Sportaholic NFL Wild-card Weekend Review

Wild-card weekend usually lives up to its name as it can be unpredictable on so many levels. It’s the weekend when hot teams meet consistent teams and they clash on the field to see which team comes out on top. Upstarts like Detroit, Houston, and Denver crashed the playoff party and looked to navigate their first playoff appearances in years (Houston’s first time at all) against heavily favored competition. This year’s collection of games was no different other than the fact that all top four seeds are in intact for both the AFC and NFC.

Houston Texans 31 Cincinnati Bengals 10 - Cincinnati was done in by a few rookie mistakes by rookie QB Andy Dalton, a healthy dose of Arian Foster and the Texans new found smothering defense. The Texans were able to generate enough offense with their own rookie QB T.J Yates as he connected with stud WR Andre Johnson for a 40-yard TD and they were able to rely on Foster and RB Ben Tate the rest of the way. Foster finished with 154 yards and 2 Tds. Dalton wasn’t great in his first playoff appearance throwing 3 interceptions including one that was a spectacular play for J.J Watt as he took it to the house for the score. Houston will take on Baltimore next week in a rematch from week 6.



What they said after the game: You can see that they were all so proud of their team,” Houston owner Bob McNair said of the team’s long-suffering fans. “We want to have a team everybody can be proud of and want to feel an attachment to. I think they have that.”



Andre Johnson on finally getting a playoff win: “This is something not just for me, but for the whole organization,” the Texans star receiver said. “It’s a very special feeling. That’s probably the most I’ve smiled in a long time.”

“We have to get beyond this,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. “We play in a very difficult division. We have to win games in the division, that is important and it sets up opportunities like this, all the time.”

New Orleans Saints 45 Detroit Lions 28 - The Detroit Lions couldn’t stop the white hot Drew Bree’s led Saints offense and it appears that any team facing them will have to go to tremendous lengths just to stop them from getting big plays. We all knew heading into this game that it would be a shootout as this was the first ever game that featured two 5,000 yard passers in Brees and Matthew Stafford. The Saints did what they have been doing all year on offense as they broke the postseason mark with 626 total yards of offense. The Lions did a good job just to stay in the game in the first half but New Orleans kicked it into overdrive in the second half and never looked back. Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles combined for 117 yards and 3 scores between them to seal the Saints victory. Things will be different for New Orleans next week as they travel to San Francisco to take on one of the better defenses in the league. They also will be on grass instead of the Superdome turf which makes them seem so unstoppable.

What they said after the game: “We were pulling out all the stops,” Brees said. “We play aggressive. We’re not going to apologize for that. That gives guys in the huddle a lot of confidence. We’re not going to pull the reins back. It’s pedal to the metal.”

All-pro receiver Calvin Johnson on the Lions season: We did make the playoffs this year and that’s a great accomplishment,” Johnson said. “We have some things to work on and we will. We know what we have to do to make the next step.”

New York Giants 24 Atlanta 2 - The New York football Giants put on a defensive showcase as they repeatedly stopped the Atlanta Falcons on 4th down and never let them get into the game. The Giants can go all the way to the Super Bowl if they continue to come with it on D like they did Saturday. The Giants stifled the Falcons offensive attack all day and looked like the Giants of yesteryear with Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs running the ball well. Hakeem Nicks 72-yard TD pass from Eli Manning broke the game open and the Falcons never really threatened from there. Atlanta again was done in by its inability to make any explosive passing plays and by three of ill-fated fourth down decisions. Matt Ryan failed to convert on a couple of 4th down QB sneaks and Michael Turner was also stopped on another down. Ryan’s numbers of 24/41 for 199 yards just isn’t going to cut it in the playoffs. This ends yet another disappointing season for them. As for the Giants they travel to Green Bay next week to take on the Super Bowl favorite Packers and their sterling 15-1 record. We will find out if this Giants performance was for real or just a one week thing. I’m excited about this match up.



What they said after the game: We are going to out there and give all our effort and we are going to walk away with a win,” All Pro defensive end Jason Pierre Paul said



We can’t lose like this in the playoffs,” defensive end John Abraham said. “We should have been able to do something different. We played well in the beginning, but it kind of got away from us in the end.”



’We know they are a good team,” said Manning, who completed 23 of 32 for 277 yards. “We played them tough here, did some good things here, we scored some points. We know offensively we are going to have to play strong, score some points.”

