Participants,

All I can say is “Wow!!”  3 of the 4 Divisional Playoff games came down to the last play to determine who will move on to their respective Conference Championship games next weekend.  These games were more wild than the Wild Card Weekend games, for sure.  My heart rate has just slowed to 60 BPM (Beats per Minute, and I’ll have more on some acronyms in a bit…).  Let’s get right into the post-game reviews and then the HSBT Standings update.

Philadelphia Eagles 15, Atlanta Falcons 10
Well, Atlanta certainly “fowled” up their chance for a repeat visit to the Super Bowl on Saturday.  The Dirty Birds (remember them?) were de-feathered by the NFC’s #1 seed home underdog (huh?) Philadelphia in the weekend opener.  Early on, it looked like the Falcons were going to pull the “upset,” as the Eagles started the game with a 42-yard penalty, then muffed a punt (did the Rams trade their kick returner to Philly last week?)  Eagles QB Foles looked shaky in the strong winds, but settled down and almost played like his almost MVP season back in 2014.  As the announcers said, “once he establishes the run (which they did nicely with Ajayi), then the RPO will be more effective.”  RPO?  Run Pass Option.  The Eagles D hovered over their prey when they had to.  What where the Falcons thinking of on that last play of the game, which would have sent them to Minnesota next weekend?  That play was easier to read than a children’s book.

And with that, the #1 seeded Eagles will be hosting the NFC Championship game for the 1^st time in 13 years.  And – probably underdogs at home once again.  Bring out those masks!

Greg the Great kicks off the weekend with 141 points and Buffalo Bill collects 102.

Giselle’s Husband 35, Tennessee (Forget the) Titans 14
As suspected, the Patriots dominated this game from start to finish, featuring a balanced attack and 2 RB James White TD’s in the 1^st half.  Titan QB Marcus did not have a TD toss to Mariota, and their D couldn’t keep up with OC Matt Patricia (I wonder what his last name is??) play calling.  We were introduced to another new acronym by the team in the booth – OPI (Offensive Pass Interference).

Patriots in the AFC Championship next weekend (for the 7^th consecutive year), and should be heavy favorites.

Great the Great finishes up a terrific day with 145 more points, and Ben the Butler makes some noise with 117 points.  A 1-day total of 286 points for Greg the Great, a new record for the Divisional Playoffs.

Jacksonville Jaguars (Team #2) 45, Pittsburgh Steelers 42
Who thought there would be 87 points scored in this one?  Much less the Jags putting up 6 TD’s against the Steelers in Steeltown on a cold afternoon.  The Sacksonville D accounted for at least 21 points with a few picks, fumble recoveries and just being a general nuisance to Big Ben all day long.  The plays of the day (until later…) were the 2 (that’s right, 2) 4^th down TD flings by Roethlisberger late in the game.  Can anyone strop Antonio Brown?

Sacksonville off to Foxborough next week.  Which Jags team will show up?  We know which Patriots team will.

JTB earns 172 points, with Ben the Butler having another good game with 88 points.

Minnesota Vikings 29 (23 with 0:01 left in the game), New Orleans 24
This is why they play 60 minutes.  Can’t say that I’ve ever seen a finish like yesterday’s game.  A 61-yard Hail Mary” as the clock struck 0:00 and the Vikes move on.  The Aints shouldda couldda wouldda had this one – until the very last play of the game.  The Yikes were up 17-0 at half and it looked like the Saints season (and maybe Drew Brees’ career as a Saint?) was over.  New Orleans chipped away in the 2^nd half before the Vikings D came back on the field, taking the lead with just under a minute to play.  Break out the beignet’s and start the celebration on Bourbon Street!  Less than a minute later, Hurricane Keenum rumbled thru town and made a mess of everything.

“See ya back in MPLS in 3 weeks, Vikes.”  Did The Commish just make a prediction?

Buffalo Bill collects 113 points in this one, with Greg the Great having second honors with 85 points.

HSBT Standings Update
The trophy competition was just as exciting as the games last weekend.  Fortunately, all picks (including the SB Bonus) were submitted on time.  That’s 2 weeks in a row and let’s keep it going this weekend!

With 3 tiny games left to go, here is where everyone stands at this point.  Historically, only 44% of the total points have been earned, so it’s “game on” for everyone.

And – as a milestone – we have now surpassed the 100,000 point total for the HSBT.  Amazing!

• Greg the Great – 488 points (and the only participant with a winning record at 5-3)
• JTB – 453 points (right on his heels) and finds himself in contention with his Vikes SB Bonus pick
• Buffalo Bill – 380 points (nice 330 point weekend bumps him up to the Bronze medal ranking)
• Ben the Butler – 320 points and itching for the lead
• Pete the Terp – 307 points (and a lackluster 134-popint weekend)
• 2018 Winner – 296 points (has everyone lost sight of him?)
• Comeback Kid – 182 points (and will need a Comeback)
• HenricoFiveOh – 163 points (it will be Boom or Bust picks going forward)

You can plan to look forward to my expert analysis and predictions in advance of the Conference Championship games this coming Sunday afternoon and evening.

Until then, I am
~~ The Commish