FREAKIN GAME!!!All of last week's games were decided on the final play! I don't know if that has ever happened before.
Bengals~~! defeat Titans 19-16. Just when it looks like this is heading to overtime, the Bengals score an interception with 20 seconds left on the clock, and Joe Burrow hits a quick sideline pass to Ja'Marr Chase to get inside field goal range. The Bengals'
other secret weapon, kicker Evan MacPherson, kicks the winning FG as time expires to give the Bengals the upset win. The Bengals gave up 9 (!!!) sacks in this game, but their defense held mighty Derrick Henry to just 62 yards of rushing, and made 3 interceptions to balance things out. After going for 31 years without a playoff win, the Bengals now have 2 in a week.
49ers beat Packers 13-10 on a time-expires field goal. This was a defensive slugfest. Holding Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to 10 points is a major achievement for the 49ers. A couple of big plays on special teams (a blocked field goal at the end of the 1st half and a blocked punt for a touchdown in the 4th quarter) won this for the 49ers.
Tom Brady leads the Buccaneers back from a 27-3 deficit in the final minutes of the game to tie it at 27. I watched the end of this game with Lindsey's brother. We got there when it was 27-13 Rams, and he said "The Rams are blowing this. They are going to lose this game. They are making the exact same mistake everybody else makes against Tom Brady. If somebody game me a $50 bet that the Bucs don't win this game, I would take that bet." True to form, Tom Brady leads the Buccaneers to 2 touchdowns in the final 4 minutes to tie the game! BUT THEN!! Matthew Stafford gets the ball back with 30 seconds left in the game and throws a beautiful bomb to Cooper Kupp to put the ball in field goal range! They manage to spike the ball to stop the clock before time expires, and kick a game-winning field goal as time expires. People sometimes wondered what Matt Stafford might be like on a team that wasn't as crappy as the Detroit Lions... the results are
not bad so far.
BUT THAT WAS JUST THE WARM UP
Because the Chiefs-Bills game was hands down the most spectacular football game I have ever seen! What an incredible quarterback duel between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. I have never seen a game with such amazing playmaking by both offenses. This was an instant classic. To put in perspective what a see-saw battle this was, this graphic from ESPN showing the "win probability" as this game neared the ending...
I am not sure if there has ever been a game where a quarterback played as well as Josh Allen did last week without getting the win. The end of this game will no doubt cause renewed discussion of the NFL's ridiculous overtime rules. The Chiefs won the coin toss, scored a TD on their first possession, and Allen never got the chance to tie it up. That sucks. A heartbreaking loss for the Bills, but still an epic battle that will be talked about for years to come. After throwing the game winning touchdown, Mahomes broke away from his team-mates to run down the field to find Josh Allen and give him a big hug. This has to really hurt for Bills fans... but what a way to go out.
Next week!
49ers at Rams! The 49er's defense looked really impressive last week, but I think the Rams have the playmakers on both sides of the ball to win this.
Bengals at Chiefs! The Bengals' Cinderella season has been fun, but the Chiefs looked unstoppable on Sunday. The Bengals beat the Chiefs a few weeks back, but I can't see that happening again. Especially if they can't provide Joe Burrow with better pass protection. Patrick Mahomes isn't going to throw 3 interceptions like the Titans did. The Chiefs just looked so good on Sunday, I can't imagine anybody beating them these next 2 games.
-k