The Finality of the Field: Navigating the NFL Divisional Round

There are just eight teams left standing. As we enter the divisional round of the 2025 National Football League playoffs, the stakes have never been higher, and the margin for error has never been thinner.

On the latest episode of the Pig Pen, Darin Hayes was joined by Ed Kleese to break down a wild Wild Card weekend and look ahead to the battles to come. But before diving into the X’s and O’s, the conversation struck a chord that every football fan—and player—knows all too well: the sudden, crushing weight of playoff finality.

The "Madden" Sense of Finality

For fans in Western Pennsylvania, this week brought a "double whammy." Not only are they nursing the lumps of a playoff exit, but they are facing the rare territory of losing a coach. It’s a feeling Ed Kleese describes through the lens of a football legend.

"We've talked many times about Madden and Summerall," Ed noted. "As a young kid growing up, Madden was sort of my football Yoda. It’s the first time I ever heard the word finality."

Ed recalled how John Madden would often point out the losing sideline—the players sitting on the bench with heads in hands, looking forlorn. That empty feeling isn't just for the fans whose weekend routines suddenly vanish; it’s the realization for veterans like Bobby Wagner or Zach Ertz that this might have been their "last true shot."

John Madden spoke from experience; having been on the losing end of the "Immaculate Reception" game, he knew exactly how it felt to have his heart ripped out in an instant.

Surviving the "Glass Slipper"

As the guys moved into the game recaps, the theme of the weekend was survival. In the opening game, both the Rams and the Panthers played a contest far closer than the ten-and-a-half-point spread suggested.

"That was actually the most surprising thing to me of the whole weekend—how close the Rams came to being eliminated," Ed remarked. Despite a 14-0 lead, the Rams found themselves in a dogfight against a Panthers team that was far more prepared than the pundits gave them credit for.

Darin observed that while the Panthers "played their tails off," the better team ultimately wise up when it mattered most. It served as a reminder of the "glass slipper" effect in the playoffs: it’s fun to root for the underdog, but as Ed pointed out, "the glass slipper often doesn’t fit nearly as nicely" in the following round. The Rams survived, but the scares were just beginning for the rest of the league.

Postseason Grit and Divisional Predictions

As the dust settles on a wild opening weekend of the playoffs, Darin Hayes and Ed Kleese sit down to dissect the survival of a dynasty, the fallout of a Steelers collapse, and what to expect in a high-stakes Divisional Round.

The New Patriots: Gritty, Not Pretty

The Patriots’ victory over the Chargers wasn't a masterclass in scoring, but it was a masterclass in situational football. Darin and Ed noted the striking similarities between this 2025 squad and the 2001 team that launched the Brady era.

“They were tough and gritty and just got the job done,” Ed remarked. While Drake May didn't light up the stat sheet, his ability to manage the game and "flip the field" kept the Chargers under constant pressure. It’s a slow build, reminiscent of a juggernaut in the making, even if the "evil genius" era of trading back for draft capital has evolved into something new.

The Steelers’ Deflating Exit

While the Patriots are rising, the Steelers are left with difficult questions. Despite a 24-point loss to the Texans, Ed offered a shocking grade for the winning quarterback: “I would have graded C.J. Stroud as an F... and they still won by 24.”

The story wasn't Stroud's five fumbles or poor accuracy; it was a total collapse of the Steelers' offensive line. Aaron Rodgers, potentially playing