NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Rams advance with 30-20 victory over Seahawks



The Rams had a lot going against them for Saturday’s playoff game.

John Wolford started for the second week in a row, but was transported to a local hospital after sustaining a neck injury on the Rams’ second possession. Aaron Donald had to exit the game with a ribs injury, though he did record 2.0 sacks in the first half. And quarterback Jared Goff had to make throws with three pins in his thumb.

But Los Angeles finished No. 1 in total defense and points allowed. The club played like it on Saturday, using a strong defensive performance to defeat the Seahawks 30-20 to advance to the divisional round.

Seattle finished with 278 total yards, as the Rams built a 30-13 lead with 4:46 to go. Seattle was 2-of-14 on third down. Quarterback Russell Wilson finished 11-of-27 passing for 174 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Wilson was sacked five times.

Cornerback Darious Williams got the pick, and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown. Williams had previously intercepted Wilson twice in Los Angeles’ Week 10 victory over Seattle. According to the Fox broadcast, it was the first time this season a cornerback had intercepted a wide receiver screen pass.

Rams running back Cam Akers set a franchise postseason rookie record, rushing for 131 yards and a touchdown. He also had a pair of receptions for 45 yards.

But even though they won, Los Angeles will likely be impacted by multiple injuries.

With 5:40 left in the first quarter, Wolford sustained a hit to the helmet from safety Jamal Adams and had to leave the game. Goff came in and didn’t look entirely healthy. But he was able to manage the offense effectively for the rest of the game.

His lone touchdown pass came late in the fourth quarter — a 15-yard pass to a wide open Robert Woods after Seattle had fumbled a punt. Goff finished 9-of-19 passing for 155 yards with a touchdown.

Donald exited the game with 10:04 left in the third quarter with a ribs injury and was unable to return — though at a point he did have on his helmet on the sideline.

Wide receiver Cooper Kupp left the game late in the fourth quarter due to an apparent leg injury.

Seattle hadn’t lost a home playoff game since the 2004 season, when the then-St. Louis Rams defeated the club. The result broke a 10-game home winning streak.

The Rams’ next opponent will be determined by the results of the weekend’s remaining two NFC games.

The Seahawks finished the regular season 12-4 and now have gone one-and-done in the postseason.

NBC

 

Tom Brady, Bucs hold off Taylor Heinicke, Washington 31-23



It wasn’t nearly as easy as everyone expected it to be. It wasn’t nearly as easy as it probably should have been.

But the Buccaneers have won their first playoff game since their Super Bowl season of 2002. They beat Washington 31-23 after journeyman quarterback Taylor Heinicke kept it interesting.

The Bucs will play the Saints next weekend if New Orleans wins Sunday.

Tom Brady won his 31st postseason game, throwing his 74th and 75th career postseason touchdowns. He completed 22 of 40 passes for 381 yards.

The Bucs gained 507 yards but settled for three red-zone field goals and another field goal after reaching the Washington 20. They also had an extra point blocked and missed on a two-point conversion.

Bucs receiver Mike Evans, who was questionable with a knee injury, caught six passes for a franchise-postseason-record 119 receiving yards. It broke the previous record of 106 yards by Keyshawn Johnson at Philadelphia in the 2000 playoffs.

Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown each scored a receiving touchdown, and Leonard Fournette ran for one. Fournette, subbing for Ronald Jones, had 19 carries for 93 yards and four catches for 39 yards.

But, even in a loss, Heinicke stole the show.

Heinicke, the fourth quarterback Washington has started this season, was making only his second career start. His first came in 2018 for Carolina.

He kept it close, even after an injury to his left shoulder in the fourth quarter, by completing 26 of 44 passes for 306 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He ran for 46 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

NBC

 

That was an impressive performance.

 

Browns fan in hospice gets ultimate game day wish thanks to Baker Mayfield and fellow fans

The Cleveland Browns breaking their 18-year playoff drought was a dream come true for many, many Browns fans, but it was even more special for Tom Seipel.

Siepel, a lifelong Browns fans, is terminally ill with kidney cancer and is currently in hospice care. And last Sunday he got to see the Browns clinch a playoff berth in person, fulfilling a final wish he never dreamed would come true. To make it happen, the Browns fan community rallied around him, and they even got a little help from quarterback Baker Mayfield and his wife, Emily.

Browns fans first became aware of Siepel and his declining health in December when he posted on the Browns’ subreddit. He told the Akron Beacon Journal that he intended the post to be a farewell to his fellow Browns fans, writing that he knew that he didn’t have much time left, but he wished he could see team clinch a playoff spot in person.

I don't even know why I made the post to begin with when I look back," Siepel told the Akron Beacon Journal in a phone interview on Monday. "I wanted to say thank you to the great fans. That forum has been such an informative part of my life when it comes to sports that I kind of wanted to say thanks, but at the same time I just got put into hospice. I was bummed out, so I'm sure a part of it was just wanting to hear someone say, 'Get well buddy.'

“I never thought this would turn into anything."

It turned into quite a thing, because fans on the subreddit sprung into action. Rawley Davis, the host of the Dawgs of War podcast, saw Siepel’s post and managed to get an email to Emily Mayfield. She read up on Siepel’s story and told her husband about it. Baker recorded an inspirational message for Siepel, who posted it on his Instagram account.

