As the Super Bowl nears, sports fans are desperately cheering on their teams to see them advance. But only two teams will make it to the end of the playoffs. Many speculate who those teams will be this year, but many twists and turns have occurred this season. From back in preseason, fans watched how the many changes have affected the favorite teams.
After the long hard season, 12 teams continued on into the playoffs. From the AFC division (from the 1st seed) the New England Patriots, the Kansas City Chiefs, The Pittsburgh Steelers, the Houston Texans, the Oakland Raiders, and finally, the Miami Dolphins. From the NFC division, the Dallas Cowboys, the Atlanta Falcons, the Seattle Seahawks, the Green Bay Packers, the New York Giants, and the Detroit Lions. The top two seeds, in each division, had a first round bye week, as the other four fought it out to advance throughout the playoffs.
To kick off the playoffs, the wild cards from each division played each other to press on to the divisional round. In the AFC division the Miami Dolphins played the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh and the Houston Texans played the Oakland Raiders in Houston.
For the first AFC playoff game, the Steelers came into the game with an 11-5 record for the season, while the Dolphins came in a little lower at 10-5. Both teams had very good chance to beat the other. Unlike the Steelers, the Dolphins shocked the world by making it into the playoffs. They haven’t been in the playoffs since 2008, when they lost against the Ravens in the Wild Card playoffs. Guess you could say that many Miami fans are excited to finally see their team back in the playoffs.
On January 8th, 2017 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, the Dolphins took on the Steelers. Within the first nine minutes of the game, Antonio Brown (wide receiver for the Steelers), had scored not one, but two touchdowns, for a total of 110 yards. By the end of the first quarter the score was 14-3 for the Steelers.
Running right into the second quarter, Le’Veon Bell (running back for the Steelers), came into play and scored a touchdown, that was then overturned. But two plays later he scored again for a 20-3 lead for the Steelers. Towards the end of the quarter Dolphins drove the ball down the field only to attempt a 47-yard field goal, which was good. At the end of the half Dolphins trailed 20-6 to the Steelers.
Within the third quarter, Matt Moore fumbled the ball turning it over on the Steelers 13-yard line allowing them to get a field goal extending their lead to 23-6.Then, towards the end of the quarter, when the Steelers were up for a field goal, a facetious encroachment penalty was called against the Dolphins as Tony Lippett hurtled over the offensive line. This helped the Steelers achieve another touchdown as the final score in the quarter was 30-6.
Finally in the fourth quarter, Steelers kept their lead, but the Dolphins tried to fight back into it. Damien Williams (running back) achieved a four yard touchdown pass. The Dolphins tried for a two point conversion but the attempt was no good. As the clock ran down in the game, the Steelers came out on top with a 30-6 win against the Dolphins. Now the Steelers advance in the playoffs to play the Kansas City Chiefs.
This game was very important for not only Miami fans, but for the whole state. Throughout the 2016-17 season, the Dolphins were the only Florida team to advance to the playoffs. The Dolphins were ranked number 9 in the league, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were number 12. And sadly for the last Florida team, the Jacksonville Jaguars came in 26th. This season for Florida was definitely a variety in results. The Jaguars this year had many problems, like in the past years, that showed why they were 3-13. When the Jaguars first became a team, in 1995, they started off well only losing several games in the season. But since 1995, their record has gone down the gutter. Unfortunately, the Jaguars have never made it to the super bowl
Unlike the Jaguars, the Buccaneers became a team in 1976 and started off at the bottom. In their first season, they lost every single game. Since then they have been struggling to become a winning team. But they have gone back and forth from winning more games than losing them. The Bucs have been to the super bowl once and won in 2002.
The oldest of them all, the Dolphins, that started in 1966, began off losing but quickly picked it up and became a winning team. They even set a record as the undefeated team to win the super bowl. The Dolphins have been to the super bowl 5 times and won twice. The idea that the dolphins might be able to do that again fuels Dolphins fans to stay loyal with them even through the hard times. Many dolphins fans are even here in Orlando, not just in Miami. Even though Tampa is closer than Miami, in Timber Creek we see more Dolphins fans.
