The four NFL playoff games played this past weekend were probably among the best ever in terms of excitement level. All four games were decided on the last play, and both No. 1 seeds lost. In the Green Bay vs. San Francisco game, I was surprised that Green Bay did not adjust well in the second half with having to play in the snow, and their offense did not step up to help. I think this will be Aaron Rodgers’ last game played in Green Bay, but I do not think he will retire because he is too young and still playing very well.
In the other NFC game, the Los Angeles Rams beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in crazy fashion. The Rams had a 27-3 lead in the third quarter and the Buccaneers came back to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. This was because of a lot of help from the Rams offense, which had four fumbles in the game. Even though Tom Brady played well in the second half of the game, I think he’s going to retire after this season because he is almost 45 years old and has nothing else to prove.
The best game of the weekend was the overtime game between Buffalo and Kansas City. It played out like it was a video game starring Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen! These two could do nothing wrong and both teams were going up and down the field. The Bills should’ve won this game with only 13 seconds left! That was a devastating loss for all Bills fans, but they should have a very successful team for the next few years. I was happy to see the Cincinnati Bengals advance to the AFC Championship game over the Tennessee Titans, because the Bengals are the Cinderella team for this year. I don’t think they will advance to the Super Bowl over the Chiefs, but we will see.
On a side note, I think there will be a lot of discussion on changing the overtime format so that both teams have a chance to have possession of the ball. It's been a great debate in our family.
The Baseball Hall of Fame class was announced for this year and there’s only one contemporary era player getting elected this year. This would be David Ortiz, who played most of his career with the Boston Red Sox. He definitely deserves to get in, but I was disappointed with the rest of the results this year. I have been consistent with my opinion that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should get in even though they are strongly suspected of abusing steroids during their careers. A lot of players did the same thing in this era, which makes this a difficult issue.
As a Phillies fan, I was very disappointed that Ryan Howard only got 2 percent of the vote, which means he is not on the ballot anymore. And Jimmy Rollins only got 9 percent of the vote. I didn’t think he was going to get in on the first try, but I thought he would at least get around 25 percent. He at least has nine more years to get in. Overall, it was a huge disappointment.
The World Cup qualifying for soccer is in full force and will be finalized by the end of March. The U.S. team defeated Honduras 1-0, but it should have been a better game. The U.S. should have beaten them by a much higher score. The goal differential is important in this qualification format. As of right now, the U.S. will qualify, but it's a little too close for comfort for me.
Can't wait to see what this coastal storm brings. I would be very pleased if it's a total flop!
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