Denver Broncos 29 Pittsburgh Steelers 23 - And the best game of the weekend was the last game as Tim Tebow found yet another way to win a close game. He found a streaking Demairyus Thomas for the game winning 80-yard pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers. You couldn’t have scripted it better than that for Tebow as he actually showed that he can be a threat with arm and his legs. He only completed 10 passes but he threw for 316 yards in the process. A week after Bronco great and current President John Elway told Tebow to “Pull the trigger” the Steelers looked down right surprised that Tebow and the Broncos were so openly passing on them and made a few big plays. Maybe it was not having leading tackler Ryan Clark not there due to his Sickle Cell trait or maybe the Steelers just didn’t think Tebow would have the audacity to open it up on them like he did. Whatever the case may be they allowed Thomas to slide behind the defense on a play action fake that even fooled all-pro safety Troy Polamalu and the rest is history now. Ben Roethelisberger looked like a shell of himself in the first half before he got things rolling in the second. It did appear that the ankle injury did hamper the usual Big Ben scrambles that we are so accustomed to seeing. Pittsburgh came out flat before waking up only to have their heart taking out in overtime. This game will go down as one of the all time greats because of Tebow and because its was against the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers. What a game, what an ending and what a opening playoff game for Tebow. The Broncos now get a second crack at Tom Brady and the Patriots and have a lot of momentum rolling into this one.



What they said after the game: Tebow on game winning pass: “When I saw him scoring, first of all, I just thought, `Thank you, Lord,”’ Tebow said. “Then, I was running pretty fast, chasing him—like I can catch up to D.T! Then I just jumped into the stands, first time I’ve done that. That was fun.”

“We were moving it and we had a shot,” Roethlisberger said. “Someone got, it felt like a finger, on the ball and knocked it out. After that, you’re trying to throw a 70-yard Hail Mary and that’s hard.”

Broncos RB Willis McGahee on Tebow critics: “Case closed,” McGahee said. “They say he couldn’t throw. They said we wouldn’t be able to run the ball on them. We did that. I wonder what they’re going to say next week

Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings: Playoff Edition and Playoff Predictions

Playoff time in the NFL is such a bittersweet moment for me. On one hand you have the best of the best lining up and going at it and on the other hand it the beginning of the end of the season. Non-playoff teams can be so interesting, just look at the train wrecks in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Oakland, and Carolina just to name a few. I don’t understand how a coach can survive a dismal 4-12 season when his team clearly stopped playing for him (Cincinnati). The two coaches who have surprisingly good years by squeezing every ounce of talent they have out their roster and still get canned (Cleveland and Oakland), and a coach in John Fox who should have been shown the door this time last year. These teams didn’t make the playoffs for a reason rather it be a bad product on the field (Arizona and Denver), front office ineptitude (San Francisco, Buffalo, and San Diego), too lofty expectations (Dallas and Minnesota), not enough talent (Detroit, and Washington), team meltdowns (Houston, Miami and Tennessee) or too young and some form bad luck this year (Tampa Bay and Oakland)




The playoffs are sacred to us die-heart NFL fans, casual fans need not apply. The intensity is turned up and all bets are off. Throw the records out the window as anything can happen. The only thing you have to do is get in and let the rest handle itself. A lot of people will gripe about Seattle’s losing record but if it was their team they would defend them to the end. What if the Seahawks made a magical run (highly unlikely but possible) to the Super Bowl? That is the beauty of the NFL playoffs. Unlike the MLB, NBA or NHL playoffs it just one game instead of a series in the league. The team that plays the best that day wins the game. Its makes every game edge of your seat exciting. There is no room for error. Each pick or fumble can end your team’s season. That is what makes the NFL playoffs so unique.



Now its time to rank the playoff teams from top to bottom:

1. New England Patriots: The prohibitive favorites and deservedly so. When you have beaten half of the teams in the playoffs, you belong at the top. The offensive transformation has been the key to their success. Not to mention Tom Terrific playing the best football of his career. Major concern: Defense. The defense has been solid but it still worries me a bit. When the stage is the biggest will they be able to stand the pressure of being the favorites?

