2022 NFL Playoff Thread

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I get it but that's too extreme. I think you want less do or die situations. If you are down you want more possessions not more. Unless that's old school and I'm really out of it.

We saw what happened to Baltimore this year. Still have to depend on your defense somewhat or let the other offense fail. I would take Buffalo going 4th and 13 everytime over me having to convert something do or die.

For TB that was just bad defense. If you are going to blitz on defense you might as well have gone for 2.

How the Bucs did it wasn't just about trusting their defense to get one stop, it in theory could be two stops if it goes to OT and they lose the toss. The Bucs D was getting cooked when the Rams weren't too busy choking themselves out. Do you really want to trust the Bucs D to get two stops more than Tom Brady scoring on a sneak, and getting a two pointer? Yes if it fails you are cooked, but I'm trusting Tom Brady over any defense except the most elite of the most elite ever. Game is just so different now versus the old school. NFL offenses have the ability to control the clock more than in any other sport. The Bills drive to lead 29-26 took seven minutes. If they wanted it to take four, they can do that. If they wanted to stretch it out to nine minutes, they can do that. Defense is at their mercy on that one.

[GirlySports]

SCD: 4th and 4! 4th and 13!!! They didn't do that on purpose That drive was too much.

[Senator Clay Davis]

But if they wanted to play faster they could. They want to play slow they can. You continue wanting to trust the way to win 30 years ago, I'll keep trusting the way that wins more now, we'll all be happy!

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by dirk diggler

Last night truly showed why teams go all in to get that franchise QB. its funny to me that no matter how many chances certain team like the Jets and bears get, they never get it right. Allen and Mahomes were no sure thing but their teams are set for a long time. The Pats are decent but the AFE east should belong to the Bills for quite awhile.

These two in particular are interesting because the Chiefs traded with the Bills to get the pick that was Mahomes. I think it was the 27 pick and a 3rd rounder plus the 2008 first rounder that they gave up to get to the #10 spot and take Mahomes. They took a lot of heat for making that deal as it looked like a big overpay for a guy from the Air Raid offence.

For the Bills who had an incoming coach and lame duck GM, they weren't confident with the info they had on QB's for that draft and opted for more draft capital in hopes they could find their guy in the next draft. If you look at where the Bills ended up getting Allen, Tremaine Edwards, and Tred'avious White plus a couple others with those picks plus what they had an some other moves definitely came out of this with a stronger team.

Had Mahomes been drafted by that Buffalo team who doesn't get the added draft ammo, who knows if he's the guy he was last night. Plus is there anything with Josh Allens play yesterday where someone can say he wasn't good enough to win that game? Maybe his calling of a coin toss...other than that he went toe for toe.

The Bills were a team who couldn't get it right for a long time, so McDermid and Beane really do deserve credit for how they handled it. The Chiefs were bold enough to make a move at a time when they were making the playoffs regularly, but identified that they needed to improve at QB despite having a veteran who was playing okay.

Before Mahomes, I saw a lot of Chiefs teams lose Wild Card or Division games because they couldn't make that game changing play. In the last three seasons Mahomes has been able to find ways to make those plays. But what he pulled off last night, might be the best playoff game he's ever had, and even with only 4 years as a starter, he's likely done enough in the playoffs already to ensure a Hall of Fame spot so long as he can avoid becoming a criminal.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this given the way the whole thing went, but there was a 4th and 1 at the Bills' 40 in the third quarter where they punted, gained a net 20 yards and KC (completely predictably) immediately went down and scored. Yes, Allen then threw a deep ball to make it 23-21, so people didn't make a big deal out of that decision, but that's the kind of thing that at the end of the game may have been the difference. If the Bills have the lead there and KC is chasing, even if they're trading TDs, that could have been the difference.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Both coaches made mind bogglingly bad decisions to take the ball out of their QB's hands in crucial moments. The fourth and 1 punt was bad, but the Kelce QB option play was even worse, a peak Andy getting too cute moment. He should be pretty grateful he didn't have to have that question coming to him in a post-game presser after a loss.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this given the way the whole thing went, but there was a 4th and 1 at the Bills' 40 in the third quarter where they punted, gained a net 20 yards and KC (completely predictably) immediately went down and scored. Yes, Allen then threw a deep ball to make it 23-21, so people didn't make a big deal out of that decision, but that's the kind of thing that at the end of the game may have been the difference. If the Bills have the lead there and KC is chasing, even if they're trading TDs, that could have been the difference.

