"The Stack" 1-14-19
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey had a pass go right through his hands, resulting in an interception as the Eagles lost 20-14 to the New Orleans Saints.
The Stack is back on this Monday and AFC and NFC Championship games have been set. It was not a great weekend of football even though there are those out there that call the NFL Divisional round the best weekend of football the entire season. It’s time to react to all of the games so let’s get right to “the stack” for today, Monday, January 14th:
Colts 13 Chiefs 31
The Indianapolis Colts couldn’t get anything going offensively against the Kansas City Chiefs. And when they did, like at the end of the first half, the best kicker in NFL history, Adam Vinatieri doinked a 23-yard field goal off of the left upright. Their defense struggled early on to stop Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and the rest of the Chiefs offense. By the time they were able to stand their ground, it was too late. This was a really impressive showing by the Chiefs who not only won their first home playoff game since 1994, but are hosting the AFC Championship game. They look dangerous!
Cowboys 22 Rams 30
If someone had told you that Los Angeles Rams running back C.J. Anderson would run for over 100 yards and be a bruiser all night long, you would have most likely asked what they were on and how much of a bet they would like to make on that. You’d be out plenty of money today. Anderson rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns and Todd Gurley added another 115 yards and a touchdown as the Rams ousted the Dallas Cowboys 30-22. The Cowboys grabbed an early 7-3 lead and the Rams had some troubles early on of cashing in inside the redzone, but the Cowboys couldn’t take advantage. They would lose the lead for good in the second quarter and the Rams opened up a 20-7 lead. The Cowboys kept it interesting in the second quarter, but could never get within more than eight points. Officiating was a bit of an issue when officials blew a play dead when Dak Prescott was “in the grasp” and forward momentum had stopped. The only problem is that it was Prescott’s own offensive lineman that had his hands wrapped around Prescott. Tough loss for the Cowboys, but a very good win for the Rams.
Chargers 28 Patriots 41
This was not much of a game right from the get-go. Sure the Chargers tied it up at 7-7 early on, but the Patriots scored a touchdown on each of their first four possessions for the first time in franchise history. Then when the Chargers had a chance to get back in it, they fumbled the punt. Don’t let the final score fool you. The Chargers were really never in this game. Sony Michel was great rushing the football and Tom Brady was his normal Brady-self. The Chargers defense was awful and the offense just couldn’t keep up. Make it a ninth straight season for the Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
Eagles 14 Saints 20
The Philadelphia Eagles vowed that they would not suffer the same result against New Orleans like their 48-7 drumming earlier in the season. It was different right from the get go. The Eagles picked Drew Brees off on the first offensive play of the game and they drove down and scored. They had a 14-0 lead before the Saints finally got something going and that only started because of a fake punt that they ran with Taysom Hill in their own territory. That got them going. That and wide receiver Michael Thomas going off. The Eagles had answers for Thomas who had 12 receptions for 171 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles had a chance to win the game potentially late, but wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey had a pass go right through his hands and into the arms of Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Game over. The Saints won and will host the NFC Championship game against the Rams.
Coming up later this week: Reaction to top stories and headlines in the sports world.
Coming up Friday: AFC and NFC Championship game previews and predictions
