After the Wild Card Weekend opened the playoffs with little drama, the Divisional Weekend appeared to be headed to a similar fate after Saturday’s games followed a similar path with the Patriots and Falcons cruising to double-digit victories.
Thankfully, Sunday provided fireworks at long last with two close games that provided plenty of drama. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers upset the Dallas Cowboys in the opener and on Sunday night, the Steelers six field goals were just enough to hand Andy Reid his first ever post-bye loss in the playoffs to set up a Championship Weekend with plenty to look forward to. But first, we need to put the Divisional Weekend to bed with some final thoughts on the second round:
Thought #1 The Seattle Seahawks are headed for an uncertain future after their loss to the Falcons
When Marshawn Lynch retired at the end of last season, the prevailing opinion was that the Seattle Seahawks would continue their prolonged period of excellence that began with Lynch as one of the central figures of their dominance in the NFC. The opinion made plenty of sense at the time with a roster that still had the majority of the principal cast from their Super Bowl/NFC Championship teams despite the Lynch retirement and pass rusher Bruce Irvin’s free agency exodus to link up with the Oakland Raiders.
Unfortunately for the Seahawks, Lynch’s retirement and a season filled with injuries turned 2016 into a season of regression for a team that is now accustomed to a certain level of postseason success. After a blowout loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the second round, the Seahawks now need to face the reality that the Legion of Boom era could be over if general manager John Schneider does not make a successful re-tool this offseason.
The loss of Kam Chancellor with a season-ending injury magnified the Seahawks problems, but the fact will remain that their once imposing defense is just not the same. Now that the likes of Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, K.J. Wright, Bobby Wagner and Michael Bennett have significantly more mileage on them, the Legion of Boom is a lesser version of when they were at a historically dominant level a few seasons ago. Schnieder needs to find the right mix to revitalize the energy the Seahawks seem to lack now if they are to keep up with the constant change that the NFL always brings thanks to free agency and the short-term nature of a sport that has always had a small shelf life for dynasties. We will see how long the Seahawks can stay near the top of the mountain, but after this season it looks like the descent has already started for one of the teams of the decade.
Thought #2: The Houston Texans gamble on Brock Osweiler’s contract could cost them A.J. Bouye on the free agency market
The Houston Texans managed to get one step further than they did without Brock Osweiler last season after their first year with their $72 million quarterback ended with a divisional round loss to the New England Patriots. On paper, it was a year of progress for the Texans, who managed to win exactly one more playoff game than last season with Osweiler under center despite the absence of JJ Watt for all but the team’s first three games of the season.
In reality, the Texans season will be far more complicated to define as either a success or a failure due to the circumstances of Osweiler’s massive contract and his statistical failures that surrounded his debut season in Houston. Those problems Osweiler had in Year 1 where he was replaced by Tom Savage near the end of the season before his return as starter to beat a mentally checked out Raiders team in the Wild Card will be the biggest talking point this offseason for the Texans. Especially when you consider how his contract can limit his team’s ability to keep their far more talented cornerstones in town.
The Texans have two franchise players on defense that need contracts in the immediate to near future in cornerback AJ Bouye – who is an unrestricted free agent this spring – and Jadeveon Clowney, who is on the second half of his rookie contract and needs an extension before he can hit the free agency market himself. Both of those contract situations are impacted by Osweiler’s guaranteed money and his cap hit that will be on the books until further notice. That is bad news for the Texans, who can be competitive in the AFC as long as they can surround Osweiler with a supporting cast that does most of the heavy lifting.
When it comes to Bouye’s contract situation, the Texans will have the cap space to retain him with $25 million currently on the books. Bouye made it clear in his exit interviews after the Patriots loss that he would like to stay in Houston. However, Bouye also admitted that he knows that this offseason provides a chance for him to cash in on a breakout season in which he became one of the brightest cornerbacks in the league at exactly the right time to cash in with a massive deal.
Bouye: "I’ve been through a lot here with the organization… But they never gave up on me."
