Takeaways From the First Two Weeks in the NFL Playoffs

What a newsworthy playoff season this has been! Plenty of headlines abound as we head into the conference championships next week. Will there be more headlines from the NFL in the next few weeks? Who will head to Atlanta for Super Bowl 53 on February 3rd?

• It's Not Easy Being a Kicker: Cody Parkey faced A LOT of heat from Bears fans for missing a 43-yard field goal with no time left against the Eagles. To be fair, the Bears kicker did have his kick blocked and the Bears had a hard time finishing drives, which is what caused them to lose the wild card game, 16-15. However, Parkey's miss proved that kickers will receive the brunt of the blame when the situation's right.
• Foles's Magic Comes to an End: Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles did everything they could to muster another Super Bowl-winning run. Unfortunately for Foles and company, they fell to the hands of the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round, 20-14. Alshon Jeffrey saw a pass go through his hands and to Marshon Lattimore for the game-sealing interception. Michael Thomas was also a force Philadelphia couldn't stop; the Saints receiver had 12 receptions for 171 yards and a touchdown.
  
• AFC Top Dogs Show Up: All talk about the AFC's top seeds being vulnerable, whether it'd be Kansas City's anemic defense or Tom Brady being washed up, were put to rest in the divisional round. The Chiefs routed the Indianapolis Colts, 31-13, behind a defense that yielded only 266 total yards and 15 first downs. As for Tom Brady being too old, he responded with a 34-for-44 game, throwing for 343 yards and a touchdown in New England's 41-28 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. New England also had 35 points in the first half and had Sony Michel run for 129 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries.
  
• Dak Prescott Looks Like a Playoff Quarterback: Ezekiel Elliott didn't show up for the Rams-Cowboys game and the Cowboys' front seven was neutralized. However, Dak Prescott did everything he could to keep Dallas in the game, going 20 for 32 with 266 yards and two total touchdowns (one rushing, one passing). Prescott also had a decent wild card game against the Seahawks; he completed two-thirds of his passes for 226 yards and a touchdown en route to a 24-22 victory over Seattle. The Cowboys will return to the Super Bowl in the near future if Dak keeps this up and if Ezekiel Elliott shows up in the playoffs.
  
• Lamar Jackson Remains a Work in Progress: The rookie quarterback didn't have a good game against the Chargers in the wild card round. However, that shouldn't deter the young quarterback, for the Ravens have found their franchise quarterback to build around. That also means that Joe Flacco's time in Baltimore is probably done.