Sorpresa y confirmación en la NFL

Yesterday, the first games were played to determine the teams that will face each other in the final of each of the conferences and to determine the two teams that will face each other in the Super Bowl of American soccer.

The games were played in each of the conferences and yesterday's two winners are waiting for their rivals that will emerge from today's match-ups.

The two games were full of drama and in both there were important elements, because, although one of the teams was the favorite and assured its pass to the conference final, it did not convince; while in the other game the team that should pack its bags and go back home won and sent a warning that it is coming for all the glory.

In this publication I will give you my criteria about both games and what can happen with both teams for the rest of the competition.

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Kansas City Chiefs vs Houston Texas

It is no secret that Kansas is the favorite team to win the American Conference and fight to win its third consecutive Super Bowl, something that no team in the history of the NFL has ever done.
However, the favorite team did not have its best offense and had to battle to leave its rivals on the road by a final score of 23-14.

Perhaps being seeded for first place in their division and playing their first game in the playoffs played a dirty trick. But beyond the Chiefs' tepid offense, Texas failed to take advantage of their opportunities. The team left seven points on the field with three missed kicks (two field goal attempts and an extra point attempt). Another element that played against them was an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty early in the game that, combined with a 63-yard kickoff return by Samaje Perine, left Kansas at the Texans' 14-yard line.

Two important elements of this game:

With yesterday's win Kansas City Chiefs clinched their seventh appearance in the American Conference championship game.
For the first time in playoff history a team loses the game, despite outgaining their opponent by at least 100 total yards and not having any turnovers.

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Washington Commanders vs Detroit Lions

For me, this was the game of the day and despite all the predictions and sports discussions the team I thought would win did and sneaked into the National Conference Finals.

In this game, Detroit was the clear favorite after dominating the regular season and being the number 1 seed in the National Conference.

However, the Washington team broke the odds again and just as they did in the wild card game, they came out on top again.
It was an exciting game full of many records. But the most important part of the game happened in the second quarter.

Historic second quarter

This period marked the Commanders' winning path because they managed to score 42 points, including an interception returned for a touchdown.

This quarter guaranteed the victory for the team from the capital and brought them back to the National Conference championship game, something they had not achieved since 1991.

My opinion for the rest of the game

American Conference

Despite not showing their best version, I still see Kansas City Chiefs as the favorite team to be in the Super Bowl game where they will try to get the victory and become the only team to achieve such a feat in the history of the league.

National Conference

Whoever the opponent is, the Washington Commanders will find a very tough nut to crack in a team that has already exceeded all expectations, but that is motivated and wants to write its history with golden letters.

Led by Jayden Daniels, who is playing his first season in the NFL, with an excellent defense that is wreaking havoc with steals, the good level achieved on both sides of the ball plus the motivation to win that they have make them a tough team to beat.

What do you think?

Note: I used the translator DeepL Translate.