NFL play-offs divisional round: A blockbuster expected to close the weekend
The 2024/25 National Football League (NFL) postseason kicked off last weekend and ended on Monday night, and when the dust settled, six teams were eliminated from Super Bowl contention following mostly lopsided results: the Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Minnesota Vikings will be looking towards next season.
Of the six games played, five were basically decided by the half-time break, particularly so for the Broncos who, after opening the scoring with a touchdown, were held scoreless for the rest of the game and allowed 31 unanswered points by the Buffalo Bills. The only encounter that provided any real semblance of a contest, and the only upset of the weekend, was the victory by the Washington Commanders over the Buccaneers.
Washington’s win was decided by an adventurous field goal by Zane Gonzalez, that careened off the inside of the right upright, then found its way in for the 23-20 win, as time expired. Washington’s last play-off victory was in January 2016, when their rookie quarterback (QB) Jayden Daniels was just six years old, and the result broke a drought for rookie QB road wins in the postseason that had not been accomplished since 2012.
The presumptive Offensive Rookie of the Year, Daniels, had a stellar year, completing 69 per cent of his passes for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and rushing for 891 yards and six more scores. He set multiple NFL records including most rushing yards and highest completion percentage by a rookie QB, and he broke two franchise records for most passing yards and total yards (4,459) by a rookie. Daniels was named Rookie of the Week 11 times during the regular season, as well as being named Offensive Rookie of the Month in September and earned a Pro Bowl selection.
His impressive display carried over into last weekend against Tampa Bay, finishing with 268 yards passing and two touchdowns along with a team-high 36 yards rushing, becoming the first rookie QB in NFL history with two or more passing touchdowns in a road play-off win. The victory also made Daniels just the fourth rookie QB to win a play-off game on the road, joining Joe Flacco (2008), Mark Sanchez (2009), and Russell Wilson (2012). The reward for the victory is a matchup this weekend against the No 1 seed in the National Football Conference (NFC), the Detroit Lions.
The Commanders are the biggest JustBet underdogs heading into the weekend and not a lot is expected from them tomorrow, Saturday, as the Lions are rested and should take care of business in their den. There is never any sure thing in sports and the bookmakers should have this right, but Washington could make the game interesting if they can keep the score close at half-time.
The No 1 seed in the American Football Conference (AFC) and defending champion Kansas City Chiefs come off their rest, and extended rest for many starters, in the opening game of the divisional round tomorrow against the Houston Texans. The Texans, who had a 0-3 record on the road against play-off teams in the regular season and who lost 19-27 on December 21, 2024, to the Chiefs, are the second-highest JustBet underdogs entering the weekend and not a lot is expected when they visit Arrowhead Stadium to kick off what is anticipated to be an entertaining two days of gridiron action. Therefore, it is fair to assume that the Chiefs will emerge victorious and host the winner of what is projected to be a blockbuster playoff classic to close the weekend on Sunday night.
The stage has been set for arguably the best matchup one could hope for in an NFL postseason. The Buffalo Bills will host the Baltimore Ravens, with QBs Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson going head-to-head in a battle between the top two front-runners to win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Both teams will need to be at their very best and both QBs will be looking to make a statement as they are both two wins away from their first Super Bowl appearance.
Against Denver last Sunday, Allen rushed for 46 yards, thereby setting the NFL postseason record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback (609), leapfrogging Jackson, who had set the mark at 602 the night before. Depending on what happens tomorrow, the winner will advance and will likely end the playoffs with the aforementioned rushing record.
Allen (3,731 yards passing, a 28-6 passing-touchdown-to-interception ratio, 531 yards rushing) and Jackson (4,172 yards passing, a 41-4 passing-touchdown-to-interception ratio, 915 yards rushing) have played lights-out this season and have both established or bettered records that will not be easily broken. The accolades are too numerous to mention, particularly for Allen, but the most newsworthy for the Buffalo play caller are: First player since NFL-AFL merger with three passing and three rushing touchdowns in a game, first player in NFL history to record multiple career games of 340+ yards passing, 60+ yards rushing, 2+ passing touchdowns and 2+ rushing touchdowns, first QB in league history to record a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in a single game, first player in NFL history with at least two touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns in consecutive games, and the first player all-time with three such games in a season.
And to keep pace with Allen in the MVP-race, Jackson, who has been named the NFL’s First Team All-Pro QB for the second year in a row, has donned his superman cape on many occasions this season, to create some history of his own, namely: First NFL QB with 4,000+ passing yards and 600+ rushing yards in a season, first NFL QB with 40 or more passing touchdowns and 800+ rushing yards in a season, and the first NFL QB with 40+ passing touchdowns and fewer than five interceptions.
The MVP-race couldn’t be much closer as both finished the season with very comparable records – Allen finished with 40 total touchdowns (28 passing, 12 rushing) and Jackson finished with 45 (41 passing, four rushing). And, while it appears to many that Jackson could be on the verge of becoming the youngest ever to win a third NFL MVP, they both have a bit of history to contend with. The regular-season MVP has only won the Super Bowl once this century and that was QB Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, in 2022. With that perceived omen lingering, maybe neither will want to wear that crown, but come Sunday night, the only statistics that will have any bearing is what happens between the hash marks.
The Ravens are slight JustBet favourites heading into the encounter, but this one is too close to call. If there is one game to be watched this weekend, this is it. The early game on Sunday has the Los Angeles Rams visiting the Philadelphia Eagles in what should be another blistering matchup. Are you ready for some football?
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