NFL PLAYOFFS - AFC and NFC Championship Games Review

The Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots will square off in Super Bowl 53 (February 3 in Atlanta) as they both won in overtime in the conference championship games. It was the first time both the AFC and NFC championship games went into overtime in the same season.

LOS ANGELES RAMS 26, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 23 (OT)
There was big time controversy in the Rams 26-23 victory against the host New Orleans Saints. An obvious pass interference by Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman against Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis was not called late in the fourth quarter with the Saints in the red zone in a 20-20 tie game. The league admitted to Saints Head Coach Sean Payton afterwards the officiating crew blew the call.

Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein and teammates celebrate game winning field goal in OT

After racing out to a 13-0 first quarter lead, the Saints went flat as the Rams rallied back to cut the deficit to 13-10 at the half. For the game, Rams quarterback Jared Goff passed for 297 yards with a touchdown and an interception while Saints QB Drew Brees had 249 passing yards with two TD passes and one costly interception in the OT session.
The game was tied 20-20 with 5:03 remaining after Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein made the second of his four field goals. The Saints went ahead 23-20 on Will Lutz' 31-yard field goal with 1:31 to go in the game. That kick followed the controversial non-call on the pass interference committed by the Rams defense.
From there, the Rams drove downfield to get a game tying 48-yard field goal by Zuerlein with only 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
In the OT, Brees was hit as he attempted to pass and the ball fluttered into the arms of Rams defensive back John Johnson III. The Rams drove the ball to the Saints 39-yard line and then Zuerlein boomed a 57-yard field goal through the uprights for the win, sending the Rams to their first Super Bowl appearance since the 2001 season.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 37, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 31 (OT)
In frigid Kansas City, the New England Patriots outlasted the Chiefs, 37-31 in OT to make it to the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season.
Patriots running back Rex Burkhead scored his second TD of the game (a two-yard run) to win it as the Pats took the kickoff in OT down the field to score the touchdown that wrapped it up.
In the first half, New England's defense dominated the high powered Kansas City offense, limiting them to just 32 yards in total offense while building a 14-0 halftime lead.
The second half, especially the fourth quarter, turned into a shootout as the Chiefs rallied back behind three TD passes by QB Patrick Mahomes (295 passing yards) with two fourth quarter TD strikes going to RB Damien Williams, who also had a rushing score in the game.

Tom Brady and the Patriots are Super Bowl bound again

Trailing 17-7 entering the fourth quarter, Kansas City took a 21-17 lead with 7:45 remaining in regulation on the second TD pass from Mahomes to Williams, a 23-yard scoring play. The Patriots came right back as RB Sony Michel (29 carries for 113 yards) scored his second rushing TD of the game on a 10-yard run with 3:32 left.
The Chiefs drove downfield and Williams scored on a two-yard run with 2:02 left to put KC back on top, 28-24. Then the Pats came right back as QB Tom Brady (348 passing yards with a TD and two INT) drove the team down the field and Burkhead scored on a four-yard TD run with 39 seconds remaining. A costly offside penalty on the Kansas City defense took away an interception that would have iced the game for the Chiefs during the drive.
However, Kansas City brought the ball back to field goal range and kicker Harrison Butker made the 39-yard field goal with only eight seconds left to force the overtime.
In the OT, Brady and company moved the ball downfield and Burkhead punched it in from two yards out and the Pats once again punched their ticket to the Super Bowl, the ninth appearance for the team in the Bill Belichick-Brady era.