Neither No. 1 seed played extremely well in Saturday’s two divisional round playoff games. One seeded team advanced, while the other suffered a heartbreaking loss.
The Chiefs outlasted a gritty Texans squad and will now await the winner of Sunday night’s game between the Bills and Ravens. Kansas City will play its seventh straight AFC title game and sixth at Arrowhead. The Chiefs were the only ones to advance on Saturday, however, as the Lions were stunned by the Commanders, who advanced to their first conference title game since 1991.
Here’s a look at Saturday’s biggest winners and losers.
Daniels is having the best rookie season in NFL history. He was unfazed Saturday night, going 22 of 31 for 299 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 52 yards on 15 carries while leading the Commanders to victory.
One of Daniels’ biggest completions was a 12-yard dart to Terry McLaurin on a fourth-and-2 play that set up Jeremy McNichols’ short touchdown run to give Washington an insurmountable 17-point lead midway through the fourth quarter .
Daniels and McLaurin had combined for a 58-yard touchdown run earlier in the game.
As good as Saturday night was for Daniels, it was just as bad for Goff, who once again came up short in a big game. Goff’s eventful night included a pick six, an interception in the end zone just before halftime and an interception late in the game as the Lions attempted to pull off a miracle comeback. Goff also committed a fumble in the first quarter that gave Washington the first touchdown.
Goff is now 4-5 in the playoffs since his years with the Rams, who traded him to Detroit after Los Angeles coach Sean McVay apparently decided Goff wasn’t capable of everything earn. The Lions might think the same thing after Saturday night. The Lions seem married to Goff, however, having signed him to a four-year extension last offseason.
Winner: Cliff Kingsbury
If Ben Johnson gets a lot of attention, his counterpart had a pretty good evening. In fact, it seemed like whatever Kingsbury called worked against a Lions defense that was on its heels the entire game.
As has been the case all year, Kingsbury wasn’t afraid to put the game on Daniels’ shoulders on several big possession tries. And unlike last week, the Kingsbury offense established some much-needed balance, as the Commanders totaled 183 yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries.
In total, the Commanders’ 45 points were the most in franchise history for a road playoff game. That’s saying something, because Washington has a storied history that includes three Super Bowl victories.
Speaking of Johnson, he probably regrets his called trick play that had Jameson Williams throw the pitch to Jahmyr Gibbs early in the fourth quarter and the Lions trailed by 10. Williams’ pass was recovered by rookie Mike Sainristil (one of his two picks on the night), and the Commanders scored a touchdown on their next drive, extending their lead to 45-28.
Loser: Lions Defense
Detroit’s defense was the team’s biggest question mark heading into the playoffs, and it was the main reason the Lions joined the 2011 Packers as the only 15-win teams to lose their first playoff game. The unit, which dealt with a myriad of injuries, simply could not hold its own against Daniels and the commander’s offense.
Specifically, the Lions’ pass rush was a problem that was never resolved after Aidan Hutchinson suffered a season-ending injury in Week 5. The Lions struggled to pressure on Daniels, who was not fired. Detroit’s lack of passing was particularly evident on fourth down, as Washington was 3 of 4 on its fourth-down attempts.
The future Chiefs Hall of Fame tight end broke Jerry Rice’s record by recording his ninth career 100-yard receiving game in the playoffs. Kelce’s big night included the game-winning touchdown shortly after the Texans got within a point of the Chiefs.
In all, Kelce caught seven passes for a game-high 117 yards. He also joined Rice as the only players in history with at least 20 career touchdowns. Kelce is three touchdowns away from taking that record from Rice, who is widely considered the greatest receiver of all time.
Loser: Texas special teams
It was a bad day at the office for Houston’s special teams units. They started the game by allowing a 63-yard punt return that turned into a 78-yard gain following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Kris Boyd, who committed the penalty, added insult to injury. hustle special teams coach Frank Ross on the sideline.
The Texans then missed two field goals and an extra point attempt that would have tied the score in the fourth quarter. Houston’s poor special teams play undermined the hard work of its offense and defense.
Stroud played extremely well in a losing effort. Despite suffering a knee injury in the first quarter, Stroud still played through the air and on the ground, especially on possession tries. Trailing 13-3, Stroud led the Texans on back-to-back drives that included a 15-play, 82-yard drive that fell more than 10 minutes behind schedule.
The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year finished the game with 245 yards on 19-of-28 passing. He was also the third leading rusher in the game with 42 yards on six carries.
Loser: Officer
Unfortunately, questionable officiating was one of the biggest takeaways during and after the Chiefs’ victory. Several questionable calls were made against the Texans, including multiple unnecessary roughing penalties against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. One of those penalties drew the ire of Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, who was on the call for ESPN.
“We knew it was going to be us against the refs before this game,” Texans passer Will Anderson Jr. said. said after.
The Chiefs defensive end had a career-high three sacks, including one on fourth down, with Kansas City protecting an eight-point lead. Karlaftis spearheaded a Chiefs pass rush that sacked Stroud eight times. Kansas City’s pass rush was one of the keys to the Chiefs’ victory.
Loser: some bettors among the Texans-Chiefs
The Chiefs, who were 9.5-point favorites, had an 11-point lead late in the game after blocking a Texans field goal. But Kansas City gave up two points moments later intentionally take safety. This decision had clear implications from a betting perspective.
Bettors who won Kansas City earlier in the week were still correct, as the Chiefs were initially listed as 8.5-point favorites.
