Another year, another divisional round of the NFL played out. This weekend offered some exciting, and for some fans heartbreaking football. All first round bye teams came away with wins, for the 6th year in a row. While this year lacked variation from others, we are in for an exciting Conference Championship round. With that in mind, here is each Divisional team’s biggest takeaway.



Colts Hot Streak Ends On A Cold KC Afternoon

Indianapolis came into KC feeling optimistic. They had just blown through the Texans in Houston, and were favored to upset the number one seeded Chiefs. However, what happened can’t be explained by logic as Indianapolis struggled against the 31st ranked Kansas City D, not picking up a first down until 1:18 left in the second quarter. Patrick Mahomes shredded the once accredited defense, and Indy didn’t force a punt until 6:04 into the second, due to a false start and holding call within two plays for Kansas City. Indianapolis will no doubt be back in playoff contention next year, but it will be tough for them to put this egg of a performance behind them.





Patrick Mahomes Proves Worth Winning First Playoff Game

The Chiefs came into their Saturday matchup with a history of uncertainty, not having won a home playoff game since 1994. In that streak, the Chiefs blew a 28 point lead to Indianapolis in 2013, an 18 point lead last year, as well as many less eventful losses between then. The Chiefs jumped out to a 17 point lead, and to the horror of Chiefs fans, a blocked punt Indianapolis back in it, only to have the Kansas City defense put away the Colts comeback just as quickly as it started. Kansas City looked solid in all phases of the game, and got a rare dominating performance from the defense who excels at home. Luckily for this defensive unit, they will host New England in a rematch of a week 6 meeting which saw New England bump out the Chiefs 40-43.





Cowboys Unable To Play To Strengths In Unearthing Loss

Dallas came into The Coliseum with a gameplan around stopping the run, L.A.’s primary attack. Except what transpired on that warm Saturday afternoon is without explanation. Dallas had arguably the best front seven in the league, and a 3rd ranked run defense that had shut down the number one rushing team Seattle to under 75 yards the weekend before. The Rams came out running early and often with dual threat backs C.J. Anderson and Todd Gurley. Los Angeles ran the ball 48 times, averaging just under 6 yards a carry and setting a new franchise playoff record with 273 rushing yards, and effectively running the Cowboys out of Lombardi contention. The Cowboys are unfortunately not “Dem Boys” anymore, and will have to set their sights on next year.





Rams Dominate Cowboys With A Running Attack For The Ages

After Todd Gurley sustained an inflamed knee after the week 15 loss to Philadelphia, the Rams needed to find a suitable replacement, swiftly picking up the former Bronco C.J. Anderson. Anderson rushed for 167 and 132 yards in their regular season debut games, proving to be a true gem in the rough. Anderson, ironically, had his worst game as a Ram, posting only 123 yards and two scores. Gurley was not far behind with 115 yards and a touchdown of his own. Los Angeles looked solid on defense, holding Ezekiel Elliott to 47 yards on 20 carries. The Rams will return to New Orleans, hoping to avenge their week nine 35-45 loss.





Chargers Run Out Of Electricity In Demoralizing Loss

The red-hot Chargers came into Foxborough 8-1 in other teams’ stadiums. New England hadn’t lost in Foxborough since December of 2016. It was primed to be a must watch matchup. only problem was, the Bolts laid an egg. New England scored a touchdown on each of their first 5 drives, and went into halftime with a 35-7 lead. Los Angeles was able to score some trash time points, making it look better for the stat sheets, but were never able to give New England a competition. Whether or not the Bolts will be able to return to the playoff next year will binge on how healthy this team can stay, having a history of late season key injuries.





Patriots Flex Home Field Dominance In Win

After a 1-2 start, the firing of both coordinators, and endless list of postseason losses, the Patriots dynasty finally looked like it was coming to an end. However,, as always the Patriots proved the doubters wrong, securing the second seed, and a first round bye. The Patriots got off to one of the most dominating starts ever in a playoff game, taking the Chargers out before intermission. Brady tore apart the young Chargers secondary, as he does so well, and the Pats defense proved the skeptics wrong, holding Melvin Gordon to 26 yards from scrimmage. Brady will move on to his 8th straight AFC championship game, and 13th total.





Eagles Fall Just Short To Saints

After another Nick Foles miracle, the Eagles rolled past the heavily favored Bears into the even more heavily favored Saints. The Eagles were heavy underdogs, as they had suffered a 48-7 loss to those very same Saints in week eleven. They surprised everyone, jumping out into a 14 nothing lead after the first quarter, and looked the best they had all year. Unfortunately for any opponents of the Saints, nothing good can last. Drew Brees got into a rhythm quickly, scoring 20 unanswered points, and setting up the Eagles to take a game winning drive with a touch over 3 minutes remaining. Nick Foles orchestrated a good drive until disaster struck. The Eagles marched to the Saints’ twenty-seven yard line, and took the snap just before the two minute warning. Alshon Jeffery, the Eagles leading receiver ran a two yard drag route. Foles made the read, threw the ball a touch behind Jeffrey, and the ball slipped through Jeffrey’s hands, and into the chest of second year corner Marshon Lattimore, sealing the game. While what would’ve happened if Jeffrey made the catch will never be known, but Jeffrey’s game losing mistake has got to sting. Who starts next year, between Foles and Wentz and whether the Eagles make the playoff picture is unknown.





Saints Advance In Close Call

Coming into Sunday night, the Saints looked to have the easiest road to the NFC championship, playing a 9-7 Eagles team that barely snuck into the playoffs. While he threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage, Brees still finished with a high 101.3 passer rating, and Michael Thomas dominated with 12 catches for 142 yards and a crucial touchdown. Debatably the most underrated coaching duo in the league, Brees and Sean Payton are undefeated whilst playing in the Superdome, and will host the Rams, who they beat in New Orleans week 11, 35-45. Keep your eyes on the Saints, as the last time they were in the NFC championship game with a 13-3 record, they went on to win it all.





To conclude, the Divisional round lived up to the hype, setting up two very exciting matchups. NFL Lookout will provide this same analysis and recap of all games, so stay tuned for exclusive predictions and analysis.