NFL Review: Championship Weekend
Well! We finally know our Super Bowl 56 Matchup… and who had THIS at the start of the season? Not me and, considering the Bengals were 150/1 to win the whole thing at the start of the season, likely not you either! So-Fi Stadium’s home team will be there, and we’ll get to the Rams, but the headline is obvious. The Cinderella story continues for the Tigers from Ohio… The Cincinnati Bengals are back in the Big Game.
Joe Burrow Delivers The Miracle For Cincinnati
One week removed from the consensus “best game ever,” all of us who had the take of “That was the Super Bowl,” have been made to look like IDIOTS. The Bills couldn’t beat the Chiefs, even with a lead with 13 seconds left on the clock… but the Cincinnati Bengals, who – not that you need reminding – hadn’t won a playoff game since before the advent of text messaging, managed to do it.
No Playoff wins in 30 years? How’s about 3 in a row and a berth in the Super Bowl to make up for it? They’re dancing in the streets of Ohio today. The Bills lost the toss and never saw the ball again. The Bengals lost the toss… got a stop… drove down the field… and won the game. No controversy about Overtime rules this week!
And this was no fluke! I mean… the Bengals were down 21-3! The 18 point comeback tied the record for the biggest comeback in any Title game in NFL History (Peyton Manning’s Colts in 2006 vs the Patriots), and proved that Zac Taylor and his coaching staff are absolutely unbelievable at in-game adjustments. In Week 17, the Bengals were down 11 points at half time against the Chiefs, and came back to win.
Yesterday, lightning struck again. The stand at the goal line right before half time that kept the deficit to 11pts, and gave the Bengals all the momentum, proved a huge turning point. Had Andy Reid elected to kick the field goal there, things may have been different, but who can blame him for giving Patrick Mahomes a chance to score another Touchdown? Being up 18 at half time would have made a massive difference.
The second half? That was Joe Burrow’s time to shine. What a performance. Burrow had one of his main weapons (CJ Uzomah) go down early in the first half, but still managed to find Tee Higgins for over 100 yards, and Ja’Marr Chase for a crucial late Touchdown.
Burrow has completely and utterly revolutionised this team, this franchise, and the fortunes of the Bengals. Lest we not forget, Burrow got injured yes, but the Bengals had just 4 wins last season. CLEARLY, drafting Chase – an All-Pro as a Rookie – makes a humongous difference, but Burrow has clearly unified and inspired this locker room to the point that they have hugely outperformed the sum of their parts.
Cincy’s defense really stepped up; it looked like the Chiefs were going to score Touchdowns at will early on, but the Bengals stiffened, and limited the Chiefs to just 3 points from after the 5 minute mark in the SECOND quarter. Two Interceptions of Mahomes, and number of big sacks (Hendrickson is incredible), and the key stop on the final drive of regulation to force the game-tying field goal, rather than allowing the game-ending touchdown.
Burrow has the chance to become the first player ever to win a Heisman, NCAA National Championship AND a Super Bowl… and he would have done it all within a 3 year span. Simply incredible. Yes, Mahomes is the face of the league, one defeat doesn’t change that, but this was a HUGE statement from Burrow and the Bengals. This will not be a flash in the pan team. The Bengals are legit, and will fly on the wings of Evan McPherson’s 2nd straight game-winning Field Goal into the Super Bowl in two weeks.
The Chiefs will undoubtably be back, but this was deservedly Burrow’s night. We should have known when we saw the way he got off the plane. JB9 is the truth.
Stafford Gives McVay His 2nd Chance At The Super Bowl
As happy as I am for Joe Burrow and the Bengals, I’m equally elated for Matthew Stafford. He’s certainly a Hall of Fame QB in terms of his stats, but before this year he was missing that true deep Playoff run to push himself firmly into the conversation as one of the greatest QBs ever… He now has the chance to secure that legacy with a Super Bowl championship, at home, in LA, in two weeks.
The Rams finally broke the hoodoo that the San Francisco 49ers had over them, having lost the last 6 straight to Kyle Shanahan’s men, and vaulted Sean McVay’s guys back to their 2nd Super Bowl in 4 years. You’d have to assume they’ll score more than 3 points this time around… This Rams offense, led by Stafford, is a different animal this time around.
Cooper Kupp, as expected, did his thing – two touchdowns, and his 13th game of 100+ yards this season, which is an all-time NFL record – but let that not detract from the performance of the guys around him as well, especially Kendall Blanton, in for the stricken Tyler Higbee, and Odell Beckham Jr. OBJ has had his critics, and they have – at times – had a point. But, and this is where it’s not good for the Browns and Baker Mayfield, anybody who suggested that he had “lost a step” or wasn’t the calibre of playmaker he once was has been well and truly silenced.
OBJ has added another dimension to this Rams offense, stepping into the void left after Robert Woods went down. Browns fans… I feel for you. Cheering either OBJ or the Bengals in the Super Bowl? It might be better just to pretend this Super Bowl isn’t happening… But Beckham and Kupp both eclipsing 100 receiving yards is not a good sign for the Bengals, or any team who has to face the Rams next season. They have two legitimate number 1 WRs rolling on this team.
But it was the defense of the Rams that really made the plays to win this game. Trailing 17-7 in the 4th Quarter, the offense came alive, but the defense turned it up to the max. Aaron Donald deserves another chance at the Super Bowl. Von Miller – a former Super Bowl MVP – has now ended up there after extricating himself from the Broncos mid-season.
