HappyDays

Definitely fair to criticize their unwillingness to run the ball. But it is just hard to win a playoff game against a championship contender when your QB plays as poorly as Lamar Jackson did today. Having a drive end on a fumble at the goal line and the next offensive possession start at their own 1 is also as big a momentum swing as an offense can have. Meanwhile the Ravens defense gave up 4.6 yards per play... That's a great defensive performance against the Chiefs, giving up less efficiency than their season average even though the Chiefs were not making any mistakes on offense. The Chiefs were shut out in the 2nd half. That's a fantastic coaching result. There's just no comparison between McDermott and Harbaugh. McDermott has now watched his QB have two all-time great playoff runs, and both ended in the divisional round because of his own defense. Harbaugh has not had anything close to that. Getting his team to the #1 seed in a brutal division and keeping them in the game against an elite opponent even while his QB was giving the game away, those are extremely impressive feats.

Allen >>>>> Jackson End of thread.

Purdy, no question. If Mahomes wins, the legacy becomes "Mahomes leads an untalented offense to his 3rd Super Bowl win." When in fact he led his offense to zero 2nd half points today. This is the second time this year he's done that and still ended up with a win (the Dolphins were the other). Call it sour grapes, I just couldn't stand to see the Chiefs defense carry the team all year and watch Mahomes get all the credit. Imagine if Allen led the Bills to zero 2nd half points against any opponent. It would be a loss 100% of the time. To do that against the Dolphins and Ravens and win both games, yeah I feel more than a bit jealous about that. If Mahomes gets his 3rd Super Bowl win I want him to really earn it. Anyways the 49ers are the better roster and deserve the win. And they aren't a bunch of unlikeable punks. And I'd like to see Kyle Shanahan get his Super Bowl win, he has earned it.

I was surprised at how ineffective he was running the ball today. That run he had early on a 4th and 1, the 1st or 2nd year Lamar Jackson would have broken it for a TD. I knew he would hit the wall eventually but he's only 27... If he has lost that magical ability, I don't know if his passing is good enough to win a Super Bowl. Not as long as he's got #17 and #15 standing in his way.

I'll give Purdy some credit for this. He is clearly a limited player, but he has that underrated trait of being able to put bad plays behind him. Many QBs lack this and it sinks their career. The last two weeks he has pulled out some great passes and runs late in the game after struggling earlier.

A 45 yard FG attempt isn't "taking the points." People act like he turned down 3 free points. I think the conversion chance of 4th and 2 is about equal to converting a FG from that distance.

One positive from this game is that the 49ers got much needed experience having to come from behind against the Packers and Lions. If they're caught trailing the Chiefs, they won't blink. I believe in that kind of experience mattering. One negative is that the 49ers relied on a lot of mistakes that the Chiefs aren't likely to make. They need to start the game much stronger than they have the past two weeks.

What is low percentage about a quick flat route to Gibbs? Should have been an automatic 1st down.

Really? Schemed open a deep TD that Jameson Williams alligator armed. Then schemed open a pass to Gibbs that Goff air mailed. The offensive play calling is not the problem. As I type this Goff throws a duck that should have been completed on 4th down. I feel bad for Ben Johnson. His play calling deserved better than this.

Three offenses led by the Shanahan scheme - Houston, Miami, and SF - have looked noticeably soft against playoff contenders. It makes me wonder.

Damn I feel bad for Goff. He is getting let down by his WRs this half.

That's PFF's 10th highest rated guard Jon Feliciano to you. No I'm not joking.

I think SF would get pushed around on both sides of the ball against KC. Detroit I believe would hold their own in the trenches and that is matchup #1 that you need to win against the Chiefs (and most teams for that matter).

It's pretty rare that I'm ever comfortable blaming a single player for a loss. If the Lions lose this one, it is 100% on Reynolds.

Wow Reynolds out here shaving points. They might need to take him out of the game for his own good.

Wow. Lions with a masterclass in giving a game away. Reynolds drop, unlucky bounce, bad fumble. That's how you erase a 14 point lead in two minutes.

I usually agree, but the Lions have been an aggressive 4th down team all year long. Why would they stop now? Reynolds should have just caught the ball and then it's a genius decision.

Ben Johnson has been perfect. He's taken shots at the exact right times. He hasn't been afraid to keep running the ball to keep the offense steady. He's spreading the ball to his best players with no predictability from play to play. Congrats are in order to Washington fans. They suddenly have a real owner and are about to the best up and coming coach in the league leading their franchise.

Every season there are two MVPs - Mahomes and Allen. In seasons where neither of them get the #1 seed, the voters will justify giving it to someone else. But realistically it's those two and then everybody else.

What worries me about Goff in the Super Bowl is you can't miss as many opportunities as he has in this game. He missed a deep TD earlier, and that TD just now. It's not always going to be a perfect pocket against the Chiefs. Gotta hit those when they're there.

Poor Kyle Shanahan. He just can't get the QB right. Purdy is the best he's had yet and it still just isn't good enough.

The trick play was a great call and probably should have been a TD. Ben Johnson has been perfect so far. I'm surprised the Lions didn't go for it there. I'm a believer in committing to being the team that got you this far. The regular season Lions wouldn't have punted there.

I don't consider slot receivers to be true #1s. Kupp in his prime is the only slot player I've ever seen good enough to earn that label. But yes St. Brown is certainly an outstanding slot WR. And Gibbs has speed. But for me mostly it is just elite coaching that has the Lions performing this well. Not even Sean McVay made Goff look this good. Ben Johnson may be a super early career version of Andy Reid, he has been that good. I expect his offenses will still be dominating the league 20 years from now.

I came into the game thinking the 49ers would be the only team capable of beating the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. But now I'm thinking the Lions could do it. Ben Johnson vs Steve Spagnuolo is a heavyweight fight. I just wonder if the Lions defense is talented enough to slow the Chiefs down?

They don't have a true #1. Their offense is primarily just a coaching masterclass. That and an elite OL.