J.ROSS: Recapping The NFL Weekend
Jan 15, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Jan 4, 2019, 11:23 am
(Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
Another wildly entertaining weekend for the NFL. It started with the underdog #1 seed Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons. This game was tough to get points but came down to the very end. Philadelphia got enough from Nick Foles and relied on their stellar defense. That defense got stingy late and held off Atlanta who had 4 cracks at winning. The Eagles will host the NFC championship game next weekend and the Eagles will probably have the same blue print this week in hopes of getting to the Super Bowl.
Saturday night’s game seemed the most lopsided and it played out exactly that way. The Titans scored first but that was about all they could hang their hat on. New England dominated the game. The Patriots have owned this weekend for the last 7 seasons and this year was no different. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick ignored the outside noise and just did what they do best. The Patriots are back in the AFC title game and they too will host.
Sunday gave us plenty of drama. The Pittsburgh Steelers wanted the Jacksonville Jaguars. Well, they got them. Jacksonville took advantage of two big Steelers turnovers and lit up the scoreboard all game long. Pittsburgh hung around and nearly pulled off the comeback but they fell short in a quest to get back to New England. The Jaguars are neophytes to this stage of football. They have an old school plan of how to win though. Strong defense and running game and limit the mistakes at quarterback.
Sunday’s final game was filled with amazing moments. The Vikings looked the part of a dominant defense and opportunistic offense. They were rolling and Drew Brees and company looked like they couldn’t catch up. Until they did. The Saints rallied and actually had the game. Until they didn’t. The games final play will be shown for years. I have watched football for a long time and never seen anything quite like that. It was a miracle and the Viking live to see another day.
So now on Sunday we have three newbies and New England. Tom Brady and the Patriots will remain the favorites but it looks like they have some good competition amongst the other three teams. The post-season has been fun so far, let’s hope next Sunday keeps this momentum going.
