The play-off of the National Football League (NFL) took shape on the 15th matchday, because the Green Bay Packers, the first participant in the knockout round, was confirmed on Sunday. The Packers not only bought the ticket thanks to a narrow 31:30 win at the Baltimore Ravens, but also profited from the surprising bankruptcies of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Arizona Cardinals in the fight for a bye in the first round.
The Buccaneers around superstar Tom Brady had to admit defeat 9-0 in the division duel with the New Orleans Saints and missed the victory in the Southern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) and thus an early place in the play-off to back up. Brady also experienced a rare "black" day personally. Because while Brett Maher kicked the Saints with three successful field goals to victory and back into the race for the knockout round, the 44-year-old Brady finished a game without points with a team he led for the first time since 2006.
Brady found his master once more on the defensive of the Saints. The seven-time NFL champion was not only knocked to the ground four times for loss of space, but lost the ball once and threw a game-winning interception in the fourth quarter. It was the superstar's fourth loss in their fourth game since joining Tampa Bay from the New England Patriots last year. Tampa Bay slipped behind Green Bay and the Dallas Cowboys (21: 6 at the New York Giants) in the overall standings of the NFC.
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“It was just a tough night. I did next to nothing right, ”said a disappointed Brady, who had to watch over it, as Chris Evans and Mike Godwin, two of his most important pass points, and Leonard Fournette, his running back injured, were eliminated. At the Saints, on the other hand, the plan to put Brady under pressure worked perfectly: "We wanted to catch him early and often hard, I'm very proud of my D-Line (defensive line, note)," said Cameron Jordan, who was responsible for two quarterback sacks.
Packers triumph with club record
Tampa Bay lost ground with their fourth loss of the season in the battle for first place in the NFC against the Green Bay Packers, who secured first place in the NFC North for the third time in a row. Because the Packers celebrated their eleventh win of the season with just under 31:30 in Baltimore and with a record of 11: 3 they are now one victory ahead of the Buccaneers (10: 4). The first place in the conference guarantees a bye in the first play-off round and home rights in the entire knockout round up to the Super Bowl, which will be played on February 13th in Los Angeles this year.
In Baltimore, the Packers not only had a once again sovereign Aaron Rodgers, who increased his career account to 442 with three touchdown passes and thus equaled the club record of Brett Favre, but also luck on their side. Baltimore fought their way up from a 17:31 deficit in the fourth quarter, but Ravens head coach John Harbaugh's risk of taking the lead with a two-point conversion instead of kicking the extra point did not work. The Packers defense fended off the attempt and brought home the narrow victory.
Lions surprise Cardinals
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On the other hand, the bankruptcy of the Arizona Cardinals in Detroit was surprisingly clear. The team around young star Kyler Murray did not look like a candidate for the title against the straggler at 12:30 and not only conceded an away defeat for the first time, but also lost ground on Green Bay with their fourth defeat in ten wins and are now behind them in terms of balance Packers, Cowboys and Buccaneers only ranked fourth on the seeding list.
The Lions' second win of the season also reversed the rankings for the upcoming NFL draft. Because of the success of Detroit and the simultaneous 16:30 defeat of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the stragglers duel with the Houston Texans, Jacksonville slipped back to first place. Already this year the team from Florida had the first "pick" in the draft and chose Trevor Lawarence as their hope for the quarterback position.
Speaking of play-offs: In the American Football Conference (AFC), the Kansas City Chiefs, who celebrated their seventh win in a row at the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday with 34:28 in overtime, are the sole front runners. After the New England Patriots had already lost on Saturday (17:27 in Indianpolis), the Tennessee Titans, the closest competitor for the top AFC, lost out on Sunday with a 13:19 at the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers, however, kept their chance of a place in the play-off.
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