Round Two
Thirty-Two games down . . . . . and eight teams eliminated. Had some amazing games with some memorable individual performances.
Here are the results of Round Two:
LA Chargers 33, Miami 20 – Justin Herbert, LA’s talented young quarterback, shredded the Dolphins’ defense, completing 29 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns. Mike Williams hauled in ten of those passes for 118 yards. Ironically, Miami outgained L.A. 421 to 404, but four Ryan Fitzpatrick interceptions, one of which was returned 99 yards for a TD by Tevaughn Campbell, was the difference.
Dallas 20, NY Giants 17 – Andy Dalton had one of his best games for the Cowboys, hitting on 24 of 32 passes for 276 yards and two TD’s as Dallas topped their division rivals, the Giants, bouncing them from the playoffs. Amari Cooper had a terrific game for the victors, accumulating 122 yards on just 5 catches, including a 56 yard TD.
Las Vegas 28, Indianapolis 27 – In a remarkable game of unbeatens that saw Derek Carr and Philip Rivers in a real gunslinger contest, it was the Raiders eking out a one point victory on the road. Vegas actually led the game 14-3 before the Colts ran off 24 unanswered points to take a 27-14 lead with less than 8 minutes to play. But a Josh Jacobs TD run with 4:00 to play, and a Carr to Hunter Renfrow TD pass with only 25 seconds left gave the Raiders a thrilling victory!
LA Rams 28, Arizona 22 – The Rams defense sacked Arizona quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Chris Streveler a remarkable 11 times in the game, holding off a furious Cardinals comeback attempt in the final period en route to a six-point victory. LA’s Cam Akers had 96 yards rushing on only 15 carries while QB Jared Goff tossed four TD passes in the victory.
Cleveland 33, Denver 27 – Trailing 27-23 with just 7:30 left to play, Browns’ QB, Baker Mayfield, hit Rashard Higgins with a 44 yard scoring strike to give Cleveland a lead they would not relinquish. Kareem Hunt had an outstanding game running the ball, tallying 123 yards on 22 carries as Cleveland eliminates the Broncos from these playoffs.
Minnesota 45, Carolina 17 – Kirk Cousins of the Vikings had a career day, connecting on 24 of 27 passes for 395 yards and three scores as Minnesota trounced the Panthers by four touchdowns! And, equally as productive was runningback Dalvin Cook, who piled up 127 yards on 25 carries and found paydirt three times. In fact, the Vikings rolled up 561 yards of total offense in the victory!
Baltimore 37, New England 31 – Patriots’ QB, Cam Newton, put on a show in Baltimore, rushing for 110 yards on 15 carries, including a 41 yard fourth quarter TD scamper to give New England a 31-30 lead with only one minute to play! But, a big kick-off return by the Ravens’ Devin Duvernay and four consecutive completions by QB Lamar Jackson set up J.K. Dobbins’ 3-yard TD run with only 15 seconds remaining in the game to give Baltimore a six point victory!
Tampa Bay 26, Washington 20 – The Buccaneers did not play one of their best games . . . but, it was good enough to hold off the Washington Football Team by six at home. Tampa Bay’s defense was particularly tough, sacking Washington quarterbacks eight times, holding them to a mere 274 total yards and forcing three turnovers, including two fourth quarter interceptions. Tom Brady of the Bucs was good, but not great, hitting on 23 of 32 passes for 273 yards and a score.
Pittsburgh 27, Cincinnati 24 – The Steelers, in an elimination game, squeaked by the Bengals by three at home, despite being heavily favored. In fact, Cincy had the lead 21-18 halfway through the third period after Giovani Bernard’s short TD run. And, even though Pittsburgh was held after that to three Chris Boswell field goals, that was enough to secure the victory.
Chicago 21, Philadelphia 3 – Much maligned Mitch Trubisky had a terrific game against the Eagles, completing 29 of 36 passes for 311 yards and two TD’s as the Bears pounded Philly by 18 points. Cordarrelle Patterson added 88 yards on the ground with a score as well. Chicago’s defense was stellar, holding the Eagles to only 246 yards of offense in the victory, eliminating Philadelphia from the playoffs.
Tennessee 40, Houston 33 – In a game where the Texans were out-gained 562 yards to 393, the final score didn’t reflect that difference, with the Titans winning by only a touchdown! But, three amazing performances led Tennessee – QB Ryan Tannehill’s 357 yards passing, Derrick Henry’s 141 yards rushing and Corey Davis’ 183 yards receiving! The Titans remain unbeaten while Houston advances to the elimination round.
New Orleans 45, San Francisco 28 – Drew Brees hit on 24 of 28 passes for 278 yards and a pair of scores leading the Saints to a convincing 17-point victory over the 49ers. Alvin Kamara added three scores – two on the ground and a 55 yard fourth quarter reception, as New Orleans remained unbeaten in the tournament.
Kansas City 54, NY Jets 15 – After being shocked in the opening round by the Jaguars, and despite being flagged for 16 penalties, the Chiefs showed off all of their offensive weapons in a lopsided victory over the Jets. Patrick Mahomes was on target most of the game, connecting on 27 of 35 for 321 yards and three scores. Travis Kelce also turned in a stellar game, hauling in 10 passes for 124 yards, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for 3 TDs in the huge Chiefs win.
Seattle 44, Atlanta 31 – Falcons’ QB Matt Ryan had another outstanding game, this time completing 31 passes for 387 yards, but threw a remarkable five interceptions as the Seahawks bounced Atlanta from the playoffs with a 13 point victory. Russell Wilson had a solid game for Seattle, hitting on 30 of 38 for 356 yards and four TD’s, while runningback Chris Carson scored four TD’s – two through the air and two on the ground.
Buffalo 38, Jacksonville 24 – The surprising Jaguars, who upset Kansas City in the first round, hung around in this game with the Bills for three quarters before Buffalo QB Josh Allen found his stride leading his team to victory. Allen threw for 312 yards and 3 TD’s, outdueling his counterpart, Jake Luton, who tallied 291 yards passing with two TD’s. Jacksonville’s James Robinson also enjoyed a good game, rushing 19 times for 116 yards in the loss. The Bills remain unbeaten, but the Jags will continue to the next round!
Green Bay 41, Detroit 13 – Aaron Rodgers flashed his MVP form, hitting on 30 of 38 passes for 317 yards and 4 TD’s as the Pack pounded the Lions by 28 points. Davante caught 12 passes for 140 yards and two of those scores while Aaron Jones added 103 yards on the ground in the victory. And, all of this despite Green Bay losing eight starters to injury during the game, and being flagged for 9 penalties. But the Packers did not turn the ball over and forced three Lions’ takeaways.