NFL Championship round up
Another week closer to the main event of the year for NFL fans as the Divisional Championship weekend came to a close.
The NFC Championship was the first game of the weekend to decide the division and a place in the 57th edition of the Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles went head-to-head following strong seasons respectively. The Eagles scored on their first drive under very controversial circumstances, with Devonta Smith making a remarkable one-handed catch on fourth down. This could’ve been ruled incomplete and a turnover if the 49ers challenged the decision and allowed Miles Sanders to score a touchdown for the Eagles.
The 49ers got off to a rough start as star Quarterback Brock Purdy was injured during a sack which resulted in a fumble on their first drive, leaving fourth string QB Josh Johnson to keep his team in the game. The 49ers had some semblance of hope as Christian McCaffrey scored a touchdown to bring the game back to 7-7 in the second quarter.
Miles Sanders soon made it 14-7 to the Eagles with his second touchdown of the game and things went from bad to worse for the 49ers as Johnson fumbled the ball, resulting in Boston Scott scoring for the Eagles just before halftime. Purdy was re-instated into the game despite his injury as Johnson was ruled out with a concussion. The 49ers were unable to claw their way back as Philadelphia piled on the misery in the second half of the game, and went on to clinch the NFC Championship 31-7.
In the AFC Championship, things were expected to be a little more exciting as star QB’s Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow came face-to-face for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals respectively.
Neither team came flying out of the traps, but it was the Chiefs who gathered an early 6-0 lead following two field goals. Burrow endured a tough start to the game for the Bengals after being sacked four times. However, Cincinnatti finally managed to get points on the board with a field goal half way through the second quarter.
Chiefs tight-end Travis Kelce extended the Chiefs’ lead to 13-3 following his touchdown and a Burrow interception almost allowed Kansas City to put more distance between the sides. Burrow was saved by a pass interference call as he threw another interception shortly after his last, which set up a field goal scoring drive for the Bengals on the stroke of halftime to keep the game alive.
After the break, the Bengals got back on level terms thanks to a spectacular touchdown from tight-end Tee Higgins. The Chiefs replied quickly with a Marquez Valdes-Scantling masterclass as he scored his first touchdown. As the teams went blow for blow in the third quarter, Chiefs QB Mahomes fumbled the ball which gave the Bengals a chance to equalise once more.
A moment of magic was produced early in the fourth quarter as Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase linked up on fourth down, teeing up Samaje Perine to capitalise on Mahomes’ mistake. The remainder of the fourth quarter was relatively quiet with the game tied at 20-20. However, the Chiefs scored a field goal with seconds remaining to clinch their date with destiny against the Philadelphia Eagles in Arizona, with either side hoping to bring home another Lombardi trophy to their cities.