The 2019 – 2020 National Football League Playoff Landscape after Divisional Round of Postseason (Full Analysis)

Introduction

Following the conclusion of the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, the field of remaining teams is narrowed down to only four. The two NFC and AFC teams will play each other this weekend determining the winner or the AFC and NFC. The champions of the NFC will play the champions of the AFC in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 at 5:30 pm CST. Super Bowl LIV will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Scores and Analysis from Divisional Playoff Round:

FINAL

Vikings (10-6, 4-4 Away) 10

49ers (13-3, 6-2 Home) 27

The San Francisco 49ers didn’t waste much time taking the lead early on in this matchup. Jimmy Garoppolo connected with Kendrick Bourne on a three yard touchdown pass to put San Francisco up 7 to 0. The Minnesota Vikings tied the game at 7 each when Kirk Cousins found Stefon Diggs with a long 41 yard touchdown pass. Those two touchdowns were the only scores in the first quarter.

The second quarter started off slow until Tevin Coleman finished off a 10 play 53 yard drive with a one yard touchdown run. The 49ers went up 14 to 7 at this point. At the very end of the first half Dan Bailey drilled a 39 yard field goal. San Francisco was winning 14 to 10 at halftime of this game.

The second half of the game consisted of 2 field goals by Robbie Gould as well as a 2 yard touchdown run by Tevin Coleman. The 49ers dominated the 3rd and 4th quarters of the game with their stingy defense that didn’t allow the Minnesota Vikings to score any points during the second half of the game. The San Francisco 49ers will host the Green Bay Packers this Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

Media Statements

"People keep disrespecting us. At the end of the day, all you can do is go out and execute," says Richard Sherman. "It felt good. That's what we look like when we're totally healthy."

"They're pretty good right?" 49ers tight end George Kittle stated. "It's such a blast just to watch them, how they work together. ...

"If our defense keeps playing like that, all we have to do is not turn the ball over to win games"

"Those guys did very well," Tevin Coleman expressed. "They moved the guys back so I had clear holes to run through. So, yeah, they did a real good job."

"We didn't do enough offensively to give ourselves a chance to win the game," Kirk Cousins explained. "It hurts right now. It's so raw right now, just falling short."

"That was the No. 1 emphasis all week," says 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa. "We knew we were facing probably the best back we've faced all year with Dalvin, and we knew we had to earn the right to pass rush. So, that's what we did. We took the run as serious as we could, shut it down and then we ate."

"Sometimes you have to remember you're not just a quarterback, you're a football player too," Jimmy Garoppolo exclaimed.

FINAL

Titans (9-7, 5-3 Away) 28

Ravens (14-2, 7-1 Home) 12

The scoring first occurred in the first quarter of this game when Ryan Tannehill found Jonnu Smith on a 12 yard touchdown pass. The first quarter ended with the Tennessee Titans up on the Baltimore Ravens 7 to 0.

The second quarter began with another touchdown pass from Tannehill. This time is was to Kalif Raymond on a 45 yard play. The Titans were now winning 14 to 0. The Ravens got two field goals from Justin Tucker before halftime of the contest. The score at the end of the first half of the game was 14 to 6 in favor of the Tennessee Titans.

The next score can on a 3-yard touchdown pass from running back Derrick Henry to Corey Davis. The Titans followed that up with a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback, Tannehill. By the end of the 3rd quarter the Titans were beating the Ravens 28 to 6. The Ravens unstoppable offense this season had seemed to fade away in this game.

In the fourth quarter the Ravens scored on a 15 yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Hayden Hurst. Baltimore failed to convert the 2 point conversion after that touchdown. The score was now 28 to 12, and that score held up as the Ravens were unable to put any more points on the board during the remainder of this game.

