New Orleans Saints vs. Seattle Seahawks
Not many people saw this coming, and I won't say that I wasn't shocked, but Seattle is one difficult place to play. They use the term 12th Man, literally on loan from Texas A&M, and they take it just as seriously. As easy as it is to give credit to the fans whenever Seattle wins, it wasn't solely because of their participation. The Seahawks outplayed the Saints and earned their victory.
The Saints decided to mimic the Chargers and lose in the playoffs to a far inferior team. Of course, if you would have told me that Drew Brees would throw for 400+ yards and put up 36 points I would have guaranteed a Saints victory. The Saints defense failed to show up and Matt Hasselbeck played one of the best games of his career.
The play everyone will remember is Marshawn Lynch's scintillating touchdown run to ice the game in the fourth quarter where he ran by, through, and around nearly every Saints defender on the field. A magnificent show of effort for Lynch and a pathetic display of tackling by the Saints. So a team with a losing record moves on in the playoffs, and actually has a chance to host the NFC Championship game if they beat Chicago next week and Green Bay gets by Atlanta.
As inspiring an effort as the Seahawks gave to validate their place in the playoffs, I still don't think a 7-9 team should get to host a game against a team with an 11-5 record. I agree that division winners should get a playoff spot regardless of their record, but there is no way they should be hosting anything. The Bears must be happy Seattle got an opportunity to host the game because there is no way they advance if the game was played in the Superdome. The only question left in the NFC is who the Bears will be playing after they beat the Seahawks.
New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts
Rex Ryan and the New York Jets were able to sneak past Peyton Manning in a game that came down to the last second. As interesting as that sounds, the game was actually pretty boring. Neither team was very impressive, and other than the last two minutes there wasn't much excitement. In a game against Manning, I'm sure that's exactly how Ryan wanted it.
The Colts were down this year, and it was evident all season. It was an impressive finish for the Colts to even make the playoffs. Unfortunately for Manning, he is left with that very familiar feeling of going home after their first playoff game.
The Colts are reminiscent of the Atlanta Braves of the 90s when they won their division every year only to sputter in the playoffs with one exception. Good thing Manning does have that one exception on his resume or he would be a poster child for post season futility. The Colts have been dismissed from the playoffs in their fist game seven times in Manning's career.
Although he didn't play too bad, the loss further tarnishes his legacy that so many want to argue is the best all time. He isn't even close in my opinion. I think Jim Kelly going to four straight Super Bowls without a victory is as close a comparison as you can make to Manning. Give Manning the edge because he did win one, but it was ugly against a Rex Grossman led team.
One positive note for the Colts is kicker Adam Vinatieri basically re-cementing his legacy as the most clutch post season kicker of all time. I can't claim to know a great deal about the history of kickers, but I know there is only one true kicker in the Hall of Fame and he will have company as soon as Vinatieri is eligible. He simply doesn't miss with the game on the line, and he almost sent the Jets home as a result.
As for the Jets, they won and that's about all you can say from the performance. Darrelle Revis shut down Reggie Wayne and Mark Sanchez made a nice throw to set up the game winning field goal. They should be happy to advance, but I don't give them much chance to beat the Patriots who torched them 45-3 in the regular season.
The Jets would have lost to the Colts if not for a big kick off return by Antonio Cromartie on their last possession. It is amazing how many game winning drives start on a big special teams play or a penalty. Cromartie set it up for Sanchez to only have to make a couple of throws before the Jets would be in field goal range. I imagine the game plan will include a lot more running for the Jets in an attempt to shorten the game and keep the ball out of Tom Brady's hands.
One thing is certain, there is no lack of motivation for the Patriots after Ryan ran his mouth all season. He basically said he fears Manning more than Brady which won't sit well in New England. If the Jets fail to run the ball and the clock effectively, we should expect a similar outcome as the 40 point beat down.
No team with as many Longhorns players as the Chiefs have can win in the playoffs even with one of the best home crowds in the NFL. Jaamal Charles is going mid 90s with his haircut looking like O Dog from Menace II Society. A couple more inches and he would be the spitting image of Fab from Milli Vanilli. Being an AFC West fan, the outcome of this game was a no-brainer especially considering the Ravens excellent road playoff record of recent.
