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.
