After a topsy-turvy wild-card weekend, NFL order was restored in the divisional round, with the higher seeds advancing. Until Sunday night, that is, when the No. 5-seeded Rams edged the Bears in overtime after yet another fourth-quarter comeback by Cardiac Caleb Williams. That sets up a final four featuring the Rams against the Seahawks and the Patriots against the Broncos.
The divisional round wasn’t always pretty, with plenty of turnovers and the stunning loss of Denver quarterback Bo Nix to a season-ending ankle injury, but it certainly was dramatic.
Here are my takeaways from the weekend.
1. Josh Allen melts down against the Broncos
The reigning MVP was expected to finish his season standing under a confetti shower in Santa Clara after guiding the Bills to a Super Bowl win. Those dreams will be deferred for at least another year after Allen failed miserably with a four-turnover effort against the Broncos.
The All-Pro’s impressive stat line — 25-for-39 for 283 yards with three touchdowns, plus 66 rushing yards on 12 attempts — suggests he played winning football. But he finished the game with a pair of interceptions and two lost fumbles that led to nine points for Denver. The self-inflicted errors prevented the Bills from dominating the scoreboard and, combined with a few Allen misfires, turned a game that should have been a Buffalo blowout into a nail-biter that ended in an overtime loss.
As a result, Bills coach Sean McDermott was fired Monday morning after nine seasons.
On Saturday, Buffalo controlled the game from the start, with Allen & Co. moving the ball up and down the field at will until James Cook’s fumble deep in Broncos’ territory flipped the game’s momentum. With Allen’s back-to-back fumbles enabling Denver to stretch the lead from 17-10 to 23-10 in the third quarter, the MVP helped gift-wrap the game to a team that was struggling to find an offensive rhythm.
Despite Allen’s late-game heroics to help the Bills climb back into the contest, his deep miss to Dawson Knox and the controversial interception by Ja’Quan McMillan will haunt a team that seems perpetually haunted.
Now, Allen and the Bills will start over with a new coach.
2. Mike Macdonald cracks the 49ers’ code
After watching Kyle Shanahan’s whiteboard wizardry light up scoreboards across the league for the past decade, coaches and scouts will closely examine the game tape from this NFC divisional matchup to see how the Seahawks shut down the 49ers’ lethal offense.
From the opening snap to the final whistle, the Seahawks issued an old-school whipping on the 49ers that will leave lasting scars on their division rival. The speed, physicality and violence exhibited by Mike Macdonald’s defense overwhelmed an offense that was missing All-Pro tight end George Kittle and lost do-everything back Christian McCaffrey and backup tight end Jake Tonges to injuries during the contest.
Seattle’s swarming defense shut down one of the NFL’s best offenses in the NFC divisional round. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
While their absences contributed to San Francisco’s ineffectiveness, Seattle’s swarming defense squashed the running game and made life miserable for Brock Purdy & Co. through the air. The persistent pressure and constant harassment forced the 49ers quarterback into a subpar performance (15-of-27 for 140 yards with an interception and a fumble) that we have rarely witnessed from the fourth-year pro.
The creative pre-snap shifts and motions from exotic formations didn’t faze a defense that seemingly had all the answers to the test. The Seahawks also effectively matched the 49ers’ intricate route combinations with minimal misalignments or blown assignments.
Considering the Seahawks surrendered just 26 points to San Francisco in three matchups this season, the game tape from these battles will serve as teaching tape for defensive coordinators prepping for the 49ers next season.
3. What happened to C.J. Stroud?
It is rare for an Offensive Rookie of the Year to fall off the cliff immediately after reaching superstardom, but the Texans’ quarterback looks nothing like the passing phenom who took the league by storm in 2023.
Stroud has become a tentative turnover machine in the playoffs, exhibiting questionable judgment, accuracy and ball security from the pocket. He finished the postseason with five interceptions and five fumbles (two lost) in two games, leading to long-term questions about his status and impending contract extension.
Against the Patriots, Stroud’s turnover woes and poor performance should have led to a second-half benching. The former Pro Bowler single-handedly dashed the Texans’ title hopes with a disappointing performance — 20-of-47 for 212 yards with a touchdown pass, four interceptions and three sacks — that looked even worse than the stat line.
From his worm burners to his egregious overthrows, Stroud repeatedly missed open receivers on high school-level tosses to the perimeter. Additionally, he could not find the strike zone on multiple in-breaking routes that bounced off receivers and/or defenders in the area. With Patriots defenders aggressively jumping routes at intermediate range due to Stroud’s hesitation and uncertainty, Houston’s offense stalled under the young quarterback’s direction.
While the Texans’ executives and scouts will extend some grace to a quarterback who showed top-five ability as a rookie, the disappointing playoff run will make it harder to ignore his subpar 2024 and 2025 seasons.
4. The Rams’ defensive grit shows up in the clutch
If you have watched the Rams this season, you have seen Sean McVay’s squad chalk up a few ugly wins along the way. Despite scoring 30 or more points in nine of their 12 wins, the Rams are comfortable playing in low-scoring contests that require the defense to lead the way.
Against the Bears on Sunday, the defense was up to the task, with Matthew Stafford & Co. unable to find a rhythm against Chicago defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s aggressive approach. The unit’s inconsistent production forced Rams DC Chris Shula to paint a masterpiece against a red-hot offense that routinely catches fire in the fourth quarter.
Shula, a second-year playcaller and emerging head coach candidate, was on his game. He utilized soft zones and selective pressures to disrupt Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ rhythm. Shula dialed up a few winners in pivotal situations to get off the field on Chicago’s fourth-down gambles, while also producing three turnovers against a talented gunslinger.
Rams cornerback Cobie Durant had two of three interceptions of Bears QB Caleb Williams in L.A.’s divisional round OT win. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Although the defense must learn from the late-game miscue that enabled Williams to heave a desperation touchdown at the end of regulation, the unit’s bounce-back performance in overtime speaks volumes about its collective mental toughness.
With a chance to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LX on the road, the Rams will need another A-plus defensive performance against the Seahawks to claim the NFC title.
Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He also breaks down the game for NFL Network and as a cohost of the “Moving the Sticks” podcast. Follow him on Twitter @BuckyBrooks.
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