Derrick Henry has been a beast in this NFL playoff run for the Titans. He has carried them on two straight upsets against both the New England Patriots as well as the Baltimore Ravens. He has been putting up close to 200 yards per game on the ground which is unheard of especially in postseason play. The Tennessee Titans will now have to play the red hot Kansas City Chiefs on the road this weekend at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

Media Statements

"It's not just me," says Derrick Henry. "It's a team effort. We're all playing collectively as an offense, as a whole. We're just locked in. We believe in each other. We communicate. It's working out there."

"Watch us work," Henry explained. "We don't do too much talking. We just go work and believe in each other. That's our mentality. We're going to come in here and work. ... Focus on finishing."

"I put it perfect, man," Henry stated. "I haven't done that pass since high school. I feel l like I still got it."

"We just beat ourselves," says Lamar Jackson. "I had a lot of mistakes on my behalf. Three turnovers. That shouldn't happen."

"They were beating people with shock and awe in the first quarter," Titans head coach Mike Vrabel exclaimed. "We knew we had to do it with some turnovers and fourth-down stops. That's the only way you can do it. Make Tucker kick some field goals."

"It's going to be grind, grind, grind and then he's going to bust one," Vrabel expressed.

"I don't care about what they say," says Jackson. "This is my second year in the league. I've got a great team with me. We're going to keep going and get ready for next year."

FINAL

Texans (10-6, 5-3 Away) 31

Chiefs (12-4, 5-3 Home) 51

On the first scoring play of this game Deshawn Watson hit his target Kenny Stills on a 54 yard touchdown pass. Shorty after that, Lonnie Johnson Jr. returned a blocked punt for a touchdown which put the Houston Texans up 14 to 0. At the end of the first quarter Watson found his receiver Darren Fells on a 4 yard touchdown pass, and Houston went into the 2nd quarter up early and big on Kansas City with a score of 21 to 0.

The Texans then added a 31 yard field goal by kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn. That is when the Chiefs decided to start playing. Patrick Mahomes connected with Damien Williams on a 17 yard touchdown pass. Mahomes then hit Travis Kelce on three separate touchdown throws to not only erase the deficit but take the lead. Kansas City went into the locker room at halftime with a 28 to 24 lead.

The Chiefs continued their offensive momentum by scoring two more unanswered touchdowns on Damien Williams carries. Kansas City now led the game 41 to 24. At the end of the 3rd quarter Deshawn Watson ran in a 5 yard touchdown run to bring the score to 41 to 31 in favor of the Chiefs.

Patrick Mahomes completed an 8 yard touchdown pass to Blake Bell which pushed their lead to 48 to 31. Finally, Harrison Butker nailed a 24 yard field goal as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans with a final score of 51 to 31. The Chiefs started slow and had to erase a huge deficit, but they ended up winning the game easily. They are the first team in postseason history to overcome a 20 point hole and win by 20 points. The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Tennessee Titans in the AFC championship game this Sunday, and that should be a fantastic match up.

Additional Comments

"The biggest thing I was preaching," Patrick Mahomes stated, "was, `Let's go do something special. Everybody is counting us out. Let's go out there and play by play put it out there.' And play by play, we did what we were supposed to do."

"You saw him going up and down the bench, he was talking to everybody, -- `Just settle down," says Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. "As a head coach, you can't ask for more than that. When he's the leader of your team and he's going, `Hey, we're going to be fine. Let's not wait for the fourth quarter. Let's go!' And he did that."

"We've already played them and we know they're a tough team," Mahomes explained. "They're a team that battles all the way until the end. They're a team that's really hot, playing really good football right now, so we know it's going to take our best effort. And, whatever way, we've got to find a way to win."

"I definitely thought we were going to have to score more than 24," says Texans head coach, Bill O'Brien. "I think that they're, obviously, a very explosive team and it just didn't work out."

"We had that play ready for a variety of different teams and situations," the Texans' Justin Reid exclaimed. "Credit to them, they made the play."

"I mean, it was an amazing thing. Everything was working," Mahomes expressed. "The play calls were open, everybody was getting open against man-coverage which we've been preaching all season long, and guys were making plays."

