I’m not sure things could have been any better the past several days if you are a football fan.
From the first-ever College Football Playoff semifinals on Thursday and Friday to the NFL playoffs on Saturday, Sunday, and tonight, it was win-or-go-home time at the highest levels.
Both CFP semifinals were decided in the last couple of minutes of the game. In fact, both games were tied heading into the final 15 minutes.
Last Thursday, what a fourth quarter.
No. 5 seed Notre Dame and No. 4 seed Penn State were tied at 10-10 at the end of the third quarter but the Irish outscored the Lions, 17-14, on a late field goal to advance to next Monday night’s championship game with a 27-24 win.
After blowing a 10-0 lead, Penn State (13-3) was left with the ‘what ifs’ and will focus on next year, which FanDuel has Penn State as the fifth favorite to win its first CFP title next season.
Then on Friday, No. 5 seed Texas (13-3) fell to No. 8 Ohio State, 28-14, after a disastrous sequence for Texas. Paul Finebaum has assigned blame for the Longhorns’ game-changing mistake in the final minutes of the Cotton Bowl.
Now, No. 8 seed Ohio State (13-2) and No. 7 seed Notre Dame (14-1) can give the first 12-team Playoff a storybook ending. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday, Jan. 20.
This past weekend most of the NFL playoff games were duds, with the higher seeds winning convincingly.
The exception was last night.
The No. 6 seed Washington Commanders and the No. 3 seed Tampa Bay Bucs were the only one of the five NFL playoff games to be decided by 11 points or less.
Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels led his fifth game-winning drive of the season in a 23-20 wild card win on a walk-off field goal that hit the goal post and went in.
Daniels, who finished 24-of-35 for 268 yards and two TDs in his playoffs debut, became the first rookie quarterback to win a road playoff game in the NFL since 2012.
Washington (13-5), which was 3-for-5 on 4th down against the Bucs (10-8), will travel to top-seed Detroit at 8 p.m. on Saturday. The Lions are an 8.5-point favorite against the Commanders.
Mike Tomlin and Justin Herbert flopped on wild-card Saturday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season ended with a 28-14 playoff blowout to the Ravens. Despite making the postseason, the No. 6 seed Steelers (10-7) ended the season with a five-game losing streak.
Derrick Henry had 100 rushing yards on 13 carries and a touchdown in the first half for the No. 3 seed Ravens (12-5), who will travel to No. 2 seed Buffalo at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The No. 4 seed Houston Texans defeated the No. 5 seed Los Angeles Chargers (11-6), 32-12, as Herbert had a nightmare day with four interceptions.
Houston (10-7) will travel to No. 1 seed Kansas City (15-2) for a spot in the AFC championship game. The 2-time NFL champion Chiefs defeated the Texans, 27-19, at home on Dec. 21.
In the earlier games on Sunday, the No. 2 seed Bills (13-4) scored 31 unanswered points in a 31-7 win at home against the No. 7 seed Denver Broncos.
The No. 2 seed Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) advanced with a 22-10 win at home against the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers (11-6).
Williston’s Quinyon Mitchell, who was drafted 22nd overall in last year’s NFL Draft, got his first career interception with just under two minutes to play.
Tonight at 8 p.m., the No. 5 seed Minnesota Vikings (14-3) will face the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Rams (10-7) in Arizona (ESPN, ABC).
The game was moved from Los Angeles to Arizona due to the wildfires.
The winner will travel to Philadelphia at 3 p.m. on Sunday for an NFC semifinal (NBC).
The NFC (FOX) and AFC (CBS) Championship games are on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. respectively.
The NFC champion will play the AFC champion in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9.
NFL Football Playoffs
Wild Card Weekend
Saturday, Jan. 11
(4) Texans 32, (5) Chargers 12
(3) Ravens 28, (6) Steelers 14
Sunday, Jan. 12
(2) Bills 31, (7) Broncos 7
(2) Eagles 22, (7) Packers 10
(6) Commanders 23, (3) Buccaneers 20
Monday, Jan. 13
(5) Vikings (14-3) vs. (4) Rams (10-7) in Arizona, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN, ABC)
Divisional Round
Saturday, Jan. 18
AFC: 4:30 p.m. ET, (4) Houston Texans at (1) Kansas City Chiefs (ESPN/ABC)
NFC: 8 p.m. ET, (6) Washington Commanders at (1) Detroit Lions (FOX)
Sunday, Jan. 19
NFC: 3 p.m. ET, (5) Minnesota Vikings/(4) Los Angeles Rams at (2) Philadelphia Eagles (NBC)
AFC: 6:30 p.m. ET, (3) Baltimore Ravens at (2) Buffalo Bills (CBS)
Championship Sunday
Sunday, Jan. 26
NFC Championship, 3 p.m. ET (FOX)
AFC Championship, 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Super Bowl LIX (New Orleans)
Sunday, Feb. 9
AFC champion vs. NFC champion, 6:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
College Football
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Monday, Jan. 20
College Football Playoff National Championship Game
7 Notre Dame vs. 8 Ohio State
7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia
Mike Ridaught is sports director for Mainstreet Daily News. Mike hosts a weekly high school sports show at Sonic Drive-In from August – May and does play-by-play for a Game-of-the Week on 106.9 FM “I Am Country” during football season. He teaches a play-by-play class at the University of Florida. He does play-by-play for the Cal Ripken World Series in Branson, Mo., in August. Mike is also founder of The Prep Zone.
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