Championship Game Observations
I watched some of the Broncos-Pats, but Heather had just come home from the states and requested I sit at the table for the (delicious) dinner of grilled sausages and peppers over rice with a very garlicky Caesar salad, so I missed a chunk. I could have eaten in front of the TV, but the truth is I didn’t give that much of a shit about watching the Pats play the Jarrett Stidham Broncos. When I finished it was the fourth quarter, and then Sasha wanted to try and sing some pop songs while I played the guitar.
So I was watching, but also trying to see the chords on the laptop screen she kept turning toward herself for the lyrics, so it was tough. All I can say is there was a lot of snow on the field, neither offense could do anything and neither kicker could make a field goal. It seemed pointless and arbitrary and pretty much any of the AFC playoff teams except the Steelers and Chargers would make just as good a representative.
I caught Rams-Seahawks the next morning, and by contrast that was a great game. It was the rare close game where you felt like both teams were good, and one of them had to outlast the other, but it would be earned. The only negatives were (1) I can’t bash Sam Darnold anymore or crow about how the idiot midwits wanted him over Saquon Barkley. Yes, it’s eight years later, but no denying Darnold had the talent even if the Jets (and probably the Giants had they taken him) had zero chance of getting it out of him; and (2) Now Erickson is the favorite in our four teams bet as he has the Seahawks.
The Broncos would have won with Bo Nix. And they’d have a better chance in the Super Bowl than the Pats IMO.
The Patriots still trust Rhamondre Stevenson, despite the early-season fumbles, much more than TreVeyon Henderson.
Drake Maye’s biggest plays were with his legs, including the game-sealing scramble for a first down. The conditions will be better in the Super Bowl, but the opposing defense just as good.
The field goal by which the Patriots won barely made it through. The other four field goal attempts (two more by each team) were missed.
The Pats only TD was after a fumble recovery on the Broncos’ 12 yard line.
The Broncos were lucky to have beaten the Bills anyway.
I felt the Rams blew this game at the end of the first half. They were up 13-10 and forced a punt with 1:41 left in the second quarter. The first play was a hand-off that went for five yards, and it seemed they were being conservative, trying to run clock and go into the half with a lead, maybe play for a field goal. But then they had two incomplete passes, stopping the clock, punted it back to Seattle who drove down for a quick TD to go up 17-13. Either follow up the run with two more runs, or throw on first down. Be aggressive or run clock, but make up your mind.
The other big play was the muffed punt in the second half that led to another Seattle TD. The returner slipped but once he did, he should have rolled out of the way. Slipping on a punt is no big deal as long as you don’t touch it! (Just watched the replay again, and it was pretty bang-bang, the slip and the ball arriving, but should have bailed the second he lost his footing.)
I felt like the muffed punt was offset by a taunting call that kept a Rams drive alive and led to a TD. It was after a third-down incompletion that would have resulted in a punt, so it was basically a turnover. Why the NFL allows taunting to affect real game results is baffling. Fine a guy, electroshock his nuts, whatever, but for the love of God do not decide games based on taunting.
Stafford and Darnold both had monster games against good defenses. Darnold took a few big sacks, but no picks, and he fell on a bad snap quickly in the first half.
JSN and Puka Nacua also showcased themselves massively in this spot. It was obvious why they were WR1 and WR2 this year.
Kenny Walker looked like a quicker mini Derrick Henry in the first half, just running over and through people, but got slowed down in the second.
The Super Bowl line opened at 4.5. I thought it would be Pats +7, and am almost certainly taking Seattle which has the better defense.