I think both assumptions are pretty safe.

Aaron Donald is as close to unblockable as any player I've ever seen.

[jshawaii22]

Man, there have been some great games the last few weeks. Insane. I'm in Vegas getting ready to move here and being able to make legal bets from my hotel room is like opening up the cookie jar to someone who could never reach it.

49ers vs Rams for the NFC.

[Aseahawkfan]

That ended closer than I expected with the Bucs. Glad to see them out. Brady don't need number 8.

[RiverDog]

Man, there have been some great games the last few weeks. Insane. I'm in Vegas getting ready to move here and being able to make legal bets from my hotel room is like opening up the cookie jar to someone who could never reach it.

49ers vs Rams for the NFC.

You can look at the games that way, that they were very entertaining, and all being won on walk off FG's. But being the critic that I am, all 3 games have been very poorly played by all 6 teams.

You'll have to hook up with Vegashawk sometime. Him and I got together down there several years ago. Great guy.

[jshawaii22]

RD, being entertained is all I'm looking for. However, I don't agree with the 'bad games' either. I certainly don't think SF or GB played bad in sub-zero weather. Your body simply can't perform at that top level in that weather. I don't think Cincy played bad, sacks be dammed. It doesn't make it a bad game. Maybe Brady played "bad" for part of the game. The turnovers? They don't make it a bad game. The refs tried to make it a 'bad game' with those two taunting calls against Suh and Brady. What a pair of crap calls. Brady gets called for pointing out the blood on his lip. Since when can a ref be the target of a taunting call?

[trents]

Bills vs. Chiefs is turning into a dog fight. More offense in this one.

Never seen a football come out a QB's hand like it does with Josh Allen. It's just like they say in baseball when you hear, "Man that ball just jumps off his bat." Allen's passes are just these darts. So effortless.

[Hawktawk]

RD, being entertained is all I'm looking for. However, I don't agree with the 'bad games' either. I certainly don't think SF or GB played bad in sub-zero weather. Your body simply can't perform at that top level in that weather. I don't think Cincy played bad, sacks be dammed. It doesn't make it a bad game. Maybe Brady played "bad" for part of the game. The turnovers? They don't make it a bad game. The refs tried to make it a 'bad game' with those two taunting calls against Suh and Brady. What a pair of crap calls. Brady gets called for pointing out the blood on his lip. Since when can a ref be the target of a taunting call?

Yes right here . It’s playoff ball in the elements with celebrity officials increasingly screwing up games . These have been epic rock fights . Not as exciting but compelling .

[Hawktawk]

Bills vs. Chiefs is turning into a dog fight. More offense in this one.

Never seen a football come out a QB's hand like it does with Josh Allen. It's just like they say in baseball when you hear, "Man that ball just jumps off his bat." Allen's passes are just these darts. So effortless.

Both these QBs are on another level . I don’t like buffalos ultra conservative game plan . But I can sure see why the Hawks had a scout at Allen’s pro day . He’s a man

[trents]

Chief's offensive backs and receivers are very quick and elusive. Buffalo D is not doing a good job of tackling them.

[RiverDog]

RD, being entertained is all I'm looking for. However, I don't agree with the 'bad games' either. I certainly don't think SF or GB played bad in sub-zero weather. Your body simply can't perform at that top level in that weather. I don't think Cincy played bad, sacks be dammed. It doesn't make it a bad game. Maybe Brady played "bad" for part of the game. The turnovers? They don't make it a bad game. The refs tried to make it a 'bad game' with those two taunting calls against Suh and Brady. What a pair of crap calls. Brady gets called for pointing out the blood on his lip. Since when can a ref be the target of a taunting call?

I'm looking for entertainment, too. I wasn't disappointed in the games, rather merely pointing out that they were poorly played, something that you don't expect to see out of teams that by definition, are otherwise very efficient.

The weather was certainly a factor in all the games, but that doesn't explain all of the problems. Indeed, there were only two turnovers in the SF-Green Bay game. I can't recall all of the mistakes and would have to re-watch the game to refresh my memory, but Garoppolo threw a horrible red zone pick and a couple of others that should have been pick 6's. Green Bay's special teams allowed two blocked kicks, something you hardly ever see.

