KANSAS CITY 23, GREEN BAY 19

Well . . . this was nothing like the game I expected, but it still went down to the wire!

But, the game started just as predicted.  Kansas City received the opening kickoff and marched the length of the field on their first possession with Darrel Williams scoring a rushing touchdown from 2 yards out.  But, the Packers answered on their first possession with a 75 yard drive of their own, with Aaron Rodgers connecting with Aaron Jones from 3 yards out to tie the game.

Remarkably, that was the lone touchdown that Green Bay scored!  Their remaining points all came from four Mason Crosby field goals, and, get this . . . all were 28 yards or shorter!  The Packers had the ball at or inside the Chiefs’ ten yard line four times and could only come away with 3-pointers!  And, they truly dominated time of possession running off 64 plays and accumulating 411 yards to Kansas City’s 312.  But, if you can’t score TD’s . . . . well . . . .

Still, they had a 19-7 lead heading into the final period . . . and, here’s something truly amazing.  Patrick Mahomes was injured back in the first quarter.  Now, the way I treat injuries is that non-skilled players (lineman and defenders) who are injured during the contest are done for the game and have to be replaced.  But, because I use a strict quota system of runs and passes, if a skilled player is hurt, he stays in, but EVERY run, pass, scramble or sack is impacted negatively.  So, that meant that every pass Mahomes threw and every scramble he had for the remainder of the game was read in a less favorable column . . . and, believe me . . . this is a big deal.  Not only that, but for “match-up” purposes, he went from a “5” rated quarterback to a “1” rated quarterback.  And this was for 3½ quarters!

But, the Chiefs defense kept Rodgers and the Packers out of the end zone and came up with three takeaways in the 4^th quarter – a fumble recovery and two interceptions – each leading to a KC score.  And, it was Mahomes, who had a rushing quota (not couting scrambles) of only ONE run for the entire game.  I called that run from the Green Bay 10 yard line, and rolled a 33 to score what turned out to be the game-winning TD with only 1:05 left to play!

Not the offensive shootout I expected . . . but a great and very exciting game, and a fitting end to a very fun tournament!!!

And, CONGRATULATIONS to Ron Jones, who won the contest!  He picked the Chiefs to win and had the closest score to the actual outcome of this game!!  Ron, I will need you to email me your t-shirt size and a mailing address.

Green Bay 13, Kansas City 7

In a game that EVEYONE expected to be an offensive explosion, we’re watching a defensive struggle as the Packers have a narrow halftime lead over the Chiefs. Here is the QB comparison so far:

Mahomes 15-19 121 yards 0 int 0 TD’s 3 sacks for 18 yards

Rodgers 16-22 188 yards 0 int 1 TD 0 sacks

Green Bay to receive 2nd half kickoff . . . . .

OK . . . . it is the Chiefs vs. the Packers in my tournament Super Bowl . . . and I want YOU to make a prediction. The person out there who gets the winner correct and has the closest score to my game will win a very cool APBA-themed prize!! So, send me your best guesses – and, so no one else sees your prediction – send them to my email address: ray@raydunlap.com.

And, to help you with your prognostication, here is a list of every important player who is OUT for this game:

Kansas City: Le’veon Bell (RB), Anthony Hitchens (LB), Daniel Kilgore (C), Kelechi Osemele (OG), Mike Remmers (OT), Alex Okafor (DE), Willie Gay (LB), Bashaud Breeland (CB)

Green Bay: Mercedes Lewis (TE), Christian Kirksey (LB), Ricky Wagner (OT), Krys Barnes (LB), Chandon Sullivan (CB), Darrius Shepherd (WR/KR), Malik Taylor (WR/KR)

Finally, here are the point totals for the starters:

Kansas City Offense (Pass) 42 Green Bay Defense (Pass) 37 +5

Kansas City Offense (Run) 40 Green Bay Defense (Run) 37 +3

Green Bay Offense (Pass) 42 Kansas City Defense (Pass) 38 +4

Green Bay Offense (Run) 42 Kansas City Defense (Run) 38 +4

I’m planning on playing the game this Sunday (January 30th), so get your predictions in before Noon Eastern Standard Time that day!! And, GOOD LUCK!!!

Every now and then you roll a game where the experience matched all the hype. This was one of those games. EIGHT lead changes!! Back and forth all night. Buffalo took a 30-27 lead with less than two minutes to play when Josh Allen hit Stefon Diggs for a 5 yard touchdown pass. But, the Bills’ kickoff went out of bounds and Kansas City started from their own 40 yard line. Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs’ clutch quarterback, then led KC on a 60 yard march culminating in a TD toss to Tyreek Hill to take the lead by 4 with only 40 seconds remaining. Amazingly, however, Allen drove the Bills down the field . . . but, on the game’s final play from the Chiefs’ 36 yard line, he hit Diggs on a pass, but he was tackled at the KC 14 yard line as time expired. Probably the BEST game of my tournament so far, as the Chiefs head to the Super Bowl to take on the Packers!

Despite the final score, this game was pretty close most of the way. In fact, it was tied 31-31 with 12:00 left to play! But Aaron Rodgers showed his MVP form in the final quarter, finding Marquez Valdes-Scantling for 75 and 35 yard TD tosses as the Packers clinched a spot in the Super Bowl!!

A very important part of my replays are the dice-rolls that set my starting lineups and let me know who is out for the game. And, for the four teams still remaining, this can be a critical step. So, here are the players out with injuries for my two Championship Games:

ARIZONA: Kenyon Drake (RB)

GREEN BAY: Alan Lazard (WR), David Bakhtiari (T), Dean Lowery (DE), Kenny Clark (NT)

KANSAS CITY: Sammy Watkins (WR), Mitchell Schwartz (T), Anthony Hitchens (LB)

BUFFALO: John Brown (WR), Ed Oliver (DT), Jerry Hughes (DE)

Also, and this is kind of fun . . . these four teams feature perhaps the BEST wide receivers in the card set! DeAndre Hopkins (Cardinals), DaVante Adams (Packers), Tyreek Hill (Chiefs) & Stefon Diggs (Bills). Each of them is a 5-rated receiver with an A* receiving rating!!

The final team to qualify for a conference championship – the Bills – easily defeat the Ravens behind Devin Singletary andJosh Allen, who each turned in supurb offensive performances. Buffalo will now host the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game!

In yet another nail-biter, the Packers vanquish the Rams on a late Aaron Jones TD run to move into the NFC Championship Game where they will host the Arizona Cardinals.