3 Standouts from NFL's Conference Championships

The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers punched their tickets to Super Bowl LIV. The AFC Champion Chiefs defeated the Tennessee Titans 35-24, while the NFC Champion 49ers pounded the visiting Green Bay Packers 37-20. Here are three offensive players who dominated the Conference Championship Round.

1. Raheem Mostert

The 49ers fed Tevin Coleman the rock 22 times during their win over Minnesota last week. It was Raheem Mostert’s turn in the NFC Championship. 

On the 49ers’ second drive, Mostert busted out a 36-yard TD run on a halfback draw. By game’s end, Mostert had amassed a jaw-dropping 220 yards and four TDs.

Mostert carried the ball 29 times, as Coleman exited the contest early with a shoulder injury. The undrafted running back gashed the Packers for 160 yards and three TDs in the first half.  He is the only player in NFL history to rush for at least 150 yards and a trio of TDs in the first half of a playoff game. Mostert’s 220 yards were the second-most rushing yards by a player in league history.

Raheem Mostert's 220 rushing yards are the 2nd-most in a postseason game in NFL history. pic.twitter.com/qbpvgY8K5G

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 20, 2020

The 49ers’ offensive line did a remarkable job at creating holes up front for Mostert. According to Pro Football Focus, the 49ers provided nearly three yards of open run room before contact per carry. Mostert took advantage of these gaps and refused to go down once he was hit by a defender. Mostert gained 159 yards after contact and broke seven tackles.

The rushing attack was so dominant that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo attempted only eight passes, the second fewest ever in a postseason contest. 24 minutes of game time went by between Garopolo’s sixth and seventh pass attempts. He ended the night with six completions for 77 yards.

2. Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes demonstrated why he is the best player in football Sunday afternoon. The 24-year-old quarterback threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns. His most highlight-worthy play came on a 23-yard TD run. He finished with 53 yards rushing on eight carries.

THAT. WAS. INCREDIBLE.

Championship moment for @PatrickMahomes. #NFLPlayoffs #ChiefsKingdom

📺: #TENvsKC on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app
Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/x5sQRf24XS pic.twitter.com/fopHAvVlzl

— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2020

All three of Mahomes’ TD passes were thrown to wide receivers. This is a direct contrast to last week’s touchdown barrage in which Mahomes threw all five scores to running backs and tight ends.

Mahomes will play in his first Super Bowl after winning the AFC Championship. (Charlie Neibergall/AP)

Mahomes has compiled nine TDs (eight passing) in two games this postseason. A week after the Chiefs stormed back from a 24-0 deficit, they erased a 17-7 early hole behind Mahomes to advance to the franchise’s first Super Bowl in 50 years.

3. Sammy Watkins

Sammy Watkins caught three 3 TDs this season—all three coming in Week 1—but dismantled the Titans’ secondary in the AFC Championship. He collected seven receptions for 114 yards and the dagger touchdown halfway through the fourth quarter. 

Watkins broke wide open in the middle of the field on his 60-yard TD grab, building a commanding 35-17 advantage for Kansas City.

AHHHHHHHH 😁 pic.twitter.com/vVIcO1bSw1

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 19, 2020

Rams Ordered to Pay Reggie Bush $12.5 Million for 2015 Injury

Reggie Bush has hit the jackpot.

A St. Louis jury ruled in favor of the former Heisman Trophy winner, ordering the Los Angeles Rams (formerly of St. Louis) to pay $12.5 million for damages he suffered in 2015 at Edward Jones Dome.

Bush was playing for the San Francisco 49ers when he endured a season-ending injury in a regular season contest at St. Louis on Nov, 1. 2015.

After returning a punt and running out of bounds, Bush slipped on concrete and suffered a torn lateral meniscus.

Reggie Bush was carted off the field after tearing his lateral meniscus, ending his 2015 season. (Tom Gannam/AP)

The suit was originally filed in 2016 when Bush’s legal term alleged the Rams and the public authorities “allowed a dangerous condition to exist at the [Edward Jones] Dome.” The suit called the out-of-bounds territory where he fell “a concrete ring of death.”

The Rams moved to Los Angeles after the 2015 season, while Bush latched onto the Buffalo Bills on a 1-year, $1.5 million contract in 2016. This was Bush’s final season in the NFL and was a disastrous campaign for the running back/punt returner—rushing for minus-3 yards on 12 carries and catching seven passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. In the lawsuit, Bush argued he could have signed a bigger contract (and performed at a higher level on said deal) had he not suffered what he believed to be a preventable injury.

The 33-year-old Bush played in the NFL for 11 seasons, suiting up for the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, 49ers and Bills. He was named an All-Pro punt returner in 2008 as a member of the Saints and won a Super Bowl with New Orleans in the 2009 NFL season.

Bush was pleased with the result of the verdict that gave him a lucrative payday.

“I'm very happy with the verdict,” Bush told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “The people spoke and decided very fairly.”