SPORTS
NFL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS AND RECAP Andrew Brooks
The 2021 NFL Season has been regarded by many as the best season of all time. Including the playoffs, 37 games were decided on the final play. The excitement level and watchability of the games was at an all-time high. Here is a recap of the biggest moments of the season, and a review of the accuracy of the LHS Super Bowl Predictions Survey from September. The season ended with the Los Angeles Rams defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl. Despite these two teams making it all the way to the big game, their paths to that point were very different.
The Rams went all in for the Super Bowl in the 2021 season. They haven’t had a first round pick since 2016 and they won’t until 2024 at the earliest. This is because they have traded for veterans to try to build a superstar team. In the last two seasons, the Rams have acquired superstars in trades like Matthew Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller. Pairing these players with homegrown All-Pros like Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald has worked wonders for LA. The Rams began the season 8-1, with very few of those games being competitive. They followed this up with a 3-game losing streak, causing many to lose faith. But head coach Sean McVay brought them back to close the season 5-1, steal the division title, and roar into the playoffs, ready to make a run. The Bengals road to the Super Bowl began in 2019, when they finished 2-14 and earned the first pick in the draft. They selected
Liam Foo
quarterback Joe Burrow, who was coming off a 15-0 National Championship winning season at LSU, and he has changed their franchise. After pairing him with Ja’Marr Chase, his college teammate, in the 2020 first round, their team was transformed. Cincinnati began the season uneven. They beat division foes Baltimore and Pittsburgh, but lost to the lowly Jets and Bears. They lost on a last second field goal to the team with the NFL’s best record, the Green Bay Packers, and won on a last second field goal to the team with the worst record, the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bengals seemed like an average team with a lot of firepower that would be scary in the future. Turns out, the future meant a few weeks down the road. Cincinnati went 5-2 down the stretch. Burrow combined for 971 yards, 8 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in his last two games of the regular season, to upset the Ravens and the Super Bowl favorite Chiefs and secure the division title for Cincinnati. In the first round of the postseason, the Bengals and Rams won their matchups as home favorites. The Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers also stormed past their Wild Card opponents. The San Francisco 49ers became the final team to enter the next round by upsetting the Cowboys in Dallas. The Divisional and Conference Championship rounds were historic. There were six games over the two weekends. The average margin of victory in the games was 3 and a half points. The 4 seed Bengals upset the 1 seed Titans on a game winning field goal by rookie kicker Evan McPherson after linebacker Logan Wilson intercepted a pass with 20 seconds to play. Later that night, the 6 seed 49ers stunned the 1 seed Packers on a last second field goal of their own, thanks in large part to a blocked punt and a powerful first down run by receiver Deebo Samuel. The next day featured the final game of Tom Brady’s legendary career, and he made sure to keep it entertaining down to the final second. Despite trailing 27-3 to the Rams, Brady and the Bucs tied the game at 27 with less than a minute to play. A 44-yard bomb from Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp then set up the third game winning field goal of the weekend. The final game of the Divisional Round has been called the best NFL playoff game of all time. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs took on Josh Allen and the Bills and the result was beautiful. The game was close throughout and an incredibly back and forth affair. The biggest lead either team had the whole game was seven points.
28 DROPS OF INK
28-29.indd 2
2/16/2022 11:24:56 AM
