2022 3GML Season - Super Bowl LVII

Houston Texans vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

PHOENIX - The Houston Texans became the first team to win back to back Super Bowls since the 2003-2004 New England Patriots with a nail-biting 27-26 come from behind win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  The win brings a third title to GM TH who pulls into a tie with GM SD for the league lead.

"Great win," TH said. "This team has clawed and scratched all year and found ways to win.  I had no doubt we'd be able to come out on top in this one."

Things looked a little bleak when the Buccaneers scored late making it 26-24.  However, rookie quarterback Malik Willis led the Houston offense down the field with less than two minutes setting up a Rodrigo Blankenship field goal for the win.

"A ton of confidence in that young man," Coach David Shaw said after the game.  "Malik has shown he's a leader.  Can't speak highly enough of what he did out there today."

Defensively, the Texans did just enough to keep the game with in reach.  Super Bowl MVP Jerome Baker had a key interception late with Houston down ten, flipping the momentum when it felt like things could get out of hand.

"Not many players get to say they picked off Tom Brady in the Super Bowl,"  Baker said.  "I'll remember this for the rest of my life."

The question on everyone's mind moving forward will be "Is Houston on the verge of a dynasty?"  Next year they'll have the chance to become the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row and answer that question definitively. 

For the 3GML, the league now heads toward its ninth season overall.  What's next and what changes will these teams make to their rosters?  Stay tuned to find out.

2022 3GML Season - Conference Championships

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP - Green Bay Packers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

GREEN BAY - The magical ride of Sam Howell came to its final stop for Green Bay as the Packers fell 30-27 to Tampa Bay.  The Buccaneers have been the hottest team in the NFC closing out the season and they will keep that going as they head to Super Bowl LVII.

For the Packers, it's a disappointing end to a season with Super Bowl hopes.  The emergence of Tua Tagovailoa this season was giving Packer fans championship dreams.  However, multiple concussions turned those into a nightmare as the quarterback wasn't available down the stretch in the playoffs.

At the same time Sam Howell showed he belonged in the NFL with a dazzling performance in week 18 as well as the divisional round in Dallas.  With the injury concerns for Tagovailoa, Howell will be crucial to Green Bay's plans next year.

The Packers now turn to the offseason with cap concerns that need addressing.  Both Justin Jefferson and Quinnen Williams will be looking for monster contracts while multiple players will need their cap hit lowered through cuts, trades, and restructures.  GM SD has his hands full maneuvering the salary cap to keep his stars and fill out a roster.

On the bright side, Green Bay has three first round picks including number five and ten.  Does SD pick at those spots, move up, or move back?  All options will be on the table.  League insiders have even think it's possible the Packers take a quarterback in the top five considering the question marks around health at the position.  A move like this would create all kinds of questions heading into the 2023 season.

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP - Houston Texans @ Kansas City Chiefs

KANSAS CITY - In the game of the year, the Houston Texans upset the Kansas City Chiefs 32-29 in overtime.  Houston looked overmatched early as the Chiefs built a 17-0 lead.  However the Texans recognized there is no 17 point play and went to work.  In fact the Texans never led in this one until the final score.  The conditions were terrible with snow and howling winds.

"This one reminded me of the AFC Championship game back in 2017 when I was with the Jets," GM TH said.  "Crazy wind, three yard punts, and an overtime win."

Malik Willis was the one to lead the Texans offense back in this one after Gardner Minshew struggled early.  Willis played free and loose and it let to great things for the Houston O.

"Felt like I had nothing to lose out there," Willis said.

Late in the 4th needing a touchdown and a two point conversion to tie it, Willis hit Brandin Cooks with 17 seconds to go.  On the two point conversion, Laviska Shenault took the handoff across the goal line and the game headed to OT.

In overtime, the Chiefs won the toss but fumbled on their first play setting up the Texans.  After a turnover on downs from Houston, it was the Chiefs who looked poised to win.  However the Texans D held and the wind became the deciding factor as Tommy Townsend punted the ball 3 yards essentially setting up the Texans for the win.  A Rodrigo Blankeship field goal was all Houston needed and they were off to Super Bowl LVII. 

