PHILLY SPORTS CORNER- NFL PLAYOFFS

Rams over Saints-

Nice to see the Saints get theirs but hated the way it turned out. The refs near the end of the game screwed New Orleans.  If pass interference was called correctly the Saints could've run down the clock in regulation time and kicked the game-winning field goal. Shame they missed going to the Super Bowl because of a bad call by the refs.

Sure, the Saintss till ha d a  chance to win in overtime, where QB Drew Brees threw a costly interception. But somehow it was meant to be, and the Rams went on to win.

What can be done about the terrible calls? Maybe make professional officials? Many of these guys have full-time jobs as lawyers, insurance men, etc. So they split their time during the fall working at their real jobs  and officiatitng NFL games on weekends.Why give so much power to part-time employees?

If the refs are getting paid-off, why announce who the officials will be to the public ahead of time? Why not bring two officiating crews to a big game and pick one just before the game?

Instituting replay on pass interference calls would help, as many big plays come down to pass interference. It will slow down the game even more, with the use of even more technology. But isn't the key point getting the play right?

Apparently the NFL Commissioner has the power to over-rule a game, either by changing the score, making the game play over, either at the beginning or when the disputed play occurred. That won't happen as are you gonna replay the game at the Superdome?  If you reverse the score, how do you assume the Saints will make the last-second field goal?

The real shame is that legacies, destinies, history is changed because of a bad call. Think of all the money involved- the betting, the economy of both cities involved, the legacy of championships. Brees will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer but he will always have one less Super Bowl under his belt.

I'm glad a loser like Saints' coach Sean Payton got screwed, especially after running up the score in their first meeting with the Eagles. The bottom line is, up 13-0 at home, you gotta win that game. Yes, that was a crucial call, but New Orleans still had  a chance to win in overtime.

No one will ever forget that loss in New Orleans. They will never get over it, no matter how many future championships the Saints may win over time.

For LA, they really don't have a fan-base. People don't care about pro football in laid-back LA.  Maybe it will stir a bandwagon-like interest in the Rams for a while, a brief respite from the Lakers and Dodgers.

One thing for sure, Rams QB Jared Goff is far ahead of Eagles' Carson Wentz. Goff is going to the Super Bowl; Wentz has yet to play in his first playoff game.

Patriots over Chiefs-

Hard to believe both road teams won on Sunday. I picked New England to win, mostly because of Tom Brady and the feeling that Kansas City coach Andy Reid would do something to lose the game.  I also thought New England would handle the weather conditions. They have so much playoff experience. And now they go to the Super Bowl for the third straight year, five years out of six.  Will they be favored to beat Los Angeles?

KC quarterback Patrick Mahomes is brilliant and almost won the game for his Chiefs. The Pats blitzed him and caused Mahomes to scramble out of the pocket. Mahomes will be a full to be reckoned with in the future, with or without Reid.

The bottom line is that the chiefs had home field advantage, the recipe to defeat New England, and once again lost a big game at home.

Some are crying about the overtime rule needing to be changed, whereas both teams get an equal amount of possessions in overtime. No such thing as sudden death. I disagree. Even if a team who wins the coin toss does score, is it fair to still give the other team a chance to tie?Why even have a coin toss? Continuing the game would make the overtime like a college game, going on and on, the scores escalating.

I like the drama of sudden death football. Sometimes luck is involved, not everything being cookie-cutter perfect.

Reality is that, after a somewhat mediocre year ( 11-5), New England is in position  to win another championship.

Finally, we will never know if the Eagles would've beaten the Rams yesterday. A rematch with the Patriots in the Super Bowl would've been great. Sadly, the Birds didn't hold up their end of the bargain.