One Dolphin fan since birth is Senior Evan Gregory. Gregory says the only reason he is a Miami Dolphins fan is because “my dad is a Miami fan and grew up in the Florida Keys”. For all Dolphin fans, them making it to the playoffs this year was a big deal. For Gregory he says it means “progress” and that the dolphins are stepping it up and “actually being competitive”. Since the Dolphins were the only Florida team to make it to the playoffs, many hope to see the other two Florida team follow in their footsteps. But Gregory doesn’t believe this. Being a true Dolphins fan he says that for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, “Jameis Winston is a criminal, and criminals will always be criminals” and for the Jacksonville Jaguars, “Blake Bortles took a step back this season”. As for the Dolphins loss against the Steelers in the Wild Card game, Gregory believes that they lost because they had “no starting quarterback and half their defense were injured”. But he does think that they will “improve if they stay healthy” to have another great and even better season next year.
The Houston Texans played the Oakland Raiders in Houston. In the first quarter the Texans kicked a 50-yard field goal and ran a 4-yard run for a touchdown. Then towards the end of the quarter, the Raiders scored a 2-yard touchdown. At the end, the score was 10-7 Houston.
In the second quarter, Houston advanced their lead by getting another touchdown and field goal making the score 20-7 Houston. In the third quarter, nobody scored. But in the fourth quarter houston scored another touchdown, while the Raiders also scored a touchdown. Unfortunately, the Raiders couldn’t make a comeback, leaving the score at 27-14 Houston. Houston will then advance to play the Patriots in the divisional round.
In the NFC division, the Seattle Seahawks played the Detroit Lions in Seattle. In the first quarter nobody scored as they started finding their rhythm. In the second quarter, the Seahawks scored a touchdown and field goal, but the Lions only scored a field goal. By the third quarter tried to extend their lead, advancing the score to 10, but the Lions fought back scoring another field goal.In the final quarter of the game, the Seahawks walked all over the Lions. After some ridiculous catches by the Seahawks, they took the game with a final score of 26-6. The Seahawks will soon be taking on the Falcons.
Finally, for the wild card games, the Green Bay Packers took on the New York Giants in Green Bay. In the first quarter of the game, the Giants started off the game with a field goal. In the second quarter, the Giants kicked another field goal, but the Packers stepped up their game. They scored two touchdowns, concluding the score at the half to be 14-6. Back into the third quarter, the Giants started to redeem themselves and scored a touchdown. But the Packers took over and scored another touchdown and a field goal. By the fourth quarter, the Packers extended their lead and scored two more touchdowns. Leaving the final score at 38-13 Green Bay. The Packers will then take on the Cowboys in the divisional round on the way to the Super Bowl.
On January 14th and 15th, in the AFC division, the Houston Texans played against the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers took on the Kansas City Chiefs. In the NFC division, the Seattle Seahawks battled against the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers dealt it out with the Dallas Cowboys. But only four of those teams could advance into the championship round.
As the Patriots took on the Texans, they kicked off the game with the Patriots coming out strong. In the first quarter, the Patriots scored two touchdowns, one with a 98-yard kickoff return. The Texans tried for a touchdown but got a field goal instead. In the second quarter, the Texans tried to comeback as they scored another field goal and a touchdown. But the Patriots were on top of them as they also scored a field goal advancing the score to 17-13 going into the half. In the third quarter, the Patriots excelled their lead further and got another touchdown. Also, Brock Osweiler threw one of the best passes of his career, but sadly the rookie dropped it, costing them a touchdown. Into the fourth quarter, the Patriots kept it coming as they scored another touchdown and a field goal. The Texans couldn’t keep up with the Patriots and only got another field goal. The final score was 34-16 and the Patriots advance to take on the winner of the Steeler vs. Chief game.