The Texans meet an extremely hot Tampa Bay Buccaneers team where Tom Brady will look for his 8th Super Bowl ring after knocking out the other two 3GML teams on the NFC side.  Houston, meanwhile, is looking to join the small list of teams to win back to back Super Bowls.

2022 3GML Season - Divisional Round

San Francisco 49ers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

TAMPA BAY - The San Francisco 49ers season came to a disappointing end as they fell 34-13 to Tampa Bay in the NFC divisional round.  The game came down to the 49ers inability slow down the offensive juggernaut that was Tom Brady and the Buccaneer offense.

"Tough way to end a season," Coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game.  "I'm proud of these guys and the effort they put out there all season.  Ultimately, we fell short of our goal, but we will reload and be ready for next year."

Justin Fields did what he could in this one and had a beautiful rushing touchdown to start things off. While he didn't end up on top in this one, Fields had one of the more memorable seasons in 3GML history en route to his second consecutive MVP.

"Would I trade the MVP for a Super Bowl? One hundred percent," Fields said.  "But I'm not going to hang my head.  You won't find someone who will work harder than me this off season."

For GM CD, while this season ends with disappointment, the last two years have marked a very successful run in the 3GML.  Under his guidance the 49ers have won back to back division titles and he drafted the two-time reigning MVP in Fields.  Look for the run on success to continue as CD has two first rounds picks and a fair amount of cap space to play with this offseason.

Green Bay Packers @ Dallas Cowboys

DALLAS - Call it the Patrick Surtain II game.  The Green Bay Packers upset the number one seed Dallas Cowboys 33-6 behind an epic four interception game by Surtain II.  

The Packers were down quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after it was announced his season was over this week, and came in as 10.5 point underdogs.  Rookie Sam Howell was once again forced into the starting roll as a result.  After some early nerves, Howell showed the Green Bay faithful why he was drafted.  GM SD loved Howell's arm coming out, saying he threw an "excellent deep ball."  That scouting report proved on point as Howell hit Packers receivers down the field multiple times in the game.  The prettiest of these was a 94 yard TD to Stefon Diggs to put the Packers up right before halftime.

Green Bay's defense was once again elite, not allowing a touchdown for the second consecutive week.  Surtain's four interceptions played a huge roll in that effort and the league is seeing why this young player is one of the best in the game.

"Preparation and effort," Surtain said.  "Two things no one can take away from you."

Green Bay will now travel to Tampa Bay where they will have a rematch against the Buccaneers for a chance to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.  The two teams played in week three when the Packers erased a 17-0 Tampa Bay lead to win 20-17.  A lot has changed since that meeting and Green Bay will have to pull out all the stops to keep Tom Brady from reaching his 11th Super Bowl.

Miami Dolphins @ Houston Texans

MIAMI - [Editors note: I'm not sure what I just witnessed.] The Houston Texans won one of the more bizarre NFL Playoff games in recent memory, taking down the Miami Dolphins 31-21 to reach their second consecutive AFC Championship game.

Miami had been riding a hot steak, winning six games in a row heading into this one.  However, on the first series of the game Aaron Rodgers threw a pick six to Kareem Jackson setting the tone for what was a strange game. 

The Dolphins were able to strike back and after another pair of scores, the game was knotted 14-14 heading to the third quarter.  This is when all hell broke loose and Rodgers threw another pick six deep in the red zone, this time to Mike Hilton.  The interception gave Houston all the momentum and they rode it the rest of the game to hold on for victory.

Looking at the stat sheet, Miami had 510 total yards of offense to Houston's 265, but at the end of the day, it's the points on the score board that matter.  The Texans got 14 points from their defense and it was the difference in the game.

Now the Texans will try to make back-to-back Super Bowls with a win next week.  Standing in their way are the Kansas City Chiefs who have won 10 games in a row.  Like the NFC Championship, this game is a rematch from earlier in the season.  Back in week 15, the Chiefs easily handled the Texans winning 45-21.  However, both these squads are hot and riding high meaning the AFC Championship game is setting up to be must see TV.

2022 3GML Season - Wild Card Round

Washington Commanders @ Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY - The Green Bay Packers came out on fire en route to an absolutely dominant 51-6 win over the Washington Commanders.  The win is a reversal of the 2021 wild card round where Green Bay gave up 52 to the Seattle Seahawks.  This time it was the Pack dropping over 50 on their opponent.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who returned after missing a game with a concussion, was lights out, throwing for 375 yards and four touchdowns.  Tagovailoa looked confident and distributed the ball to all the offensive weapons he had at his disposal.

