For those Webb Weekly readers not yet born at the time, the 1958 NFL championship game has been referred to as the greatest NFL game ever played. It was the first NFL playoff game to be decided in overtime as the Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants 23-17 in old Yankee Stadium on a 1-yard TD scored by the Colts’ Alan ‘the horse’ Ameche.
But for all of you born after that memorable day, fear not because you were around two weekends ago to witness new NFL history via the incredible AFC Divisional playoff game won by the Kansas City Chiefs 42-36 over the Buffalo Bills in an overtime thriller so ridiculous that most movie producers might determine the plot too unbelievable for Hollywood to even consider. But, if you watched that game, you are probably still talking about it, and at least to my eyes, it has to go down as the greatest NFL game I’ve ever witnessed.
On the same weekend that the league’s two best old-guard quarterbacks and front-runners for this season’s MVP honors, Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, were bounced out of the playoffs, and seriously considering what their football futures may hold; Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo’s Josh Allen treated football followers to a gridiron smorgasbord so fulfilling that if it were a restaurant, it would have completely sold out of food.
The Chiefs/Bills game was the conclusion of a four-game weekend that saw every game decided on the very last play. The Bengals’, Evan McPherson, 49ers’ Robbie Gould, and Rams’ Matt Gay all used their talented legs to kick game-winning field goals with no time remaining on the clock. But it was the magnificent arms and minds of Mahomes and Allen who repeatedly struck like two expert fencers until Mahomes tossed a 34-yard TD strike to Travis Kelce in overtime to seal the Chiefs’ 42-36 win.
It is often said when two teams engage in a great game; no one deserves to lose. You can put that one in capital letters because JOSH ALLEN definitely deserved a better fate. He was sensational; only Mahomes had the ball last and made the most of it. Just as Brady and Rodgers are nearing the end of Hall-of-Fame careers, Mahomes and Allen are proving to be the next NFL standard-bearers for QB play.
I’ve dealt with sports statistics for decades. Sometimes they can prove misleading. Some have said stats are for losers; the only thing that matters is getting the W. But regardless of how you may view statistical scrutiny, what these two accomplished on January 23 has re-written some record books.
– Mahomes and Allen walked off the field after combining to throw for over 700 yards, complete 74% of their passes, throw for 7 TDs with no interceptions, and rushed for 137 yards. The game was so cleanly played there were no turnovers and only four penalties called.
– The pair owns the two-highest postseason career passer ratings in NFL history. Allen 136.0 and Mahomes 123.1. (Rodgers is 7th on the list, Brady is not in the top 10)
– Allen (7.3) and Mahomes (5.9) now rank 2nd and 11th in NFL history among QBs in postseason rushing average. Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson are the only active QBs on the list.
– The last four QB performances with a passing rating of 130 or higher in a postseason game are named Mahomes (134.6 vs. Texans in 2019), Allen (157.6 against the Patriots three weeks ago), Mahomes (138.2 vs. the Steelers this year), and Allen, (136.0 vs. the Chiefs).
Other remarkable performances from the game include:
– Bills wide receiver Gabriel Davis became the seventh player in NFL history with 200+ receiving yards and 4 TDs in a game, but the first to do it in a postseason game. The only players to achieve the feat in a regular-season game were Cloyce Box, Harlon Hill, Harold Jackson, Jerry Butler, and Jerry Rice.
– Allen was 4-4 on fourth down conversions, including 2 TDs.
– The final 1:54 of the fourth quarter saw 25 points scored, including two TDs in the final 0:52.
– Mahomes had 177 yards passing after the 2:00 warning.
– His passing ratio of 23 TDs with 1 interception is the best in NFL playoff history.
– The Chiefs became the first team in the AFC to host four straight championship games.
The four games of the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs produced exceptional excitement and drama that even the most casual fan could be excited about; unless you are one of those not happy about the proclivity of the ever-increasing amount of games decided by field goals.
On the morning of the Chiefs/Bills game, a fellow parishioner approached me after church service wanting to talk football. We discussed those games played the day before and how nice it was that former Lock Haven product Robbie Gould had put the finishing touches on the 49ers’ win.
“It was nice for Gould, but after teams get after each other for 60 minutes, I don’t like to see the game come down to a field goal. It just doesn’t seem right,” was his determination.
A point well taken, and I don’t like to see overtime games won without both teams getting a chance to have the ball. The NFL would never admit that the college overtime is much fairer, but I’d like to see the rule-makers come up with something that is not often decided by the flip of a coin.
And while we’re at it, they might just as well cancel this year’s Super Bowl. There is no way that approaching game can come close to providing the football drama the Chiefs and Bills gave us two weeks ago.