Also in the AFC division the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs battled to play the Patriots in the championship round. They kicked off the game close, the Steelers started by kicking a field goal. But the Chiefs answered and scored a touchdown. The Steelers fought to get back in the lead but only scored another touchdown. In the second quarter, the Steelers kicked two more field goals making the score 12-7 going into halftime. In the third quarter both teams kicked one more field goal. Finally in the fourth quarter, as it got down to the wire, Steelers kicked another field goal making the score 18-10. The Chiefs fought for a comeback and got a touchdown, but the two point conversion attempt failed. As the time ran out, the Steelers won advancing them to the championship round against the Patriots.
In the NFC division, the Seattle Seahawks took on the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta. During the first quarter the Seahawks started the scoreboard off with a touchdown. But the Falcons couldn’t seem to make it on the scoreboard. In the second quarter the Falcons fought back and scored two touchdowns, a field goal, and a safety. The Seahawks tried for a touchdown but only received a field goal, making the score 19-10 into the half. Running into the third quarter, the Falcons extended their lead by scoring yet another touchdown and the Seahawks only scored another field goal. Into the fourth quarter the Falcons took control of the game and scored another field goal and touchdown. While the Seahawks tried to comeback but only got a touchdown. Concluding the game at 36-20 a great win for the Falcons, advancing them to the championship game.
The final game in the divisional round is the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas. The Cowboys kicked off the first quarter with a 50 yard field goal. The Packers took the lead in the quarter by scoring a touchdown. Then in the second quarter the Packers stepped it up and scored two more touchdowns. The Cowboys tried to stay in it but only scored a touchdown and a field goal, concluding the score in the half to be 21-13. In the third quarter, the Packers extended their lead by getting another touchdown and the Cowboys failed to make it on the scoreboard in the quarter. In the final quarter the Cowboys tried to make a comeback and scored two touchdowns, one with a two point conversion, and a field goal. But the Packers made sure they were going to advance and kicked two more field goals, making the final score 34-31 Packers. The Packers will soon play the Falcons in the championship game.
On January 22nd, the championship games took place. The Green Bay Packers took on the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta and the Pittsburgh Steelers played against the New England Patriots in Massachusetts.
In Atlanta, the Falcons started off the game strong with a touchdown and a field goal. In the second quarter the Falcons dominated the Packers and got an interception that led to a touchdown by quarterback Matt Ryan. They also got another interception that turned into a touchdown making the score 24-0 into the half. In the third quarter, the Falcons pushed their lead with two more touchdowns, while the Packers tried to comeback with two touchdowns and a two point conversion. In the fourth quarter, the Falcons scored yet again and the Packers could only manage to score once. Concluding the game at 44-21, making the Falcons advance to the Super Bowl.
In Massachusetts, the Patriots started the game with two scores, a touchdown and a field goal. In the second quarter the Steelers were able to score a field goal and a touchdown, but missed the extra point. For the Patriots, they kept it coming and scored another touchdown, making the score 17-9 into the half. Back in the third quarter, the Patriots took control of the game and scored three more touchdowns. In the final quarter, the Patriots extended their lead and scored another touchdown. Sadly, the Steelers couldn’t make a comeback and scored a touchdown with a two point conversion, concluding the game at 36-17. The Patriots will now advance to the Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons.
Disappointed with the loss, Steelers fan, Sophomore, Daniel DeSantiago is sad to see the Steelers not try for the Super Bowl. DeSantiago says he is a Steelers fan because “my grandfather is a fan and I watched games with him”. Even though DeSantiago was born and raised in Florida, he stays loyal to his team. For the Steeler vs. Patriot game, DeSantiago believes they lost for a few reasons. ‘ They didn’t come to play 100% the whole game, offense wasn’t prepared to play against their defense, and they weren’t able to function properly without their star players”. He obviously wishes the Steelers won, and he says “from a fan’s perspective, they would win the Super Bowl”.
For the Patriots, they have been to the Super Bowl nine times and came out in victory four times. For the Falcons, they have only been to the Super Bowl twice and lost both times. We will see who comes out on top on February 5th, in Houston Texas.