Sunday's games in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs did not disappoint. The Detroit Lions are playing in a conference championship game for the first time in 32 years after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a game that went down to the final possession. San Francisco awaits Detroit in the NFC Championship Game.
In the AFC, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen once again had a memorable playoff duel. The Kansas City Chiefs emerged victorious over the Buffalo Bills and will play in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens.
What did we learn from Sunday's divisional round games? Let's take a look:
Bill's special teams are the reason they couldn't get over the hump
The Bills had the Chiefs right where they wanted them – at home in the playoffs in front of their passionate fan base. Instead of taking advantage, Buffalo was eliminated at home in the divisional round for the second straight year.
That wasn't the fault of Josh Allen, who completed 26 of 39 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown (86.1 rating) while also rushing for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Allen is the first player to score four passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in two playoff games; He was the only reason the Bills were in this game.
Special teams is the reason the Bills won't play the Ravens in the AFC title game. Tyler Bass made just 82.8% of field goals in the regular season, and he missed a 27-yard field goal last week. With the Bills, one of his kicks was blocked in that game. Of course, the 44-yard miss with 1:47 remaining will live on in Bills' haunted playoff history.
Damar Hamlin failed to get a first down on a fake punt attempt as the Bills trailed 27-24 at their own 29-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Sam Martin had a bad hamstring problem that led to poor punts throughout the game.
The Bills made many mistakes in the game and struggled with injuries across the board on defense. Ultimately, special teams was the culprit.
Patrick Mahomes finds his best players to win games
Mahomes once again had an outstanding playoff performance in his first road playoff game. He went 17 of 23 for 215 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, for a passer rating of 131.6. In two postseason games, Mahomes has completed 62.5% of his passes for 477 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions, good for a passer rating of 100.8, but there's more to it than that.
When targeting Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce, Mahomes has completed 24 of 32 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns, for a passer rating of 137.9. That was true on Sunday, too, when Mahomes was 9 of 10 for 122 yards and two touchdowns – both of which went to Kelce – as he targeted his top two playmakers (157.1 rating).
Mahomes wasn't bad at targeting every other player, going 16 of 23 for 154 yards and no touchdowns. But the money players among the Chiefs receivers are Rice and Kelce. Mahomes is smart to go to them when the stakes are highest.
Baker Mayfield should return as the Buccaneers' QB in 2024
Mayfield certainly did enough to remain Tampa Bay's quarterback, as his six touchdowns in a single postseason trailed only Tom Brady in franchise history. The Buccaneers lost to the Lions in the divisional round on Sunday as Mayfield completed 26 of 41 passes for 349 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions (94.5 rating) in the loss.
In the postseason, Mayfield completed 62.3% of his passes for 686 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions, for a 106.3 rating. Mayfield has completed 63.1% of his passes with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions in his last eight games, for a passer rating of 102.2. The Buccaneers went 6-2 in those games.
Mayfield may have a big salary, but the Buccaneers have their quarterback. This Bucs team was better than the team Tom Brady led his senior year, largely because of Mayfield.
Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes have the Lions as Super Bowl contenders for years to come
The Lions are appearing in a conference championship game for the first time since the 1991 season. They won two playoff games in a season for the first time since 1957. They have the opportunity to play for a championship for the first time since 1957.
Since Campbell's career began 0-10-1, the Lions are 24-16 in the regular season and have two playoff victories. They are 20-7 in the regular season after starting last season at 1-6 with two playoff wins. This is one of the best teams in the NFL thanks to Campbell changing the culture and Holmes leading the front office.
Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Derrick Barnes, Alim McNeill, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Aidan Hutchinson, Jameson Williams, Kerby Joseph, James Houston, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch were all signed by Holmes during the year drafted last three years. Thanks to Holmes, the Lions acquired Jared Goff, David Montgomery, Cam Sutton and CJ Gardner-Johnson via trade or free agency.
The core of this team is only getting better. The Lions are rewarded for the fruits of their labor.
Strange schedule quirk
The teams that played a playoff game with a short break (Packers, Buccaneers, Bills) went a combined 0-3 in the divisional round. The only road team to win in the divisional round was the Chiefs – who had eight days off.
The weather definitely had an impact on playoff scheduling, and the No. 1 seed in the 14-team playoff format typically plays on Saturday. It's interesting how moving a game to last Monday and a scheduled game Monday night affected two teams in the playoffs.
Hopefully the NFL will avoid Monday playoff games after the wild card game contract ends Monday night in two more years.