The Final Four in football is set

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The race for Super Bowl LIX has come down to a four-team race with the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Washington Commanders, and the Philadelphia Eagles. These superb squads are still in the hunt for the coveted Vince Lombardi Championship Trophy on February 9.

The Chiefs, the top seed in the American Football Conference, took one step closer to NFL history — a third straight Super Bowl title, with their 23-14 win over the Houston Texans before a sellout crowd at GEHA Field in Kansas City, Missouri.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was 16 for 25, passing for 177 yards and one touchdown. He made just enough plays, several to his all-world tight end Travis Kelce, to keep the team’s championship run intact. Kelce stepped into league history with a seven-reception, 117-yard, one-touchdown performance.  This was his sixth NFL playoff game with over 100 receiving yards, tying him with Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who recorded his 300th NFL victory is only the fourth National Football League coach to achieve the milestone behind Don Shula. The former Dolphin and Baltimore Colts coach is the all-time leader with 347 wins. Bill Belichick has 333 wins, and George Halas is third with 324. Reid echoed the sentiments of his two offensive stars when he said, “We just do whatever it takes to win football games.  It may not always be pretty, but we get the job done.”

But much of this story must center on the Chiefs’ defense, which harassed Houston second year quarterback C.J. Stroud the entire game, racking up eight sacks in the process. So much is made of Patrick Mahome’s stellar play, and rightfully so, but during the last two Super Bowl runs by this team, the Chiefs’ defense has withstood every challenge. This team will play its seventh straight AFC title game, one short of the record set by the New England Patriots.

Their title game opponent will be the Buffalo Bills.

The second seeded Bills outlasted the third seeded Baltimore Ravens, 27-25, at Highland Stadium in a knockdown heavyweight battle that was decided by major, multiple mistakes by the Ravens. A key first-half interception by Bills defensive back Taylor Rapp on a poorly thrown pass by Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson helped the home team Bills jump out to a 21-10 advantage at halftime. A critical fumble by Jackson led to another Bills first-half touchdown.

The Ravens came roaring back in the third quarter on the running of Derrick Henry, who had 16 carries, 84 yards rushing, and one touchdown before a fumble by usually reliable tight end Mark Andrews, who had the ball punched from his grasp by Bills defensive back Terrel Bernard. The defensive back recovered the fumble, stopping a key drive. Andrews had not lost a fumble since 2019.  To compound matters, he would later drop a two-point conversion try that would have tied the game with 1:33 left in regulation. That play, coupled with three turnovers, decided the Raven’s fate.

The Philadelphia Eagles and surprising Washington Commanders will square off for the National Football Conference championship following wins over the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions in conference postseason competition.

The Commanders pulled off the upset of the NFL playoffs with their stunning 45-31 triumph over the top-seeded Lions.

Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels played with the poise of a seasoned veteran as he led the Washington offense, which produced 448 total yards and six touchdowns while dominating the game throughout. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, playing in only his second NFL playoff game, carved up the Lions injury-riddled defense with his pinpoint passing. He threw 22 of 31 for 299 yards, two touchdowns and daringly ran for 51 yards on 16 rushes.

Running back Brian Robinson, who had 15 carries, 77 yards and two touchdowns, was also a major offensive contributor.  The Commanders’ defense came up big with sacks and three key interceptions, including Quan Martin’s 61-yard pick-six touchdown return that extended the team’s 17-14 lead to 24-14 in the second quarter. Still, Daniels was the primary star of this contest, ending the dream season for the Lions, who thought this was their year to shine.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell explained, “This is one of the biggest disappointments in Lions team history.”

From the victor’s locker room, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn was gleeful in his assessment of his team’s work. “Very few people gave us a chance against the Lions, particularly here in Detroit,” he said. “But when you have a quarterback like Jayden Daniels, you always have a chance at victory.”

His young star quarterback and his Commanders teammates are making believers of doubters.  Daniels constantly praises God for his work, a refreshing thought in the current “me first” world.

The next challenge for the Commanders will come from the second-seed Philadelphia Eagles in the City of Brotherly Love this Sunday in the NFL conference championship competition.

The Eagles held off the stubborn Los Angeles Rams in the snow and wet conditions at Lincoln Stadium. Those conditions and a tough Eagles defense caused a key fumble by Rams running back Kyren Williams, which changed the momentum of this game.

Eagles All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 205 yards on 26 carries to etch his name alongside that of Eagles Hall of Fame running back Steve Van Buren of the 1949 NFL championship team. Barkley’s 78-yard touchdown run proved to be the difference as the Eagles advanced to their second NFC championship game in the last three years.

The battle for Super Bowl LIX is now down to four teams: the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, who are playing for history; the Buffalo Bills, who are trying to win their first title; the Philadelphia Eagles, who are going for their second; and the Washington Commanders, who are trying to win their first championship since 1991.