NFL Conference Championship Recap: Return of the Dynasties
We now have our Super Bowl LX matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, but more on that later. How did both teams get there?
Let’s start with the AFC Championship:
In a game where the field was covered with snow, offense was basically non-existent. Both Drake Maye and Jarrett Stidham had a hard time throwing the ball in these conditions. Maye only had 86 passing yards and was 10-21 in completions. Stidham threw for 133 yards and a touchdown but had a game costly interception. He was 17-31 in completions.
So, both teams had to rely on their defenses and the run game, and that is where the key indicator came out. The Patriots run game faired better led by Rhamondre Stevenson and…Maye? Yes, Maye rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown. Stevenson also rushed for 71 yards with 25 carries.
The Patriots defense also hit Stidham seven times in the game with three sacks. Christian Gonzalez got the lone interception. The Patriots also recovered a fumble from Stidham.
However, the game could have looked differently, as both kickers struggled as well. The Patriots’ Andy Borregales went 1/3 in field goals while Denver’s Will Lutz went 0/2.
The big question is would have the game gone differently had Bo Nix played? Personally, I don’t think that differently. Despite the conditions, the Patriots running attack and Maye’s adaptability would have probably outlasted any momentum the Broncos would gather. Nix is talented, but I think the Broncos defense had a tough time containing that rushing attack.
NFC Championship
Unlike the other game, this one had loads of offense. Matthew Stafford threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns while Sam Darnold threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns. Both quarterbacks were pretty even, and the same could be said about the overall game since the final score was 31-27. Both rushing attacks struggled to get something going although Kenneth Walker III found the endzone. Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Puka Nacua were also neck-in-neck in the receiving race. Smith-Njigba had 10 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown while Nacua had nine receptions for 165 yards and a touchdown.
Both teams were also balanced in their turnovers as the Rams only lost a fumble and the Seahawks lost none. The Seahawks defense barely got to Stafford but the Rams did get to Darnold several times (three sacks and seven hits.)
In the end, the Rams just ran out of time. When they got the ball in the fourth quarter, they couldn’t convert on downs with 7:24 left. When they got the ball again with just 25 seconds left on the clock, a game-winning drive looked promising, as Stafford connected with Nacua twice for 20 yards each, but on the second time, Nacua went down in bounds and the Rams could not hurry up to the line in time and thus the clock ended it.
See you for the Super Bowl preview!
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