NFL Divisional Playoff Round Filled with Excitement

By Ethan Carey, Sports Editor

There wasn’t a dull moment during the entire weekend for the NFL as the divisional round of the playoffs saw each game with either a large upset or a controversial moment.

To start the weekend, the San Fransico 49ers matched up against the Minnesota Vikings, where the 49ers were able to squeak away a 27-10 victory that many people could have seen coming. However, absolutely no one expected the results of what happened during the Tennessee Titans vs. Baltimore Ravens matchup.

Starting quarterback for the Ravens, Lamar Jackson, threw two interceptions during the game, and it seemed like when he was able to target a receiver, they seemed to drop the ball. On the other side of the game, the defense just was unable to stop Titans running back Derrick Henry.

“Lamar’s performance was up to his standards. He was playing scared since how big this game was. It seemed like he gave up after throwing those two picks. Derek Henry is an absolute tank the man is just unfair to play against and is just getting it done every week,” senior Ethan Larson said.

Senior Myles Derbigney seemed to describe Jackson’s way of play perfectly.

“Lamar Jackson’s way of play is gonna MVPs not championships,” Derbigney said.

To start the games on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs put together an amazing rally against the Houston Texans, where the finished the game with a score of 51-31, putting them into the next round. Many fans believed in the Chiefs even though they were down in the first quarter and almost knew that they would come back at any moment.

“Yes, I did believe in them. They played playoff football game was on the line, and they did what they needed to do to win,” Larson said.

Sunday night came with some controversy as the Green Bay Packers were able to put a stop to the Seattle Seahawks on a couple of questionable calls from the referees.

The game finished on what most say was a bad call and, without a doubt, will be talked about going into next weekend. One of Green Bay’s tight ends was tackled on a third-down play, and if they were able to make it to the first down marker, the game would be over. That is exactly what it seemed like on real-time coverage, but when the audience was shown the replay, many were shocked to see that he might not have gotten the first down. The call on the field stood in the end, and it was very upsetting to many fans.

“The call was awful because he was clearly short a couple of inches where the ball was. Just hate to see the Packers get these calls coming out of the NFC North,” Larson said.

On the other hand, Packers fans were just happy that they were able to squeak out the win and live on to play another weekend.

“I’m really happy the Packers were able to pull off a big-time win, and I hope that they still have enough in them and win the whole thing,” senior Iza Batorowicz said.

The NFC Championship game will be played between the 49ers and the Packers, while the AFC championship game will be a dogfight between the Titans and the Chiefs, and both games should be just as exciting as the last few.