Tony Cutillo
Superman has left the building and we are all still asking the question of, “How did he do it?” Aaron Rodgers put on a show in Dallas, while Tom Terrific looked like he lost a little juice against the Texans. Sunday’s Divisional Playoff Round games were ones for the ages and will leave us wondering if they can be topped next week. Let’s get into it right now.
Falcons 36, Seahawks 20
Last year, the Falcons jumped out to an impressive 5-0 record under Dan Quinn but quickly fell from grace leaving the football world to question their ability to hang in the spotlight. This year, they came out determined to spit in the face of the skeptics and their production spoke for itself. Matt Ryan, who should be the MVP of the league this year, has grown up right before our very eyes. He outplayed Russell Wilson and showed the Seahawks that their Legion of Boom will have to wait until next season to claim their next victim. Will the Falcons now be able to eclipse the magic of Rodgers?
Atlanta/Seattle Stars
1. Matt Ryan: 338 yds/ 3 TD
2. Russell Wilson: 225 yds/2 TD, 2 INT; 49 yds rushing
3. Devonta Freeman: 45 yds/ 1 TD; 4 rec/80 yds
4. Tevin Coleman: 57 yds; 3 rec/22 yds/1 TD
5. Doug Baldwin: 5 rec/80 yds/1 TD
6. Julio Jones: 6 rec/67 yds/1 TD
7. Mohamed Sanu: 4 rec/44 yds/1 TD
8. Paul Richardson: 4 rec/83 yds
Atlanta/Seattle Stiffs
1. Thomas Rawls: 34 yds
2. Jermaine Kearse: 1 rec/8 yds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzfHwUBCKd0
Patriots 34, Texans 16
In a game where no one gave the Texans much of a chance, the Patriots came out flat and scored the quietest 34 points of the weekend. Houston had every opportunity to grab a hold of this game, but the constant drops and misfires by Million Dollar Brock were too much for them to overcome. Will Fuller will have nightmares about the drop in the end zone that could of changed the outcome of the game. Romeo Crennel had a great plan to fluster Tom, but in the end there wasn’t enough offense to keep the defense off the field. The Patriots roll into their 6th straight AFC Championship game. Will they go to another Super Bowl?
New England/Houston Stars
1. Tom Brady: 287 yds/2 TDs
2. Dion Lewis: 41 yds/1 TD, 2 rec/23 yds/1 TD
3. Julian Edelman: 8 rec/137 yds
New England/Houston Stiffs
1. Brock Osweiler: 198 yds/1 TD, 3 INTs
2. Lamar Miller: 73 yds, 4 rec/16 yds
3. DeAndre Hopkins: 6 rec/65 yds
4. Will Fuller: 3 rec/16 yds and a BIG DROP!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fFdm035NSc
Packers 34, Cowboys 31
This very much could be labeled as the game of the century. When Rodgers predicted his team would run the table following their 4-6 record, even the magic man himself could not have predicted this outcome. Green Bay is following the lead of their general and live to see another day. Sure Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott showed tremendous poise for standing up to a heavyweight like DDC [Discount Double Check] himself, but you just knew it wasn’t their time. Another week and another victim for Mr. Rodgers. Can he be stopped?
Green Bay/Dallas Stars
1. Aaron Rodgers: 356 yds/2 TD, 1 INT
2. Dak Prescott: 302 yds/3 TD, 1 INT
3. Ty Montgomery: 47 yds/2 TD; 6 rec/34 yds
4. Dez Bryant: 9 rec/132 yds/2 TD
Green Bay/Dallas Stiffs
1. Ezekiel Elliott: 125 yds
2. Randall Cobb: 7 rec/62 yds
3. Davante Adams: 5 rec/76 yds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3bfATfVpFI
Steelers 18, Chiefs 16
If I sat here and told you that the Steelers would be held out of the end zone for an entire game you would think they lost the game, right? Fortunately for them, they were playing Andy Reid. In a game that gave us as much excitement as a Bill Belichick press conference, the Kansas City Chiefs used every clock management flaw and bad play call to give the Steelers the win. The defense is still scratching their head wondering what else they could’ve done to win the game. Questions about the safe play of Alex Smith will continue in the offseason and make you wonder if it is time for a change. On the other side of the ball, Mike Tomlin will get off of Facebook Live and have his guys ready to stand up to the Patriots. Do they have what it takes to win?
Pittsburgh/KC Stars
1. Le’Veon Bell: 170 yds
2. Antonio Brown: 6 rec/108 yds
3. Chris Boswell: 6 FGs
Pittsburgh/KC Stiffs
1. Alex Smith: 172 yds/1 INT/1 TD
2. Ben Roethlisberger:224 yds/I INT
3. Spencer Ware: 35 yds/1 TD
4. Tyreek Hill: 4 rec/27 yds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM5eahfovIY
With the Divisonal Round now in the books, the big boys come out to play. One thing is for sure, the games ahead will bring about a much broader audience and shouldn’t leave any disappointment on the table. Until next week…
As always you can stop by my Facebook page (FantasySportsAddcition) or tweet me (@TCutillo23) for questions or some nice fantasy debates. I can also be heard weekly via the internet stream live at WengRadio every Monday at 4:00pm EST for a weekend sports wrap. But most importantly, you can catch me here at Pi!
For fantasy purposes, all my articles are predicated upon a PPR-based system.