PHILADELPHIA – Saturday will hardly go down as essentially the most memorable installment of NFL divisional spherical playoffs, although they most likely helped set the stage for some compelling theater in subsequent weekend’s championship spherical.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ 27-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars by no means felt as shut as the ultimate rating would point out and was predominantly outlined by the ankle damage suffered by Ok.C. QB Patrick Mahomes, the league’s presumptive MVP for the 2022 season.
Conversely, possible MVP runner-up Jalen Hurts, who missed a pair of late-season begins earlier than returning (and searching rusty) in Week 18 with a young throwing shoulder, appeared to recapture his mojo because the Philadelphia Eagles steamrolled the New York Giants 38-7.
A wholesome Hurts and mangled Mahomes – anticipate every day updates on his ankle for the following eight days – will probably dominate the subplots heading into the championship spherical on Jan. 29. But Saturday did supply much more to sift by means of than the plain winners and losers:
WINNERS
No. 1 seeds: By prevailing, the top-seeded Chiefs and Eagles snapped a current hex for top-seeded groups, which had misplaced 4 in a row coming into Saturday’s motion – the Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans each one-and-done within the divisional spherical final yr. Still, no No. 1 seed has received the Super Bowl since Philadelphia did so 5 years in the past and just one (2020 Chiefs) has performed on Super Sunday because the NFL expanded to the 14-team postseason area beginning within the 2020 season. Since the beginning of the 2018 marketing campaign, prime seeds are an mixture 9-8.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) passes in opposition to New York Giants defensive finish Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) within the second quarter throughout an NFC divisional spherical recreation at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Kelces: Chiefs TE Travis Kelce and Eagles C Jason Kelce, each perennial All-Pros who’re among the many greatest to ever play their respective positions, every emerged victorious … leaving their prolonged household with a dilemma for subsequent weekend, however the type any father or mother would wish to have. Travis Kelce completed the day with 14 receptions, two for touchdowns, and 98 receiving yards – extending his playoff file of video games with a minimum of 95 yards to seven. Jason Kelce anchored an offense that rather more carefully resembled the one which helped underpin a 13-1 begin to the common season. The Eagles completed with 416 yards, most (268) on the bottom, and Hurts was hardly ever touched within the pocket.
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Patrick Mahomes: He improved to 5-0 in divisional spherical video games regardless of the bum wheel that prevented him – in opposition to his needs – from finishing the primary half whereas he underwent testing. Despite clearly being hindered bodily, each from a mobility standpoint and mechanically when making an attempt some passes, Mahomes accomplished 22 of 30 for 195 yards and two touchdowns. He’s one win away from main Ok.C. to a 3rd Super Bowl look in 4 years.
Chad Henne: The 15-year veteran and longtime Chiefs QB2 has an 18-36 file as an NFL starter, largely break up between his time with the Miami Dolphins and Jaguars. But Henne’s success as a reliever continues to be instrumental to Kansas City’s playoff fortunes. Two years in the past, Henne – to borrow baseball parlance – received the save in a divisional spherical defeat of the Cleveland Browns after Mahomes suffered a concussion. Saturday, Henne received a maintain when Mahomes missed a pair of second-quarter sequence. The second “possession” solely required a half-ending kneel-down from Henne. But on the opposite, he led a 98-yard landing drive – the longest in Chiefs playoff historical past – capped by a 1-yard TD move to Kelce.
‘Injured’ Eagles: Hurts, TE Dallas Goedert – the duo attached for a 16-yard TD on the sport’s opening drive, and Philadelphia by no means seemed again – All-Pro RT Lane Johnson, DE Josh Sweat and S C.J. Gardner-Johnson all gave the impression to be in midseason type after their collective array of accidents contributed to Philadelphia’s struggles over the previous month. But this squad seems to be primed and prepared because it prepares to host the Dallas Cowboys or San Francisco 49ers with a spot in Super Bowl 57 on the road.
Ok.C. floor recreation: Though the Jags have been the staff that wanted to play keepaway, it was the Chiefs who dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for greater than 35 minutes. Rookie RB Isiah Pacheco (12 carries, 95 yards) spearheaded a floor recreation that churned out 144 yards – emblematic of how the post-Tyreek Hill offense has advanced – on 30 makes an attempt.
Philly floor recreation: It stole the souls from the Giants to the tune of 268 yards, at 6.1 per clip.
Atlanta: If the Buffalo Bills beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the ATL will host the AFC title recreation – a state of affairs the NFL outlined weeks in the past after Buffalo FS Damar Hamlin’s on-field collapse at Cincinnati in Week 17. The subsequent cancellation of the Bills-Bengals recreation – which stripped Buffalo’s inside observe to win the highest seed within the AFC – led the league to choose a impartial website if Chiefs and Bills have been to fulfill within the postseason for the third straight yr. The NFL introduced Friday that extra than 50,000 tickets have already been bought for a possible recreation at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Championship Chiefs: For the fifth consecutive season – coinciding with Mahomes’ total stint because the starter – Kansas City is thru to the AFC championship recreation, the third time one staff has managed such a streak. (The New England Patriots personal the file with eight in a row between the 2011 and 2018 seasons.) It may also be 5 in a row at Arrowhead Stadium … if the Bills lose.
