NFC Championship
An NFC East showdown for a trip to New Orleans featuring the NFL’s hottest running back and the NFL’s hottest young quarterback? Sign me up! And sign me up specifically on Sunday at 3 pm ET/Noon PT on FOX.
The Washington Commanders shocked the world – shocked may be strong but many were surprised – and beat the Lions at Ford Field for a trip to Philadelphia and the NFC Championship to face their division foe, the Eagles.
The Eagles squeaked by the Rams. Philly QB Jalen Hurts has not been at his best in these playoffs, and now he’s dealing with a left knee injury that could hamper what he can do. Saquon Barkley rushed for 205 yards with two rushing touchdowns against the Rams, so he will be the difference-maker, obviously.
Commanders’ rookie QB Jayden Daniels is playing with the confidence of a four-year veteran, while the Washington defense (hello, Mikey Sainristil) more than held its own against Detroit. Friends, I’m picking the Commanders. #RaiseHail
AFC Championship
On to the AFC Championship game, where the Kansas City Chiefs – who are looking to make history and win three straight Super Bowls – are hosting Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
Buffalo got the better of Kansas City earlier this season but beating them in the postseason has been the problem. This one is going to come down to the turnover battle, as it so often does. Well, that and Patrick Mahomes.
During the regular season, the Bills led the NFL with a plus-24 turnover differential. In the postseason, they are plus three. An injury of note for Buffalo is that safety Taylor Rapp has been ruled out, so it looks like it will be rookie Cole Bishop starting with safety Damar Hamlin.
Back to Mahomes. He is the X-factor in each, and every, game he’s a part of, so it’s hard to pick against him. That being said, it feels like this is the year the Bills get over the beating the Chiefs in the playoffs hump and go to the Super Bowl.
Kickoff is at 6:30 pm ET/3:30 pm PT on CBS/Paramount+.
Pete Carroll and the Las Vegas Raiders
It has been a week of coaching changes and hires in the NFL, with the latest reports being Pete Carroll to the Las Vegas Raiders. I mean, if there was ever a franchise in need of experience and stability, it’s the Raiders.
Per Adam Schefter, it’s a three-year deal with an option for a fourth year. Carroll will be the team’s fifth head coach – including interim head coaches – since 2020. Remember what I said about stability?
The hire means the AFC West has Carroll, Jim Harbaugh (a personal fave), Andy Reid and Sean Payton. It also means the frenemy (or just enemy) exchanges between Carroll and Harbaugh are back. Cinema, as the kids would say.
Recap of the Week in NFL Coaching Hires
For those of you keeping track at home, that’s impressive, the NFL has seen quite a few coaching changes this week.
After a fair amount of drama and will he or won’t he, it turns out Liam Coen will. Set to become the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league with the Bucs, Coen will instead be the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The NFL is truly the best reality TV show there is.
The Saints and the Cowboys are still looking, but here the other teams where the position has been filled:
Patriots – Mike Vrabel
Bears – Ben Johnson
Jets – Aaron Glenn
Changes for the Houston Texans
Per multiple reports, the Houston Texans have fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, as well as offensive line coach Chris Strausser and assistant offensive line coach Cole Popovich. Quarterback C.J. Stroud taking 52 sacks probably contributed to that. He was sacked eight times last week against the Chiefs. That’s brutal.
The Texans did win the AFC South and get to the divisional round of the playoffs, but Stroud, and the offense as a whole, (except Nico Collins, obviously)regressed. Houston was 18th in the league in scoring and 16th in total offense.