Historic Championship Sunday for NFL misses opportunity

A historic championship Sunday for the NFL could have even been more epic and legendary than it was. How much did the NFL miss on their chance? I believe they missed out severely. The Saints got the really bad end of officiating in their game and the AFC Championship was so great, but it could have even been better!!

The AFC and NFC championship games both were historic in their own right. Overtime games that had clutch coaching, plays, and performances. Unfortunately, both games could have been more special and epic. There is little argument that NFL is king when it comes to playoff games and its product. Personally, I cannot shake the feeling that it fell short despite nail-biting dramatic finishes. The fans and audience were given legendary plays and performances that will be talked about for years to come. Stories that will be discussed with parents down to their children and the upcoming generations that did NJ of witness the historic Sunday.

It goes without saying the Saints and Rams game left many with a sinking feeling about what was missed and really would have clinched a Super Bowl berth for the Saints. This was a call to all watching that was obvious and even the head of NFL officiating admitted such to the Saints coach, Sean Payton after the game. It would have allowed the Saints to kick a field-goal with very little time on the clock for the Rams to tie the game and go into overtime. Yes, like all games, there are other chances or plays to be made, but in the playoffs, it is usually one play or one missed play that makes the difference in winning and losing.

Yeah. That was pass interference. pic.twitter.com/niV9z2rnJi

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) January 20, 2019

"A tough pill to swallow," Drew Bress described afterward. One can only imagine the Saints had this game taken from them to a certain degree. The Rams won in overtime 23-20.

The Patriots and Chiefs game easily described as unbelievable. The game gained momentum as less time remained on the game clock and turned into heavyweights exchanging blow after blow. It was really remarkable to watch. Sadly, we witnessed a game that left one wanting for more and wondering was that the right way for such an epic ending to conclude? I was personally disappointed. The Patriots won 37-31.

The star in the NFL this season and throughout the sports world was not even given a chance to respond to the great Tom Brady. Patrick Mahomes is no doubt a superstar in the making and has done things we have not seen at the quarterback position. Especially so early in a career. He set records, is the likely league MVP for an outstanding jaw-dropping season for the Chiefs. Sadly, the potential for maybe the greatest playoff finish to ever go down was not realized.

From where I am looking, a huge opportunity for the league was missed because the NFL has applied a pretty short-sighted overtime rule. It took years for them to change the rule and when they finally did, they misapplied it to only allow the opponent to match an FG and not a touchdown. With the way the league favors offense due to its rules currently, it is naive to think the team winning the coin toss could very well end the game without the opponent getting to touch the ball. How come college has applied their overtime rules accordingly since the inception of overtime in their sport?

Not to take anything from the road performance by the Patriots and what they accomplished. They did what they need to do to pull out a very tough win on the road. Just as the Rams did what they needed to do to win in as tough of an environment for a road team as well. The Rams coach pulled the string on a 57-yard field-goal that I do not believe many other coaches would have attempted. If that kick was missed by arguably the most clutch player of the day, Greg Zuerlein, the Saints essentially have to complete one or two throws and they likely win with a field goal. It was gutsy and credit goes to McVay.

Sadly I will always remember this great championship Sunday as bittersweet in many ways because it could have been better. A missed call like that is unforgettable and how I feel for Saints fans. I cannot imagine the grief, anger, and hard to accept emotions they are experiencing. I said all year the Chiefs will get stung by their defense if they cannot blow teams out and that is what happened on Sunday. It will be interesting how the Chiefs approach one more season before some serious paydays for some of their roster come around and the reality of having to replace some talent setsin. That said, they have the most crucial piece in football to win championships and that is an amazing talent at the quarterback position.

.@robertmays explains how the missed Nickell Robey-Coleman call—which swung the NFC championship game—means the league has no choice but to make pass interference reviewablehttps://t.co/aDSkmhelTw

— The Ringer (@ringer) January 22, 2019

We now will hope that the Super Bowl is just as close as the Rams square off against the Patriots. A lot of storylines come to mind. The young budding Rams squad versus the dynasty and experience of the Patriots. It will be fun to analyze and drum up a preduiction over the next two weeks.