"Good team win.  My first [playoff win] as a starter in the league," Tagovailoa said.  "Sun God [Amon Ra St. Brown] said it a couple weeks back.  We knew this offense was capable of a game like that."

Hunter Henry led the effort in the air with nine catches for 146 yards and a touchdown, but the two headed monster of Stefon Diggs (7 catches, 71 yards, TD) and Justin Jefferson (8 catches, 85 yards, 2 TDs) was equally impressive.

Defensively, the Packers gave quarterback Carson Wentz fits all day, leading to a frustrated coach in Ron Rivera.

"We need more out of the quarterback position.  We'll have to evaluate all options next week."  Rivera said, leading to confusion in the room.

"We were eliminated?" The seemingly shocked coach replied when informed his team wouldn't be playing next week.

As for the Packers, they move on to the divisional round to take on top seeded Dallas.

Denver Broncos @ Houston Texans

HOSUTON - The Houston Texans defense showed up when they were needed, intercepting Russell Wilson twice in the fourth quarter to hold on to a 20-17 victory.  This is the second year in a row the Texans took care of business at home against the Denver Broncos in their playoff opener.

The quarterback situation was the question all week and it was Gardner Minshew who saw most of the action, passing for 268 yards, a touchdown, and one interception.  However, Malik Willis did see the field and picked up a crucial 4th down with his legs late in the game to seal the win.

Showing his transcendent talent, receiver Brandin Cooks caught six balls for 129 yards and a touchdown, including a 67 yard strike from Minshew for the Texans first TD.

However, it was the defense who once again showed they are the backbone of this team.  After the Broncos had pulled within three, Minshew threw an interception deep in Houston territory, setting up at the very least, a Denver field goal to tie it.  However, on a 3rd and goal, Kareem Jackson cut off an out route and picked off Wilson, returning it to mid field.

"Right place, right time,"  Jackson said.

Later after the Texans offense stalled, the Broncos again looked poised to head down and tie the game or take the lead.  This time it was Mike Hilton who had other plans and picked off Wilson a second time, essentially giving the Houston the victory.

Of note, defensive tackle Ndamukong Such was a healthy scratch before the game, which came as a surprise to many.

"We couldn't find him in the locker room before the game," a puzzled David Shaw said.

The riddle was quickly solved when after the game Suh tweeted a gif of John Travolta's character Vincent Vega looking confused where to go from the movie Pulp Fiction and said, "Got lost heading to the stadium."

Needless to say, the Texans will likely send a car for him next week when they host the Miami Dolphins in the divisional round.

Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers

SANTA CLARA - The San Francisco 49ers used some last minute heroics to pull out an exciting 17-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals in the wild card round.  Down 13-10 after an Arizona field goal gave them the lead with a minute to go, Justin Fields found CeeDee Lamb for a 54 yard touchdown reception with five seconds remaining in the game.  With the touchdown, the crowd absolutely went nuts with the nearby seismic monitoring station picking up vibrations from the game.

Defensively, the Niners did a much better job keeping the Cardinal offense in check than their week 18 matchup just six days ago.  Case Keenum and crew managed only 175 yards passing and 81 yards rushing on the afternoon.

"We were fired up after last week," Jerry Hughes Jr., who had two sacks on the day, said.  "Proud of the effort out there today."

GM CD could be seen throwing his beer pint glass against the wall late in the 4th quarter, ruining a perfectly good IPA.  When Lamb scored the game winner, he remained stone faced as if in disbelief of what just happened.

The expectations for the 49ers are obviously high as they now travel to Tampa Bay where they will try to avenge their week 14 loss.

2022 3GML Playoff Preview

With the playoffs quickly approaching, we take a look at the wild card round matchups involving 3GML members.  For the second consecutive year, all three teams made the dance.  Which one will be the last team standing?

AFC Wild Card - #7 Denver @ #2 Houston

Defending champion Houston was able to hang on to the two seed despite dropping the last two games of the regular season.  The momentum is heading the wrong directions for the Texans but they have a chance to reset at home against the lowest seeded team in a stacked AFC.  This game will be the second time these teams will meet after Houston won their week two matchup 24-10.

