Clutch Plays & Costly Mistakes: Breaking Down the Key Moments from the Divisional Round
- Jake Barkin
- Jan 23
- 6 min read
Every year, the NFL playoffs are always full of crazy moments, sensational highlights, and most importantly game-defining plays that fans will remember forever. As the divisional round of the 2024 playoffs is officially over, here are a few game-changing plays that define the divisional round.
To begin with, on Saturday night, the heavy underdog Washington Commanders walked into the top-seed Detroit Lions and walked away with one of the most unpredictable upsets in the past few seasons. While this game was expected to be a high-scoring game due to both teams possessing elite play callers in Ben Johnson and Kliff Kingsbury, nobody was expecting that the Lions would be outscored by fourteen points even though the Lions had more total yards than the Commanders in addition to scoring 31 points in their devastating loss. To explain, while the Lions had the best offensive play-caller in Ben Johnson, the best run game with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, an elite offensive line, and even an elite receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown still did not fix their biggest issue which is their quarterback play. When the Lions in 2021 hit the reset button by trading franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford in return for Rams' former quarterback Jared Goff and two first-round picks, many believed Goff would be a bridge quarterback just filling in the starting spot until the Lions drafted his replacement. However, Goff exceeded his low expectations as they won the NFC North in just his third year and even won the first seed in the NFC in his fourth season with the Lions too. While Goff has been playing at a very high level, the offense that has been built around him is exceptional and Goff tends to struggle when the rest of his offense is not carrying the load.
Going back to last weekend, the Lions were down by three points and were not playing to the high standards that everyone expected them to play to as their defense was slowing down and their offense was not clicking completely. This ultimately led to Jared Goff throwing a terrible pick-six as the Commanders disguised their conservative coverage and to make things worse injured Goff on the return taking him out of the game for a full drive. This pick-six never allowed their offense to truly recover as the Lions would never get the ball back again with a chance to take the lead. This pick-six not only ended their season but additionally ended Ben Johnson’s time with Detroit as he immediately accepted a head coaching position with the Chicago Bears just days after their loss. It is safe to say the pick-six that ended the Lions season will be hard for fans to forget for years to come.
Secondly, the Philadelphia Eagles were also successful last weekend as they defeated the Los Angeles Rams at home on Sunday to advance to the NFC championship game where they will host their divisional rival Washington Commanders. In their intense matchup against the Rams, many expected their new superstar running back Saquon Barkley to be an X-factor as Saquon rushed for 255 yards and two touchdowns in their previous matchup this season in a week 12 victory. Due to the game being played in Philadelphia, the weather conditions were hard to predict as there was no rain or snow when the game started. However, by the time the fourth quarter began, the field was full of snow and it was extremely difficult for players to move or even see in these brutal conditions. No matter the conditions, nothing was stopping Saquon Barkley as he has been waiting for his entire career to go on a deep playoff run after being stuck on the New York Giants for six full seasons.
As the game was nearing its end, the Eagles were holding onto a one-possession lead by the palm of their hands. With the Eagles backed up on their own 22-yard line with the ball hard to advance in the snow, the Rams were due to get the ball back and try to win the game on the final possession of the game. However, Saquon Barkley had other plans and rushed for an incredible 78-yard touchdown that clinched the Eagles the victory. Even with a last-minute heroic comeback, the lead was too large and the Rams were unable to come back after Saquon’s game-winning touchdown. During the run, fans could see Barkley slap his helmet mid-run as he was full of excitement and emotions Barkley has finally found his forever home with the Eagles and is only two wins away from his first-ever Super Bowl. This play cemented Barkley’s legacy in Philadelphia forever as in just his first season, he has led the league in rushing yards and has carried his team to an NFC championship game appearance at home. It is safe to say that this play will be remembered as the moment when everything clicked for the Eagles in their exciting new era with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and Saquon Barkley forming a new and dangerous big three in the NFL.
At last, the Baltimore Ravens travelled to Buffalo in Sunday night's thriller where the winner gets to travel to Kansas City next week to face off against Patrick Mahomes. While the Bills defeated the Ravens by a tight score of 27-25, the Ravens beat themselves more than the Bills did as the Ravens had three costly turnovers that ultimately decided the fate of the game. Initially, the Ravens were in their own territory with the ball in a tied ball game where Lamar Jackson threw a terrible interception to Bills safety Taylor Rapp. While Ravens wideout Rashod Bateman did not run his corner route prosperity, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson completely forced the throw into double coverage and gave the Bills an easy turnover. Fortunately, the Bills were unable to score with the ball back mostly due to a horrible holding call on Bills tackle Dion Dawkins even though the Pro Bowl tackle did nothing wrong besides dominantly win his rep. When the Ravens got the ball back again, Lamar Jackson showed everyone his elite rushing ability and quickly drove down the field into Bills territory. Unfortunately, a bad snap caused Lamar Jackson to panic and lose the ball while being tackled by Bills safety Damar Hamlin. This fumble caused Bills outside linebacker Von Miller to return the ball to Buffalo deep in Ravens territory which ultimately led to a Josh Allen touchdown.
Even though the Ravens were down 21-10 at halftime with the Bills starting with possession, the Ravens never gave up. Fast forward to the middle of the fourth quarter, a conservative Bills offense allowed the Ravens to climb back into the game as they had the ball with the chance to take the lead with a touchdown. On a second down play at midfield, Lamar Jackson under great blocking by the offensive line had all the time in the world to make a play as he connected with Mark Andrews on a beautiful zone-beating play. Despite catching the ball, Ravens tight end Mark Andrews wanted more yards and tried cutting back to find more open space to run which was a monumental mistake as Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard saw it coming and forced and recovered a fumble. This play allowed the Bills to chew the clock heavily and finish the drive with an eight-point lead with the two-minute warning approaching.
In the Ravens final drive of the game, Lamar Jackson quickly destroyed the Bills defense and immediately scored a touchdown caught by Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely. With a two-point conversion needed to tie the game, Ravens offensive coordinator and play caller Todd Monken used a pick play that allowed Mark Andrews to be open on the sideline as Damar Hamlin who was in coverage was unable to beat Todd Monken’s designed screen. Nevertheless, Mark Andrews tragically dropped a wide-open ball which heartbreakingly lost the Ravens the game. While the Ravens were able to come back after being down by eleven at halftime, the three turnovers were costly in just a two-point loss proving that the Ravens ultimately lost to themselves.
That is it for this divisional round breakdown. Let me know what your thoughts are on the final four teams remaining and if there were any other highlights or moments that are worth mentioning. Comment down below what you think are the two teams that will advance to the Super Bowl in just over a couple of weeks. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s article as I will be breaking down and analyzing the intense AFC championship matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. Stay updated by following the official X account of Blitz & Brawlers and try out our brand-new quiz!
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