By Travers Cummings
Patriots defeat Broncos (Saturday afternoon): I said last week the Broncos would struggle on offense without starting QB Bo Nix, and sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. After an impressive first drive by Jarrett Stidham that actually led to the first touchdown, he basically disappeared for the rest of the game. A lot of people don’t realize how different the talent level is between a starting quarterback and a backup quarterback. The Broncos said and did all the right things leading up to the game, talking about how much they believed in Stidham and how the offense would be fine, but at the end of the day, the guy is a backup for a reason. Once the snow started falling, Denver had no chance, and that’s why they’re going home instead of going to the Super Bowl.
It took four years of misery, but the Patriots are once again headed back to the Super Bowl. Fans thought the era of New England dominance was over once Tom Brady left, but here we are again, this time led by Drake Maye. He didn’t have the prettiest stat line (10 of 21 for 86 yards passing), but he had 65 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown. The Pats added a field goal late in the third quarter, and that’s all they needed. A snow blizzard descended on Mile High Stadium, and you could barely see a thing by the fourth quarter. Would Bo Nix have made a difference in this game? Probably, but we will never know now.
Seahawks defeat Rams (Sunday night): I hate-watched this game, hoping both teams would lose somehow. Nonetheless, the Seahawks and Sam Darnold came out victorious in this contest over the Rams. It’s been quite the career turnaround for him. After three terrible years with the New York Jets, where he was “seeing ghosts,” he was shipped off to the Carolina Panthers, only to be slightly above average there as well. He then found himself as the backup to Brock Purdy in San Francisco for a year before landing a deal with the Vikings. He found instant success in Minnesota, and he credited Niners coach Kyle Shanahan, along with Brock Purdy, for giving him a different perspective on how to play and be more successful in the league. A failed playoff run with the Vikings led to Darnold leaving for Seattle, and in his first season with them, he’s headed to his second Super Bowl (first as a starter) in what would be the ultimate feel-good success story.
Last week: 1–1
Playoffs overall: 4–4