The conference championship games are finally settled after a snowy divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday. The Philadelphia Eagles outlasted the Los Angeles Rams in the snow while the Buffalo Bills held on to defeat the Baltimore Ravens.
The Eagles will host the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game and the Bills will face the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. There’s a lot of overreaction to Sunday’s exciting divisional games that can be used as ammunition for next week.
Which overreactions are true and which are actually overreactions?
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Jeff Kerr
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The Eagles continue to find ways to win football games regardless of the passing yards they have each game. Yards have been an overblown statistic to judge a quarterback, and Jalen Hurts proves it by throwing for 131 yards and 128 yards in each of the Eagles’ two playoff victories.
Hurts has thrown for fewer than 150 yards in five games this season. The Eagles won all five games because Hurts didn’t turn the ball over, which helped their elite running game and defense control the game.
Philadelphia asked Hurts to cut down on turnovers and he has done that task, having just two since Week 5. The Eagles are 12-0 in the last 12 games that Hurts has started and finished for a reason . They can win the Super Bowl with Hurts managing the game.
Overreaction or reality: Reality
The Commanders are the team that isn’t supposed to play on conference championship weekend, and yet here they are in the final four with the Chiefs, Eagles and Bills. Washington needs to go to Philadelphia and win a playoff game, where the Eagles are 6-1 in their last seven home playoff games (four straight wins).
The Commanders beat the mighty Lions in Detroit, as Jayden Daniels played like a top-five quarterback all year. Daniels and the offense can score against the Eagles defense, enough to beat the Eagles in Philadelphia. THE Extent of Jalen Hurts’ knee injury unknown and could prevent him from being a plus-one in the running game. The Eagles offense is good, but inconsistent.
Washington can beat the Eagles in Philadelphia because of the way the Commanders are playing. They are a very confident team.
Overreaction or reality: Reality
The Rams would have beaten the Eagles this week without Carter, who was a game-changer on the defensive side of the ball. Carter had a forced fumble in the fourth quarter that forced the Rams to score a touchdown and take the lead, and made the biggest play of the game in the final minute.
On a third-and-2 from the Eagles’ 13-yard line in a 28-22 game, Carter sacked Matthew Stafford for a 9-yard loss. The Rams had no timeouts and a running clock facing a fourth-and-11. Stafford threw an incomplete pass and the Eagles advanced on the back of Carter, who knocked down Stafford’s throws for 324 yards and two touchdowns in the snow.
Without Carter, the Eagles would experience one of the biggest collapses of the playoffs. He’s a special player.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Until the Bills actually beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, it’s going to be a tough sell on Buffalo going to the Super Bowl. The Bills and Chiefs have met three times in the playoffs under Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen – all times won by Mahomes and the Chiefs (including last year in Buffalo).
The Bills are the only team the Chiefs’ starters have lost to this season, and Buffalo has beaten Kansas City the last three times in the regular season. Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are a different beast in the playoffs, though, especially at home.
This comes out of the story, rather than the talent of the Bills and how Allen can lead them to victory. The Bills were dominated by the Ravens on Sunday, but won because they didn’t have a turnover and made the plays necessary to advance.
If Buffalo can do that against Kansas City, the Bills have a chance.
Overreaction or reality: Reality
The Ravens had the Bills right where they wanted them. Jackson threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns, but had an interception and a fumble — as well as a Mark Andrews fumble in the fourth quarter and an Andrews two-point conversion that would have tied the game in the final minutes . .
Three turnovers doomed the Ravens, robbing Jackson of another MVP-caliber season (his best season ever) and a year in which 31-year-old Derrick Henry rushed for over 2,100 yards (including the playoffs playoffs). The defense has even played like a top 10 unit for the last month and a half.
This was the Ravens’ best chance to win the Super Bowl with Jackson, and that includes last season when they were a No. 1 seed and hosted the AFC Championship Game. Jackson was the best quarterback in the league this season and had a dominant running game alongside him, as well as a defense that improved week to week (held the Bills to 273 yards).
Turnovers ended the Ravens’ season, mistakes Baltimore always seems to make in January. They cannot get out of their own way.
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