Tag: postseason

Sean Payton suffered the worst playoff loss of his career on Sunday

Ex-Saints head coach Sean Payton suffered the worst playoff loss of his career in his Broncos postseason debut:

The New Orleans Saints are forced to sit by the wayside as the NFL started the playoffs this weekend, but were quickly joined by an old friend that got bounced in uncharacteristic fashion.

Former Saints head coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos were eliminated by the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card round by a score of 31-7. With all of the postseason heartbreak he endured in New Orleans, some consider this blowout to be the worst loss he has suffered.

Saints beat writer Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com believes so, and only had one that came close — the 2006 NFC Championship game when New Orleans fell 39-14 to the Chicago Bears

Some losses may have stung more, but Payton rarely looks as outclassed as he did in this one.

Few people expected them to even be in the spot that they were, so it is still a bit of a win for him and the Broncos. Perhaps he would have been able to unlock another level from one of these recent Saints teams had he stayed.

He drew first blood by getting into the postseason without them, but the race for the first playoff win since splitting up continues for now.

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Chiefs TE Travis Kelce’s postseason excellence will be essential on three-peat journey

Kansas City #Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s postseason excellence will be essential on three-peat journey | @EdEastonJr

The polarizing career of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce featured many moments of success in the postseason. He is one of the league’s most productive players this time of the year and a significant reason for the Chiefs to think three-peat.

“I could look back on a lot of the teams that we had success on, and those were the most fun teams to be on; you could feel it in the building. Right now, it is such a blast coming in and going to work with the guys that we have,” said Kelce during his Week 17 postgame press conference. “It is more unique and more different than any year I’ve ever been a part of because of the way we’ve won and how we’ve had to keep focusing on getting better, knowing we were coming away with wins.”

Kelce has the most receptions (165), second-most receiving yards (1,903), and touchdown receptions (19) among all players in postseason history, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (2,245 receiving yards 22 touchdown receptions).

The Chiefs will await their opponent in the Divisional Round but understand that a productive Kelce is essential to their championship formula.

Andy Reid reveals Chiefs’ postseason strategy for left tackle position

See what #Chiefs HC Andy Reid said about Kansas City’s approach at the left tackle position heading into the playoffs. | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke to reporters for a Zoom press conference on Friday. He provided insight into the ongoing debate on who will start at left tackle for the postseason.

“Listen, I thought D.J. (Humphries) did a pretty good job there,” said Reid. “(There are) a few plays that he’d probably like to have back, but he’s headed in the right direction, for sure. I haven’t made any decisions on that (or) which direction to go right this minute, so we’ll see. We’ll get there by the time we get to the end of next week there.”

Humphries returned to the Week 18 regular-season finale lineup after missing several weeks due to a hamstring injury. He could be in line for the starting role in next weekend’s Divisional Round as Reid further explained his options on the offensive line.

“Well, the best part is that they both (Joe Thuney and D.J. Humphries) are good players, and (Mike) Caliendo’s playing well, too, so I’m not too worried about that whole situation,” Reid explained. “We’ll just see how it plays out. (Offensive Line Coach) Andy (Heck) rotates them during the week anyway, so they’ll all get work, and we’ll just go from there. Obviously, you want the best combination, but I think in this case, you’ve got three guys there that are pretty good players.”

Joe Thuney was recently named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press and has been playing well since moving to left tackle. Reid will have a week to make the tough call before the postseason.

Prominent blogger calls out Bengals fans for their obsession with Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes

One prominent blogger has had enough of the Cincinnati #Bengals subreddit’s obsession with the Kansas City #Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.

The Kansas City Chiefs have garnered their share of detractors since rising to prominence in the Patrick Mahomes era.

Mahomes, who led Kansas City to a 15-2 record in the regular season, has become ubiquitous in American advertising and dealt with some misplaced ill-will from fans around the country amid the Chiefs’ recent dominance.

However, one subset of Kansas City’s critics is far more vocal than others.

Cincinnati Bengals fans, it seems, have a special hatred for the Chiefs generally, and Mahomes specifically.

Their vitriol relative to the defending champions and reigning Super Bowl MVP has reached new levels of toxicity since the Bengals were eliminated from playoff contention earlier this month.

Patrick Allen, a prominent blogger and VP of Content for Fansided, commented on the Cincinnati faithful in a Twitter post this week, pointing out the bizarre nature of the team’s fan page on Reddit.

Allen’s observation came on the same day that Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow garnered more attention in the Associated Press’ All-Pro voting than Mahomes, who wasn’t listed on a single ballot.

Chiefs place veteran DL on injured reserve ahead of playoffs

The Kansas City #Chiefs will be without one of their experienced defensive linemen during the playoffs.

On Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs placed veteran defensive lineman Marlon Tuipulotu on their injured reserve list, just over a week before the defending Super Bowl champions’ first postseason game. 

Tuipulotu saw action in Kansas City’s loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday but had been on the team’s practice squad for all of the 2024 season until Week 18.

Against Denver, Tuipulotu registered four combined tackles and played a total of 48 snaps in the Chiefs’ losing effort.

Without Tuipulotu sidelined for the foreseeable future, Kansas City’s front office is likely to sign another defensive lineman to ensure that Steve Spagnuolo has plenty of depth heading into the Chiefs’ first playoff game.

Tuipulotu played collegiately at the University of Southern California, and entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2021 NFL draft.

Stay tuned to see if Brett Veach will make a move to sign another defensive lineman in the coming days.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce won 2024 Nationwide Charity Challenge

This week, #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce won the 2024 Nationwide Charity Challenge.

On Wednesday, the NFL announced the Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce won the 2024 Nationwide Charity Challenge.

The Nationwide Charity Challenge is a major portion of the 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year criteria and will help aid Kelce’s as he endeavors to win his first Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

Kelce’s first-place finish in the Nationwide Charity Challenge awards his charity, 87 & Running, a donation of $35,000 from Nationwide and a significant advantage over the other nominees competing for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

The NFL commemorated Kelce’s accomplishment in a post to its official Twitter account this week:

Kelce most recently won the Nationwide Charity Challenge in 2020 for his work with local nonprofit Operation Breakthrough, an after-school program whose mission is to provide support, food security, and extracurricular opportunities to some of the most impoverished community members of Kansas City.

The 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year winner will be announced during the NFL Honors ceremony, which will be televised on FOX on Thursday, February 6.

When’s the last time Steelers played Ravens in NFL playoffs? What fans need to know

The Steelers and Ravens will take their rivalry to 2024’s AFC Wild-Card round. Here’s a look back at their thrilling postseason history.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Baltimore Ravens this Saturday, January 11, 2024, in this season’s Wild-Card round of the playoffs. The Steel City has faced its AFC North rivals four times previously, and the postseason history between these two foes is rich with competitive spirit. Here is a historical look at how the previous four playoff meetings between the Steelers and Ravens played out.

2001 Playoffs: Divisional Round

The Pittsburgh Steelers faced the reigning Super Bowl XXXV champions, the Baltimore Ravens, in the divisional round of the 2001 playoffs on January 20, 2002. It was the first postseason meeting between the two teams, and Pittsburgh made sure to end the Ravens’ aspirations of back-to-back Super Bowl victories with a 27-10 Steelers win. One Steeler who stood out was none other than RB Amos Zereoué, who helped seal the victory with two rushing touchdowns on the night.

2008 Playoffs: AFC Championship Game

The second meeting between these AFC North rivals took place during the 2008 season in the AFC Championship Game on January 18, 2009. Once again, the Black and Gold ended the Ravens’ playoff hopes, sending Baltimore packing with a 23-14 Steelers victory. This game featured one of the most iconic plays in Steelers postseason history, as SS Troy Polamalu intercepted Ravens QB Joe Flacco and returned it 40 yards for a pick-six late in the fourth quarter.

2010 Playoffs: Divisional Round

Pittsburgh’s postseason dominance over Baltimore continued in the 2010 season’s divisional round on January 15, 2011. The Ravens gave the Steel City a tough fight, but the Steelers ultimately prevailed, securing the Pittsburgh victory, 31-24. One of the standout performances of the game came from FS Ryan Clark, who forced a fumble on Ravens RB Ray Rice and intercepted Ravens QB Joe Flacco.

2014 Playoffs: Wild-Card Round

All good things must come to an end, and so did the Steelers’ perfect postseason record against the Ravens on January 3, 2015, in the 2014 season’s Wild-Card round. There was little for the Black and Gold faithful to cheer for in this matchup, as both the offense and defense struggled mightily, leading to a 30-17 Steelers loss. A bright spot for Pittsburgh was K Shaun Suisham, who accounted for nine of the team’s 17 total points.

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Mike Tomlin takes full responsibility for Steelers’ playoff failures

Mike Tomlin shifts the focus to himself, owning the Steelers’ playoff struggles while expressing confidence in his team.

Fans of the Black and Gold watching the Baltimore Ravens host their beloved Pittsburgh Steelers have waited nearly 3,000 days for a playoff victory. Criticism has run rampant over the past few years, and Steelers HC Mike Tomlin is well aware—but he doesn’t lack confidence.

During Monday’s press conference, Tomlin was asked why he believes in this year’s playoff aspirations, despite the team going seven seasons without a playoff win. The Steelers’ head coach reminded everyone that he sees the greatness of this group every day.

