2022-23 NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round Quiz

Answer: Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes had his ankle rolled on top of by a Jacksonville Jaguars defender early in the second quarter. His team's coach, Andy Reid, called a timeout shortly after and Mahomes was evaluated by medical personnel who took x-rays that came back negative. The team's backup quarterback, Chad Henne, led the Chiefs to a 98-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter when Mahomes was on the bench. However, Mahomes made the gutsy decision to come back to play in the second half of the game in spite of his coach and medical personnel advising against it.

Patrick Mahomes was born in Tyler, Texas in 1995 and he was drafted with the 10th overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. He led his team to victory in Super Bowl LIV for the 2019-20 season and in the 2022-23 season he set an NFL record for most total yards by a quarterback in a season with 5,608 (5,250 passing and 358 rushing).

Answer: Jamal Agnew

Jamal Agnew was born in San Diego, CA in 1995 and he he was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 5th round in 2017. He joined the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 2021-22 season and over his first few years in the NFL he excelled as a kick returner including tying the record for the longest possible kick return touchdown at 109 yards.

In the Divisional Round playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Agnew had three solid kick returns that set up his team in great field position. However, in the fourth quarter, Agnew caught a pass and fumbled inside the 10 yard line with his team down by 10 points that derailed the comeback attempt for the Jaguars.

Answer: Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce dominated the middle of the field against the Jaguars as he caught 14 passes for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns. The 14 receptions set a NFL playoff record for tight ends and was just one short of the overall record of 15 receptions in a playoff game. Setting records was nothing new for Travis Kelce as during the 2022-23 season he set records for the most overall and consecutive 1,000+ receiving yards by a tight end (7) and the most career games with 100+ receiving yards by a tight end (35).

Answer: Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts was born in Houston, TX in 1998 and he was drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Hurts had an excellent 2022-23 season in which he was selected to the Pro Bowl and had a 14-1 record as a starter and had 35 touchdowns (22 passing, 13 rushing) against just 8 turnovers (6 interceptions, 2 lost fumbles).

In the Divisional Round game against the Giants, Hurts was efficient as a passer as the Eagles dominated taking a 28-0 lead into halftime.

Answer: Kenneth Gainwell

For the 2022-23 season, the Philadelphia Eagles utilized Miles Sanders as their primary running back and their secondary was Boston Scott. With the Eagles up by 28 points at halftime, they were able to utilize some of their backup players more than usual. Kenneth Gainwell took full advantage of this situation as he registered his first career 100+ yards rushing playoff game. Gainwell was born in Vicksburg, MS in 1999 and he was drafted in the fifth of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Answer: Snow

During the Divisional Round game between the Bills and Bengals, the temperature hovered around 30°F (-1°C) and snow was actively falling the whole game. Snow impacts players by making changing directions more difficult and the football becomes harder in cold weather.

Answer: Joe Mixon

Joe Mixon was born in Antioch, California in 1996 and he was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. In his first six seasons, Mixon had three seasons over 1,000 yards rushing. Against the Bills in the Divisional Round, Mixon had a strong performance with 105 rushing yards and one touchdown on 20 carries.

The Bengals offense dominated the game finishing with 412 total yards and a team playoff record 30 first downs.

Answer: Robbie Gould

Robbie Gould was born in 1982 in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. He was undrafted out of Penn State but he made the Chicago Bears roster in 2005 and he won play with the team for 10 seasons. He signed with the 49ers in 2017 and in the 2022-23 Divisional Round against the Cowboys, Gould made all four of his field attempts (28, 26, 47, 50).

Answer: Fred Warner

Fred Warner was born in 1996 in San Marcos, California. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2018 and he made the Pro Bowl in the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons. He had more than 100 tackles his first four seasons and he was considered an elite pass defender for a linebacker.

In the Divisional Round game against the Cowboys, Warner led the 49ers defense in tackles and had an interception as well as captaining the defense.

Answer: Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals were the road team in their matchup with the Buffalo Bills. However, the Bengals dominated on both offense and defense and won the game 27-10. The win brought the Bengals back to the AFC Championship Game for the second straight season. The other road teams in the Divisional Round lost their games by at least seven points.