THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
In future, when people look back at the results in the 2021 NFL season playoffs, they will see that the final scores were remarkably close. That's only what they will read in print. To see the real score you'll have to find a highlight reel that will show the reality of the closeness, and even then, you could be left asking how so many games could provide nail-biting theatrics through the game and last second drama.
It is fitting that this year's Super Bowl will be held at the Los Angeles Rams' So-Fi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, a few minutes drive from the Hollywood sign. The best script writers in Tinseltown would struggle to produce story after story like this year's almost unbelievable NFL season. Yet here we are, a fortnight away from the big game that will star two teams that few would have seen as the final matchup. Yes, one had been pushing their case since around this time last year when they went for broke to get their winning quarterback. Whereas their opponent was reeling from their star passer coming off a severe injury that saw him miss half of the previous campaign, not knowing if he would be the man they thought he could be.
This past Sunday evening saw the Championship Games of both conferences in the NFL played out in a fashion that kept pace with the previous weekend's breathtaking action.
Having already knocked out the AFC number one seeded Tennessee Titans, the Cincinnati Bengals rolled into the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium as underdogs - but one that could bite. Unfortunately for Bengals fans, and neutrals, the Chiefs started where they left off last weekend and were marching down the field at will. Patrick Mahomes looked every part the marquee superstar of the future, as he led his team into a 21-3 lead with little over 5 minutes left in the first half. Moving the ball with ease against a Cincinnati defense that was playing way under their normal selves, it was just a case of trying to keep the score respectable. But if we have learned anything from the 2021 season, it is its glorious unpredictability. So, when Samaje Perine caught a quick pass from Joe Burrow and scampered behind some blockers to score a 41-yard touchdown there was sign of life in the game. Even more so when the Chiefs threatened to score again just before the half but opted to go for one more pass play instead of kicking a field goal. The play was stopped short of the goal line and you could feel a switch in momentum.
The second half was the complete opposite of the first. Kansas City could not move the ball, and the Bengals were starting to find a groove on offense, with Burrow showing great poise under pressure. Evan McPherson kicked a field goal and Burrow threw a short yardage touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase then followed it up with a 2-point conversion. Remarkably the game was tied at the end of the third quarter.
The loudest crowd in the NFL was stunned and, just like the watching millions, they were on the edge of their seats. Suddenly, the usual solid play of Mahomes was looking erratic as he tried to produce the spectacular, when all that was needed was a steady hand on the tiller. A 52-yard field goal from the immaculate McPherson put the Bengals ahead, but with over 6 minutes to play there was more than enough time for Mahomes to regain some poise and snatch victory away from a magnificent Cincinnati comeback. Despite getting down inside the ten-yard line, though, the Chiefs could not find a way in to win the game. In fact they were going backwards as Mahomes danced around the backfield trying to find that improbable play. Kansas City settled for a field goal to tie the game up as time expired and take their chances in overtime. Greeted by a huge cheer they won the coin toss and it looked like the Chiefs had got their mojo back, but the Bengals were relentless and managed to force a turnover with an interception. A few plays later they were within range of their record-breaking rookie kicker's leg, and with one more swing McPherson elevated the Bengals to their first Super Bowl since 1988. A team that had only managed two wins just a couple of seasons ago were now going to the big dance. It was a stunning performance, but also one that was fully deserved.
Barely getting enough time to recharge themselves, the television audience had to settle in for the next game. The NFC title was to be decided in the same venue as this year’s Super Bowl, as the Los Angeles Rams played host to their fierce divisional foes the San Francisco 49ers. After a cagey start by both teams, with defenses being on top, it was the Rams who scored first as Cooper Kupp (many people’s favorite as the League MVP this year) grabbed a 16-yard pass from Matthew Stafford halfway through the second period of play. This only woke up the stagnated 49ers offense and Jimmy Garoppolo had his best play of the day when he passed to Deebo Samuel who raced 44 yards for a score to tie the game. A Robbie Gould field goal as time ran out in the first half gave San Francisco their first lead of the game, and it looked like it would match all the excitement of the preceding game.
It was not until late in the third quarter that George Kittle scored, another pass from Garoppolo, and the lead was extended to 17-7. The Niners and Bengals had played out two Super Bowls in the 1980s and at this stage it looked like a third matchup was on the cards, but the Rams weren’t down yet and their defense wasn’t going to go down quietly. Forcing the Niners away from their gameplan, they gained a foothold, one that their offense would climb upon. Kupp hauled in another Stafford pass for a score, and the Rams' kicker Matt Gay, who had missed an earlier kick, was true from 40 yards to tie the score at 17. The tension was high, it was another game coming down to who could hold their nerve. It was Stafford that got his team in position late on, and Gay booted his team into a 20-17 lead with just under two minutes to play. There was enough time to mount one more drive, but the Rams' defense was rampant now, and sealed the win when linebacker Travin Howard picked off a panicked Garoppolo who had nowhere to escape the Rams' pass rush.
The Rams' win means that for the second successive year the Super Bowl host city will have its home team playing in the showpiece event, following Tampa Bay last season. All eyes will be on Los Angeles in two weeks’ time, and we can only hope that the main event will be an exclamation mark on this extraordinary season.
