News » The big boys showed up this weekend and showed those usurpers

The top two seeds from the AFC and NFC returned to action in their comfortable home settings — ice and snow and chills be darned in the AFC — and swatted aside the survivors of the opening set of games. Only the Saints struggled against the resilient defending Super Bowl champion Eagles http://www.jaguarscheapstore.com/gardner-minshew-ii-jersey-cheap , and even as that game wore on, New Orleans wore out Philadelphia.Sure, the Eagles had a chance to move on even after blowing an early 14-0 lead and then being dominated for nearly three quarters. But the Saints (14-3) got through it, and they’ll likely be the better for it when they host the Rams (13-4) next Sunday.It’s certainly easier on the nerves when you pretty much blow away the opposition, as the Chiefs (13-4) and Patriots (12-5) did. The Rams never seemed threatened by the Cowboys down the stretch Saturday night. But Drew Brees and company have some evaluating and adjusting to do after the banged-up Eagles nearly pulled off another stunner.Brees is certain a lesson has been learned.“We found a bunch of ways to win during the season,” Brees said after the 20-14 victory . Every game kind of stood alone, but many of them came down to third quarter, fourth quarter, second half-type comebacks and it took everybody. It took maybe a big play on offense or a big play on defense or a big play on special teams to kind of turn the tide. But they were all great team victories and it looks like that carried over into the playoffs.”One lesson, perhaps, from all four divisional-round contests: Balance is going to matter.We know these teams can light up the scoreboard; for the first time, the top four scoring clubs in the league make up the final four. But if you can’t play solid defense at some point, you’re probably doomed.“The only thing we’re thinking is get on the field and get back off the field,” Patriots safety Devin McCourty said after a 41-28 romp over the Chargers. “We play defense. We know how hard it is if an offense has a long drive …and if we can go and get stops and get the (New England offense) right back out there. It’s tough as a defense, for one, to get the adjustments that are happening Nick Bosa Jersey , to catch your breath — like, you just feel like you’re out there, you’re out there.”If there’s one defense among the final four that might not be on the field for long stretches, it could be New England when it journeys to Kansas City. Not because the Patriots are staunch, but because the Chiefs have a tendency to make big plays, to score quickly.New England — and New Orleans — showed tremendous aptitude for long, clock-eating drives on Sunday. The Rams have their super running back in All-Pro Todd Gurley, and a dynamic offensive scheme. No matter how it’s sliced, championship weekend is going to have a shootout taste.So let’s see who can sour that taste with a huge helping of D.Maybe the Chiefs, who romped past the NFL’s hottest team, Indianapolis, 31-13. KC is adept at rushing the passer and that seemed to be its only strength without the ball. Ask Andrew Luck and Marlon Mack, though. They’ll bear witness to the Chiefs’ ability to take control on defense.Maybe the Patriots, who other than a long TD pass to Keenan Allen in the first quarter, never were pushed by Philip Rivers and the Chargers’ offense until garbage time.Maybe the Rams, who held league leader Ezekiel Elliott to 47 yards rushing in a 30-22 victory over Dallas that was more one-sided than the score shows.And maybe the Saints Dwayne Haskins Jersey , who yielded 153 yards in the first quarter at New Orleans, then gave up 72 in the next two periods combined.Or maybe nobody, and these two rematches of points extravaganzas will set all kinds of records.“It’s just about the approach we are taking out there,” Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens said. “It’s not what coach is calling, it’s not what we are doing, it is how we are doing it. We are playing with aggressiveness, we are having fun, we are jumping around. It’s just a different type of feel and vibe from our defense. It is never too late, and we caught on at the right time, and these past couple weeks we are playing good ball and we just need to keep doing that.”Times four. Nobody is questioning Jerry Jones anymore about trading a first-round pick for Amari Cooper.The Cowboys are 5-1 since the 24-year-old wide receiver was acquired from Oakland for a 2019 selection that will likely be in the 20s. They’re one win from securing the NFC East title after Cooper dominated the Philadelphia Eagles last week, catching 10 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns in a 29-23 overtime victory.Cooper had 22 catches for 280 yards and one TD in six games for Oakland. He has 40 receptions for 642 yards and six TDs with Dallas (8-5).Dak Prescott had an 87.4 passer rating in seven games without Cooper, but it’s 105.7 with him. Oddly, Derek Carr’s rating was 94.5 with Cooper and 101.1 without him, but the Raiders are 3-10.Cooper hasn’t only helped improve Dallas’ passing attack but the run game, too. Ezekiel Elliott is averaging 107.2 yards rushing in the last six games, up from 88.4 before Cooper joined the team.Here’s a look inside more numbers entering Week 15:DERRICK’S DAY: Derrick Henry was unstoppable in Tennessee’s win over Jacksonville. He set a franchise record with 238 yards rushing on 16 carries http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/marquise-brown-jersey-cheap , topping the previous mark of 228 yards by Chris Johnson in 2009. Henry matched Tony Dorsett’s 99-yarder on Jan. 3, 1983, for Dallas against Minnesota for the longest TD run in NFL history. Henry became the first player in the NFL with four rushing TDs in a game since Jonas Gray of the Patriots in Week 11 in 2014. Henry also tied Lorenzo White and Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell for most rushing TDs in a single game in franchise history.SAQUON’S CHASE: Saquon Barkley has five TDs of at least 50 yards. Billy Howton holds the rookie record with six such TDs for Green Bay in 1952. Randy Moss also had five in 1998. Barkley needs 100 scrimmage yards in two more games to break Eric Dickerson’s rookie record of 13 set in 1998.MIAMI MIRACLE: The Dolphins’ game-winning 69-yard TD against New England was the longest — and wackiest — play from scrimmage to win a game with no time remaining in the fourth quarter since the 1970 merger. Kenyan Drake took a lateral from wide receiver DeVante Parker and ran 52 yards, leaving Rob Gronkowski stumbling to the ground on his way into the end zone.ELITE COMPANY: Patrick Mahomes has 4,300 yards passing and 43 TDs, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Dan Marino (1984) and Kurt Warner (1999) as the only first- or second-year quarterbacks to surpass 4,000 and 40 in a single season.K.C. CONNECTION: Mahomes’ top target, Travis Kelce, has 86 catches and 1,159 yards receiving. He’s the first tight end in league history with at least 80 and 1,000 in three consecutive seasons.MORE CHIEFS: Kansas City defensive lineman Chris Jones is the first player to record a sack in at least nine consecutive games in a single season since the individual sack became an official stat in 1982.MOVE OVER, TOM: Aaron Rodgers has not thrown an interception in 368 pass attempts, breaking Tom Brady’s record of 358 attempts without a pick.TOMMY TERRIFIC: Brady tossed three TD passes in the loss at Miami, surpassing Peyton Manning (579) for most TD passes in NFL history, including the postseason.