Sweep: The Eagles and Giants have been bitter rivals since 1933, however this was the primary time Philadelphia managed a three-game sweep of New York in a single season. The Iggles improved their playoff file in opposition to Big Blue to 3-2, Saturday marking Philly’s third straight victory on that entrance.
Andy Reid: The Chiefs coach – previously of the Eagles coincidentally – tied Hall of Famers Tom Landry and Don Shula for the second most playoff video games coached along with his thirty sixth, trailing solely Bill Belichick (44). With his twentieth postseason win, Reid additionally tied Landry for the No. 2 spot, 11 behind Belichick. Finally, Reid additionally pulled even with Landry by taking a staff into the convention title spherical for the tenth time (5 apiece with Philadelphia and Kansas City) – sure, solely Belichick has achieved that extra occasions (13).
Penn State working again: The Eagles’ Miles Sanders, who used to again up Saquon Barkley in Happy Valley, had a game-high 17 carries and 90 yards.
LOSERS
Penn State working again: With the Giants behind nearly from the leap, Pro Bowler and former Nittany Lion Barkley solely received 9 carries (for 61 yards) in what may have been his last recreation for New York.
Trevor Lawrence’s streak: Spanning his time at Cartersville (Georgia) High School, Clemson and the earlier two weekends with Jacksonville, the No. 1 choose of the 2021 NFL draft entered the weekend with a 37-0 file in Saturday video games. Make it 37-1.
Chris Jones: The Chiefs’ perennial Pro Bowl defensive sort out has appeared in 13 playoff video games … with nary a sack. It’s hardly essentially the most correct indicator of Jones’ influence, but nonetheless a statistical oddity given he had 15½ sacks through the common season and has averaged 0.75 per recreation over the previous 5 years.
Quarterbacks on the run: Saturday’s pairing of Hurts and the Giants’ Daniel Jones was the primary matchup of two quarterbacks who’d rushed for a minimum of 600 yards within the common season – and on this case, every topped 700. But Hurts did not must run a lot, and Jones definitely did not replicate his heroics from the wild-card ouster of the Minnesota Vikings.
Giants’ Cinderella run: Good luck discovering any “knowledgeable” who had the G-Men within the NFL’s quarterfinal spherical again in July. Rookie boss Brian Daboll is definitely deserving of Coach of the Year consideration as he and first-year GM Joe Schoen extracted extra from a median roster than simply about anybody may have anticipated. But now that the curtain has come crashing down, laborious selections loom – particularly how you can navigate the pending free agent standing of each Barkley and Jones. Should be an enchanting offseason, particularly given Schoen, with greater than $50 million in wage cap house, has the wherewithal to maintain each if he so chooses whereas additionally addressing different areas.
Philadelphia chain gang: The sideline sticks used for measurements and denoting down and distance suffered a damaged chain on the 9:37 mark of the primary quarter, forcing an “administrative stoppage.” Eagles followers, naturally, booed lustily.
Jacksonville ball safety: Overcoming 5 turnovers in opposition to the Los Angeles Chargers is one factor, however the Jaguars have been going to wish an nearly good effort to derail the AFC West champion Chiefs. Didn’t occur. A Jamal Agnew fumble and Lawrence interception – which occurred over a three-snap span late within the fourth quarter – price Jacksonville any shot of stealing a recreation that was eminently winnable to that time.
Mahomes: He stated after Saturday’s recreation that he’ll be able to go for the AFC title recreation. But if Mahomes is coping with a high-ankle sprain, as reported by NFL Network, eight days possible is not ample to be successfully wholesome – particularly when dealing with a protection the caliber of Buffalo’s or Cincinnati’s. Here’s hoping Mahomes is a miracle healer and that this setback would not in the end turn out to be the first motive for an aborted Super Bowl run.
Vikings: As one wisecracking reporter remarked after the sport, “They must be asking themselves how they misplaced to those guys,” that means, in fact, the Giants.
Eli Manning: The former Giants quarterback and two-time Super Bowl MVP was in attendance Saturday night time, watching his former staff from a collection at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles’ recreation day operations crew had some enjoyable with that, placing Manning on the primary video boards throughout a break within the motion – which instantly elicited thunderous boos from the house followers. The board then toggled between Manning and Super Bowl 52 champion Eagles Malcolm Jenkins, Brent Celek and Torrey Smith. Cheer, boo, cheer, boo, cheer. Manning took all of it in stride, pumping his arms victoriously with every look.
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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.
This article initially appeared on USA TODAY: NFL playoffs winners, losers for Saturday: No. 1 seeds advance
