Art by Cara Tang
Despite being down seven points with less than a minute to go in the fourth, the Bears were not going down without a fight. A touchdown pass to Cole Kmet with 18 seconds left sent the game to overtime. The Rams won the coin toss and elected to take the ball first. Chicago’s defense got the ball back for Caleb Williams before he threw an interception, giving life back to Los Angeles. A field goal ended the game 20-17 Rams.
The Broncos pulled off the overtime victory against the Bills, but at what cost? Denver’s starting quarterback Bo Nix fractured a bone in his ankle on the second-to-last play of the game. Starting in place of Nix this week will be Jarrett Stidham, who saw no snaps this season.
The Seahawks put up 41 points on the 49ers and managed to keep San Francisco out of the end zone. From the start, Seattle controlled the game, scoring off the opening kickoff return. The Niners were certainly feeling the effects of losing star players such as Nick Bosa, George Kittle, Fred Warner and Trent Williams.
Lastly, the Patriots defeated the Texans 28-16. The game was neither team’s best showing, with a combined eight turnovers on the day. Ultimately, New England prevailed, and Maye will get a shot at playing for a place in the Super Bowl in only his second NFL season.
With the Divisional Round in the books, here is a look at the PGM staff’s standings:
Marcos – 65 points
Tony – 63 points
Faith – 58 points
Addison – 58 points
Henry – 56 points
Nick – 54 points
Jon – 51 points
Shane – 48 points
Alicia – 46 points
Now, let’s get to the picks for the Conference Championship.
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks
Rams: Addison, Alicia, Shane, Tony
Seahawks: Marcos, Henry, Faith, Nick
“Darnold is terrible. Verse and Young are gonna him alive.” – Shane
“I do not like the Rams. I like the Seahawks.” – Faith
“I grew up near LA so I’m picking the Rams but I also don’t really have a preference for who wins.” – Alicia
“I am so mad. I hate the Rams for beating the Bears. Sorry. I’m more loyal to my Chicago roots than my years at Pepperdine near LA. I can’t root for the Rams nor do I want to will their win into existence by predicting it. Sorry.” – Henry
“I am still very bitter about what the Rams did to my Bengals in the 2022 Super Bowl, so the idea of Stafford winning another one before Burrow wins one makes me feel ill.” – Addison
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
Patriots: Addison, Marcos, Shane, Faith, Tony, Nick
Broncos: Alicia, Henry
“Patriots really got handfed another SB appearance but it‘s okay since it‘s Drake Maye.” – Shane
“I’m so over the Pats. Nothing empirical about this prediction. Hope the Broncos take it home.” – Henry
“Did you guys know the Pats have Drake Maye???” – Faith
“Broncos were the first name I saw, so I picked them. Once the Chiefs were out, I stopped really having a preference on who wins.” – Alicia
_________________________________
Follow the Graphic on X: @PeppGraphic
Contact Addison Thomas by email: addison.thomas@pepperdine.edu