The Ravens offense kept it interesting for a short time, but their defense didn't allow the Chiefs any reason for hope. There has been a lot of praise thrown Joe Flacco's way since he came into the league, but I am still not really impressed. His pocket presence leaves something to be desired and he puts his offense in bad positions too often. The Ravens have as much talent on both sides of the ball as any team in the league, but still look like they need a boost in the offense. With his stable of runners and corps of receivers, the issue has to be Flacco. I'm not saying Flacco is Trent Dilfer bad, but for as much praise as he gets, I think he's overrated.
Flacco was able to bring Todd Heap back from relative obscurity hitting him time after time when the offense needed a play. Heap played his best game in three years as the Chiefs refused to give the Ravens a different look on defense. Flacco will have to outplay Ben Roethlisberger next week in what should be a very entertaining Ravens/Steelers matchup.
The Ravens/Steelers game has become one of the best rivalries in the NFL. For those that love hard hitting this is the game to watch. Both teams have great pieces on both sides of the ball and feature some of the best defensive players to ever play the game. If you look at the stats between the two teams in their last several matchups, there is nearly no difference in their performances. I think this matchup comes down to where the game is played, so I give the advantage to the Steelers.
Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Was Michael Vick slowed down at the end of long year where his body took a pounding like it hadn't in several years? Possibly. The Green Bay defense has been as dominating as any down the stretch of the season, and they were able to keep Vick uncomfortable all day. Desean Jackson was injured early and didn't play a huge factor in the game.
It was close and hard fought but the difference might have been quarterback play. Aaron Rodgers got a little help on the ground and did just enough to notch his first playoff victory. He didn't necessarily play his best game, but he was up against another tough defense on the road and he made some key plays to keep the Packers in front without turning the ball over. The game wouldn't have ever been in question if receiver James Jones catches a perfect ball from Rodgers at the end of the half. Vick was never able to get into rhythm and finished the game with an interception.
Philly now has to decide which way to go at quarterback. I guess they still don't want Donovan McNabb, but they have to either gamble on Vick with a bigger risk/reward factor, or go with their original plan of Kevin Kolb who has a longer future ahead of him but is still unproven. It didn't take long for Kolb to state publicly he wants to play on a team that he can start for after the Eagles loss, Sunday.
The Packers will have their hands full with top seeded Atlanta next week. Playing in Atlanta has always been a huge advantage for the Falcons, but they face one of the toughest wild card teams in recent memory. Games like these make the NFL exciting, and we should be in for a treat.
Despite having the best record in the NFC, Atlanta had several close calls and their defense didn't show the ability to dominate leaving me doubtful of their Super Bowl chances. This game is set up for Rodgers to make a name for himself in the playoffs going against a defense that can be scored on. If Green Bay continues to play excellent defense, I think they will come away with a rare win in Atlanta.
Somehow, my preseason prediction of Ravens vs. Packers is still alive for the Super Bowl, but I only think one of those teams will move on next week. I like Pittsburgh, New England, Chicago, and Green Bay to move on.
Taking The Pack to beat Matt Ryan and his near flawless record in the ATL? Guts my friend! Although I was as shocked as anyone to see the Saints go down, although I will say Lynch's run may go down as one of the best in NFL playoff history. As for Philly, I would take either of their QB's and I sure hope the new coach is looking at one of them. I like your picks, but just for kicks I will go Ravens, NE, Bears and Falcons.
ReplyDeleteThe ATL mystique might have worn off after the Saints beat them at home in week 15. I look at the matchup two ways in favor of Green Bay: Aaron Rodgers won his first playoff game and I feel he is ready to start his legacy, conversely Matt Ryan still has the pressure of winning his first playoff game. Second, and most important, GBs defense is heads and tails better than Atlanta, and they are playing their best football of the season right now. I have enjoyed seeing Curtis Lofton put together a nice season for the Falcons though. I hope you're right about the Ravens, but I think Pittsburgh enjoys more of a home field advantage than ATL. The Falcons have to do it in the playoffs before I'll be a believer in their home dominance, and Pitt has been there before.
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