Defining moments in the Divisional round

By Trevor Speetzen January 22, 2025 09:46 GMT+4 min read

The Championship games are set: the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders are representing the NFC and the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs will be representing the AFC.

During the NFL playoffs legacies are defined and that was certainly the case this past weekend. While some were bigger than others, there were a few moments that could symbolize a person’s career.

Former first overall picks, Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield, were first-round exits this year with high expectations for their respective teams.

Unfortunately, their unfortunate losses to the idea that both of these quarterbacks can’t come up clutch in the big moment and will not be able to live up to their first-overall pick status.

Jayden Daniels already established a noteworthy career in just his rookie season. The Commanders’ rookie quarterback took his team to the NFC championship game, which is something that Washington hasn’t done since 1991.

While Daniels will have a much higher ceiling going forward, he’s now established himself as one the best quarterbacks in the league after just one season.

Saquon Barkley already established himself as one of the best running backs in the league after a historic 2,000 yard season. Despite his regular season success, Barkley has never had much postseason success.

With the Eagles hosting the NFC title game, Barkley has the opportunity to accomplish all of his postseason desires in this year’s playoff.

While Barkley has elevated his status over the course of these playoffs, his friendly rival wasn’t able to get the chance this year. Derrick Henry also made the playoffs with his new team this year.

Henry was making his first playoff start since 2021 and has never gotten farther than the AFC championship game, which occurred in 2019. Despite a great wild card game, Henry and the Ravens were eliminated by the Buffalo Bills in a nail biter.

The Ravens unfortunate loss not only affected Henry, but Lamar Jackson as well. Jackson has had difficulty in the playoffs since he first joined the league in 2018.

Jackson nearly silenced all of the critics last season when he and the Ravens made the AFC title game in 2023 against the Chiefs. Despite having the home field advantage, Baltimore ultimately fell to Kansas City 17-10.

Jackson’s playoff failures have been lingering around him his entire career and with this recent loss to Buffalo it seems it will be lingering for a bit longer. Possibly the biggest casualty from this loss is Marc Andrews.

Andrews has been a reliable tight end for Jackson and the Ravens for years. However, his crucial drop against Buffalo this past weekend will likely be the defining moment of his career.

Andrews has never been on the same level as Travis Kelce or George Kittle and it’s likely he’ll be remembered for that drop in the playoffs.

The biggest winner might be Josh Allen. His divisional round win has now elevated his status. As he makes his second AFC title game appearance, Allen has the chance to further increase his status if he finally takes down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.