The Championship Games. The two games that decide who goes to the “promise land” and who is sent off packing. Every drive matters, every play matters. There are just four teams, and only two can move on.
Here is the recap of the AFC and NFC Championship games:
Patriots vs. Broncos: Jarett Stidham. This is the name that would be repeated over and over again prior to the game being played. Denver Broncos’ QB Bo Nix had previously gotten injured in the Divisional Game against the Buffalo Bills, which would give Jarrett Stidham his fifth start in his six-year career. And very early on in this game against the MVP Candidate-led QB, Drake Maye, and the New England Patriots. Stidham showcased why he was given a chance to prove himself, as he made a fifty-yard throw to WR Marvin Mims Jr. to set up the Broncos in good field position early. Later on, he made a touchdown throw rolling right and throwing the ball on the run to WR Courtland Sutton to put the Broncos up 7-0 to begin the game. The Patriots had nothing going for them at all throughout the beginning of the game. Then everything changed in the second quarter. Stidham stepped back in the pocket and rolled left as he was being chased by the Patriots’ defense when he threw a backwards pass that would lead to a fumble. The Patriots would quickly drive down the field as Maye would proceed to run the ball seven yards into the endzone to tie the game up, making it 7-7.
The second half was all defense; however, as the defense picked up the intensity, the weather became a major factor in the game. Nobody could move the ball at all as the matchup became very slow. After multiple missed kicks on both sides of the field, kicker Andy Borragales knocked down a very close 23-yard field goal to put the Patriots up 10-7 in the final quarter of the game. The Broncos had one last chance to put points on the board when Jarrett Stidham threw a pass that would fall into the hands of CB Christian Gonzalez, which would put the game away. The Patriots are moving on to the Super Bowl and will be going against…
Seahawks vs. Rams: Top offense up against top defense. The stage was set for a great game that included the MVP favorite, QB Matthew Stafford. This was a matchup that would become the exact opposite of the previous game. There were plenty of stars on each team that made this game so exciting to watch. The Seahawks began their campaign with a strong start as QB Sam Darnold would make an exceptional throw to WR Rasheed Shahiid for 51 yards that would set up an early touchdown for Seattle’s RB Kenneth Walker Jr., which would put them up 7-0 in the first quarter. The second quarter would bring a lot more action as more key players began to score, including a TD catch by Rams’ RB Kyren Williams and Seahawks’ star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That kept the game at a steady pace, capping off the half at a one-score game, being 17-13 with Seattle in the lead.
The second half would bring us some incredible action, as it brought excitement right from the jump when punt returner Xavier Smith muffed the ball, giving the Seahawks incredible momentum and eventually putting them up two scores. But the Rams never gave up on this game. They responded with touchdowns of their own whenever Seattle would score, as Matthew Sttaford and WR Puka Nacua would link up and score a TD to end the third quarter at 31-27. In the fourth quarter, the Rams drove the ball all the way down to the opponent’s six-yard line but came up with no points after a seven-minute drive that amounted to nothing after amazing stops by the Seahawks’ defense. Despite all the action in this last quarter, the game ended with the same score. Punching their ticket to Super Bowl LX to go up against the New England Patriots.
This matchup will be a special one. Two teams that have a recent history in the Super Bowl, one of which they previously went up against each other. Two teams that have proved themselves to deserve to be in the big game, one team going up against top offenses throughout the playoffs, and the other going against top defenses. Two teams that were counted out before the beginning of the season, and now have a chance to do what nobody thought was possible.
This Super Bowl rematch is bound to be a great game. Drake Maye vs. Sam Darnold, quarterbacks who have so much to play for. In the end, there is only one winner who can bring a Lombardi Trophy back home. Again, all you have to do is watch.