There are several former Texas high school football players in the AFC and NFC Championship games. In fact, the Longview Lobos have three players in just the NFC Championship in Travin Howard, Jamycal Hasty, and Trent Williams. Williams, the offensive lineman for the San Fransico 49ers, has an injury and is questionably for the game.
But, the headliners that played their high school football in Texas are Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes. Both quarterbacks led their teams to wins in epic games.
Matthew Stafford
There were questions about Stafford leading into the playoffs this year. Though he is climbing the all-time records list in all passing stats, he had yet to win in the playoffs.
In the first round, the Los Angeles Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals, 34-11. Stafford was an efficient 13 of 17 for 202 yards and 2 touchdowns. But, against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the rams would lean heavier on Stafford. And, Stafford stepped up.
Stafford led the Rams to a 27-3 lead over Tampa. He had 300 yards and 2 touchdowns heading to the 4th quarter. But then, well, Tom Brady happened. Made possible by Rams turnovers, Brady drove the Buccaneers to two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
With the game tied at 27, the Rams had the ball and got down to time for two more plays. Stafford found Cooper Kupp twice, the last for 44 yards, to put the Rams in field goal positions. Then, Matt Gay kicked the field goal to beat the Bucs, 30-27.
Rams vs 49ers
The Rams will host the San Fransico 49ers for the NFC Championship. The 49ers are coming off a big 13-10 upset over the Green Bay Packers in frigid Green Bay, knocking out Aaron Rodgers. The Rams open as a 3.5 point favorite.
The 49ers aren’t as solid in the secondary as in past years. Stafford should be able to put up big numbers if the offensive line can block the dominant 49er’s defensive line. But, the 49ers are the hottest team left, and as this weekend proved, anything can happen.
Patrick Mahomes
If you did not watch the Chiefs vs Bills game live, you certainly heard about it. It was one of the best NFL Playoff games ever. Both Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen put on a show!
The game went back and forth. The Chiefs took a 2 point lead going into the 4th. But, Josh Allen took over in the 4th quarter. Allen led the Bills on a long go-ahead touchdown drive with under 2 minutes to go in the game. However, the game was far from over.
Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill on a 64-yard strike for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:02 to go to put the Chiefs up 33-29. Then, Allen drove the Bills right back down, hitting Gabriel Davis for an NFL Playoff record 4th touchdown reception. The Bills took a 36-33 lead with just :13 to go.
The Bills kicked the ball into the endzone. The game seemed over. But, Mahomes had other ideas. He hit Kelce and Hill on back-to-back plays to get into field goal range, and Harrison Butker kicked a 49-yard field goal to send the game into overtime.
The Chief won the coin toss and got the ball first. The Bills defense, the best in the NFL, was tired and unable to stop Mahomes. He drove the Chiefs right down the field, finding Travis Kelce for the winning touchdown. The Chiefs advanced, 42-36.
Mahomes finished with 378 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. He also ran for 69 yards and a touchdown. He threw for over 175 yards in the last 2 minutes of the game + overtime.
Chiefs vs Bengals
The Chiefs are big favorites to beat the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals just beat the #1 seed Tennessee Titans on a last-second field goal. Both the Bengals and Titans looked bad in that game. What might give the Bengals some hope is that the Chiefs’ secondary has struggled and has some issues. Joe Burrow might be able to pass on Kansas City. But, we expect Mahomes to lead the Chiefs past Cincinnati to the Super Bowl.
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