I did mention in this thread that punt cost them the game when it happened.

[Senator Clay Davis]

A couple of firsts for the playoffs because of the expansion. Chiefs become the first team to host three playoff games, and the 49ers become the first six seed to get a home game in the championship round.

[Steve Bozek]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

OT rule change for the playoffs?

Other team should get the ball after a touchdown.

Offences are much better today compared to when the rule was put in place so why should a TD end it and a FG not?

With both teams able to score on each other with ease, the overtime was decided by the coin toss.

[MRCboicgy]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

A couple of firsts for the playoffs because of the expansion. Chiefs become the first team to host three playoff games, and the 49ers become the first six seed to get a home game in the championship round.

umm, Rams are the home team next week, 4 seed

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

umm, Rams are the home team next week, 4 seed

Seeing as the Rams have restricted ticket buying to LA residents only (do they not know the Rams are like the 9th most popular team in LA, way behind the 49ers?) and Rams players wives are begging fans not to sell their tickets to 49ers fans, it's a 49ers home game. I would guess minimum 75% 49ers fans (which is what it was for the regular season game), with a shot at 90% given how expensive face value tickets are.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Steve Bozek

With both teams able to score on each other with ease, the overtime was decided by the coin toss.

At that point, scoring a TD was about as easy as an uncontested layup in basketball.

Maybe the rule changes being considered should be something h that allows defenses to have a little more bite?

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Why not just use the college overtime rules. They work fine.

[Nadal Fan]

It's crazy to think about how the Texans and Chiefs franchises went in completely opposite directions since the Texans were up 24-0 at half time during that playoff game.

[Sylvanfan]

Since the current OT rules went into effect in 2010 there have been 11 Overtime games.

10 of the 11 teams who won the coin toss won the game. The key stat here for me is that 7 of the 10 winners won the game by scoring a TD on that first drive. So that's 7 out of 11 games where only one team ever got to see the ball. Maybe if the number was closer to 30% or one third of the time this happens this might work, but 2/3rds of the time winning a coin toss pretty much wins you the game.

I'd rather not go the NCAA route, but maybe they need to make it so they do go with the college rules where teams get the same number of possessions and the defense that stops the other team essentially wins the game.

[Senator Clay Davis]

College OT rules are terrible too, handing teams the ball in scoring range is boring. But every OT format will be flawed. Make it first to 8 and the team who goes first still has the advantage; make it a 15 minute quarter and the team who gets the ball first has the advantage of being able to shape the clock. There is no perfect solution here.

[Weitz]

I’d get behind play a 15 minute quarter. Then sudden death if still tied.

In the playoffs that is.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

The reason they give the ball in scoring range is to keep extra time for OT reasonable. If teams had to march 40 yards to score, a single OT would be killer, especially for college games which are already 4.5 hours long. Plus college kickers suck so it’s not quite guaranteed points.

No way the nfl ever adopts the terrible 2 point contest that college ball now does after the first OT. That’s almost worse than the shootout in hockey.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I just don't see an OT model that doesn't have a fundamental flaw. We all feel kinda cheated by how last night ended, but short of playing another game from 0 there's no real fair ending, we were always going to feel cheated. Maybe do best of three coinflips to determine opening possession?

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

College OT rules are terrible too, handing teams the ball in scoring range is boring. But every OT format will be flawed. Make it first to 8 and the team who goes first still has the advantage; make it a 15 minute quarter and the team who gets the ball first has the advantage of being able to shape the clock. There is no perfect solution here.

I'm more in favour of this. NCAA and CFL OT rules are too gimicky to me. I feel NFL fundamentally is more fair and true to the game, but the coin toss is having way to much dictation on who wins the game. With the two point, it does give the opposing team a chance to respond.

It's actually interesting too how it ensures the game will end within two possessions more. If the team that wins the coin toss gets a touchdown, but doesn't convert the two point, then the opposing team has to get a touchdown to continue the game. If they do, then they just need the extra point to win.

As a result, you may see teams take the more conservative approach, go for the extra point, and put the game in their defence hands to win the game, or at least get another possible possession. At that point if the game is still tied, then it's next score wins, and you're in the driver seat. With that too, you may see the 2nd team go for the win instead by trying to get the two point.