A Giants Fan’s Nightmare: A Recap of the 2024-25 NFL Playoffs
The Los Angeles Rams lost to the Philadelphia Eagles during a snowy game at Lincoln Financial Field. (Eric Hartline/Imagn Images)
By John Towey, Staff Writer
Well, at least the NFC Championship isn’t the Cowboys and the Eagles. I hope both teams lose, maybe we can make the Bengals honorary NFC champions. Unfortunately, that’s probably not happening, so let’s take a look back at what’s gone down in the NFL playoffs and what to expect from the conference championship games.
Wild Card
Wild Card Weekend kicked off with the Houston Texans soundly defeating Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers 32-12. Climbing back from a 6-0 deficit, the Texans had a dominant defensive performance and are the first team ever to block and return a PAT in the playoffs.
The Saturday Night game featured the Baltimore Ravens putting an end to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ miserable late-season losing streak. The Steelers are a cautionary tale for teams stuck in QB no-man’s land. Teams can get creative and sign mid-level QBs to lead them to modest success in the regular season, but at the end of the day Russell Wilson isn’t winning another ring without a time machine. The Ravens won 28-14.
Sunday football kicked off with the Buffalo Bills trouncing the Denver Broncos 31-7. Rookie Broncos QB Bo Nix showed a lot of promise and led an impressive opening drive but the Bills were just an all around better team. I wouldn’t count out the Broncos for a deep playoff run next year.
The Eagles had absolutely no business beating the Green Bay Packers. The game started off with the refs ruling the Eagles recovered the knocked out ball during a Green Bay return despite video clearly showing the Packers recovering. Eagles OC Kellen Moore’s play calling was about as creative as a 7-year-old playing Madden; Packers DBs were on the Eagles wideouts the entire game. Green Bay’s offense showed clear signs of struggle with several wide receivers injured and was no match for Philly’s dominant defense. The Eagles ultimately triumphed 22-10. As a side note, the only thing more abhorrent than Philadelphia’s passing attack was Tom Brady’s “commentary” (if you can call it that).
The Washington Commanders lucked themselves into a 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A crucial fourth-quarter turnover cost the Buccaneers the game, and rookie QB Jayden Daniels proved that he could compete against a high level defense in the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Rams continued their hot streak and Vikings QB Sam Darnold continued his regression back to his New York Jets form. It was like witnessing the second coming of Daniel Jones, who ironically is also on the Vikings roster, watching Darnold hold on to the ball for too long and take sacks. Unfortunately, some quarterbacks just cannot compete when the lights are brightest. Rookie Rams DE and DROY candidate Jared Verse showed off his speed with an impressive scoop and score after a Darnold strip sack. The Rams won the game 27-9.
Divisional
Rested and relaxed after 24 days off, the Kansas City Chiefs staved off the Houston Texans 23-14, with some help from the refs, of course. Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo, who should be the first HOF assistant coach, called a brilliant game and made short work of CJ Stroud and Houston’s shaky offensive line. On the opposite side of the ball, the Kansas City offense seems to be playing “good enough,” benefiting from some questionable roughing the passer calls, and Travis Kelce is always somehow open.
The Washington Commanders shockingly upset the #1 seed Detroit Lions 45-31. Jayden Daniels was nothing short of incredible and balances being an athletic runner while also being a skilled passer. A major factor in the loss, aside from turnovers, was Lions DC Aaron Glenn’s stubborn refusal to stop calling blitzes, which would leave his cornerbacks on islands, and instead switch to zone coverage. With a skillset like that, he will be a great fit as the New York Jets head coach.
The Eagles were bailed out by running back Saquon Barkley in their narrow 28-22 victory over the Rams. Philly’s defense was undaunted by the absence of LB Nakobe Dean and was able to stop the Rams on a late fourth-quarter drive. Concerns should be mounting for Jalen Hurts, however. Missing a wide open WR and being too slow to throw the ball away, Hurts took a sack that resulted in a safety, almost giving the Rams a chance for a comeback.
It would be unfair to say that the Bills beat the Ravens because the Ravens really beat themselves. Lamar Jackson had two turnovers, and Mark Andrews dropped a game-tying two point conversion. Buffalo won 27-25.
Conference
This Sunday, the Washington Commanders will travel to face their divisional rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. I would expect Saquon Barkley to play a strong game against the Commanders and for the Eagles to ultimately triumph and advance to Super Bowl LIX. While another upset for Jayden Daniels is not entirely out of the question, it will likely be more difficult against Vic Fangio’s top-ranked defense.
The Buffalo Bills face the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship. I think that Buffalo will narrowly defeat the Chiefs thanks to a strong rushing attack with James Cook and Josh Allen. However, with the talented coaches and players on Kansas City’s roster, it is impossible to count them out until the game clock ticks to zero.
