National Football League

Why top-seeded Packers, Titans went out early

Updated Jan. 23, 2022 7:11 p.m. ET

By Bucky Brooks
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

Wow! That is the only way to describe a day on which both of the NFL's No. 1 seeds were eliminated from title contention.

While anything can happen on any given Sunday, you do not expect the teams that secured the top seeds in a 17-week regular season to fall by the wayside before the championship round.

In fact, according to the FOX Sports research team, the No. 1 seeds had not both lost their postseason openers since the 2010 season — and since the seeding format began in 1975, they had never lost on the same day in the divisional round.

Given some time to collect my thoughts after watching the epic upsets, here are some notes and observations …

Rodgers walks off into uncertain offseason

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers walks off the field at Lambeau Field after the No. 1 seed Packers' shocking loss to the 49ers.

Aaron Rodgers flops again

It is difficult to pin the Packers’ quick playoff exit on the three-time MVP, but the veteran quarterback did not play well enough for his team to advance Saturday night.

Sure, the special-teams blunders did not help, and the defense’s inability to create more turnovers was a problem, but Rodgers did not make the plays that mattered in Green Bay's 13-10 loss to San Francisco.

For a quarterback viewed as an all-time great, the numbers and performance fall short of the mark. While a stat line that features a 68.9% completion rate (20-for-29 passing), 225 yards and zero turnovers is solid production for a quarterback, in the second half the MVP front-runner produced only 55 yards and guided an offense that mustered just three points.

Michael Strahan on Aaron Rodgers' future

Michael Strahan discusses Aaron Rodgers' uncertain future in Green Bay following yet another early exit from the postseason.

That is simply unacceptable for an offense loaded with firepower on the perimeter. Although 49ers defensive coordinator Demeco Ryans deserves credit for a brilliant game plan that disrupted the rhythm and flow of the Packers’ offense, the veteran quarterback left plenty of points on the field with a series of misfires on critical downs that prematurely ended drives that squandered good field position.

In a single-elimination tournament that features a number of elite QBs, Rodgers’ early dismissal speaks volumes about his inability to put the No. 1 seed on his back. He will need to answer the hard questions about his mediocre playoff record throughout his career.

After being considered a threat to Tom Brady’s throne as the GOAT, the All-Pro’s latest playoff failure makes it difficult for even his ardent supporters to keep him in the discussion.

Niners find finishing kick!

Robbie Gould hits a 45-yard field goal to send San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game.

Deebo Samuel puts the 49ers on his back

The biggest compliment that I can give Deebo Samuel is to label him a "throwback" with a game that would stand out in any era.

Looking at No. 19 run around in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, he would have been a terrific fit in Tubby Raymond’s Delaware Wing-T offense in the 1970s. The offense that helped Raymond win 300 games as a head coach featured the team’s star player at a wing back position that blended running back and receiver skills.

Samuel is currently occupying that role for the 49ers as a hybrid playmaker, filling multiple roles as a runner-receiver out of the backfield. As a dynamic threat with 1,400-plus receiving yards, 300-plus rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns, Samuel entered the playoffs as the 49ers’ No. 1 weapon.

He has cemented his status as the team’s top option with a pair of standout performances in the postseason.

At Green Bay, Samuel stuffed the stat sheet again with 83 scrimmage yards on 13 touches (10 runs and three catches) as the 49ers’ featured playmaker. The third-year pro added 59 kick return yards, including a 45-yard return at the beginning of the second half that gave the 49ers’ offense a boost.

With San Francisco repeatedly willing to put the ball in Samuel’s hands in key moments to put the team over the top, it is time to treat the Pro Bowler like a five-star recruit at "ATH" (athlete).

Samuel is one of the few difference-makers in the NFL that is beginning to feature "position-less" football. After tearing up the Packers in the final quarter with a handful of plays involving the third-year pro as a runner or passer — including a critical conversion on the ground on third-and-7 on the winning drive — the 49ers’ spectacular wideout is a versatile game-breaker with big-play potential on the perimeter.

"I knew Evan McPherson was going to make it"

Joe Burrow talks about the confidence he had in Bengals rookie kicker Evan McPherson to make the game-winning field goal.

It is all about the quarterback

Building a Super Bowl contender is like putting together a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. It takes a lot of time to find the perfect complementary pieces, but it is a lot easier to finish the puzzle when you have a quarterback.

The Bengals are on the verge of heading to Super Bowl LVI due to the presence of a franchise quarterback with a five-star game and elite leadership skills.

Second-year pro Joe Burrow played like a 10-year veteran in Cincinnati's 19-16 upset of the Titans, displaying outstanding patience, discipline and poise in a pressure-packed playoff game on the road. Burrow was not rattled by the Titans’ persistent pass rush (nine sacks) or the umbrella coverage that eliminated the deep ball.

The former No. 1 overall pick played with great discipline against a veteran defense that wanted to test his willingness to take check-downs and underneath routes. As a result, Burrow finished with a 300-yard game (348 pass yards) while posting a 75.6% completion rate against the Titans’ soft coverage.

The Bengals’ star evenly distributed the ball to his top pass-catchers while keeping the ball out of harm’s way. Considering that Ja’ Marr Chase (five catches, 109 yards), Tee Higgins (seven catches, 96 yards), C.J. Uzomah (seven catches, 71 yards) and Joe Mixon (six catches, 51 yards) combined for 25 catches on 30 targets, the young QB's situational awareness and unshakeable confidence put him ahead of others at the position.

Given the Bengals’ response to their franchise quarterback, team builders around the league should have a greater appreciation for elite quarterbacks and how they are able to reverse the fortunes of a franchise.

"I just had to deliver"

Bengals running back Joe Mixon talks about his touchdown run in Cincinnati's upset win at Tennessee.

The Bengals’ defense stands up

Despite taking a backseat to an explosive offense directed by an emerging superstar quarterback, the Bengals’ defense keyed the team’s win against the Titans.

The blue-collar unit stymied one of the NFL’s most powerful running offenses to put the game on the shoulders of Ryan Tannehill. Although surrendering 140 rush yards on 27 carries is not exactly shutting the running game down, the Bengals were able to neutralize Derrick Henry (20 carries for 62 yards and a score) and keep the Titans from playing the game on their terms.

With Tennessee unable to run the ball consistently, the Bengals were able to stay in attack mode in long-yardage situations, as evidenced by the Titans’ 12.5% third-down conversion rate.

In addition, the Bengals’ frontline came up big in a couple of critical situations on the ground. The defense stopped Henry on a failed two-point conversion from the 1-yard line and made a big stop on a fourth-and-short to end a drive in Bengals territory.

Cincinnati's defensive dominance also showed up with a plus-two margin in the turnover battle. The three interceptions from the unit were a reflection of the discipline, attention to detail and fanatical effort displayed by the defense this season.

This collection of unheralded defenders played like an elite unit, with their great "eyes" and sticky fingers leading to a three-interception effort from Tannehill.

Considering how turnovers routinely determine the outcome of games, the Bengals’ stingy defense deserves credit for its role in the first road playoff victory in franchise history.

Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports and regularly appears on "Speak For Yourself." He also breaks down the game for NFL Network and is a cohost of the "Moving the Sticks" podcast.