Neil Reynolds
American Football Expert & Columnist
Conference Championships: Patrick Mahomes gets greedy, Matthew Stafford delivers for the Rams
Sky Sports' Neil Reynolds has the final word on the Conference Championship games in the NFL playoffs; join Neil and guests for Inside the Huddle, every Tuesday at 9pm on Sky Sports NFL as they look back on the best of the weekend's NFL action...
Last Updated: 07/02/22 11:42am
Championship Sunday was just as dramatic as the 2021 regular season and the rest of this year's playoffs in the NFL.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams both overcame double-digit deficits to book their spots in Super Bowl LVI, completing a line-up that certainly seemed unlikely just a couple of months ago...
Five Major Takeaways from Conference Championship games
1) A second-half stunner
The Kansas City Chiefs looked close to perfect in the first 29 minutes and 55 seconds of the AFC title game. They scored three touchdowns on three drives, Patrick Mahomes had not been sacked and not a single penalty flag had been thrown in KC's direction.
After failing to score down near the goal-line before the break (more on that in a moment), Kansas City led by 11 at the half. But for the second time in a month against the Bengals, the Chiefs were held to just three second-half points. On seven drives, Kansas City gained 83 yards, scored one field goal and threw two interceptions.
The Bengals were impressive, but Kansas City's slide was the most shocking aspect of Championship Sunday.
2) Mahomes got greedy
With five seconds left in the first half, Kansas City were at the Cincinnati one-yard line with no time outs. The obvious play there was to kick a field goal and take a 24-10 lead into the break.
Mahomes got greedy; as CBS Television sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson told us, the quarterback was pleading with head coach Andy Reid for one more shot at the endzone.
Mahomes completed his pass to Tyreek Hill, but the receiver was quickly downed short of the goal-line by Eli Apple. It seemed a small thing at the time but every point proved to be valuable in such a tight game and the head coach - looking to deliver the kill shot to the Bengals - probably should have played things a little safer there.
3) Bengals step up on defense
The Bengals defense had no answer for Mahomes and the Chiefs in the early stages of the AFC title game. But they certainly confused the hell out of the superstar passer in the second half, forcing Mahomes into a couple of costly interceptions.
Cincinnati often rushed only three players and those guys were able to get home and pressure Mahomes because it was taking him so long to find open receivers who were being covered by eight defenders on the back end. It was a different way of getting to a quarterback. Coaches so often send extra defenders after passers, but that would have proven disastrous against Mahomes.
The Bengals had the perfect plan and produced the largest comeback in Conference Championship history.
4) Stafford delivers for Rams
One year to the day from when the Rams traded for Matthew Stafford, banishing quarterback Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions in the process, L.A.'s new superstar passer delivered what he was brought on board to deliver - a spot in the Super Bowl!
Stafford had some rocky moments - he was intercepted once, and it should have been twice with Jaquiski Tartt dropping a sitter late in the game - but he led the Rams from a 17-7 fourth-quarter deficit to a 20-17 victory.
Stafford threw for 337 yards and two touchdowns and reminded us all that he is a top-end quarterback capable of taking over games, even if his gunslinger mentality is going to create some risk at times.
5) Rams get physical
It's hard to rip a label off your back once people look at you a certain way in pro football. The Rams have often been described as a finesse team and a group who rely on skill and the creative mind of head coach Sean McVay to succeed.
But, they needed to get down and dirty at times against the San Francisco 49ers and they were up to that challenge. The 49ers had rushed for an average of 177 yards per game in the previous five postseason contests where they were led by Kyle Shanahan, but they gained just 50 yards on 20 carries on Sunday.
And when it was needed the most, L.A.'s pass rush came alive to harass Jimmy Garoppolo into the inevitable mistake he had been threatening to make throughout the game.
Player of the Week: Cooper Kupp
As has been the case all season long, when the Rams had their backs to the wall and were in trouble; they turned to Cooper Kupp, who caught 11 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
Kupp was incredible on third downs and was largely uncoverable throughout the game. He has now racked up 2,333 receiving yards in the regular season and the playoffs - it is the greatest season in NFL history and it's not even close!
The next-best was Larry Fitzgerald, who gained 1,977 yards in the 2008 campaign. Let's also give a nod to Odell Beckham Jr., who played the 'Robin' to Kupp's 'Batman'. OBJ caught nine balls for 113 yards and is growing in power as this season rolls along.
Play of the Week
For me, it has to be either of Mahomes' first two touchdown passes against Cincinnati. The first was a howitzer of a pass to the back of the endzone, where Tyreek Hill made a leaping catch, almost in self-defence!
The pass was sensational but the catch was even better than that. For Hill to reel that one in while moving at high speed... that was something else.
Mahomes then threw a very different type of touchdown pass to Travis Kelce, pirouetting away from trouble but always keeping his eyes downfield to loft an easy one to his star tight end. The catch was routine, but the Mahomes magic that preceded it was anything but.
When you think about those two plays and how special Mahomes looked in the first half, it makes his and the Chiefs' second half collapse all the more improbable.
Coach of the Week: Zac Taylor
Heading into the 2021 season, Zac Taylor was on a warming seat as head coach of the Bengals. He had won just six games in his first two seasons in charge in Cincinnati.
But you can add 13 more to that win total now as the Bengals are heading to the Super Bowl. With significant help from Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, Taylor has turned things around in dramatic fashion.
The Bengals are only the second team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl in a campaign that was preceded by five-straight losing seasons. The other was the 1999 St. Louis Rams, who beat the Tennessee Titans in the Super Bowl.
On my Radar
The NFL's cellar dwellers from 2021 should feel good about their futures, if they have a franchise quarterback on board. Fortunes can change quickly in the NFL and this Super Bowl match-up is living proof of that.
Who would have predicted a Bengals-Rams Super Bowl back in December as the first doors were being opened on advent calendars around the world? Not many. The Bengals were only 7-6 by mid-December but then won six of seven to reach the Super Bowl, with their only loss coming to the Cleveland Browns when resting starters in Week 18.
The Rams lost three-straight in November but then won eight of nine to reach the Super Bowl. Now, one of two quarterbacks who combined to go 7-18-1 last season will lift the Vince Lombardi trophy. Hope springs eternal in the NFL.
Join Neil Reynolds and guests for Inside The Huddle, every Tuesday from 9pm on Sky Sports NFL for a look back on the best of the weekend's NFL action.