When given the opportunity, Tomlin explained why the Steelers’ recent failures fall on his shoulders, not the team’s: “What you mentioned [Steelers’ lack of playoff success] is my story. It’s not this collective’s story. Many of these guys involved do not tote those bags. I happily tote those bags.”

Will Tomlin’s coaching back up his bold claims? Steelers fans want to believe that something will change this time around, as Pittsburgh has fared well against Baltimore over the past few seasons. However, it’s tough to trust Tomlin’s decisions on the football field, as he showcased some of his worst decision-making in 2024.

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Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo on staying motivated for postseason: ‘Why would we back off?’

Kansas City #Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on staying motivated for postseason: ‘Why would we back off?’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has seen his defense evolve each season and make strides to improve this year, especially in the secondary and defensive line. On Thursday, he spoke with reporters about keeping the team motivated for two weeks, during which they won’t have a meaningful game until the postseason divisional round.

“The first PowerPoint that I put up on Tuesday was, ‘Do Not Lose Your Edge.’ We’ve went two-and-a-half months of off-season work. We went, whatever it’s been, five-and-a-half months since July of all this work to get to this point.” said Spagnuolo. “Why would we back off? Why would we lose our edge? I’m talking about it in preparation and how the guys practice, what they might do with their bodies physically, rest, all those things. That was an emphasis at the beginning.”

Pro Bowler Chris Jones continues to lead the defensive line, featuring plenty of contributions from George Karlaftis, who has eight sacks on the season. Tershawn Wharton has a single-season career-high of 6.5 this year. Felix Anudike-Uzomah has 2.5 sacks, and Mike Danna now owns 3.5 sacks during the season.

“We’ve also challenged our guys – look, depending on where this all goes and we have this Week 18 to figure out who the playoff team – there’s a chance we play this team (Denver Broncos) again,” said Spagnuolo. “So if I’m sitting there listening to all the information about Denver’s offense, I want to accumulate that for – you know, to be ready for this – not only this game but in the chance that we end up playing them again.”

In the secondary, Pro Bowl snub, Trent McDuffie, along with his two interceptions, has seven career forced fumbles. He finished the Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers with four total tackles, one pass defensed, and one forced fumble. Justin Reid had two interceptions on the season, and rookie cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace led the Kansas City defense in tackles on Christmas Day with ten.

Former Broncos QB Tim Tebow reflects on thrilling 2011 Wild Card victory over Steelers

Former Denver #Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow reflects on thrilling 2011 Wild Card game victory over the Pittsburgh #Steelers w/ @EdEastonJr

This week, Touchdown Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Heisman Trophy winner and former Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.

In his interview with Easton Jr., Tebow, on behalf of the 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, discussed joining forces with New Orleans nonprofit Son of a Saint for a day of mentorship and reflected on the memorable 2011 AFC Wild Card game Broncos’ victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Son of a Saint is doing a mentor day with many amazing young men who, unfortunately, have lost a father,” Tebow explained. “Son of a Saint mentors them and gives them many amazing opportunities. And so we’re breaking up into stations, and we just had the chance to celebrate with all the good works team members and then give back together.

“I’m just so proud of all these young men for not just what they do on the field but, more importantly, who they are and how they serve off the field. I love that Allstate allows us to celebrate these young men as members of the Good Works team and the partnership of people coming together, from AFCA to the Wuerffel Trophy and the Wuerffel Foundation to so many people.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEQdpd7plVJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Tebow was the starting quarterback for most of the 2011 season, leading the underdog Broncos to the postseason. Throughout the year, he spoke about the team’s unity as essential to their success and the AFC West division title.

“Brotherhood and belief that that team was just a special team that probably wasn’t, in every way, the best team, meaning, did we have all the perfect pieces? Maybe not, but, man, that was a close team, that team that never quit,” said Tebow. “It was a team that, like people throw the word brotherhood a lot like you really feel like it was.

“One of the coolest things is when you watch the touchdown to DT (Demaryius Thomas) to win the game; if you look at the wide copy, you’ll see Champ Bailey, one of the best cornerbacks ever to do it, is on the sideline running almost as fast as DT like, that’s a however, many year vet that invested in overtime.”

Tebow completed 10 passes for a career-high 316 yards and two touchdowns, including the famous 80-yard touchdown to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime.

“It was the veterans. We had Brian Dawkins, Champ Bailey, and Elvis Dumerville,” Tebow explained. “Then. you had the young guys, Von Miller, DT, and Eric Decker. Still, the relationship, camaraderie, and Never Say Die attitude, I think it was just so special. That’s what I think I’ll always take away. I think that what made us different was that sense of belief together, and we’re not going to quit.”

The following links provide more information on this year’s Allstate AFCA Good Works Team & New Orleans’ Son of a Saint organization.