ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
This weekend, the NFL had it all - a big upset, a blow-for-blow showdown between two MVP candidates, a true snow game, and maybe the worst performance of all came from the only squad that appeared in all four games - the refs. NPR sports correspondent Becky Sullivan is here with a recap. Hey, Becky.
BECKY SULLIVAN, BYLINE: Hi.
SHAPIRO: I'm here in Washington, D.C. So are you. Can't help but notice this weekend was a big one for the hometown Commanders.
SULLIVAN: You bet. And before we talk about them, a little rest in piece to the 2024 Detroit Lions, who all season long looked like the team to beat, seemed like they were going to be a lock for the Super Bowl. And it was like a feel-good story - a team that has not only not won a Super Bowl before but not even appeared in one. But they were hit by this, like, tidal wave of injuries to their defense over the season that set them back. They also turned the ball over five times on Saturday night, and they simply ran into this 24-year-old buzzsaw named Jayden Daniels, who is Washington's rookie quarterback.
SHAPIRO: Yeah, so back to the Commanders - seems like he has been playing great all year long.
SULLIVAN: Absolutely, yeah. I think he's a lock for offensive rookie of the year. And it's crazy because, you know, transitioning to the NFL is usually hard even for the most talented prospects, especially for quarterbacks. Often, they are taken by the very worst team, so they're walking into the worst situations. One result of that is that no rookie quarterback has ever started a Super Bowl for his team, but Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders are just one win away from that.
SHAPIRO: Wow.
SULLIVAN: So to do that, next weekend, they will have to beat the Philadelphia Eagles, who themselves looked very solid in a snowy game win over the Los Angeles Rams last night. Their star, Saquon Barkley, their running back, looked incredible. These two teams, the Commanders and the Eagles, have played twice in the regular season already. They split those two games, one and one, so it's anybody's guess who takes this one.
SHAPIRO: OK, so Commanders or Eagles versus who? Who's going to go to the Super Bowl?
SULLIVAN: Yeah, that's gonna come down to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. So the Chiefs beat the Houston Texans to reach what is a seventh straight conference championship for them. That is crazy. They are aiming to win their third straight Super Bowl, which would be a first in the history of the NFL. To do so, they'll have to beat the Buffalo Bills, who have never won a Super Bowl. They lost four in a row in the early '90s, famously. They earned their spot with a Sunday night win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson is an astonishingly good player. He may likely win his third MVP award this season, but he had two bad turnovers last night. And just, overall, this lack of playoff success for the Ravens, I think, has got to be frustrating. And it just goes to show how tough, I think, the AFC is for quarterbacks. You have Mahomes with the Chiefs, Allen with the Bills, Lamar Jackson with the Ravens - incredible that really only one of them can make it out, make it to the Super Bowl.
SHAPIRO: Aside from all the players, referees got a lot of attention this weekend.
SULLIVAN: Yeah.
SHAPIRO: What happened?
SULLIVAN: Yeah, I should start by saying that reffing an NFL game in real time is hard. The game moves so fast in real life. There's a lot of things to look at on every play. The NFL does review calls every game, every week. They say, overall, about 99% of calls are right, but the 1% can be bad.
And this weekend, there were some really bad ones. A couple calls against defenders who were tackling Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs really got fans and commentators worked up, and I think for good reason. There were some questionable calls that led to points in the other games, too. The NFL has gotten replay officials more involved this year. I think there will be some pressure building to expand that to get more of these big-time penalties right, going forward.
SHAPIRO: Lots to watch. NPR's Becky Sullivan, thank you for the recap.
SULLIVAN: You're welcome.
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