🎥: https://t.co/VHRiTXFDnK pic.twitter.com/RuISIfvJys
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 17, 2017
“This is where I want to be,” Bouye said on his contract situation, per the Houston Chronicle. “I want to be here. I’m talking like I want to be here. I’m leaving it all in God’s hands and just going to let my agent take care of everything. I love all these guys. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t even be in this position.”
“I proved that I can play in this league, even those that gave up on me. The money, just the opportunity to take care of my daughter, it’s a blessing in disguise. I’m very appreciative. I want to be back.”
The Texans will likely either come to terms with Bouye or franchise tag the cornerback to keep him for 2017, but with at least half of that $25 million cap space now committed to retaining their star on defense, the Osweiler contract will now start to really put the pinch on the front office. With only so much money to go around, don’t be shocked if a massive offer from a team that doesn’t have $72 million tied up into a quarterback project makes a massive push to lure Bouye away from the Texans and breaks up a Houston defense that could be special if the band can stay together in spite of the complicated salary cap situation.
Thought #3: Falcons, Packers set up NFC Championship Game that should provide plenty of fireworks
When the playoffs started, few expected an NFC Championship Game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers when the dust settled. In fact, both teams were expected to struggle with lower seeds in the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks as afterthoughts in the playoff picture before the games were played. After big wins for both teams that featured plenty of offensive fireworks, we now have an unexpected matchup on Sunday at the Georgia Dome between the Falcons and the Packers that should be a shootout to end all shootouts between two of the best quarterbacks of this era.
Since Week 14, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan have combined for an 11-0 record, 31 pass TDs, 1 INT & 124.6 pass rating
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) January 17, 2017
Both Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers put their teams on their backs on Sunday with both offenses putting up 30+ point performances in big wins that have set up a game where the winning quarterback will have a chance to cement a legacy as one of the best of a special era of passers. Should Rodgers win on Sunday, he will have a chance at a second Super Bowl win that would elevate him past Brett Favre and into the discussion of the best quarterbacks to ever play. Should Ryan win, he will put himself one step closer to his first ring and a chance to finally add the final accomplishment needed to enter the Hall of Fame discussion once his career ends.
In a game so focused on offensive fireworks, it is hard to envision anything other than a shootout between two teams built around putting points on the scoreboard rather than limiting the other team from scoring. With the Packers noted defensive incapabilities thrown into the mix, we should all expect a battle between two gunslingers on Sunday that should be decided on which team can light up the Georgia Dome scoreboard the quickest and most often. These type of matchups in the playoffs are rare, so enjoy the opportunity to see two special offensive teams work their magic with a chance at a Super Bowl trip on the line this weekend.
Thought #4: The Chiefs continue to prove they are a regular season team
Narratives that surround franchises are often unfair and untrue after a certain period. Other narratives are a bit fairer than, and in the case of the Kansas City Chiefs, the narrative that they are a regular season team incapable of translating their success into the postseason appears to be entirely valid after yet another early exit in January.
After the Chiefs earned a first round bye from clinching the AFC West, their chances of a trip to the AFC Championship Game appeared to solid. After all, Andy Reid was undefeated after postseason bye weeks with a perfect 3-0 record and the Arrowhead Stadium crowd was expected to provide a fortress for the Chiefs against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That didn’t happen on Sunday night after the Steelers continued their dominance over the Chiefs with an 18-16 win that ended Kansas City’s season without a playoff win for the third time in Reid’s first four seasons with the team.
With the Chiefs 43-21 record in the past four seasons, just one playoff win in that timeframe is an incredible failure that begs the question if this current group can get over the hump in January to finally make a run to the Super Bowl under Reid. To have that level of regular season success with very little to show for it is a big problem for the Chiefs, who need to now look in the mirror to make the right amount of changes needed to get further in the playoffs than they have so far with Reid in charge.
Whether it is a move on defense or a much more needed move on offense to jumpstart a stagnant offense, the Chiefs need to do something this offseason to address their apparent ceiling when it comes to the postseason. Winning in the regular season is one thing and deserves credit, but the Chiefs have a higher goal that they have failed to achieve so far. That can’t be ignored any longer and the Chiefs will deserve criticism if they continue to fail to follow their immense success in the regular season with a postseason run fitting of a team that has barely lost since 2013.
