Participants,

Has your heart slowed down yet?  Talk about thrilling finishes on Sunday.  Coulda / shoulda been 2 OT games.  One #1 seed is “one and done” again.  From a historical perspective, the 2 teams that participated in the very 1^st Super Bowl on that date exactly 50 years ago played on Sunday – Kansas City and Green Bay.  The Commish did watch that game, as did a small number of Americans who attended at $12 per seat.  The LA Colosseum  was more than half empty (welcome to town, Chargers!).  It was more of a novelty at that time.  Little did anyone know what it would become…  Ben the Butler gets his weekend picks just in “over” the wire, but the Commish grants a pardon…  Let’s right to the results:

Atlanta 36, Seattle 20
The Sea(ya)hawks should have / could have won this one.  Former Falcon KR Devin Hester, picked up from the “over the hill” rack at Best Buy just a week before the playoffs started, had a 79-yard punt return called back that would have given Seattle the lead and a boost of confidence.  He also had 2 long kickoff returns.  Penalties, all 7 of them seemingly coming at the wrong time, Georgia Doomed the Seahawks all day long.  But give the Falcons credit – they were the better team on the field, with QB Matt Ryan tossing for well over 300 yards and 3 TD’s.  Those 2 Falcon RB’s (Freeman and Coleman) are a load for any defense.  Another scoring drive of over 90 yards for the Falcons, their 11^th this season.  Deservedly, the Falcons are on to the NFC Championship Game for the 2^nd time in the last 5 years.  Is Julio going to be OK?  Home teams are 5-0 this post-season.  Ben the Butler (he of the very late score submission) comes out on top in this one, with a season high 129 points.

New England 34, Houston 16 (No Overtimes)
It was almost a close shave at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.  Patriots RB Dion (“3-Way”, for you Skyline Chili fans – look it up…) Lewis scored on a kick return (98 yards), by ground and through the air.  Speaking of air, the Patriots had none in the 1^st half, when the Houston D was suffocating.  A lot of credit to that entire group, spearheaded by DE Clowney and LB (No More) Merci-lus.  Deflate-gate described the New England offense through the halfway mark.  Texan QB Brock Osweiler (he of the $72 million contract), however, had the upper hand in this one and held the Texans offense hostage for most of the game.  Patriots coach Bill Belichick is “on to the AFC Championship Game.”  Otherwise, he might get ill if he watches this performance.  When was the last time you saw Tom Brady get smacked around so much?  Home teams are 6-0 this post-season.  A “two-way” tie for points, with HenricoFiveOh and defending champion Pete the Terp each earning 125 points.

Green Bay 34, Dallas 31
… As communicated to you in my Divisional Playoff Round predictions.  SuperMan is no match for Texas kryptonite.  This was the most exciting finish to a playoff game in quite some time.  3 FG’s of 50+ yards in the last 2 minutes.  As white-hot as Packer QB Aaron Rodgers was, K Mason Crosby displayed the ice in his veins, as his game winner went through (just inside the left upright) as the clock struck 0:00.  Nothing more to say about Big D other than they were overconfident and overmatched at the QB position.  Ben the Butler picks up another win.

Pittsburgh 18, Kansas City 16
The heart rate got up over 120 again in this thrilling closer to the weekend.  The Steelers now have 4 official “killer B’s” – QB Ben, WR Brown, RB Bell and K Boswell – who set a playoff record with 6 FG’s.  The Chiefs were just lacking any offense, but came to life in the 4^th quarter to make it close.  That holding penalty on the successful 2-point try at the end was the final arrow for the Chiefs.  Pete the Terp claims his 2^nd weekend win.

So, this is where things stand with 3 games and 56% of the total points on the table for those who heed the Commish’s predictions:

• Pete the Terp – 526 points and going for consecutive trophy victories?
• Ben the Butler – 473 points and another big weekend; picked all 4 games right; will this be his year?
• 2017 Winner – 402 points and liking his chances
• Comeback Kid (with an 8-0 record) – 379 points and as steady as they come
• HenricoFiveOh – 342 points after a much better weekend than last; keeping pace (which is bad news for the other participants)
• Greg the Great – 322 points and will not get any Super Bowl Bonus points; but he has had huge games in the past
• Buffalo Bill – 261 points; those goose-eggs are killers, but there are 3 big games to go
• JTB – 172 points, and we know some interesting picks will be coming

Look for my expert analysis and predictions this weekend.  Picks will be due on Sunday afternoon before the 3:00pm EST kickoff of the NFC Championship game (got that Ben the Butler?)  Study up – this is looking like another close battle for the trophy.

~~ The Commish