Winners, losers of Sunday’s NFL Divisional Round: Saquon Barkley carries Eagles, Mark Andrews’ costly fall

On Sunday, our NFL “final four” was finalized, as the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 28-22, for a spot in the NFC Championship Game, while the Buffalo Bills got their ticket to the AFC championship game with a score of 27. Victory -25 against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.

Both of those contests went down to the very end, as a stand in the Eagles’ red zone saved Philly’s offense from some embarrassment, while a Mark Andrews tumble in the end zone cost Baltimore a playoff victory. Let’s take a look at some winners and losers from Sunday’s divisional round.

Winner: Saquon Barkley and the Eagles rushing attack

The Rams’ defensive starters had not allowed 10 points in a single game in four straight games Sunday. They allowed 13 points in the first quarter. How? The Eagles’ No. 2-ranked rushing attack was on full display.

Jalen Hurts started the scoring with a 44-yard rushing touchdown on Philly’s first drive, then Saquon Barkley broke away for a 62-yard touchdown. Hurts finished with 70 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries, while Barkley rushed 26 times for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Those 205 rushing yards are the fifth-most all-time in a playoff game and marked Barkley’s second 200-yard rushing game of the season. The two faced off against the Rams.

This is notable because Philadelphia will host the rival Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game. Washington finished the regular season with the third-worst rushing defense in the NFL (137.5 rushing yards allowed per game).

Loser: Mark Andrews

To say Andrews had a nightmare fourth quarter would be an understatement. With the Ravens trailing by two and approaching enemy territory, Andrews lost possession after the ball was hit by Terrel Bernard. That led to a Bills field goal, as Buffalo extended its lead to eight points.

The game wasn’t over at that point, as Baltimore still had 3:29 to tie the game. Jackson took over, running 88 yards down the field and finding Isaiah Likely for the touchdown. The Ravens needed a two-point conversion to tie the game, so Todd Monken gave Andrews a chance at redemption. He didn’t take advantage of it.

Following the fall, the Ravens were unable to recover the onside kick and the game was over. Andrews won’t forget this one for the rest of his career.

“There’s no one who has more heart, who cares more, who fights more than Mark,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters after the game. “We wouldn’t be here without Mark Andrews… Mark will do fantastic because he’s a person of great character.”

The Eagles’ second-year defensive tackle turned in a legendary performance against the Rams on Sunday. Carter racked up five total tackles, two sacks, one pass defended, three QB hits and a very important forced fumble on the first play of the fourth quarter.

The Rams offensive line struggled to contain the former Georgia Bulldog, including on the play that could have decided the game:

Loser: Lamar Jackson

The “Playoff Lamar” narrative returned in the first half of the Ravens-Bills game, as Jackson threw an interception and lost possession while Josh Allen rushed for two touchdowns to help secure a double-digit lead at halftime. However, Jackson fought back impressively with a nine-point run in the third quarter, then of course led to what he hoped would be a tie late in the fourth quarter.

However, Jackson comes out of the divisional round “loser”. The two-time NFL MVP is now 3-5 in the playoffs, and the Ravens have a -12 turnover margin in his five playoff losses. Consider that Jackson has recorded multiple turnovers in 50% of his playoff starts and 15% of his regular season starts. The Ravens’ 3-0 loss in the turnover battle is one of the main reasons why Baltimore is now turning its attention to the offseason.

Verse’s Rams lost on Sunday, but he absolutely performed on the national stage. If you don’t know, the Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner said he hated Eagles fans ahead of their divisional clash, and addressed his headline-making comments while speaking of trash as soon as he entered the field for pre-match warm-ups. Verse hugged Eagles fans before kickoff and notched two sacks of Hurts in the first two quarters, making him the first rookie to record two sacks in a playoff game since Nick Bosa in 2018, according to the Rams.

Verse and his young Rams defensive front have really shown up over the past two weeks. Los Angeles has recorded a total of 16 sacks in its two playoff games. That’s the most in two games in postseason history, and tied for the third-most in a single postseason all-time, according to CBS Sports Research.

Loser: Nick Sirianni/Kellen Moore

This isn’t anything new: Nick Sirianni and/or Kellen Moore drawing the ire of their fans despite a winning effort. Philadelphia’s offensive decision-makers made some questionable decisions in their divisional round win over the Rams.

Late in the first half, Hurts was sacked and fumbled the ball. It was recovered by teammate Kenneth Gainwell, but Philly now faced a third-and-21 at the Rams 47-yard line. Instead of using his final timeout and trying to gain a few yards to get into field goal range, Sirianni let the clock wind down to three seconds for a Hail Mary attempt. Hurts then took another bag.

With 2:48 left in the fourth quarter and the Eagles up by six points, Hurts kept the ball out of play on a second-and-7, but fooled no one and was sacked by Kobie Turner. That sack led to a third-and-19, which essentially guaranteed the Rams would get the ball back. When Matthew Stafford recovered the ball, LA moved the ball to the Eagles’ 13-yard line before the comeback bid failed.

It reminded me of the time the Eagles decided to pass the ball while holding a three-point lead with 1:46 left against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, instead of running the clock when they should have. That costly fall by Barkley led to an Eagles loss thanks to some heroics from Kirk Cousins. If the Eagles had simply moved the ball FORWARD on Sunday on second and seven, they could have potentially iced the game. Instead, they presented the Rams with an opportunity to come back strong. Can you imagine if Los Angeles had succeeded?

Winner: The Bills

The Bills are winners because they’re going to the AFC Championship Game, obviously, but zoom out and take a look at how this season has gone for Buffalo. How did Allen lose his top two receivers this offseason and improve on offense? It’s not like Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis’ replacements have done well, either. Rookie Keon Coleman caught a pass for five yards Sunday, and trade deadline acquisition Amari Cooper didn’t catch a pass. Yet the Bills still beat the Ravens in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Many thought the Bills would take a huge step backwards in 2024 with all their losses on both sides of the ball. Yet they remained undefeated at home and are now one game away from the Super Bowl, facing a team they already beat earlier this season. Allen’s MVP campaign and the way the Bills have played in general is one of the big storylines of the 2024 season.