Jalen Ramsey gets his first crack at the big one too. All three were heavily influential in getting the ball back to Matthew Stafford, and eventually closing the door on the Niners. Travin Howard was the recipient of Jimmy G’s heave, but the pressure created by Donald and the rest of the defensive front forced the 49ers QB to give the game away. The Rams defensive line will be licking their lips at the prospect of going up against the Bengals’ who gave up 9 sacks to the Titans just last weekend…
But I’d be remiss to not touch on the other side of this game, even if it’s to sit on my high horse and yell “I told you so!” loudly at anybody who walks past. Jimmy Garoppolo had the ball, with less than 2 minutes to go, with the chance to drive down the field and win the game… and threw the back-breaking interception we all knew he would. Yep, he was under pressure. Yep, he was under duress. Yep, he tried to make a play to save the game. But… he still threw the interception that we KNEW was coming. It’s nothing personal, but Garoppolo has proven time and time again to be the key element to beating the 49ers. Let him hand you the game.
Shanahan himself will have some evaluating to do… choosing to punt on 4th and 2 (after taking a delay of game to 4th and 7) rather than going for it which may have allowed them to ice the game had they been successful. The Niners had an unbelievable run to get to this stage – special shoutout to Deebo Samuel who had an incredible year, and George Kittle who is always great to watch – but the Niners fell short of their own 2nd Super Bowl in 3 years.
Shanahan and Garoppolo have had a very impressive run of winning games… but I am yet to see anything that makes me believe Jimmy G can win THE game on the biggest stage. Is this the start of the Trey Lance era? Feels like it might be. As the Niners head back to San Francisco to discuss that, the Rams get to stay home and plan for a party. They just need to beat the Bengals now.
Quick Hits: Retirements And Hirings Edition
- Tom Brady tortured me as a Dolphins fan across multiple decades, but how can you not respect him? If you haven’t yet watched “Man in the Arena” on ESPN+, do it now. It’s brilliant. It also continues the extremely annoying trend from the last few years of Tom Brady becoming more and more likeable… to the point where… I’m almost sad that this appears to be the end of the road?! Am I a glutton for emotional punishment? Maybe. But it will feel weird as hell watching the NFL next year without Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (Through gritted teeth) Congratulations on an incredible career. Or is this all a rope-a-dope?
- Quite funny that Brady’s “retirement” has completely over-shadowed that of Big Ben. Tough timing for Roethlisberger. He himself will likely end up as a Hall of Famer in a few years, and will be beloved in Pittsburgh forever.
- Let the “will he or won’t he” carousel start again for Aaron Rodgers. Listening to his most recent interview on the Pat McAfee Show, I feel like he will likely return to Green Bay, but with the cap gymnastics they’re going to have to try and pull off, there’s no doubt that a trade is realistic too. Where? Denver? Maybe. I’d be stunned if Rodgers (as the presumptive back-to-back MVP) retired.
- But with Denver having hired Nathaniel Hackett (former Packers’ Offensive Coordinator), who Rodgers is on record as saying he hoped didn’t go anywhere, could they actually have a shot at landing the Packers’ start QB?! Feels like they have vaulted themselves to the top of the list of possible candidates.
- Bears are back? Ryan Poles joins Chicago as GM following a successful tenure as an assistant GM in Kansas City, plus former Colts’ D-Coordinator Matt Eberflus joins as Head Coach. A strong defensive mind to try and rebuild this Bears team.
- The Las Vegas… Patriots!? Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels both join from New England as GM and Head Coach respectively. Harsh on Rich Bisaccia to not get the job. Really hope someone else gives him a shot elsewhere.
- And the New York… Bills?! Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll will lead the rebuild in the Meadowlands and attempt to mould Daniel Jones into a 2nd Josh Allen. Not sure how I feel about their chances.
- Sean Payton has stepped away from the New Orleans Saints. Seen a lot of people suggesting this is a one year sabbatical with the hope of taking over the Dallas Cowboys 12 months from now. Don’t be so sure McCarthy will be gone a year from now. Payton will probably go on to have a very successful stint on television, but would 100% be a hot candidate for any team after a proven, potentially Hall of Fame calibre coach.
- AND… The Miami Dolphins are set to appoint Jim Harbaugh from Michigan if reports today are to be believed. This would be a huge surprise but a potentially great hire for the Dolphins, getting a great football mind who has been to a Super Bowl before. The Flores firing was still weird… but Harbaugh’s hiring would be huge statement for the Fins.
Super Bowl Preview
This – hopefully – will be a great game. Certainly, there’s no shortage of storylines heading into So-Fi stadium 13 days from now. I’ll be straight with you – I’ll ABSOLUTELY be cheering for Joe Burrow in the Bengals. I think everyone other than Rams fans, other AFC North fans, and Lions fans (loyalty to Stafford) will be cheering for Cincinnati. A funny aside – the TV ratings in Detroit yesterday were HIGHER for this Rams game than the Lions’ own Thanksgiving game this year. Amazing.
Anyway, we’re onto Cincinnati… The Cinderella run is almost complete. This would be the most miraculous Super Bowl win since… the Giants in ‘07 when they beat the unbeaten Patriots?! Probably. Burrow vs Stafford is just the 2nd matchup of former #1 Overall Draft Picks, following on from Peyton vs Cam Newton a few years back. Stafford was saddled with Detroit for so long… finally has a chance to win one. Burrow is the up-and-coming Franchise stud, with the chance to complete the most remarkable 3 year period for a young Quarterback ever.
It promises to be an absolutely electric event… and I haven’t even MENTIONED the Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg/Eminem/Mary J Blige/Kendrick Lamar Half Time Show! Unreal. I am… SO excited for this game. Let’s go Bengals, but I’ll be happy for Stafford, Donald and the Rams if they get it done too. Ah. As always, I’m @CallumJDSquires on Twitter and Instagram, come tell me why I’m wrong about Jimmy G. Spoiler: I’m not. Peace and love always. Cheers.
