The divisional round is over and there are 4 teams left.
From an AFC perspective, it seems right that the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills will compete for a spot in the Super Bowl. Also, much like the Chiefs themselves, it feels inevitable and suggests an upset is to be expected on Sunday.
On the NFC side, it's no surprise that the Philadelphia Eagles continue to have success. The Washington Commanders could have won the NFC East without them, and will have a chance to get the ultimate last laugh when Jaden Daniels plays against them in his next opportunity to impress.
There's a lot to take away from the four games in this round, but there are certainly questions about the losers. we are here skinny postMichael Peterson and RJ Ochoa are here to sort it all out for you.
The Lions have failed this season, but you can say that without qualifying.
RJ:
The Lions didn't just lose on Saturday night. they were confused. They believed in toughness and didn't stop until they got punched in the mouth by a Washington team and decided they'd had enough, but they were outmatched by every factor of that.
Do I need to be reminded that the Lions have been the best players all season? They made a big deal and followed through. Consider losing to a team that played a short week and had to travel twice despite receiving a first-round bye. (Washington played on the road Sunday night in the wild-card round.) There's no excuse for this.
It's ridiculous to me when people look at one or two opinions and act like they're representing a group, but everything I've seen since the Lions lost doesn't explain their loss. , trying to justify or make it look good. why? It was terrible.
Dan Campbell said it was his fault and people were acting like it was a moment of martyrdom. The Lions had 12 men on the field, so they gave up a crucial fourth-down conversion. It was his fault. That is unacceptable and shameful.
It may seem like I'm being harsh here, but if we're honest with ourselves, answering like this is the most respectful thing we can do for Lions. is. Their 2023 season was an announcement that they were the real deal, and in the process they became a fun story, but…if we're going to exonerate them now, we're actually putting them down. It will be treated as if it were there.
If the Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, or San Francisco 49ers lost like this, they would be completely gutted. Let's take a look at how the Baltimore Ravens are being talked about.
There's no need to treat Lions with kid gloves. They deserve us not to.
Michael:
I think this is a good statement. The Lions were the No. 1 seed in the NFL and a 15-win team. That means the defense has been in tatters for the majority of the season. In my opinion, we should look at the whole team as a 16- or 17-win team with no damage. That's how great this offense was and how good a defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was at keeping that unit serviceable.
The Lions should have beaten the Commanders. Once again, the Lions should have beaten the Commanders. But turnovers do tend to make great teams look half-hearted in their biggest moments. Jared Goff gave them the ball over and over again. Ben Johnson, rightly regarded as the NFL's best offensive coordinator, dialed up one of his worst plays in a key moment, forcing receiver Jameson Williams to take a double-digit lead. Deserves a well-deserved backlash.
Based on regular season results, many teams underperformed. The Chargers, Vikings, and now the Lions all lost to teams with worse records. They all played one of the worst games in football this year under incredible pressure.
In my opinion, it has never been more true that the playoffs separate the favorites from the favorites.
I don't think it's at all crazy to say that if an NFL team doesn't have a quarterback with some movement, it's severely limiting the franchise's ceiling.
Michael:
Of the 14 teams that made the playoffs this year, 10 have started quarterbacks that we would consider “mobile,” and all four teams in this year's conference championship games have started their best players. There is.
Patrick Mahomes helped cement his incredible legacy with a well-timed scramble that completely demoralized the defense just when it seemed like the Chiefs' offense was finally shut down. Josh Allen looks superhuman half the time when he plays with his feet. Jalen Hurts has scored at least 13(!) rushing touchdowns in each of the past three seasons, and he just hauled in a 44-yard score in the win over the Rams. Finally, Commanders rookie Jaden Daniels set a rookie rushing record for a quarterback this season, previously held by Lamar Jackson.
It's no surprise that they made it to the final four. Of the four teams that started with a traditional pocket passer, only the Rams (Matthew Stafford) won a playoff game this month.
So if you're a team that needs a new quarterback in 2025, I don't see how you factor in a prospect that looks a lot like a statue in your pocket. Good luck finding a team worth investing in after Cam Ward and Shedur Sanders lead the way in the first round this year.