For Denver, their off season trade for Russell Wilson has gotten this franchise back to the playoffs after years of mediocrity.  Their offense will look to push the ball on a Texans secondary that is playing reserves due to injuries at the position.  Look for Jerry Jeudy to get the ball early and often as the Texans front four will make running the ball difficult for the Broncos.

For the Texans, the key to success will be their defense keeping Denver's O off the field.  For most of the season, the Houston defense has been the backbone of the team, keeping the game close and allowing the offense to do just enough to win.  The 2022 version of the Houston Texans feels very 2000 Ravens-esque. If Da'Ron Payne and Grady Jarrett are game wreckers up the middle, expect the Texans to sack an aging and slowing Wilson multiple times.

Offensively for the Texans, it all comes down to the quarterback position.  Both Malik Willis and Gardner Minshew have flashed at times.  However, both have shown they aren't the answer full time.  Willis has been electric with his feet, but has been plagued by turnovers and bad sacks.  Minshew has shown he can throw the ball down the field, but inaccurate passing and poorly timed turnovers have hurt his team.  If the Texans get "B" level play from either or both of these players, the Texans will likely move on to host another game in the Divisional Round.

NFC Wild Card - #5 Washington @ #4 Green Bay

As with the game above, this game will be a second meeting between playoff opponents with the Packers taking the week seven game 34-28 in overtime.  For this one, Green Bay will be looking to avoid their playoff fortune from 2021 where they easily won their division and then were promptly housed by the Seattle Seahawks 52-21.  The big difference this year is they have a more experienced roster with some key players taking huge steps in their growth.

Offensively, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has taken huge steps forward in his 3rd season.  With weapons like Justin Jefferson, Stefon Diggs, and Amon Ra St. Brown, he will have no shortage of options when it comes to passing situations.  The two questions here will be time and health.  Washington boasts a top tier defensive front and Tua will need to get the ball out quick in order to avoid costly sacks.  If he gets hit frequently, it would be concerning for the Packers as the quarterback has been in concussion protocol twice this season.  While backup Sam Howell played well against the Lions last week, Green Bay doesn't want to have to turn there if they can avoid it.

On the defensive side of the ball, having a lock down corner like Patrick Surtain II emerge this season will be key as Green Bay will try to keep Terry McLaurin in check.  Washington has a tendency to dink and dunk their way up and down the field, then mix in a big play or two to keep the time of possession on their side.  The Commanders are going with Carson Went at quarterback, so Surtain II and the secondary will be looking to keep Washington in 3rd and long situations all afternoon.  If they are able to do it, this one should go the way of the Pack.

Temperatures look to be near zero this weekend which favors the Packers, but Washington is a hungry team.  We expect a once score game either way.

NFC Wild Card - #6 Arizona @ #3 San Francisco

Keeping with the theme of rematches, this one is no exception with this being the third time these two will meet this season.  The teams split their first two with the 49ers taking the week 11 game in Mexico City and the Cardinals getting the victory just last week.  Yes, this will be a back to back matchup of NFC West foes.

On the Cardinals side, the team has somehow been able to stay alive after losing quarterback Kyler Murray to an ACL tear.  Backup Case Keenum was electric last week and will look to stay hot in this one.  However, he will be without his favorite target as receiver DeAndre Hopkins has already been ruled out with a knee injury.  This could be just what the San Francisco defense needs as they have battled injuries in the secondary for most of the back-half of the season.  Another piece of news favoring the 49ers is the return of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.  CGJ has been a very vocal leader for their defense and adding him to the fold will be huge in this one. 

For San Francisco offensively, 3GML MVP Justin Fields will be the answer to whether they move on.  Fields has been electric all year and it's been mainly his legs that have Niner fans hopeful for another Super Bowl run.  The quarterback from Ohio State rushed for 1,532 yards this season in 16 games, which easily shattered the QB rushing record previously held by Lamar Jackson (1,206).  If Fields rushes for over 100 yards in this one, we expect the 49ers to move on.  Standing in the way will be JJ Watt, who is playing in his last playoffs after announcing his retirement at the end of this season.  Watt will likely be pumped up for this one as it is his last shot for a ring.