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The five best moments from the 2020 Divisional Round

It was a fun weekend of football.

Divisional Round - Tennessee Titans v Baltimore Ravens
Derrick Henry is on an absolute roll right now.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

There’s nothing like playoff football.

The second weekend of the NFL Playoffs certainly didn’t disappoint. There was another major upset, plenty of fireworks, and some great quarterback play among the NFL’s Elite Eight, which will hopefully carry into championship weekend.

But before we turn the page and move on, let’s revisit some of the best moments from the 2020 Divisional Round of the playoffs.

5) Hall of Fame Announcements for Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson

Talk about a cool moment. Or moments. Whatever. You know what I mean.

Both Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson were surprised on live TV over the weekend with the news that they would be receiving one football’s greatest honors: induction into the Hall of Fame.

Cowher coached the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1992-2006 and led the team to victory in Super Bowl XL. Johnson helped build one of the NFL’s greatest dynasties during his time in Dallas. He was the mastermind behind the infamous Herschel Walker trade that helped the Cowboys win two Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII) from 1989-1993.

These guys are known as being hard-nosed badasses that don’t blink during confrontation and rarely show emotion, but this time it was the complete opposite - and understandably so - when they were given the news by David Baker, the president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Cowher was presented with the announcement on Saturday.

Johnson’s was even more emotional. This guy always has something to say about something, but was left speechless in this moment.

What a great idea. I wonder how/if the NFL can top this next year.

4) Richard Sherman Rants

It’s not the playoffs unless there’s at least one rant from Richard Sherman at some point.

He was at it again after the 49ers defeated the Vikings and it’s pretty clear that he still has the same boulder on his shoulder that he’s carried throughout his entire career.

The best corner of the past decade picked off a Kirk Cousins pass that helped turn the tide against the Vikings in a major way. It was 17-10 and they were looking to tie up the game, but Sherman - in man coverage - jumped the receiver’s route and forced the turnover.

I’m not sure what the full context is, here, and I’ve tried looking for it. But, if I had to guess, he was asked about making the interception while in man coverage even though he’s considered a zone corner:

He also screamed Cousins’ famous catchphrase “YOU LIKE THAT?!?” after the interception. It was peak Sherman and the fans were loving every second of it.

And he was even showing his goofy side on the way to the postgame presser:

You can hate him or love him, but the dude is honest and he speaks facts (even though I think Roddy White did score on him in the playoffs back in 2012, but I digress). Personally, I loved every second of this and found it extremely entertaining.

Richard Sherman in the playoffs is like cowbell. We always need more.

3) Eric Fisher 3:16

Everyone loves a good wrestling callback every now and then, especially when you’re referencing one of the most popular wrestlers of all-time.

The Texans-Chiefs game was full of exciting moments, but Eric Fisher’s homage to Stone Cold Steve Austin was something to behold.

The Legend Himself even caught wind of the celebration and retweeted it:

The only cringe-worthy aspect of this is the fact that those beers probably cost around $25, but eh, screw it. The Chiefs are one game away from the Super Bowl, those folks are about to spending a lot more than just $25.

2) Tajae Talks After Titanic Upset

It was bad enough that the Titans came into Baltimore and smacked the Ravens around, but wide receiver Tajae Sharpe poured a little salt on the Ravens’ collective wounds when he jokingly mimicked Mark Ingram’s “Big Truss” moment from earlier in the season.

For those unfamiliar with Ingram’s presser, check it out below:

And here is Sharpe doing his best impression during the Titans’ postgame presser:

It’s all in good fun, and it’s pretty damn funny, too. What’s not funny is how the Ravens completely choked as a team. I’m not taking anything away from the Titans - they played their asses off and deserved every bit of that win - but Baltimore made several unforced errors that dramatically changed the outcome of the game. Derrick Henry also ran for 195 yards and set the record for the most rushing yards by a running back in their first four playoff games (568).

The upset itself was something special, but Sharpe’s antics upped the drama even more and put a nice touch on Saturday’s finale.

1) The Kansas City Comeback

We all knew Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were likely destined for big things this year, so it was an absolute shock - but probably not to your die-hard Texan fan - when the Texans went up 24-0 early in the second quarter.

The Chiefs looked absolutely terrible and the Texans were capitalizing on their mistakes and making plays of their own. The “Andy Reid Postseason Effect” was in full swing once again in Arrowhead Stadium.

Instead, a 57-yard kick return by Mecole Hardeman sparked a furious 41-point rally over the next 30:00 of play en route to a 51-31 win. Just looking at the score, it’s hard to imagine anyone thinking the Texans ever led by more than one possession at one point, but alas, here we are.

Per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com, the Chiefs are now the first team to win a playoff game by 20 points after trailing by 20 and Mahomes tied a NFL record when he threw four touchdown passes in the second quarter. Travis Kelce was on the receiving end of three of those touchdowns, which set a record as well.

The records didn’t stop there, either. They scored on seven straight possessions - another NFL record - and only three other teams have overcome a 24-point deficit in playoff history. The stadium even ran out of fireworks because the Chiefs wouldn’t stop scoring.

It was a dominating offensive performance that will certainly be talked about for a long time and I’m sure the Titans are well aware of it.


What were your favorite moments of the Divisional Round? Let us know in the comments!