MY NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND SUNDAY SIMULATION RESULTS

Following Saturday’s NFL Divisional Round games, I now turn my attention to Sunday’s slate of games which features the Chargers-Patriots and Eagles-Saints.

I rebounded quite nicely from the NFL Wild Card round, correctly predicting both winners of Saturday’s Divisional round. While the scores weren’t an exact match, I did predict that both the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams would win and move on.

The Kansas City Chiefs were in complete control for the entire game, defeating the Colts 31-13. No overtime was needed.

Over in the NFC, I had predicted an 11-point victory for the Rams. It wasn’t quite that much, but the Rams did still win 30-22. What I didn’t predict – and I don’t think anyone saw this coming – was the Rams rushing for over 230 yards as a team.

In any case, both the Chiefs and Rams, two favorites that many had predicted to win the Super Bowl, are moving on. Now we turn our attention towards Sunday’s games to see who will meet them in the respective Conference Championships.

Up first we have Los Angeles Chargers who travel to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots, last year’s Super Bowl losers. As I pointed out, the Chargers are 9-0 on the road this year, but haven’t won in Foxborough since 2005.

For the late afternoon game, we have the Philadelphia Eagles visiting the New Orleans Saints. The Eagles looked like they may not make it out of Soldier Field last week, but some Nick Foles magic and a little bit of luck on the Parkey kick helped last year’s Super Bowl champions advance.

They now face a stiff test against Drew Brees and the Saints. The last time these two teams met was in Week 11, a game in which the Saints won by 41 points.

Let’s see who I think will advance to next week’s Conference Championship games.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 26, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 20 (OT)

It was a relatively quiet first quarter for both teams. However, it was the Chargers who drew first blood. It didn’t come on offense though.

Midway through the first quarter, Michael Davis intercepted Tom Brady on the 30-yard line and returned it for a touchdown. Those were the only points of the first quarter.

It wasn’t much different in the second quarter as both offenses were, again, held out of the end zone. The Chargers intercepted Tom Brady for a second time, allowing them to extend their lead on a 21-yard field goal. Both defenses completely shut down the offenses for the remainder of the first half.

Up 10-0, the Chargers received the ball to start the second half but failed to extend their lead, giving Tom Brady and the Patriots a bit of hope. With new life, the Patriots finally got on the board on a two-yard touchdown run by James White.

Those would be the only points of the third quarter, but a fumble by the Chargers late in the third would give the Patriots the ball back heading into the fourth. Tom Brady down by three in the fourth quarter of a playoff game? This didn’t look good for the Chargers.

As expected, the Patriots took the lead immediately to start the fourth on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Phillip Dorsett. They extended the lead with a field goal on their next possession.

Down by seven with a little over two minutes to play, it was Philip Rivers’ turn to shine on the big stage. He led the Chargers down the field and hooked up with Keenan Allen for a 20-yard touchdown to tie the game at 17.

But this is Tom Brady we’re talking about – the greatest of all time. The Patriots put together their signature two-minute drive, setting up a 36-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski.

Down by three and only 45 seconds on the clock, Rivers rose to the occasion, making up for lost time on all those years of missing out on the playoffs. The veteran quarterback drove the team down to the Patriots’ 27-yard line and Michael Badgley drilled a 44-yard field goal to send us to overtime.

Overtime didn’t last long as Rivers connected with Keenan Allen on an electrifying 75-yard touchdown pass to stun the Patriots.

With the win, the Chargers move on to the Conference Championship where they will head to Arrowhead Stadium and take on the Kansas City Chiefs. The loss will mean Patriots fans will have to deal with an offseason of uncertainty regarding Tom Brady’s future, especially after a lackluster performance.

KEY PERFORMANCES

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Philip Rivers: 22-34, 340 yards, 2 TDs

Melvin Gordon III: 12 carries, 23 yards

Keenan Allen: 5 receptions, 152 yards, 2 TDs

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Tom Brady: 34-48, 407 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs

James White: 21 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD

Chris Hogan: 11 receptions, 171 yards

Rob Gronkowski: 10 receptions, 87 yards

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 49, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 17

The Eagles opened the game with a 15-play drive that ate up a good chunk of the first quarter but only had three points to show for it. While it’s always nice to keep the ball away from Drew Brees, settling for field goals isn’t going to get it done against the Saints offense; you can only contain them for so long.

The teams traded punts and with just 1:26 to play in the first quarter, the Saints struck. Drew Brees hooked up with Mark Ingram II for a 23-yard touchdown to give the Saints a 7-3 lead as time expired in the first quarter.

The Saints scored 14-unanswered points in the second to extend their lead 21-3 before the Eagles finally responded. Brees first threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Austin Carr and that was followed by an 81-yard run by Mark Ingram II for a touchdown.

Down 21-3, the Eagles responded before the end of the half as Nick Foles hit Alshon Jeffery for a nine-yard touchdown strike to make the game a more respective 21-10 heading into halftime.

The Saints opened the third quarter with the ball and made the most of it. Drew Brees threw his third touchdown of the game when he connected with Tre’Quan Smith on a four-yard pass.

Once again, the Eagles responded as the quarter came to an end. Nick Foles threw a two-yard touchdown to Zach Ertz to pull to within 11, 28-17. Those would be the Eagles’ last points of the game.

It was a nightmare fourth quarter for the Eagles, who allowed the Saints to score 21-straight points.  Alvin Kamara scored on a one-yard run, while Brees threw two more touchdowns (Michael Thomas and Austin Carr).

With the win, the Saints move on to the Conference Championship where they will host the Los Angeles Rams. The Eagles now have an offseason where they must decide what to do with Nick Foles and Carson Wentz at quarterback.

KEY PERFORMANCES

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Nick Foles: 20-31, 219 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT

Alshon Jeffery: 6 receptions, 58 yards, 1 TD

Zach Ertz: 6 receptions, 41 yards, 1 TD

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Drew Brees: 23-30, 292 yards, 5 TDs

Alvin Kamara: 23 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD, 3 receptions, 40 rec. yards

Mark Ingram II: 8 carries, 117 yards, 1 TD, 2 receptions, 38 rec. yards, 1 rec. TD

Michael Thomas: 7 receptions, 62 yards, 1 TD

Austin Carr: 3 receptions, 80 yards, 2 TDs