The PF call against Brady wasn't for taunting. You don't know what he said to the ref, so you can't conclude that he was simply pointing to his lip. He said something to the ref that drew the flag. I'm not a big fan of the taunting rule, but it is what it is, and the players have had all season to get used to it. Neither of us know exactly what it was Suh was jacking his jaws about, but he has a long history of not being able to control his emotions. I'm not a fan of the emphasis on taunting, but it is what it is, and the players have had all season to get used to the new normal.

[Hawktawk]

Wow what a nitecap. 5 demerits to Buffalo coach for not forcing KC to field the kickoff with 13 seconds and three timeouts . Pop it up to the 10 and make them return or fair catch and it’s ballgame . I feel bad for Josh Allen he played his ass off . The loss is on McDermitt

[Stream Hawk]

Agreed. There are a couple of nitpicky things Buffalo could have done better after their last td. Prevent D with 13 seconds left also one of them. I was really pulling for the Bills.

[mykc14]

Wow what a nitecap. 5 demerits to Buffalo coach for not forcing KC to field the kickoff with 13 seconds and three timeouts . Pop it up to the 10 and make them return or fair catch and it’s ballgame . I feel bad for Josh Allen he played his ass off . The loss is on McDermitt

What a great game!! It’s funny my son (who’s 8) said the same thing. He was so pissed, he was like how can you not squib that kick down to the ten and make them take time off the clock!! You are both right June mistake.

[Old but Slow]

Good weekend of football, every game was very close with a big emphasis on FG kickers.

It was stunning how poor GB's special teams are. They clearly lost the game for them. Who is their special teams coach? I bet the Seahawks could get him real cheap.

The KC/Buffalo game was a classic, and both quarterbacks were on fire. The pure speed and quickness of Hill for KC stood out big time.

[RiverDog]

Good point about the last Bills KO in regulation. However, keep in mind that it was a cold day, so "popping up" a ball to the 10 yard line might not have been as easy as it sounds. A squib kick might have been a better option, but still, you're depending on your kicker to execute it perfectly. The one thing you don't want to do is kick it out of bounds.

Outside of the fact that neither team played much defense, it was a fantastic game, best of the weekend, and better played by both teams vs. the other three rather sloppy games.

In the early game, the Rams tried as hard as they could to give that game away, but the Bucs returned the favor by letting Cooper Kupp get in behind the entire secondary.

In any event, it was a very entertaining football weekend. Going into the playoffs, I had Rams-Chiefs in the Super Bowl, 2nd straight year that one of the participants is playing on their home field, so my forecast is still on track.

[RiverDog]

RD, being entertained is all I'm looking for. However, I don't agree with the 'bad games' either. I certainly don't think SF or GB played bad in sub-zero weather. Your body simply can't perform at that top level in that weather. I don't think Cincy played bad, sacks be dammed. It doesn't make it a bad game. Maybe Brady played "bad" for part of the game. The turnovers? They don't make it a bad game. The refs tried to make it a 'bad game' with those two taunting calls against Suh and Brady. What a pair of crap calls. Brady gets called for pointing out the blood on his lip. Since when can a ref be the target of a taunting call?

I'm not a fan of the emphasis on taunting, but it is what it is. The players have had all season to get used to the 'new normal' Suh obviously said something to Stafford after he got up as you could see the ref react. What did he say? We don't know, so how can anyone judge whether or not the penalty was deserved. Suh has a long track record of behavioral issues that have drawn PF's and fines.

The call against Brady wasn't for taunting. He said something to the ref, once again, something that neither of us are privy to, so it's impossible for either one of us to determine whether or not it deserved a flag.

You can't blame all of those mistakes in GB-SF to the weather. If the conditions influenced play like you are claiming, there would have been a half dozen turnovers or more, but there were just two. I'd much rather play in the cold like that than I would had it been accompanied by wind or rain, heavy snow, fog, etc. Rodgers said earlier in the week that the colder, the better:

“The colder, the better,” the Green Bay Packers quarterback said earlier this season.