2. Pittsburgh Steelers – Big Ben and the steel city crew have it all working for the Steelers. They can be dominating on defense which has always been the key. As long as Troy Polamalu and James Harrison come ready to play they can beat anyone. Major Concern: Offensive Line. The offensive line on passing plays comes to mind for Pittsburgh. New England made the blueprint for beating them. Fluster Ben and don’t let him out of the pocket and make short accurate throws that won’t allow the pass rush to get settled in.

3. Atlanta Falcons – The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through the Georgia Dome, where Matt Ryan’s sparkling record of 20-2 comes into play. This team isn’t the sexiest but they find a way to get it done. Major Concern: Run Defense. Even though the Falcons finished 10th in the league in rushing, they have a penchant for giving up the big run as they have given up 10 runs of 20 or more yards this season. You have to shore that up in the playoffs as teams look to rely on their running attacks.

4. Chicago Bears – This seems a bit high for Chicago but they deserve it upon looking at the stats. The Bears have just bum rushed offenses this year as the they are 9th in total defense, 2nd in run defense and 4th in points allowed at 286 for the entire season. Julius Peppers has solidified this unit by giving them a lethal edge rusher to pair with LBs Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. Their defense is as mean as it gets in the NFL. Major Concern: Jay Cutler and Offensive line. It has to be said that Cutler is enjoying a resurgent year after his debacle last season. Cutler has “rebounded” to throw 23 touchdowns to 16 interceptions this year. His 86.3 QB rating is actually the 3rd highest rating of his career. The rub with me on Cutler is his decision making. He will make a silky smooth throw on one play and a bonehead throw into triple coverage the next. He has always been that way and you never want that in your QB in the playoffs. And that offensive line is god-awful. They gave up a league leading 52 sacks this year. It is truly amazing that they were able to still make the playoffs with kind of line play.

5. New Orleans Saints – The Saints had a tough year but seemed to finally have put it together going into the playoffs. Their vaunted offense had a down year compared to last year’s standards but still finished ranked 6th overall in total offense. This team is battle tested from last year’s Super Bowl run and will definitely have something to say on the NFC side of the draw. Major Concern: Turnovers. Drew Brees did such a marvelous job last year limiting his turnovers but not so much this year. His interceptions doubled from last year at 11 to 22 this year while his touchdown passes stayed basically the same from 34 last year to 33 this year. Brees has to take care of the rock in the playoffs for the Saints to have a chance to defend their Super Bowl title.

6. Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens like always are flying under the radar and loving every bit of it. They have recently found their spark on offense by utilizing Ray Rice to the best of his abilities. I have been clamoring for them to use Rice more this year because that guy is a big play waiting to happen. Rice’s numbers were down across the board from his career year last year as the Ravens have focused more on getting the ball to their receivers but Rice should get ample opportunities in the playoffs. It is amazing as well to note that Ed Reed led the league in interceptions at 8 even though he only played half the season this year. He is an all-time great at the safety position. Major Concern: Pass Rush. I remember when it was a given that the Ravens D was going to get after your quarterback. Not so much nowdays as they tied for 27th in the league with Buffalo. Haloti Ngata (6) and Terrell Suggs (11) are the only Ravens to have over 3 total sacks. That has to be addressed as teams will look to just throw on Baltimore. Just not to Ed Reed’s side.

7. New York Jets – Sexy Rexy and the gang green bunch are a lot of smoke and mirrors these days. Their last two meaningful games they have given up 66 points and 771 yards of total offense against the Bears and Steelers. Those are not the numbers that we have been accustomed to under Ryan’s reign. When you combine that with a offense that couldn’t scare a pee wee football team then you have problems going into the postseason. Major Concern: Mark Sanchez. Another thing I have been saying to all my Jets fans this year is watch the growth of Mark Sanchez as he is the key to you guys team. Sanchez numbers have improved from last year as expected and if you think back to last year this is when he got hot and led the Jets to the AFC Championship game. They will absolutely have to have that type of performance out of him if they expect to get back there or even further.

