NFL PLAYOFFS - A Tale Of Two Number One Seeds

Travis Kelce (87) and the Chiefs continue to roll.

The Kansas City Chiefs, seeking a historic Super Bowl three-peat, did their part as the top seeded team in the AFC as they advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the seventh consecutive season with a 23-14 win against the visiting Houston Texans. As for the Detroit Lions, the top seeded team in the NFC playoffs, not quite the same outcome. 

 

 

 

 

The Washington Commanders went into Detroit and blasted the Lions, 45-31 as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels (pictured below right) and the offense simply did whatever they wanted against the Lions defense, shredding them for 31 first half points. Meanwhile, the Commanders defense forced FIVE turnovers (four interceptions, two by cornerback Mike Sainristil, and one fumble) to help the winning effort and putting Washington into the NFC title game for the first time since  the 1991 season. 

 

The game was back and forth in the first half and then the turning point was a 58-yard scoring pass from Daniels to wide receiver Terry McLaurin for a 17-14 Commanders lead. Following that, defensive back Quan Martin took back an interception from Goff 40 yards for a touchdown and a ten point lead at 24-14. Goff had 313 passing yards, but was intercepted three times (one of them in the Washington end zone) and also lost a fumble on a sack in the red zone as well. Daniels passed for 299 yards and two scores while Brian Robinson, Jr. scored two rushing touchdowns. Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. The two teams combined for over 1,000 yards in offense, including 521 yards for Detroit, but the difference in the final score was the five turnovers by the Lions compared to none by the Commanders.

Earlier on Saturday in Kansas City, it was the Travis Kelce (seven receptions, 117 yards, one TD) show as the veteran tight end hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes with 11:52 left in the fourth quarter to make it 20-12 for Kansas City. The Texans closed to within 13-12 on a 13-yard scoring run by RB Joe Mixon late in the third quarter, but the PAT kick was wide right. Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt scored on a one-yard TD run in the first half for a 13-3 lead, which was trimmed to 13-6 at the half. The Kansas City defense sacked Texans QB C.J. Stroud eight times in the victory, which puts the Chiefs in the AFC title game (in K.C.) next weekend against the winner of the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills.