Philadelphia Eagles vs Kansas City Chiefs
The two teams got to the big game in very different ways. The Chiefs had to work for it. The Eagles had to do very little.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals have a nice little rivalry going. The Bengals had taken the previous three games between the two teams, including last year’s AFC Championship game. Each win was by three points. With a hobbled Patrick Mahomes leading the way, the Chiefs outlasted the Bengals in this year’s AFC Championship game by three points. 23-20.
The Chiefs dominated most of the first half. Despite that dominance, they only had a 13-6 halftime lead. The Bengals did well to hold the Chiefs to two field goals and a single touchdown. The second half had the feel of a boxing match with each team trading punches. Each scored a touchdown in the third quarter. The Bengals scored a tying touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs and Bengals are best known for explosive offenses and the terrific quarterbacks that lead them. This AFC Championship game was more about the resilient defenses that mostly kept the offenses in check. After the Bengals touchdown that tied the score at 20 early in the fourth quarter, the defenses squashed each attempt to break the tie. It felt like the game was destined for overtime. Just like last year’s AFC Championship game. Skyy Moore’s 29-yard punt return to near midfield with just over 30 seconds to play set the Chiefs an opportunity to win the game in regulation. A gritty first down run by Mahomes and the out-of-bounds hit that ended it moved the ball to the Bengals 27-yard line. Harrison Butker drilled the 45-yard field goal with three seconds on the clock. The Chiefs only had to survive a desperation kick return. They did.
The AFC Championship game was entertaining. The NFC Championship game was not.
The Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-7. It was a terrible game as it was decided on the 49ers first possession of the game. The Eagles opened the game with a touchdown drive. It was a touchdown that they shouldn’t have had an opportunity to score. On fourth-and-three from the 49ers 35-yard line, Jalen Hurts threw a pass that DeVonta Smith supposedly caught at the six-yard line. He didn’t. The Eagles rushed to the line for their gifted first down before the 49ers could decide to challenge. It was the first big break of the game for the Eagles. It wasn’t the biggest. That came moments later when 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was knocked out of the game with an elbow injury. The rookie quarterback started the season as the team’s third quarterback. Trey Lance was lost for the season. Jimmy Garoppolo was lost for the season. Purdy led the 49ers on a season resurgence and seven-game win streak. The magic ended on the 49ers sixth offensive play in the NFC Championship game. Purdy couldn’t throw the ball more than a few yards. Josh Johnson entered the game. His pro football journey is so extensive that he makes all other journeyman quarterbacks look sedentary. A now limited offense did eventually tie the game at seven but it couldn’t last. Things turned even more bleak when Johnson left the game in the third quarter with a concussion. Purdy re-entered the game but couldn’t throw. Despite a multi-score deficit, the 49ers were forced to run into a defense that knew it. The 49ers offense simply couldn’t play to an NFL standard, let alone a championship standard. The Eagles coasted into the Super Bowl.
This game was a joke. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a team with a Super Bowl path easier than the one the Eagles took to Super Bowl LVII.
The Super Bowl is now set. Hopefully, it’s more like the AFC Championship game and nothing like the NFC Championship game.
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