NFL Notebook: Conference Championship Recap

For the second time in three years, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs are going to meet in the Super Bowl. Here’s how they did it.

NFC Championship Game: Philadelphia 55 Washington 23
As we said in the preview here on Friday, if Jalen Hurts found his rhythm and got the ball down the field, there was no realistic way that Washington would contain the well-balanced Philly offense. Hurts played by far his best game of the postseason, going 20/28 for 246 yards. A big 4^th down through to A.J. Brown in the second quarter was an indicator that Hurts had his touch back on the deep ball. And the big plays did not come at the expense of the mistake-free efficiency the Eagle quarterback had already showcased in the first two playoff rounds.

Hurts’ passing came in addition to the usual electrifying running of Saquon Barkley. A 60-yard touchdown run came as a rapid first quarter answer to a long Washington drive for a field goal and set the tone for the afternoon. Barkley went to gain 119 yards. With 443 yards rushing for the entire playoffs, we are witnessing one of the great postseason rushing displays of all-time.

Philadelphia also collected turnovers. An early fumble recovery helped set them up for a 14-3 lead. Another turnover late in the first half helped the Eagles open up what was still a competitive 20-12 game at the time. On the afternoon, Philly won the turnover battle 4-zip.

It was a game where everything had to go right for Washington if they were going to give rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels a chance at some more magic. Instead, the Commanders gave up the most points in any conference championship game of the Super Bowl era.

Daniels didn’t go down without a fight. He still threw for 255 yards, ran for 48 more, and hit clutch fourth down throws when the outcome was still in doubt. But man for man, Washington was outmanned by Philadelphia, and it showed in this game.

AFC Championship Game: Kansas City 32 Buffalo 29
As expected, it was a tight game that came down to who made a handful of key plays. Although I didn’t expect just how smoothly both offenses would move the ball. All of Kansas City’s offensive issues this season seemed to disappear. While there was still some vintage Patrick Mahomes improvisation, there was also plenty of good rhythm efficiency in the passing game. Mahomes finished 18/26 for 245 yards. He also got some valuable help in the running game, with Kareem Hunt gaining 64 yards on 17 carries.

But Buffalo and Josh Allen did their own damage against an elite K.C. defense. When the Chiefs took a 21-10 lead late in the second quarter and were getting the ball to start the second half, it looked like this might be headed for an early night. Instead, Allen calmly marched his team down the field, finishing the job with a beautiful 34-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins. Then, on the far side of intermission, the Bills got a defensive stop, and Allen again drove his team the length of the field for the lead.

Allen went 22/34 for 237 yards, and no mistakes and also threw a clutch fourth-down TD pass later in the fourth quarter. James Cook continued the hard running that his marked his playoff performances, gaining 85 yards.

Buffalo kept momentum into the fourth quarter and looked like they were on the way to extending the 22-21 lead when the disputed 4^th down play this game will be remembered for happened. Allen tried to sneak it for the first down. One official said he made it. Another said he didn’t. A third came in from the back and said he didn’t. That led to the call on the field being short of the line to gain, and with Allen going into a mass of bodies, it was virtually impossible for the call on the field to get overturned by replay. Rejuvenated, and with the ball near midfield, K.C. drove for a touchdown.

That call was obviously a fulcrum point, but another big factor was the decision by Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott to take a made extra point off the board after Allen’s aforementioned TD pass to Hollins before halftime. Kansas City was called for a penalty on the made PAT that cut the lead to 21-17. McDermott, with the ball moved closer, decided to go for two. It failed. Consequently, after the go-ahead touchdown, Buffalo again decided to go for two. That failed.

If you factor in the ripple effects of this decision–which include Kansas City successfully going for two in the fourth quarter—that decision took what was otherwise a 31-31 game and made it into the 32-29 final.

It also bears asking why Cook only got 13 carries. He had averaged 20 over the first two rounds, and he was doing what he wanted on the ground in this game. Perhaps with a little more feeding of Cook, Allen’s own running might have been more effective.

As it was, it all came down to another fourth down play with Buffalo desperately trying to tie the game. Under heavy pressure, Allen made an amazing throw on the run into traffic. It hit Dalton Kincaid in the arms as the tight end leaned forward. In fairness to Kincaid, the ball traveled through several Chief defenders and probably wasn’t easy to pick up. But the makeable catch was dropped and Kansas City was going back to the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl Sunday will be on February 9 and the game will be in New Orleans. We’re taking a little break in this space during the two-week interim, but will be back on either the Friday or Saturday before the game to preview Chiefs-Eagles.