The breaks of the game. Sometimes a team overcomes a tough break, sometimes they don’t. It’s that intangible you can’t forecast.
You can’t forecast a bad call by a zebra on a missed targeting hit which cost the Browns a late first half touchdown. Nor can you forecast Patrick Mahomes being knocked out of the game early in the second half due to concussion protocol.
It was there to be had by the Browns late in this game, but to the credit of Andy Reid and his team they made just enough plays at the end to hold on and beat the Cleveland Browns by a 22-17 count to advance to the American Conference Champion Game for the third consectutive year.
I vaguely rememeber Chad Henne from his Michigan days. I think Floyd Carr was his Wolverine coach, but I’m not sure. I didn’t even know he was still in the league to be honest. I never imagined Superman Patrick Mahomes would have to leave a game.
But to Henne’s credit after throwing a horrific interception —he steadied and got the Chiefs out of Dodge by doing just enough so Baker Mayfield couldn’t get one last possesion. Eveyone is talking about the fourth down gamble. Nonsense. The play which saved Kansas City was the 3rd and 14 when Henne scrambled to get within a foot of the first down marker. That was the play of the game from my view.
Win, survive, and advance…hope Patrick Mahomes gets out of concussion protocol. Vegas has already said with Mahomes the Chiefs are a home field 2.5 favorite. Without Mahomes the visiting Buffalo Bills are a 4.5 favorite. We’ll see what happens this week with the five steps of concussion protocol. Google it…it’s fairly interesting.
In the nightcap…Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay Bucs got through a shaky first period then steadily took control of this game as their offensive line physically beat down the Saints as the game moved along in the second half.
Plus…it was an opportunistic Tampa defense which picked Dree Brees three times and recoverd a fumble as well. It’s very rare you lose when you can run the ball and you’re +4 on the turnover sheet. Very rare.
It wasn’t vintage Tom Brady, but it was enough given the Bucs’ defense and ability to control the line of scrimmage running the football.
So on to Lambeau Field these Bucs advance for a rematch of earlier this season when Tampa mauled the Packers 38-10. But the Packers of late don’t resemble the team which got smoked early in the season.
The Packers like the Bucs are running the football with physicality and playing some of the better defense we’ve seen in Green Bay in a while.
My Vegas line on this game would be Green Bay at home maybe -3.5. It’s supposed to be cold, but what better quarterback in the NFL to play in cold weather than King Tom Brady of Foxboro. Dude can play in cold weather.
How uncanny this year’s Super Bowl will be played in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay. You think this guy has so much confidence he picked the team beyond Belichick based on where he could have home field in the Super Field?
We now have the three best quarterbacks in the league in Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Josh Allen plus the greatest QB who’s ever played in our Final Four. You think the quarterback position is important…ask Chad Henne?
Speaking of Bill Belichick…thank god the Patriot organization didn’t allow him to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor from Fuhrer von Trump. If Belichcik had done so he would have tarnished his legacy by doing something worse then friending O.J. Simpson on Facebook.
On to concussion protocol and our conference championship games.