For the McFlys, this is their fourth appearance in the big game, having lost in LBIV and LBV before winning LBVIII. The Pride were upstarts in the LBVII game after having topple the familiar Uprising, but lost to South Park in that round. It's the fourth year in a row that a #5 seed has advanced to the championship game, and the fifth time overall- surpassed only by the six #2 seeds to play in a Larkspur Bowl. Pawnee is the fourth #3 seed to make the big game, which is better than the #1 seed has fared: They've only won the semi-final three times in seven tries, the Cows the seventh team to be the best through thirteen weeks only to fall in week fifteen. The #6 seed has never made a Larkspur Bowl, going 1-8 since the playoffs contracted to six teams. (The first Larkspur Bowl was an eight seed tournament.)
The historically low scoring games stayed that way though Monday night, as each of the four teams finished under 172, something that had only occurred three times in the fifty-six previous weeks. But that's baseball, Suzyn! Injuries and sub-optimal lineup decisions marked the day, as teams loaded up on wire options and then saw their contingencies outshine their chosen paths; When the dust settled, if the managers had been precognizant and perfect, we'd have seen PHX beat PAW 200-199, and HVM outlast SPC 183-179 in a couple of classics.
Instead we got this:
SCOREBOARD:
MATCHUPS:
#3 PAWNEE defeats #2 PHOENIX
It wasn't pretty, but the Pride got it done. Early returns were uninspiring, but in the end Pawnee's offense was good enough to advance, as five players (Jones, Wilson, Chubb, Brown, and Hamilton) approached or eclipsed projections, while two (Kelce and Saquon) hovered around ten while on the other side the Uprising were incapable of doing anything of note; Kicker Greg Zuerlein led the offense in scoring. Defensively Jamie Collins led the Pride against the team that drafted him, notching six tackles, two for loss, and a sack. Aaron Jones' injury and Kenyan Drake's limited workload meant Phoenix running backs combined for only eight offensive touches.
The points left on the bench have been well chronicled. Subbing Kenyan Drake in for Marlon Mack just before kickoff cost Phoenix 22.17 points. Robby Anderson and Doug Baldwin outscored DJ Moore and Zay Jones by 39.9. The Uprising had the chance to win this game, but their coach did not put them in position to succeed. Meanwhile, Pawnee's clear backups at running back (Chris Carson and Peyton Barber) were superior options in week 15, but neither is likely to get the call in LBX, barring an injury.
#5 HILL VALLEY defeats #1 SOUTH PARK
South Park's early injuries (Keenan Allen, Lamar Miller) put them well behind the pace, but they still had a chance to close the gap late in the game. Field General Drew Brees could not get much going though, as the defensive battle came down to Luke Kuechly bettering Demario Davis late in crunch time, as the defensive captain totaled 13 total tackles (2 TFL) and a pass defended. Bell Cow Todd Gurley was just a bit better than surprise McFly starter Damien Williams, but it wasn't nearly enough, as a decent effort from Hill Valley's trio of premier wideouts (Diggs, Hilton, and Cooks) was better than veterans Julian Edelman and Larry Fitzgerald could muster basically on their own. An INT from Eli Apple clinched the game.
The Cows dominating season was undone by the injuries on offense, and a quiet day from a defense that had been very good all year long. In fourteen previous weeks the Cows had four or more defenders go for double digits in twelve of them, and at least three in the other two. This week they only had two standout performances (Davis and Hitchens) with five defenders all scoring five points or less.
#4 ORGRIMMAR defeats #6 BINGHAMTON
The best matchup of the playoff teams came between the first round's early exits, as Orgrimmar beat out Binghamton to score fifth place, and the ninth selection of draft slot. The Horde's defense showed up big in this statement game, while Zeke Elliot and Jaylen Samuels were a dynamic one-two punch and Davante Adams did his regular (quietly elite) thing. On the other side of the ball, DeAndre Hopkins had himself a day, with 170 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Despite his (and Joe Mixon's) best efforts, Binghamton drops a spot from last year, when they won this game. They'll select 10th in next year's draft slotting, as each team is now done for the year.
#7 SAVANNAH defeats #12 BREWTANG
Savannah inches out the Killa Beez in a game that featured a bunch of bad performances and a handful of good ones. For the victorious Petes it was Dalvin Cook, Kenny Golladay, and Calais Campbell leading the charge for respectability. For the 'Tang, Gus Edwards and Malcolm Jenkins were highlights on either side of the ball. Savannah goes on to battle for pick 1 or 2, while the Buzz will have to settle for pick 3 or 4.
#11 NEW YORK defeats #8 HCM CITY
New York's down season is finishing on a high note, as the team has been the second best in the league over the past month, Pawnee only outshining them by a mere 13.34 points over that span. Christian McCaffrey, Patrick Mahomes, and a host of incredible linebackers have made the surge happen, and though it comes too late, it ensure that New York will have a top two pick in the draft next year, the precursor to the team's only championship. HCM City's down week still puts them in the top foru for drafting next year, and the coronation of Chris Jones as a top defensive lineman (on par with the Aaron Donalds and JJ Watts of the world) has been something special.
#9 DEPUTY defeats #10 MANITOBA
The Van Halens end their late season slide to secure 11th place, a far cry from the 305 point zenith they enjoyed eleven weeks ago. Darius Leonard has made a name for himself, pushing into the small group of IDPs worth top of the draft consideration, and Mike Williams' big day shines a light on one the elite prospect is capable of, given a premier target share. For Manitoba, it's a ho-hum end to a ho-hum season; They also saw the rise of a great young IDP in Eddie Jackson, and Robert Foster has oozed playmaking potential down the stretch. But the team will be searching for a new identity next year as they've fallen from 3rd place in 2016 to 14th and 12th in the years since.
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