PMT DB
PMT DB
NFL Divisional Round Recap: Commanders and Eagles Set for NFC Collision Course
The PMT script writers clearly went into the lab this weekend because we are officially on a collision course for an all-time Conference Championship Sunday. We’ve got the Commanders and Eagles in the NFC and the Bills heading to Kansas City for another chapter of the Mahomes-Allen saga. It was one of the best weekends of football in recent memory, even if it ended in heartbreak for some friends of the program in Detroit and Baltimore.
Chiefs Outlast the Texans
Starting in Kansas City, it was a classic "two things can be true" game. On one hand, the Texans played well enough to win, outgaining the Chiefs by a hundred yards and committing zero turnovers. On the other hand, their special teams were an absolute disaster, and you simply cannot leave points on the board against Patrick Mahomes. Big Cat was quick to point out that while the Chiefs executed, the officiating left a lot to be desired for CJ Stroud and company.
Big CatThe Texans got absolutely screwed by penalties against the Chiefs
The first thing can be that the Texans got absolutely screwed by penalties. And the second thing that can also be true is the Chiefs deserve to win this game because they outplayed him... But if you're a Texans fan, you have every right to bitch about that for the next week straight.
PFT noticed that even though the Chiefs won 15 games, they aren't the same explosive offense we saw years ago. Teams have adjusted to the deep ball, forcing Mahomes to be more methodical and savvy. However, just because the "wow" plays are fewer doesn't mean the league has truly stopped him.
PFT CommenterNFL defenses have officially figured out Patrick Mahomes
What we're seeing Patrick Mahomes do this season, this might be the NFL figuring out Patrick Mahomes. Yeah. Because when he had Tyreek Hill and he was putting up all those crazy stats and numbers, that was before Defenses adjusted... and they won 15 games.
One thing that drove Big Cat crazy was the way Mahomes seems to manipulate the current rules. He’s reaching a level of veteran savviness where he knows exactly how to get a flag by simply existing near a defender who is playing hard.
Big CatPatrick Mahomes purposely baits defenders into illegal hits for flags
[Mahomes'] thing where he lets up on purpose to try to get goat players into hitting him is bullshit. It's bullshit. Like you can't, it's so hard for defenders to hit a quarterback in today's NFL... he was scrambling and like almost stood still waiting for a guy to hit him illegally or hit him out of bounds.
Jaden Daniels is the Truth
In Detroit, the Jaden Daniels era officially reached legendary status. The Commanders walked into Ford Field and absolutely dismantled a Lions team that everyone thought was the team of destiny. Jayden was unflappable, leading a 15-play drive in the second half that essentially broke Detroit's spirit. PFT is officially thinking soupy, and honestly, who can blame him? He’s convinced he has the best guy in the conference.
PFT CommenterJaden Daniels is the best quarterback in the NFC
I think Jayden is, God. Jayden is, he's the best. I think he's the best quarterback in the NFC. I think he's probably top five in the NFL.
Big Cat, ever the tortured Bears fan, had to admit that Jayden is special, but he’s not letting the Bears off the hook. He’s convinced that environment is everything, and if the roles were reversed, the results wouldn't be the same.
Big CatJaden Daniels would have failed if the Bears had drafted him
I also think that if Jaden Daniels was drafted by the Bears, he wouldn't have been good. That's neither here nor there. This is more about Jaden Daniels... circumstance and everything around it matters.
While the Commanders celebrate, the Lions are left wondering what happened to a 15-win season. Max was ready to pounce on Dan Campbell, refusing to give him the "winner" label despite the cultural turnaround in Detroit. To Max, the regular season wins don't mean a thing without the hardware.
MaxDan Campbell is not a 'winner' until he wins a Super Bowl
I'm just not giving him the label of Dan Campbell winner... He's a good coach, but not a winner. [He needs to win a] Super Bowl. That's what I said the first time.
Saquon Barkley and the Birds
Philadelphia survived a snowy battle against the Rams thanks to Saquon Barkley being the best player on the planet. He put up over 500 yards of scrimmage against the Rams in just two games this season, which is a video game stat. Max was nearly a broken man during the stream, fighting hypothetical battles with Big Cat and PFT before the game even finished. Despite the stress, Nick Sirianni keeps stacking wins against the league’s most respected young minds.
Big CatNick Sirianni is a winner because he's 8-0 against the NFC's top 'young' coaches
Nick Sirianni is now three and oh versus Sean McVay. Nick Sirianni is eight and oh versus Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur and Dan Campbell. That's pretty good. It's a winner. Those are three coaches that everyone's, you know, like, hey coach of the years... That's a winner.
However, the win came with a price. Jalen Hurts looked banged up throughout the game, and Max is already sweating the injury report heading into the matchup with Washington. He’s not optimistic about Jalen being anywhere near 100 percent for the biggest game of the year.
MaxJalen Hurts will only be 60-70% healthy for the NFC Championship game
Jalen Hurts, if I had to, if I had to make a guess and I'm pretty confident in this guess, I think he will be playing at probably around 60 to 70%.
Bills-Ravens and the AFC Hierarchy
In the final game of the weekend, the Bills outlasted the Ravens in a snowy Western New York slugfest. Josh Allen played uncharacteristically conservative football, but it was enough to get past a Ravens team that saw Lamar Jackson struggle with turnovers. PFT thinks the AFC quarterback rankings are finally set in stone, at least for this season.
PFT CommenterThe hierarchy of AFC QBs is Mahomes, Allen, Lamar, then Burrow
I like that we've got a nice clean hierarchy for now though of AFC quarterbacks. Goes Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and then Joe Burrow. If [Burrow] was in the playoffs, he'd just probably be beating everybody.
Hank had a weirdly specific theory about the connection between Buffalo and the Super Bowl host city, New Orleans. According to Hank, the vibes are identical, mostly involving being drunk and having a very specific local diet.
HankThe Bills and New Orleans are essentially sister cities
Buffalo and New Orleans that is the same city and it doesn't make sense, but it does. Like Buffalo is gonna win a Super Bowl. It shouldn't be in New Orleans... They're both drunk. Yeah, that's what he was going for. One has like huge tits that they show every couple times a year. The other likes beef on weck and wings. They're sisters though.
Who's Back and National Championship Picks
Who's Back of the Week featured the miraculous survival of TikTok, which Hank is convinced is here to stay despite the legal drama. PFT is also tracking the progress of scientists trying to bring back prehistoric mammals, which seems like a great idea with zero potential for a Jurassic Park scenario.
PFT CommenterWooly Mammoths will be cloned and brought back from extinction
My who's back of the week is Wooly Mammoths... There's a company called Colossal Biosciences and they just raised $200 million... to bring back and clone wooly mammoths... Willie Mammoths might be back soon.
To wrap up, the guys looked ahead to the National Championship between Ohio State and Notre Dame. While Notre Dame has been a great story, Big Cat thinks the talent gap is just too wide for the Irish to overcome in the big game.
Big CatOhio State is the better team and will beat Notre Dame in the National Championship
Ohio State's the better team. I feel like it's one of those things where like Notre Dame two outta 10 times maybe could win this game... They gotta get Will Howard to turn the ball over... I'm worried about Notre Dame's Rush defense... Jeremiah Smith and they got dudes everywhere.
Good luck to everyone's mentals as we head into a week of Eagles vs. Commanders discourse that will surely be civil and respectful.
