The NFL Roundup 2022: Divisional Round Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​Hello again, football fans and welcome to another edition of the NFL Roundup. One that gets to reflect upon… some of the best football this writer has ever seen. Because the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs sent four perfect games our way. The kind that thrilled us and frustrated us and sent our spirits soaring with big moment’s and thrilling finishes and everything else a football fan could ask for. So, without further ado, let’s dive right in and reflect upon the weekend that was and every incredible moment that the Divisional Round sent our way.
 
The Cincinnati Bengals continue to impress.
Make no mistake about it, the Cincinnati Bengals should have lost Saturday’s game against the Titans. After all, Tennessee boasted the better offense and defense and their star running back returned from injury. But none of that mattered to the Bengals. For they walked into Nissan Stadium with a ‘nothing to lose’ mentality and their play reflected that. Because they went big on just about every play and for their efforts, they shut down the vaunted Tennessee running game, and they made Ryan Tannehill look like a rookie and Joe Burrow tore through that tough defense, despite having a sieve for an offensive line. And for their efforts, they’re now headed to their first AFC Championship Game in forever and if they keep up this mentality, they might give the Chiefs a run for their money, or outright stun them with an upset.
 
Special teams turned out to be the Achilles heel for the Green Bay Packers.
There are tough losses in the NFL and then there are devastating losses, and the Packers endured the latter of those on Saturday night. Because despite dominating the 49ers on offense and defense, they lost the freakin’ game and well… there’s surprisingly a very simple reason for that. Because it turns out that Green Bay’s Special Teams unit was simply not prepared to take the field on Saturday night and their lack of preparation and effort, cost the team a shot at the NFC Title Game. Because San Francisco was able to block a key punt and score a touchdown off of it and that would in turn energize the Niners just enough to pull out the win and well… it just goes to show that the best teams out there, bring their best to the table in all three phases of the game and had Green Bay shored up its Special Teams play… they might have won this game.
 
Tom Brady’s career may have ended in an embarrassing manner.
There’s been a lot of talk as of late regarding Tom Brady. In that, he might be finally ready to hang it all up and leave the game of football behind and if that is indeed the case, boy what a horrible way to end his storied career. Because the fact of the matter is, the Los Angeles Rams had no business winning Sunday’s early game. Because after an inspired first half, they made mistake after mistake, and kept coughing up the football and couldn’t execute their plays. If anything, it seemed as though they were trying to hand the game to Tampa Bay. But despite Tampa’s best efforts to fight back and keep it close… the Rams pulled off the win and get to host the NFC Championship Game and now Brady has a tough decision to make in the weeks ahead. And if he does call it a day, it will be strange to know that the career of a special player, one that snagged seven Super Bowl rings… ended in the most routine way imaginable.
 
The Buffalo Bills simply cannot beat the Kansas City Chiefs in big games.
After last week’s epic victory over the New England Patriots, it really seemed as though the Buffalo Bills were primed to deliver quite the upset over the Kansas City Chiefs. For they had proven to the football world that they too could score at will and that their defense could be stifling in every way imaginable. But while they held their own in the Divisional Matchup against the Chiefs last night, and stayed in it until the very end, they simply could not beat Kansas City. In fact, their defensive play calling was suspect at critical times, as was their offensive play calling and I hate to say it, but it really does seem as though Mahomes and the Chiefs have gotten inside the heads of every player and coach in Buffalo. Because they are an uncertain team when they play KC in big games and well, this one will undoubtedly sting for a long time in Orchard Park. Since the Bills could have won this one, had they exuded the same fearlessness they mustered in the Wild Card round.

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