Pushnaija: Sports highlights for January 2022
Pushnaija is one of the most reliable news websites that focuses on covering the sports industry. As we cover global news starting this 2022, we have seen busy and exciting tournaments and matches between popular sports teams. Take a look at the sports highlights for January 2022 below:
Ram’s Stafford becomes a playoff hero during the NFL Conference Championship
Matthew Stafford requested to be traded by the Detroit Lions after not scoring a win in playoff games in 12 years. After becoming an official Ram member, Stafford faced a 10-point deficit during the 4th quarter of the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 30. But the game was not finished there.
After passing 121 yards and scoring a touchdown in the final game, Stafford had the largest 4th quarter comeback in the history of the conference championship. It was reported that Stafford said he wanted to take the opportunity to make big-time plays in the 4th quarter against great teams. In 2 weeks, the Los Angeles Rams will compete for the Super Bowl.
In their game against San Francisco, Stafford connected twice in the end zone with his favourite target, Cooper Kupp, Calvin Johnson and Odell Beckham Jr. According to Spotrac, these players exemplify Ram’s all-in attitude.
Joe Burrow bounces back after recovering from his right knee reconstruction
It was reported that Joe Burrow was in the early stages of his recovery from his right knee reconstruction in February 2021. He was eventually seen throwing and delivering passes to Cincinnati Bengals’ equipment staffers and trainers. However, the status of his performance for the following season ended with the Bengals team coming off at 4-11-1.
Thanks to the overtime upset against the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs, Bengals and Burrow are headed to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1988. While Cincinnati’s defence had its paws all over their victory over Kansas City Chiefs, quarterback Patrick Mahomes is still crucial down the stretch as he faces Burrow.
When the Bengals took over the midfield, Burrow mixed handoffs and had a couple of short throws to move. The only negative yardage play in their final possessions was a slide by Burrow in the backfield. However, it turns out that it was intentional to set up the winning field goal.
It is undeniable that every team should depend on its quarterback but that is not the case in the Bengals since they have been trusting Burrow during the past 5 wins. Now, Burrow tallied 38.8 pass attempts per game versus his 31.1 attempts last season.
Cincy Stiffens strike the Red Zone twice
The common utterance, lightning can strike twice was proven right by Patrick Mahomes. With 9 seconds left in the first half of the game, the Chiefs were only a yard away from their 4th touchdown. That would have stretched their lead to 3 scores before they had the 2nd half kickoff.
However, the Bengals stood their ground which made Mahomes throw a swing pass to Tyreek Hill. Hill then stopped short of the goal line. This resulted in Cincinnati clawing back in the 2nd half and forcing 5 punts and an interception. During the 14-play drive, the Chiefs bent the Bengals but failed to break them.
Mahomes led Kansas City down to 5-yard for the last 90 seconds made the viewers raise an authentic question of whether the Bengals let them score. But after the Bengals made their impressive stand during the 1st half, the answer was a huge no.
On the 1st down, Jerick McKinnon managed to rush for one yard before Cincinnati spent its final timeout. After that, Sam Hubbard wrapped up Mahones via a 5-yard sack on the 2nd down of the game. On the 3rd down, Hubbard got the home again which made the Chiefs settle for a field goal instead.
49ers numbered Jimmy Garoppolo’s days in Bay Area
When the 49ers drafted Trey Lance, they made it clear to the rest of the league that Jimmy Garoppolo’s days in the Bay Area are now numbered. The good news is that Garoppolo did not lose his grip on the start of the season since his stats indicate that a change can still be made.
After 3 playoffs, Garoppolo managed to complete 58.1% of his passes for 555 yards, 3 interceptions and 2 touchdowns. This is the same day when the 49ers’ potent game fell flat in 20 carries for 50 yards. Unfortunately, Jimmy G can’t come to the rescue this time.
So this time, San Francisco should probably move Lance on a serious draft capital. Garoppolo, on the other hand, still carries a cap hit of over $25 million before January 2022 comes to an end. This is his final year under contract and that means he can now be traded or released while the 49ers see what they have got in Lance.
The NFL’s biggest game still lies ahead of the viewers but the off seasons will come soon. Garoppolo will join the growing list of veteran NFL quarterbacks who many fans expect to have a new home this 2022.
49ers sink in NFC championship due to major mistakes
Jaquiski Tartt made game-winning baskets and interceptions during his games when he was in high school and college. Apparently, it is not enough to make the San Francisco 49ers get their team back to the Super Bowl this season.
Tartt dropped an interception as the Niners hung on to a 17-14 lead during the NFC championship game’s 4th quarter last Sunday against Los Angeles Rams. He was one of the many players of San Francisco who was unable to make a goal in the final 15 minutes. The 20-17 loss denied the 49ers their 2nd Super Bowl trip within 3 years.
In an interview, Tart said that he was in practice all week and caught everything that came his way. For 6 ¾ games, the 49ers dominated the NFC West rival but it came to an end during their 4th quarter. At first, they had a 17-7 lead but when they entered the final 15 minutes, the Rams scored 13 straight points.
Aside from Tartt’s failure to pick, coach Kyle Shanahan decided not to opt for Rams territory. As a result, they fell short on 2 previous yardage plays and Jimmy G got intercepted on his final drive.
In an interview, Shanahan said that both teams had their chances and he thought that they had the other one on the ropes so they gave them a chance. But it turns out that if you give them too many chances, they are going to make it eventually.
Rams coach Sean McVay decided to give Shanahan a gift by giving the 3rd play but replays have shown that the Niners lost the ball after being down by contact. This left the Rams with no timeouts but the team did not seize the momentum.
Stafford connected with Odell Beckham Jr. for a 29-yard completion on the next play when Jimmie Ward was flagged for unnecessary roughness. After 7 plays later, Matt Gay tied the game at 17 with a 40-yard field goal.
The Niners had one final chance to win or tie after Gay’s 2nd field goal gave the Rams the lead. On 3rd-and-13 from the Niners’ 22, Garoppolo was pressured by Aaron Donald before being intercepted by Travin Howard. This won the Rams their second trip to the Super Bowl in four years.
Garoppolo, who completed 16 of 30 passes for 232 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception said that their game was a result of some awful execution. This made the game not work out the way they wanted it to.
After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made history last year, Los Angeles became the second franchise to host a Super Bowl in its home stadium. The Rams will meet the Cincinnati Bengals, who won the AFC championship game 27-24 in overtime over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Apart from the 4th quarter failure, the Niners failed to contain Rams All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who had 11 catches for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns. San Francisco often used single coverage on Kupp, including a 4th quarter touchdown when K’Waun Williams was beaten off the line.
On third downs, San Francisco’s defence could no longer get off the field because the Rams converted 11 of 18. The Niners were 3-5 at the halfway point of the season before winning seven of their last nine games and earning the NFC’s sixth seed in the playoffs. They beat Dallas and Green Bay on the road but lost to the Rams for the first time in 2018.
The 49ers have a lot of issues heading into the offseason, including whether or not Garoppolo will stay at quarterback. Garoppolo said that good teams should be resilient and fight through adversity to emerge stronger on the other side.
