Chiefs squeeze past Browns to continue on their “Repeat” Journey

By Kate Arhar // @ClvlndK8

Last weekend brought a little heartbreak to Cleveland and a huge sigh of relief to Kansas City!

The Chiefs were able to hold off the up-and-coming Browns to win their AFC Divisional Round match-up. Next up, the AFC Championship game, hosting the Buffalo Bills this Sunday at 6:40pm EST.

If the Chiefs can win this weekend then they’ll head back to the Super Bowl and a chance to repeat their success from last year. But the victory over the Browns came at a cost. Will quarterback Patrick Mahomes be healthy and ready to play this week?

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Another chance and a sad end: Tampa Bay moves on

Dayna O’Gorman
Senior NFL Reporter
NFC West/AFC West

By Dayna O’Gorman // @DaynaOG

It was dubbed the “Old Man Battle”. Two quarterbacks, both over 40, both first-ballot Hall of Famers. But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs the New Orleans Saints game was about more than just aging QBs, it was about two teams with something to prove. A chip on their shoulders. Two teams that had been written off and came back swinging.

I’m not going to go over these men’s careers. As I said, Buccaneers QB Tom Brady and Saints QB Drew Brees are first-ballot Hall of Famers, we all know the impact they have made on the league. However this was more about the impact they could make in this particular game, and Brady came out on top.

During the regular season, it was New Orleans that had the upper hand in this matchup, winning 34-23 and 38-3. However, that was prior to Brees breaking 11 ribs and puncturing his lung. While his return to the field was miraculous and insanely fast, Sunday’s game showed that he wasn’t at full strength. He seemed to struggle during the game, definitely not the Brees we have gotten used to seeing.

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Saints roll past the Bears

Lisa Johnson
AFC South AFC East Reporter

By Lisa Johnson // @LJ1303

The Chicago Bears limped into the playoff with an 8-8 record, mostly due to back to back losses by the Arizona Cardinals. The Bears drew quarterback Drew Brees and the NFC South division champion New Orleans Saints.

Let’s face it, not many people had the Bears coming out on top in this week’s wildcard round. However, the Bears stayed around to make this a very winnable game for them going into the 3rd quarter, where they only trailed the Saints by 4 points.

The Bears failed to take advantage after receiving the ball in the second half. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky and the Bears offense could only muster up 27 total yards during their first drive of the second half, ultimately punting the ball back to the Saints.

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Super Wild Card Sunday – The AFC

*Kate Arhar Reporter AFC North and NFC South*

By Kate Arhar // @ClvlndK8

The NFL playoffs are underway and what a wild weekend it was! With the expanded playoff field, there were two full days of football, with three games on both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday featured two games for the AFC, bringing together two teams that are becoming rivals and a quarterback who may be playing his last season in the league.

Sunday started with the Baltimore Ravens visiting the Tennessee Titans in a game that came right down to the end. And the day ended with the third meeting this season between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was great to see the AFC North highlighted in these two games as the only division that sent three teams to the playoffs! Let’s take a look at what went down.

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SUPER Wild Card Saturday: NFC

By Dayna O’Gorman // @DaynaOG

The NFL playoffs have begun! With the expanded playoff field, there were two full days of football, with three games on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday featured two games for the NFC, bringing together two heated division rivals, a goat, and a hungry 7-9 team.

I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of the expanded playoffs. I believe that the top two teams in each conference deserved a bye week. However, the expansion does let some of those fantastic teams who would just miss out on the playoffs in the old system, fight for the Lombardi. Let’s take a look at Saturday’s NFC battles.

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The Bills are moving on in the playoffs.

Sonja Greenfield, Senior NFL Reporter NFC North, NFC East

By Sonja Greenfield //@Mom23RN

I’m keeping you guys on your toes. I usually am writing about the NFC East or the NFC North. Because it’s the playoffs, I decided to switch it up and venture to the AFC side of the League, to talk about the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts Wild Card game.

After quarterback Tom Brady left the division in the offseason, I don’t think anyone was happier than the Buffalo Bills to see him leave. With Brady out of the division, it was pretty much a given that they would win the AFC East, at least on paper.

Despite the Miami Dolphins having a pretty successful year, the Bills finished 13-3 and got to host their first playoff game in 25 years. They were even given permission to allow a “small” amount of fans to come and cheer on their Bills. The Colts, on the other hand, finished their division tied with the Tennessee Titans with an 11-5 record. Quietly, rookie running back Jonathan Taylor lead the way with over 1,000 rushing yards.

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Loss leave Dolphins fans with many questions

By Lisa Johnson // @LJ1303

As Miami Dolphins fans watched their playoff hopes get squashed by the surging AFC East Champion Buffalo Bills, not only did the Dolphins miss the playoffs, but they also seem to have opened themselves up for some tough decisions ahead.

Following a 56-26 loss, Dolphins fans were left wondering if Miami’s first-round draft choice, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, is indeed the chosen one. Many fans have already seemed to have thrown in the towel, especially since the Dolphins hold the 3rd and 18th picks in this year’s NFL draft, which is likely to hold 3 quarterbacks that are worthy of a first-round selection.

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How the NFC North was won

By Sonja Greenfield //@Mom23RN

Week 17 is done, and the playoffs are upon us! I’m always excited because that usually means stress-free football for me. Nothing quite like watching games and not being stressed out. Though, to be honest, this season didn’t stress me so much.

But let’s recap the NFC North and how they got to where they are now. Because outside of the Detroit Lions, it was all pretty interesting.

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Down to the playoff wire for the AFC North

By Kate Arhar // @ClvlndK8

While some divisions in the NFL are already settled and playoff spots clinched, the AFC North is going to go down to the wire to determine which teams are in and which ones will be crying in their after-game water bottles.

My friend Dayna likes to talk about the NFC West being the best division in football. I disagree! The AFC North is – finally – looking like a real powerhouse of competition and could very easily produce this year’s Super Bowl champion!

With their win over the Indianapolis Colts last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers have locked on to the division title and a playoff berth. And at a depressing 4-10, the Cincinnati Bengals are out of the running.

However, the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens promise to make things interesting as they both fight for a wild card spot.

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The Los Angeles Rams are post season players….But are they all?

By Lucy Rendler-Kaplan //@Lucyrk78

Welp. It’s happened. After weeks of scrolling past articles and posts in Rams groups calling for the immediate replacement of quarterback Jared Goff, I have to jump into the pile on. With two players named to the Pro-Bowl and all the weapons Los Angeles needs, fans can no longer deny that Goff isn’t playing as well as he needs to.

The Rams (9-6) have lost two straight games for the first time this season and Sunday’s game was definitely winnable against the Seattle Seahawks. All hope isn’t lost – the Rams can still clinch a playoff spot with either a win against the Arizona Cardinals (8-7) or a Green Bay Packers victory against the Chicago Bears (8-7) in Week 17.

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