The NFL Playoffs. For fans, there’s the joy, and there’s the pain. For players, the stakes are even higher; they dump all of their heart and soul into a playoff game. Whole cities revolve around the NFL Playoffs. Some schools even cancel classes.

During the weekend of Jan. 22, some of the four wildest NFL games in history happened. People even say that this set of four games was the best NFL weekend ever, according to FiveThirtyEight (a sports blogging website).

Starting off in Tennessee, the No. 1 seed Titans hosted the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow. It was a back and forth matchup, ending in a long game-winning field goal from rookie kicker Evan McPherson. The rookie didn’t fold under pressure and sent the Bengals to the AFC Championship Game. The Titans felt the agony of defeat, while the Bengals celebrated and danced across their field. One moment in an NFL game will determine who goes home packing, and who gets to face another day on the field. Every play is vital; every play impacts the game’s final score. 

The Bengals-Titans game was a classic, but the day only got better as it went on. Later that night, the 49ers traversed to Green Bay, Wisconsin to play the Super Bowl favorites: the Packers. The sub-freezing game, involving snow and wind, was a low-scoring affair, but a fabulous one. The 49ers tied it late in the fourth quarter on a punt block returned for a touchdown, stunning the loyal fans in Green Bay. Tied late in the fourth quarter, the 49er’s got the ball back and ended up hitting a game-winning field goal, shocking fans, players and everyone around the league. And just like that, the game, possibly one of Aaron Rodgers’s last as a Packer, ended. Two playoff games; two game-winning field goals; two absolutely wild games. However, the NFL gods saved the best for last, on Sunday. 

On Sunday, it started off with Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all time, playing against the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams started out by dominating the game, but when you’re playing Tom Brady, you can’t count him out. Late in the game, the Bucs made a ferocious comeback, but the Rams won on yet another game-ending field goal. Now, three games, three game-winning field goals. What a weekend of football. 

There was seemingly no way the next game could get any better, but the NFL granted us with an unreal matchup, yet again. This fourth and final game of the weekend was played in Kansas City. The red-hot Chiefs squared off against a scrappy bunch from Buffalo. The game was highlighted by the quarterbacks; the Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes and the Bills with Josh Allen. Both are going to be around the league for years to come, and both are already proving themselves as top quarterbacks. In this wild game, there were 25 points scored in the final two minutes. A remarkable feat considering some NFL games don’t even exceed that many points in a whole game. These final two minutes were masterful. Each team throwing punch after punch. The Chiefs forced overtime because of a game-tying field goal, where they had to gain a handful of yards with only 13 seconds left on the clock. With the game headed to overtime, the atmosphere in Kansas City was rocking, all the momentum riding on the hometown Chiefs. That energy remained throughout the night. The Chiefs prevailed in overtime, and Kansas City went into a frenzy. 

The NFL Playoffs are just simply exceptional. Cities go all out, fans will sacrifice so much and players sell out for each and every play. The NFL Playoffs draw around 36.3 million viewers, and it’s safe to say that the 2022 Playoffs haven’t disappointed. 

One side might be riding with joy, while the other is in disbelief, but the Playoffs are so special that it’s tangible around the world for its viewers, crowds and players. The playoffs are so high energy that everyone will love watching them.