8. Green Bay Packers – The cheese heads are the dark horses in the NFC and a team no one will want to face. The fact that they have been basically been in playoff mode since week 16 stokes that notion. Teams that usually have to fight all the way to then end just to make it in the playoffs are good bets to make runs. This team has talent on both sides of the ball in Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, and Charles Woodson. Can this team finally live up to the lofty projections they were predicted for the last couple of years? Major Concern: Injuries. The Pack lost starters Atari Bigby at safety, running back Ryan Grant, and tight end Jermichael Finley for the entire season. All of these players were major contributors to their team. Aaron Rodgers has just gotten over his concussion symptoms as well, so they have to protect him at all cost. When you add S Nick Barnett and DE Cullen Jenkins to the list as out for their game against Philly that makes it that much worse for Green Bay.

9. Indianapolis Colts – The Sheriff does it again as he led his team to playoffs for the 9th consecutive time, albeit not the way they we are accustomed to. Manning struggles this year have been chronicled so I won’t go into detail about that but he showed a true grit and determination this year not to let his team fail. The Colts are dangerous because you know every time you face them, Manning can get hot and take you down. The change in the way they are going in this year could benefit them. As a matter of fact the only time Manning won the Super Bowl, his team was a wild card back in 2006. Watch out AFC. Major Concern: Injuries. If the Packers are considered walking wounded into the playoffs, then the Colts should be the walking dead. This team has just been decimated by injuries this year. The Colts injury report lists 25 players and 15 on that list are on the IR. You could field a decent team with the likes of Dallas Clarke, Jerraud Powers, Austin Collie, Melvin Bullitt, Anthony Gonzalez, and the IR specialist Bob Sanders. If the Colts can overcome all of their injuries, it would be one of the greatest NFL stories in history.

10. Philadelphia Eagles – The most exciting team in the league resides in Philly. Excitement doesn’t always lead to championships though just ask Cleveland Cavalier fans of the past few seasons. The improbable season just keeps going for Philly and they were able to rest Michael Vick and De’sean Jackson an extra week after clinching the 3rd seed in the NFC. Vick and Jackson are as deadly of a combo as it comes in the NFL. When you add the underrated Lesean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin you have a team that can put up points in a hurry. I think they could field a track team if they wanted to. Major Concern: Pass Protection. The Vikings exposed the Eagles weak offensive line play in the Sunday night turned Tuesday nigh game. The Eagles continually let corner Antoine Winfield in the backfield on a simple Cornerback blitz. Vick has been hit a number of times this year and it will only get worse in the playoffs as teams emulate what the Vikes did to them. If they want to have any shot at advancing, they have to protect Vick starting this weekend against Clay Matthews and the Packers

11. Kansas City Chiefs – The Chiefs or New England west as some call them are the surprise team in the league this year as they finally took down San Diego’s reign on the AFC West. Scott Pioli and Todd Haley have changed the culture in that locker room and should be commended. The additions of Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis gave them a schematic advantage in most of their games as both of these guys have won Super Bowls in New England. Matt Cassel also has played a big part in their resurgence as he has put up MVP numbers in the second half of the season. Jamal Charles is a threat every time he touches the ball. Major Concern: Big Stage Jitters. This is the Chiefs first time in playoffs since 2006. Most of those guys on that team are gone. How will the new look Chiefs fare on the big stage?

12. Seattle Seahawks – Pete Carroll found a way to sneak his team into the postseason. The Seahawks are the historic first team with a losing record to make it in. Don’t blame Seattle for being in the worst conference in football, hell somebody had to win the division. Surprisingly as well is that Seattle ranks 19th in passing offense ahead of other playoff teams such as Baltimore, New York Jets, Chicago, and Kansas City. As for their chances that another thing. Charlie Whitehurst seems to be good at evading the rush and making things happen with his legs. I also like the fact that he didn’t have a turnover in his lone start. Other than that this should be a one and done showing for Seattle’s best. Major Concern: Talent. The Seahawks have virtually no run game as they ranked 31st in the league averaging a paltry 89 yards a game. They ranked 27th in the league in total defense and yet with all their deficiencies found a make it in but it won’t be for long.

My Humble Playoff Predictions:



Wild Card Round:



AFC

NY Jets over Indianapolis

Baltimore over Kansas City

NFC

New Orleans over Seattle


Philadelphia over Green Bay



Divisional Round:

AFC

New England over NY Jets 

Baltimore over Pittsburgh



NFC
 
Philadelphia over Chicago

New Orleans over Atlanta



Conference Championship:

AFC

New England over Baltimore

NFC

Philadelphia over New Orleans


Super Bowl

New England over Philadelphia.