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Was the NFL divisional round the greatest playoff weekend ever?

The recent NFL Divisional round will not be forgotten anytime soon. It provided all the action, and then some, that fans hoped for. There were upsets, heartbreak and even a miracle or two. The weekend got better with each game and was capped off by the Chiefs versus Bills game that will go down as one of the best in NFL history.

Bengals vs Titans

This game was the first of three upsets for the day, as Joe Burrow led the Bengals to victory over Tennessee, even after the return of Derrick Henry for the Titans. Bringing Henry back for the important game and using him like he was the same player he was before his injury was a mistake. Henry is an MVP candidate year in and year out, but he had a severe injury, and not many expected him back at all this year. His 20 carries for 60 yards made him look like a guy that was not 100% healthy yet.

On the contrary, Joe Burrow looked unstoppable even in the face of constant pressure. He was sacked nine times and is only the second quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game after being sacked eight times or more. Burrows 348 passing yards paced the Bengal’s offense. To finish off the game, rookie kicker Evan McPherson showed coolness that belied his experience as he nailed a 52-yard field goal to win the game 19-16.

49ers vs Packers

American football consists of three distinct parts, offense, defense and special teams. Fans often forget about that third part, but special teams were the sole reason the 49ers won and the Packers lost.

The 49ers blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. Deebo Samuel also had a 45-yard kick return earlier in the game, setting up a field goal. In between both of those, the 49ers also blocked a 39-yard field goal attempt. The 49ers’ special teams unit was responsible for all of their 13 points.

Rams vs Buccaneers

While we now know that this was Tom Brady’s last game in the NFL, it almost had some Brady magic with an improbable comeback. Down 27-3 in the second half, Brady somehow engineered a comeback and tied the game up at 27 with 42 seconds left.

With time running down, the Rams’ Matt Stafford hit Cooper Kupp on the second and third plays of the drive for 20-yards and 44-yards, respectively. This was enough to get the Rams in field goal range. Matt Gay calmly knocked in an easy 30-yard field goal for a 30-27 win.

Chiefs vs Bills

Just when NFL fans thought things couldn’t get any better, the final game of the weekend served up what may go down as the craziest last two minutes of any game in NFL history.

With 25 points in the last two minutes of the game, it felt like each team won it multiple times. Yet, when the Bills scored with 13 seconds left, everyone thought it was surely over. Somehow, Patrick Mahomes got the Chiefs into field goal position in just 10 seconds to send the game into overtime. The Chiefs won the toss, drove down, and scored to win the game. This game has brought up a lot of controversies regarding overtime gameplay as the Bills never got a chance in overtime with the NFL’s current rules.

It will be hard to argue any weekend of NFL playoff football is better than the divisional round was, three games won by field goals and one won in overtime. If there has ever been a better weekend, no one remembers it as this one was about as good as it could get.

Kirk is a lifelong follower of all motorsports, particularly Formula 1, Nascar and WRC. When not found at the side of the circuit, eyes stinging from the burnt rubber, he also covers tennis, eSports and other categories for us.

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