What is impressive, is the team’s performance under Rodgers in kickoff temperatures 32 degrees (freezing) or below. In these games started, Rodgers is 28-8 overall, 6-3 in the playoffs. In fact, Rodgers’ win percentage jumps from his career number of 67 percent to just near 78 percent when freezing cold air is present.

[c_hawkbob]

I think it was over all a great weekend of games, best in recent memory, capped by one of the single greatest games I have ever seen! Just spectacular!

If you didn't enjoy this weekends games I feel sorry for you, you've let your standard for enjoyment get out of hand.

[NorthHawk]

It's the way Football is supposed to be. A great showcase for the NFL and parity.

[RiverDog]

I think it was over all a great weekend of games, best in recent memory, capped by one of the single greatest games I have ever seen! Just spectacular!

If you didn't enjoy this weekends games I feel sorry for you, you've let your standard for enjoyment get out of hand.

I'm not sure if you're directing that at me or just making a general statement, but I thoroughly enjoyed all 4 games and stated several times that they were highly entertaining. Don't confuse my critical remarks about the quality of play with their entertainment value.

[Uppercut]

Would have been cool if Hawks had drafted Josh Allen after they gave him a look. Oh well! Wish we could have drafted some like Kup and Donald too

[Hawktawk]

Would have been cool if Hawks had drafted Josh Allen after they gave him a look. Oh well! Wish we could have drafted some like Kup and Donald too

Allen was long gone when we picked . At this point that kid is a horse , a beast . It was when reports from Russels camp surfaced that he was unhappy about Seattle sending a scout . I see why . He’d be traded by now.

[NorthHawk]

There were rumors that JS wanted to trade Wilson for the Buffalo pick.

[RiverDog]

The Bills are going to ruin Josh Allen if they keep calling his number on designed running plays as they're subjecting him to a much greater risk of injury.

[Agent 86]

Not exactly the same, but the Chiefs managing to get into FG range with 13 seconds left dialed up memories of 2013 playoffs when the Falcons had 31 seconds left against the 'Hawks to get into FG range and did and won the game.

Bills are getting ripped for not squib kicking or popping one up to the 10 yard line to either force a fair catch or get some time run off the clock. I assume it Tyreek Hill back there so if they do those options and he runs one back to the 35 yard line with 2 seconds left, they would get ripped for that. They decided to not give that opportunity and got burned. That's on the D, not the coaches. Gotta learn to close games, they failed 3 times in a row. And I feel horrible for Bills fans, it's enough to lose 4 Super Bowls in a row, but to get to this point and two times look like you have won the game against a juggernaut like the Chiefs and then lose, my oh my, I think I would probably still be just sitting on my couch this morning staring at the walls in disbelief and heartache.

[Hawktawk]

McDermitt as much as admitted they should have kicked the ball in the field of playas which would have made it impossible to get in FG range unless the return guy housed it. When I saw they had 3 timeouts I texted a buddy “ this is not over “ I can’t believe a coach would pick a return man over Pat Mahomes arm and legs to beat him . Once they scored and won the toss I knew it was over .time for the NFL to get real about their overtime rules imo .

[Agent 86]

McDermitt as much as admitted they should have kicked the ball in the field of playas which would have made it impossible to get in FG range unless the return guy housed it. When I saw they had 3 timeouts I texted a buddy “ this is not over “ I can’t believe a coach would pick a return man over Pat Mahomes arm and legs to beat him . Once they scored and won the toss I knew it was over .time for the NFL to get real about their overtime rules imo .

Yeah Hawktawk, the OT rule is just so ridiculous and frustrating. It's makes me wonder why the owners or the competition committee (not sure who decides rules like that) is so against adopting a college like rule. Heck, even us Canadians up here for the CFL have adopted that rule for OT games.

No matter who won that coin toss, I think everyone in here was willing to bet a lot that team was going down and scoring a TD. Both D's were gassed and not confident at that point.

