NFL PLAYOFFS - Rams and Chiefs Advance To Conference Championship Games

 

Rams QB Matthew Stafford came up big in win over Tampa Bay.

And then there were four. 

Down in Tampa Bay, the Los Angeles Rams almost pulled an Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl LI style choke job after racing out to a 27-3 lead midway through the third quarter against Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers. The Rams did eventually win the game, 30-27 but they allowed the Bucs to tie the game at 27-27 with just 42 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter when running back Leonard Fournette scored on a nine-yard run on fourth down. 

The game winning 30-yard field goal for the Rams by kicker Matt Gay came as time ran out and that was the third straight game in this divisional round of the NFL playoffs that it happened. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (366 passing yards with two TD passes) completed two passes to wide receiver Cooper Kupp for 63 yards to the Tampa Bay 12-yard line to set up the field goal attempt. All the drama was possible because the Rams turned the football over three times (on fumbles) in the second half, allowing Brady to stage another monumental comeback like he and the New England Patriots did five years ago in that Super Bowl win over the Falcons. 

That is why they play the games. 

Los Angeles took a 17-3 lead early in the second quarter when Kupp hauled in a 70-yard scoring pass from Stafford and Gay later added a 40-yard field goal to give L.A. a 20-3 halftime lead. The Buccaneers defense came up with a huge fumble recovery in the final seconds of the first half when Rams running back Cam Akers fumbled at the Tampa Bay one-yard line to keep it a 17-point game. 

Stafford scored on a one-yard run with 7:07 left in the third quarter for a 27-3 Rams lead and then Brady (329 passing yards with one TD and one interception and one lost fumble) and the Buccaneers began the big comeback after a 31-yard field goal by kicker Ryan Succop. Following a fumble by Kupp, Fournette scored the first of his two touchdowns on a one-yard plunge with 12 seconds remaining in the third quarter. After Gay missed a 47-yard field goal, Tampa Bay cut the Rams lead to just seven points (27-20) on a 55-yard TD pass from Brady to WR Mike Evans with 3:20 left in regulation. 

Then the Rams did it again as Akers lost another fumble at his own 30-yard line, setting the stage for the second TD of the game by Fournette and a tie game at 27-27 with 42 seconds left to play. But the Rams had enough left in the tank to get into field goal range to win it and advance to the NFC Championship Game next Sunday at home against the San Francisco 49ers. 

The fourth and final game of the divisional round in Kansas City saw the Chiefs win a game for the ages in overtime, 42-36 over the Buffalo Bills. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes connected with tight end Travis Kelce for an eight-yard scoring pass to win it. Mahomes passed for 378 yards with three touchdowns
and one rushing touchdown in the game.

But THE STORY of this one was the closing minutes of the fourth quarter when the lead changed hands three different times before K.C. tied it 36-36 on a 49-yard field goal by kicker Harrison Butker as time expired. The Chiefs held a 26-21 lead and the Bills drove downfield and eventually scored on a 27-yard TD pass from Josh Allen (329 passing yards with four TD passes) to WR Gabriel Davis on 4th-and-13 with two minutes left. The two-point conversion was successful and Buffalo led 29-26. Davis finished the game with eight receptions for 201 yards and four touchdowns.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs won a thriller in OT.

The Chiefs came right back when Mahomes threw a 64-yard TD pass to Tyreek Hill (11 receptions for 150 yards) and K.C. led 33-29 with 1:13 remaining. 

 

But wait, there's more. 

 

 

 

The Bills roared back and scored with only 13 seconds left to play on the fourth TD pass of the game from Allen to Davis, this one from 19 yards to put the Bills back in front, 36-33. Too much time for Mahomes and company because they needed just two pass completions to move the ball into field goal range for Butker, who drilled the kick to send it into overtime. 

The Chiefs will host their fourth consecutive AFC Championship game next Sunday against the upstart Cincinnati Bengals, who defeated them 34-31 just three weeks ago in a thriller. 

Stay tuned.