By Matthew DelDonna, PSO Director of Football Development
Jan 25, 2021

In the NFL’s final weekend of games before the Super Bowl, Championship Sunday kicked off with a long-awaited Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers playoff showdown in Lambeau Field, followed by the top two seeds in the AFC battling it out as the Bills looked to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1993 against a Chiefs team going for back-to-back AFC titles. In what looked like an early blowout, the Packers stormed back from a 28-10 deficit to make it 28-23, but couldn’t overcome their early mistakes as TB12 reached his 10th Super Bowl. Despite a valiant effort from Buffalo, Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense were too much for them to handle as KC took it 38-24.

Here are the best facts, highlights, and takeaways from the AFC and NFC Championship games:

KEY FACTS:

  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the 1st team to play the Super Bowl in their home city in NFL history
  • Tom Brady has more playoff wins (17) since turning 35 years old than any other QB has in their entire careers
  • TB12 will play in his 10th Super Bowl, 2x as many as the next player in NFL history (John Elway, 5)
 

BEST HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Playoff Lenny showed up in Lambeau 

  • Brady ended 1st half with a bomb

FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS

TAKEAWAY 1Tom Brady is the unquestioned greatest winner in professional team sports

No matter the circumstances, Tom Brady always finds a way to win. Wherever he goes, success follows, and that was the case once again in 2020. Not too many people thought he would excel as well as he did on a new team without Bill Belichick, and being over 40 years old. Yet, TB12 found success in Tampa Bay the same way he did in New England for two decades. Things got off to a slow start, but eventually, Brady got back in the postseason and did what he does best: won NFL playoff games. With a trip to Super Bowl LV booked in his home stadium for the first time in NFL history, Brady will look to make even more history as he chases ring No. 7.

TAKEAWAY 2The Packers could have a completely different backfield next year

As Aaron Rodgers put it following the NFC Championship game, “[the Packers have] a lot of guys’ futures that are uncertain — myself included.” Both Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams entered the final year of their contracts heading into the 2020 season, and with the cap set to go down in the 2021 offseason, it’s highly unlikely that both will return next season after the Packers already gave big contracts to Kenny Clark and David Bakhtiari. 

Based on recent history of teams overpaying for RBs and the drafting of A.J. Dillon last year, all signs point to Aaron Jones’ departure after he struggled with injuries in 2020. There’s always a possibility Jones could choose to stay with a championship-caliber team, but GB is unlikely to fall into the same trap several other teams have recently. Rodgers is much more likely to stay at least another year while first round pick Jordan Love continues to develop, but Rodgers honestly admitted “there are no certainties in this business” which might be leverage for a better contract or one of the biggest trades in NFL history.

FINAL RESULTS (ODDS): TB (+152) d. @GB (-18031-26 [TB +3 | o53]

TB STOCK PRICE$14.67 | GB STOCK PRICE$13.68

KEY FACTS:

 

BEST HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Cheetah weaved his way to 71 yds

  • Hardman has lightning speed in free space

FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS

TAKEAWAY 1: The Chiefs’ offense is completely unstoppable when healthy

Even with one or two banged-up players, they’re hard to stop, but when at full health, the Kansas City Chiefs are next to impossible to slow down on offense. The three biggest pieces to KC’s explosive offense are all in their prime and could go down as the best at what they do, in addition to having one of the greatest offensive play-calling Head Coaches ever leading them.

As the centerpiece of the offense, Patrick Mahomes is the only person on the planet who even has a chance to surpass Brady as the G.O.A.T. with a win over him in Super Bowl LV. His weapons add to his arsenal with one of the greatest receiving TEs ever in Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, who is perhaps the fastest and shiftiest WR to ever play the game. As they prepare for their second trip to the Super Bowl in a row, KC will look to add to their young dynasty and solidify their spots as their respective GOATs.

TAKEAWAY 2Josh Allen’s ceiling is as high as anyone’s if he can clean up his turnovers

While the Buffalo Bills’ magical season came to an end at the hand of the Kansas City Chiefs, there’s no denying that Josh Allen proved he can ball with the best. His and his team’s futures look very bright, and at just 24 years old, his ceiling is as high as any player in the league, Mahomes included. 

His biggest flaw however has been the number of turnovers he was responsible for this year, throwing 11 INTs and fumbling another 11 times. Despite this, he managed to pull off an MVP-caliber season and led his team to a 13-3 record as well as a conference championship appearance. If he can manage to clean up those mistakes, there’s no telling what heights he can reach.

FINAL RESULTS (ODDS): @KC (-166) d. BUF (+14038-24 [KC -3.0 | o54.5]

KC STOCK PRICE$12.17 | BUF STOCK PRICE$16.25

 

 

 

 

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