[NorthHawk]

It should be changed for the playoffs but the regular season is fine by me.
There was a bit of frustration watching half of the KC DL being former Seahawks and making big plays when our own DL
hasn't produced consistently well.

[RiverDog]

Not exactly the same, but the Chiefs managing to get into FG range with 13 seconds left dialed up memories of 2013 playoffs when the Falcons had 31 seconds left against the 'Hawks to get into FG range and did and won the game.

Bills are getting ripped for not squib kicking or popping one up to the 10 yard line to either force a fair catch or get some time run off the clock. I assume it Tyreek Hill back there so if they do those options and he runs one back to the 35 yard line with 2 seconds left, they would get ripped for that. They decided to not give that opportunity and got burned. That's on the D, not the coaches. Gotta learn to close games, they failed 3 times in a row. And I feel horrible for Bills fans, it's enough to lose 4 Super Bowls in a row, but to get to this point and two times look like you have won the game against a juggernaut like the Chiefs and then lose, my oh my, I think I would probably still be just sitting on my couch this morning staring at the walls in disbelief and heartache.

Yeah, we saw what Percy Harvin did with a popped up kickoff return in SB 48, and Hill had already had a 45 yard punt return. I'll have to check my recording and see if Hill was, indeed, back to receive a kickoff, but the indications from reading the press clippings is that he was. A fair catch of a popped up kickoff is likely going to be in the neighborhood of the 20-30 yard line anyway, so what's the difference? And what would prevent the Chiefs from falling on a swib kick and immediately calling a timeout? They had 2 remaining.

I hear ya about our playoff game vs. the Falcons in 2013. The Bucs letting Cooper Kupp get behind their secondary was worse than either of those two IMO. I'm also very sympathetic with Bills fans and their plight.

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

Don’t think there is anything wrong with over time rules. The league is balancing fairness with minimizing extra on field time. Now they only way to win on the first drive is a TD. If the opposing defense isn’t good enough to stop a team in 75 yards then they weren’t the better team.

I am happy with the way it is, but I could probably get behind 1 guaranteed possession by each offensive. After that next points wins or it’s a tie. But that’s as far as it should go.

[Hawktawk]

Even with 3 timeouts 13 seconds is 3 plays maximum . Grenaded to the 10 and guy has to either fair catch or return it . Just fielding it is a second or 2 and any advance of the ball short of a huge return ends the game minus a hail
Mary . Watching the game for 60 minutes I’m stunned he put it in Mahomes hands on the 25 with 13 seconds and 3 timeouts . .We can speculate all day what might have happened with a pooch kick but we saw what happened giving Mahomes a chance Bad decision . They have to live with it .

[Hawktawk]

Don’t think there is anything wrong with over time rules. The league is balancing fairness with minimizing extra on field time. Now they only way to win on the first drive is a TD. If the opposing defense isn’t good enough to stop a team in 75 yards then they weren’t the better team.

I am happy with the way it is, but I could probably get behind 1 guaranteed possession by each offensive. After that next points wins or it’s a tie. But that’s as far as it should go.

w

It’s time to allow both teams to possess the ball in overtime like every other sport . Nobody stopped anyone in the second half . They might still be playing and I’d still be watching . In this offense driven league a coin flip should not determine a winner .

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

I’d argue the coin flip didn’t determine the winner. Failure of the Bills D determined the winner.

[I-5]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought fair catch is only possible on punts or kickoffs in the end zone. If a kickoff lands in non-touchback territory, aren't you obligated to return it?

I'm sure the Bills are kicking themselves for that brain fart. Josh Allen deserved a victory for his performance.

[RiverDog]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought fair catch is only possible on punts or kickoffs in the end zone. If a kickoff lands in non-touchback territory, aren't you obligated to return it?

I'm sure the Bills are kicking themselves for that brain fart. Josh Allen deserved a victory for his performance.

You can fair catch a kickoff so long as the ball doesn't touch the ground first. That's why on onside kick attempts that you often times see the kicker top the ball and force it to bounce (see Steven Hauschka's onside kick vs. Green Bay in the NFCCG) as if he simply popped it up, the receiving team could call for a fair catch.