RJ:
It feels like this conversation happens every other year or so, and obviously for good reason.
Mahomes is the most interesting example here. Because he's obviously incredibly particular about when and how he runs. I think that's my ultimate accomplishment. You don't have to be a Lamar or Jaden or a pusher, but if you don't have any ability to get out and run, you're going to make life a lot harder for yourself.
The evidence seems overwhelming in this case, but I think the most exciting thing is that there are three games left and each defense has to find a way to stop the offense that has pushed them this far.
That might not happen with the Baltimore Ravens, and that stinks.
RJ:
We all knew it would suck to see either the Ravens or Bills lose on Sunday night. Sometimes, that's exactly what happens.
The Chiefs have earned their spot in all of this, so I'm not acting like the Ravens deserve that spot, again, it's just the way this cookie crumbles .
But damn, I'm pissed that the Ravens can't get over the hump. Lamar Jackson is unbelievable. Derrick Henry has had this absurd season. John Harbaugh is somehow an incredibly underrated head coach. And now, as a result of everything that's happened…we have to live in a world where Mark Andrews has had a terrible game for nine months.
Consider that the Ravens have made the playoffs six times in seven seasons since drafting Lamar. He has won two MVPs during this span and could win a third in the coming weeks. Can you believe what they have? played in one AFC Championship game in between?!
Perhaps this is another cruel consequence of the greatness of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. All of their performances as starters are in line with Lamar's, and Jackson has lost his last three playoff losses to those QBs.
We're talking about the best era in Ravens history here, but nothing is ever promised to be added to it. Ironically, this mirrors what happened 30 years ago when the franchise that lost Sunday lost to the Bills, who appeared in four straight Super Bowls and lost.
Sometimes sports suck. And now they're the worst for the Ravens.
Michael:
I'm with you on this issue. The Ravens are one of the most fun teams to watch every year, regardless of your allegiance. Lamar Jackson is a generational player that we should all be grateful for in any way we can.
As a fan of a team/player who had the biggest playoff flop of all time this year, believe me when I say I feel the pain of the Ravens frock. But as Harbaugh said after the game, the Ravens wouldn't be where they are without Mark Andrews. He's one of the best tight ends in the NFL these days, and believe it or not, these guys aren't perfect sometimes. Yeah! It happens. Welcome to sports.
However, I would like to share this historical fact with you. The Bills have been to literally four straight Super Bowls and lost all four. actually!
Sure, it's unfortunate for a franchise to lose like that in the postseason, but the Ravens have won the Super Bowl multiple times. If I'm feeling down today, I'm going to freshen up and root for the only team to make the postseason that never won the Lombardi Trophy.
Which NFL team with a coveted coordinator will be in the worst position in 2025 if their coach is poached?
Michael:
I can't help but immediately think of the Lions, who are likely to lose both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn in one offseason. The combination with Dan Campbell has done amazing things, but now it's time to pay Piper, who has won 27 games over the past two seasons.
But it's too obvious. I want to switch gears and talk about the Ravens and offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who has interviewed with both the Bears and Jaguars.
The Ravens lost manager Greg Roman because their offense declined so quickly from the 2019 season (Lamar Jackson won his first MVP) to the 2022 season that the team lost to the Bengals in the wild card round. This is because he resigned from his post.
In Monken's first season with the Ravens, Jackson earned his second MVP honor, and this year he earned his third as he set career highs in both yards (4,172) and touchdowns (41). There is a good chance of getting it. If the Ravens lose Monken, I don't see how they'll replace the player who turned the offense into a No. 1 unit this season.
RJ:
From a logic standpoint, Monken is an easy choice. But I'm going to deviate from this zag a little bit.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wonder what life will be like in Washington if Kliff Kingsbury leaves. Obviously, they'll be good as long as Jaden Daniels is around, but Dan Quinn's success as a head coach (both in Atlanta and of course now) has a lot to do with a great offensive mind making the calls on that side of the ball. I was doing it. Needless to say, Daniels deserves credit for identifying those guys and letting them run that team, but it goes without saying that Daniels is the most important member of that roster in an overall sense.
I wonder how much of it will stay the same if Kingsbury finds a job and quits. That's a natural question for me.