The video message was just the start. Local Cleveland-area business owner Brian Szabo heard about Siepel and offered him four tickets to the Browns’ possible Week 17 clincher against the Pittsburgh Steelers. So Davis and his co-host Kevin Tuleta set up a GoFundMe to pay for Siepel and his father to fly from their home in Savannah, Georgia to Cleveland. It would be their first game since Siepel was first diagnosed with cancer two years ago.
All of that was already amazing (the GoFundMe raised over $24,000), but Emily took it one step further. When Siepel told her that he was planning on coming to the game, she offered him 10 seats in her personal suite.

"She is the sweetest thing, so personable," Seipel told the Akron Beacon Journal. "She was just amazing. The Mayfield name, I knew that Baker was awesome, and I always loved listening to him. But obviously she is not as available to the media since he's the player. She definitely is just as amazing as he is."

On game day, Siepel and his father got to meet up with the guys from the Dawgs of War podcast and watch the Browns clinch their first playoff berth since 2002. When the game was over, he got to meet both Emily and Baker in person outside the stadium. They gave him a ride home so he wouldn’t have to wait for an Uber to pick him up.

"That's the class act that he is," Seipel said. "Baker is every bit of swagger, Mr. Dangerous. He's got that cool, edgy attitude, but at the same time he has the biggest heart in the world."

YAHOO, Liz Roscher

 

A.J. Brown got away with the push on Humphrey, 7-0, Titans.

 

Humphry got away with holding a fistful of Brown's jersey which is probably why Brown pushed off in the first place.

 

20-13, Ravens, late 4th.

Jackson was nit-picking that D apart on that last drive.

 

Marcus Peters on the pick, wow!

Receiver fell down...

 

Congrats to the Ravens.

 

If the receiver didn’t fall it would have hit him in the back

 

Ravens edge Titans 20-13 to secure Lamar Jackson's first playoff win



Lamar Jackson can finally celebrate in the postseason after leading the Baltimore Ravens to a 20-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Super Wild Card Weekend.

The Ravens defense held off the Titans in the final two minutes to secure the victory after Marcus Peters intercepted Ryan Tannehill. The Ravens proceeded to run out the remaining 1:50 on the clock with two first downs.

Jackson, who earned his first playoff win in three tries, overcame a 10-point first-half deficit. Jackson turned the Ravens fortunes around with an explosive 48-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The Titans were held to their lowest point total of the season.

NFL.com

 

Jezz I don't know who to cheer for now.........I don't like the Ravens.

Maybe go with the KC Chiefs.

 

Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara are active



The Saints will see the return of their offensive stars to the lineup Sunday afternoon.

Running back Alvin Kamara and receiver Michael Thomas are active, dressed and back in the lineup. Kamara missed the regular-season finale with COVID-19, while Thomas went on injured reserve with an ankle injury after Week 14.


Returner Deonte Harris (neck) also is back from injured reserve.

The Saints’ inactives are cornerback Ken Crawley, offensive lineman Derrick Kelly, receiver Austin Carr, defensive end Trey Hendrickson (neck), defensive lineman Malcolm Roach, running back Ty Montgomery and receiver Juwan Johnson.

The Bears’ inactives are inside linebacker Roquan Smith (elbow), receiver Darnell Mooney (ankle), cornerback Jaylon Johnson (shoulder), cornerback Buster Skrine (concussion), offensive lineman Lachavious Simmons, nose tackle Daniel McCullers and outside linebacker Trevis Gipson.

NBC

 

Browns, of course!!

 

C'mon. He's already had his heart broken once today.

 

Saints beat Bears 21-9 to advance to divisional round, third meeting with Bucs



Even as the Saints toiled in the first half, it never appeared the Bears had a chance. Maybe if Javon Wims hadn’t dropped a perfectly thrown pass for a touchdown in the first half the momentum would have shifted and the Bears would have found some confidence.

He didn’t, and they didn’t.

The Saints finally put away the Bears in the second half, scoring two touchdowns (and nearly a third) in the final 19 minutes against a worn-down Chicago defense.

New Orleans won 21-9 to advance to the divisional round, where the Saints will face their divisional rival for a third time this season. The Saints beat Tom Brady and the Buccaneers 34-23 in Week 1 and 38-3 in Week 9.

The Saints thought they added the exclamation point on the victory when Drew Brees leaped over the pile with 2:22 left on fourth-and-goal from the 1. He yelled to the camera, “We were getting in!” four times as he left the field.

He did not get in.

Replay overturned the touchdown as Brees did not break the plane of the goal line.

Almost everything else went the Saints’ way on Sunday aside from a missed Wil Lutz field goal.

Brees went 28-of-39 for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Alvin Kamara ran for 99 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in his return from COVID-19; Michael Thomas caught five passes for 73 yards and his first touchdown in more than a year in returning from an ankle injury; and Deonte Harris caught seven passes for 83 yards in his return from a neck injury.

The Bears gained only 115 yards on their first nine drives, going three-and-out five times. They went 99 yards in 11 plays on their final drive, with Jimmy Graham scoring on a 19-yard touchdown pass on the final play.

Graham ran directly into the locker room after his one-handed catch as time expired.

The Bears finished with 49 plays for 239 yards. They were 1-for-10 on third down.

In what may be his final game for the Bears, Mitchell Trubisky completed 19 of 29 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown.

NBC

 

Twenty-eight points was enough. And so was roughly 25 years. The Cleveland Browns burst out to a startling 28-point first-quarter surge and then withstood a Pittsburgh Steelers rally. It added up to Baker Mayfield and the Browns earning a 48-37 Super Wild Card Weekend win over Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers on Sunday for Cleveland's first postseason triumph since the 1994 season. The Browns will play the Chiefs in the Divisional Round, while the Bills will host the Ravens.

NFL.com