Gridiron Grind with Andrew and Lance | Football News & NFL Analysis · Andrew and Lance- Vikings and Eagles Fans with NFL Analysis and Takes

AFC and NFC Title Game Recap

·53 min·4 clips

That final drive showed everything about championship football.

Andrew and Lance start with a relaxed January update before turning to the AFC and NFC title games. They point out that they finished 50-50 on their picks, landing one and missing the other. The conversation stays light at first, with gym jokes and a reminder that health goals do not end on New Year's. From there, it moves into football without much buildup. The AFC and NFC championship games become the main topic. They frame the Super Bowl as worth watching because both games gave them plenty to pick apart. The deeper discussion centers on the Broncos' loss. They feel Sean Payton was too stubborn. They tie part of the problem to the running game, especially the split in carries. The Patriots had 38 carries, while the Broncos had 24. That difference matters to them because it says something about control and game flow. They keep coming back to the idea that winning that kind of game means running more. They do not hold back in placing the blame on the head coach. They also keep assistant-coach blame separate from that. The point, for them, is that Payton controlled the game, so the loss should land mostly with him. They do give Jarrett Stidham some blame on one play. Even then, the emphasis stays on context, because the call did not help and the situation was already rough. They compare that moment to a C.J. Stroud play from the previous week, where trying to play hero made things worse. The tone stays conversational, but the judgment is clear. They keep working through how fast a quarterback can decide to force something. They land on the safer answer: take the sack, live to the next down, and do not gamble the game away. That opens into a broader point about how much responsibility a backup quarterback really carries. They push back on the idea that other people should take most of the heat for that kind of result. Near the end, they widen the lens to another ugly offensive performance, using the Lions game as an example of what happens when a team gets stuck and produces almost nothing. They mention that game had around 19 carries and about nine points. That number becomes another reminder of how hard it is to win when the offense is not balanced. They close by looking ahead to the Super Bowl and saying their official picks will come next week. The last stretch includes a congratulations for Sam Darnold, who has now put together back-to-back 14-win seasons with two different teams and is heading to the Super Bowl. It ends on the familiar note the show likes best: football talk that feels like two people thinking the game through out loud.

As heard by us

A blunt recap of the title games with enough football detail to keep the chatter grounded.

Andrew and Lance start with a light January check-in, then settle into a sharp recap of the AFC and NFC championship games. The Broncos loss gets the blunt, scheme-minded treatment it deserves, especially in the back-and-forth about Sean Payton’s stubbornness, the run game…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play for a title-game recap that argues the football, not just the score.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Gridiron Grind with Andrew and Lance | Football News & NFL Analysis