No shortage of receiver talent in national title game
Aaron Rodgers won his first Super Bowl nearly a decade ago. The time to capture a second is running out.
“It’s on my mind every day,” the former Cal quarterback said. “That’s why we play the game. That’s why you put in the time in the offseason. That’s why you do the little things. It’s to put yourself in this position where we’re two games away from being able to compete for that.
“I’m 36, I know what this is all about. We’ve had some great teams that have been an injury away or a play away from being special, so I want to make the most of this opportunity.”
Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers will host the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff game. It will be the first postseason appearance for Rodgers in three years.
“I’m at the age now, I believe, that Brett (Favre) was when I was drafted, and obviously closer to the finish than the beginning,” he said. “The most important thing is winning, and I know how difficult a couple of those years were when we weren’t winning.”
Rodgers led an injuryladen Packers team to the NFC championship game in Green Bay’s previous postseason appearance following the 2016 season before getting blown out 4421 by the Falcons.
AFC
The Kansas City Chiefs knew they were in the market for a quarterback a couple of years ago and, with several first-round talents available, they invited Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes for visits. Now, their parallel paths will intersect when the Texans visit the Chiefs in the divisional round of
the playoffs on Sunday.
Watson was especially impressive last week, leading the Texans (11-6) back from a 16-0 second-half deficit to beat the Bills 2219 in overtime. He threw for a touchdown and ran for another in a performance reminiscent of his Week 6 game against the Chiefs, when Watson threw for a score and ran for two more in a 31-24 victory at Arrowhead Stadium.
That win was especially sweet for Watson, who has a bit of a chip on his shoulder about Kansas City choosing Mahomes over him. And the win should give the underdog Texans a boost of confidence knowing they have beaten the Chiefs (11-5) and their star QB once this season. COWHER GETS THE CALL >> Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Cowher, an analyst for CBS, was surprised by the announcement made live on air in studio before the Tennessee Titans-baltimore Ravens AFC divisional round playoff game Saturday night.