NFL Divisional Round disappointments

NFL fans were locked in on the best eight teams in the league vying for a spot in the conference title games this past weekend. There were a lot of great plays made in clutch situations, but some developments cost teams a chance to advance in the playoffs. We’ll take a look at a few of the more glaring missteps.

Tyler Bass is going to be remembered in the same vein as Scott Norwood in Buffalo Bills lore, even though the stakes weren’t quite as high for the former. Bass pushed a 44-yard field goal attempt to tie the game wide right, which cemented Buffalo’s defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. It was a crushing way to end a compelling contest that had several lead changes.

49ers fans had to have déjà vu this weekend when wide receiver Deebo Samuel exited the contest with a shoulder injury. He missed two games during the regular season, and San Francisco looked like a different team in the span. The 49ers did just enough to pull out a victory against the Green Bay Packers, but Samuel’s recovery is one of the major storylines to track moving forward.

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By and large, the Packers played an impressive game on the road over the weekend. Almost no one expected them to make it to the Divisional Round, and Green Bay had a chance to tie or beat the top seeded 49ers in the final drive. However, quarterback Jordan Love threw an ill-advised pass across his body on second down that was intercepted by 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw to end things.

The Baltimore Ravens poured it on against the Houston Texans in the second half, but the upstart AFC South champions hung tough with the Ravens for about 30 minutes. Harris’ play was a main reason why, as his athleticism at linebacker put Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in uncomfortable positions.

It’s a sequence that fans watch play out once or twice a season that has a huge impact. Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman fumbled the ball out of the endzone on Sunday, which took points off the board and handed possession over to Buffalo. It didn’t impact a Chiefs victory, but it’s tough to watch a player try to break the plane only for the worst-case scenario to happen.

Green Bay had several chances to take down San Francisco at home. One of those opportunities came early, when 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw a tailor-made pick six to Packers safety Darnell Savage. The only problem was, Savage couldn’t secure the catch, and the 49ers lived to see another day.

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There was a hotly debated fourth and one call that went against the Packers on Saturday night which Green Bay fans might continue to bring up this week. It appeared as if Jordan Love got the first down in a drive that found the team in the red zone, but he was officially deemed short. Love’s body seemed to be on top of the defender as he stretched across the line to gain.

It was bizarre the moment it happened. Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles decided to go for two after a Buccaneers touchdown made it a 31-23 game. It’s not clear why Bowles wouldn’t have kicked the extra point in that situation, especially in a game that was held indoors without weather challenges.

The Buccaneers came up short against the Detroit Lions thanks to a couple of key mistakes. Baker Mayfield threw an early interception to Lions defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who had been talking a lot about Mayfield leading up to the game. The Tampa Bay passer also threw a game-ending pick to Derrick Barnes as the team was driving with hopes of tying the contest.

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