Conference Championship Round: Winners and Losers

The Conference Championship Round was packed with excitement and enough drama to keep us talking about it until the Super Bowl. However it's time to take a look back at who were the winners and losers of those matches in New Orleans and Kansas City.

Winners:

Patrick Mahomes

The young QB may have ended up on the losing sidebut he performed fantastically well, playing with composure and moments of breathtaking brilliance. His ability to scramble and the manner in which he can use his background in baseball to pass at such unsual angles, sets him apart and he's set for a bright future. Tom Brady took time out after the game to find Mahomes in private and talk to him. The GOAT may have won this round but it feels like the baton is in the process of being passed.

Tony Romo

It's not often you watch a sporting event and find yourself talking about the commentary the next day, however that's what has happened in the wake of Tony Romo's exploits in the booth. Romo's perofrmance on-mic was MVP-calibre and his ability to accurately and articualtely explain what the offense were doing was a real highlight. The showstopper was Romo's mystic power to predict almost the entiriety of the Patriot's game winning drive. His football mind was never in doubt but his ability to convey that knowledge to his audience was truly impressive. Luckily for us he'll be back in the booth for the Super Bowl and we're already excited.

NFL Writers

Nothing pleases a writer more than when a game has a clear and interesting narrative. The upcoming Rams-Patriots Super Bowl will have plenty of those. We've got the return of Brandin Cooks, a replay of Brady's first Super Bowl win, albeit with the Rams now based in a new city. Most intriguingly though we have Belichick versus McVay, the wiley old master against the wunderkid. It's not hyperbole to describe this as a match between the best coach of his generation facing off against the best coach of the next generation. Whatever happens we're going to have lots of talk about in the lead up to the franchises meeting in Atlanta.

Losers:

Officiating

The obvious one first and look, I'll keep it brief, we've already seen the missed-PI call a million times and heard everybody discussing the work of both officiating crews. Frankly, it wasn't good enough, it's a disgrace to have matches influencing by outside mistakes. As Sean Payton eloquently explained after, it's not just a game that has been ruined, it can be careers and legacies, and he's absolutely correct. The NFL has to, and I believe will, look at implementing some new rules after this sad episode.

That guy who kept whistling

If you don't know I'm talking about then you'll certainly recognize the noise he made. Four quarters of his whistling was enough to drive anybody to the edge and that was just through the speakers on the TV. The self-styled 'Whistle Monsta' ruined my Sunday with that awful noise and no doubt damaged the ears of many household pets. The NFL rightly has a rule preventing people from bringing in instruments and other noise creating devices from outside. I think it's now time for the NFL to act and ban this nuisance from within five kilometers of any stadium on a Sunday.

Dee Ford

The Alabama native had a difficult Sunday with the Patriots offensive line blocking well and Brady releasing the ball quickly. Ford is nearing free agency and has had five excellent seasons at the Chiefs but he may end up being remembered for an embarrassing neutral-zone infraction. The penalty on Ford negating Charvarius Ward's interception after Rob Gronkowski failed to catch one of Brady's passes. Anybody playing in high-school, let alone a Pro-Bowler in the NFL, shouldn't even dream of giving up a neutral-zone infraction penalty. It was one of the most braindead decisions of the entire season, costing Kansas City a place in the Super Bowl and one that he'll regret for the rest of his life

Roll on Atlanta where more legends will be made and legacies will crumble into dust. Stay with Oddschecker for all the important news and great picks.

By Sam Farley