"We've got full confidence not only in the players but the game plan going into it. Just got to deal with what's going on in the game -- what's real and what's not -- and what was real was we were hurting ourselves early," says Travis Kelce. "With that, you just rally the troops, lean on the leaders of this team and make plays. That's what we did."

FINAL

Seahawks (11-5, 7-1 Away) 23

Packers (13-3, 7-1 Home) 28

This was the closet game from the divisional round of the 2019 – 2020 NFL playoffs. The scoring began in the first quarter when Davante Adams caught a 20 yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers. Seattle’s Jason Myers ended the 1st quarter by hitting a 45 yard field goal. The score was 7 to 3 at the start of the 2nd quarter.

The 2nd quarter was defined by long drives by the Green Bay Packers capped by scoring on a pair of Adam Jones 1 yard touchdown runs. The score was Green Bay 21, Seattle 3 the time these two teams headed into the locker room for halftime.

The Seattle Seahawks were not ready to throw in the towel just yet. They fed Marshawn Lynch on a 1 yard touchdown run to get back on the board again. The Packers answered with a 40 yard touchdown reception by Davante Adams once again. Russell Wilson then took control and threw a 7 yard touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett. At the end of the third quarter the score was 28 to 17 in favor of the Green Bay Packers.

Marshawn Lynch ran in another 1 yard touchdown rush which made the Seahawks deficit only 3 points. At the end of the fourth quarter the Seattle Seahawks desperately needed to stop Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense to get the ball back for a game winning drive. Rodgers made that feat impossible by completing two huge third and long passes to move the chains. Seattle never got the ball back as they lost a heart breaker 28 to 23. The Green Bay packers will now hit the road to take on the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday in the NFC championship game.

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"It's one of those feelings that starts to creep up in warmups, when you really feel like you're locked in," Aaron Rodgers stated, "and I was glad it translated to the field."

"He's definitely hungry for another Super Bowl. He deserves it, so we're doing everything in our power to put him in that position," says Davante Adams.

"Five minutes left, we're getting the ball back, the thing's going to be over. We're going to win it," Russell Wilson explained. "I think everybody in the stadium, and I think everybody watching felt like that, too."

"I'm just going to enjoy a nice glass of scotch tonight," Rodgers goes on to say, "and get on to the film of San Fran and get ready for a tough opponent."

"Let's be honest, I don't know that even our fans felt supremely confident in us," says Rodgers.

"Every time I looked up, he was making somebody miss in the pocket, creating and extending plays," Matt LaFleur explained. "That's what he's done his whole career."

"He tested our cardio and heart and endurance today," says Smith.

"We made it exciting," Wilson stated. "We just wish we would have left here with a win."

Team Statistics

Sources:

“NFL Scoreboard”, espn.com, January 14, 2020.

“NFL Postseason Schedule – 2019”, espn.com, January 14, 2020.

“2019 Tennessee Titans Statistics & Players”, pro-football-reference.com, January 14, 2020.

“2019 Kansas City Chiefs Statistics & Players”, pro-football-reference.com, January 14, 2020.

“2019 Green Bay Packers Statistics & Players”, pro-football-reference.com, January 14, 2020.

“2019 San Francisco 49ers Statistics & Players”, pro-football-reference.com, January 14, 2020.

“NFL INJURIES WEEK 19”, nfl.com, January 14, 2020.

“49ers win 1st playoff game in 6 years, 27-10 over Vikings”, espn.com, January 11, 2020.

“Titans stun Ravens, head to AFC title game with 28-12 win”, espn.com, January 11, 2020.

“Chiefs rally from 24-0 hole to beat Texans 51-31 in playoffs”, espn.com, January 12, 2020.

“Packers hold off Seahawks 28-23 to reach NFC title game”, espn.com, January 12, 2020.

Written by: David Green