NFL Playoffs- Rested Home Teams Capture NFL Divisional Games

All bye teams win and only New Orleans fails to cover.

All four teams that had the previous weekend to rest and prepare won the four divisional games this weekend and the top two seeds in each conference advance to the AFC and NFC Championship games.

KC 31- Indianapolis 13

In a snowy, chilly Saturday in Kansas City, the #1 seeded Chiefs rocketed out to an early 17-0 lead, scoring on their first three possessions, over Indianapolis with long scoring drives featuring TD runs by Damian Williams and Tyreek Hill. But the surprising story was not the high powered KC offense, but the fierce KC defense, who held the Colts to 4 consecutive three-and-outs to start the game. The score was 24-7 at the half (the Colts blocked a punt for a TD) and this game was history. KC had double the time of possession and Indy was 0-9 on third down.

The Chiefs had lost six straight home playoff games but Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes executed a masterful game plan to thwart any hopes of a Colts comeback. Travis Kelce (7-108) and Hill (108 total yards) could not be stopped. The Chiefs will host the Patriots Sunday after New England slaughtered the Chargers Sunday.
As we wagered on KC minus the 5 points, Saturday got off to a rousing start for the Head Bozo. Cha-ching!

LA Rams 30- Dallas 22

In the second game Saturday night, the second seeded LA Rams ran roughshod over the Dallas Cowboys to move on to the NFC Championship game against the Saints. Dallas scored the first TD to take a 7-3 lead but CJ Anderson and Todd Gurley stuffed the ball down the throats of the Dallas defense scoring 20 unanswered points. Anderson (2 TDs) and Gurley (1 TD) both ran for over 100 yards. At 30-15 late in the final quarter, Dallas scored a late TD but the Rams never allowed the Cowboys to get back in this one. LA won their first playoff game in 14 years as Rams Head Coach Sean McVay prepared a near flawless game plan. The second team with the bye week dominates their opponent!
Bozos cashed with the Rams minus the 7, things were looking pretty, pretty good until…..Sunday arrived.

NE 41- LA Chargers 28

Idiot Bozo thought Phillip Rivers and the Chargers would come in to Foxboro and defeat the Patriots. Sure, give Tom Brady and Bill Belichick two weeks to prepare! Sure take young Head Coach Anthony Lynn against the most successful Head coach in NFL history! What a joke this was! The Patriots scored TDs on their first four possessions with Brady meticulously picking apart a formerly formidable Charger defense on almost every play. RB James White had 15 receptions, Edelman added nine more. But it was the run game that opened up everything on this Sunday in the Northeast. Sony Michel barreled his way for 129 yards and 3 TDs. Charger defensive coordinator was so overmatched by Coach Belichick it was monumentally pathetic. Gus had no answers! The Pats improved to 9-0 at home. New England advances to their eighth straight AFC Championship game and 13th overall with Bill and Tom. Oh and Brady is now 8-0 vs. Rivers. Brady threw for his 15th postseason 300 yard game. The Chargers hopes for their first AFC title game since 2007 were dashed early. With a 35-7 halftime lead, all coach Bill had to do was bleed the clock until the LA misery was over. A third rested home team taking advantage of the extra week off to prepare.

The # 2 seed Patriots now venture to KC as 3 point underdogs against the Patrick Mahomes led Chiefs. NE nipped KC at Foxboro this season in week 6, 43-40 in a barn-burner.

After this handicapping debacle, things only worsened in the afternoon game.

New Orleans 20- Philadelphia 14

The Bozos were sensing a trend here with the home top seeds dominating this round. So, of course, take the best team in the NFC giving up 8 points against the #6 seed Eagles, who needed two lucky bounces to win the wild card game by a point in Chicago. And NO smacked Philly 48-7 in November. So what happens? Philly jumps out to a 14-0 lead on two drives of 76 and 75 yards. Well, you knew Drew Brees was going to mount a comeback and the Saints defense would toughen, so the Saints shook off the rust and mounted a couple of late drives of their own and cut the Eagles lead to 14-10 at the half. On their first TD drive, Sean Payton called for and succeeded on a fake punt on 4th down from their own 30. Eagle Coach Doug Pedersen had an option to make it 3rd an 11 as there was a holding penalty on the preceding play. It would’ve backed up NO to their 18. The Saints eventually scored on 4th and goal from the 2.

After a 3rd quarter TD from Brees to Thomas gave the Saints their first lead 17-14 and a FG to make it 20-14 with 10:28 to go, the Saints had a chance to ice the game with a FG with 3:08 to go. 23-14, and a cover, right? Nope, wide right. Cover blown. Back to the game. Foles matriculates down the field and with 2 minutes to go, in scoring position on the NO 27, Foles fires a strike to Alshon Jeffries that goes right through his hands and is intercepted by Marcus Lattimore. Run out the clock. Game over. Defending champs out! The #1 seeded Saints host the Rams next Sunday as home favorites by 3 points for supremacy in the NFC.

So, after an easy Saturday and a Sunday early game wagering blunder, HB is shot down by a missed FG where we have the winner but not the cover.

-HB