Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid.

We got two more great games in the Conference finals! Short of an absolute blowout, this may be the best playoffs ever, or at least that I’ve seen (which is starting to get closer to the same thing every year that passes). The Rams were able to come back from a 17-7 4th quarter deficit, which Matthew Stafford supporters will say is just Stafford doing Stafford things. Of course, his detractors will point out the absolute gift of an interception the 49ers dropped in that same 4th quarter on a terrible, extremely ill advised throw. It absolutely should have been a pick, and although it wouldn’t have definitively sealed the game for S.F., the 49ers have to be kicking themselves at missing the opportunity. The Rams have no such regrets, as they picked off Jimmy Garappolo with about a minute left to clinch the victory.

The other game was more volatile, with the Chiefs surging out to a 21-3 lead. Frankly, despite a TD from Cincy, the game looked over in the 2nd as Patrick Mahomes had K.C. on the goal line in the waning seconds of the first half, looking to go up 28-10, or at least 24-10 with a field goal. But with 5 seconds left, Reid opted to let Mahomes try a swing pass to Tyreek Hill, leaving it up to the wide receiver to get into the end zone. The Bengals played it perfectly and dropped Hill for no gain. Now, I don’t know if Mahomes was improvising a bit or if Andy Reid hasn’t mastered how clocks work (OK, I actually do know that last one), but with 5 seconds left, you have to throw it quick and into the end zone. If Hill walks in for the TD, Andy Reid and Eric Bienemy are genuises, but just like Mike McCarthy and Kellen Moore in the Dallas fiasco, the Chiefs needed everything to work perfectly for the play to work. And in both cases it did not.

Kansas City probably still should have won the game after managing to force overtime by getting a 44 yard field goal as time expired (their first points since 5 minutes were left in the FIRST HALF). But after winning the coin toss, K.C. only managed two incompletions and an interception in it’s lone overtime drive. Cincinnati did not screw around, driving right down to the Chiefs’ 13 yard line and winning the game on a chip shot field goal. What a collapse for the Chiefs. The second half and overtime were an absolute disaster, as Kansas City was outscored 17-3 and looked confused and ineffective on offense. The defense reverted back to being mediocre, and all the big plays were made by the Bengals.

Man, what a huge turnaround for Cincinnati, a team that won just 4 games last year. Despite their porous offensive line, Joe Burrow seems to have whatever that QB magic is. The Ja’Marr Chase pick looks pretty smart these days, although if Burrow gets his knee blown out again by poor protection, it will look short sighted. The defense is a little suspect as well, but they keep on winning. I do give the edge to the Rams in the Super Bowl because they’re more well balanced, but everyone has been picking against the Bengals all year long, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they win it all. It has the feel of one of those years where everything goes right for a team.

I am very excited for the game on Sunday, and not just for food/commercial reasons (although definitely for those as well). We’ll be back for a final end-of-season power rankings next week. In the meantime, enjoy the big game!

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