Wild card weekend is now in the books, and the field of twelve has been pared to eight. Gone are the defending champion Saints, defending AFC champion Colts, NFC East champ Eagles and NFC West champ Chiefs.
There is an investigation in Seattle. The Seahawks that showed up Saturday were clearly not the same team donning those uniforms in the regular season. Baltimore gave a clinic in Kansas City, dominating the game and eventually the scoreboard. Green Bay won a technical knock out in Philly. The Jets outlasted the Colts in Indianapolis to advance.
As usual, we have highlighted some good, some bad and some ugly, plus two standouts and a few individual performances.
That leaves us with some intriguing matchups for the Divisional Round. Those of us who enjoy watching football played in the elements will note three of the four games will be played in potentially “frozen tundras.” The early forecasts for game time including some potential of snow and 20-degree temperatures in both Chicago and Pittsburgh and temperatures in the low 30s in Foxboro.
The AFC breaks down to the East and North crowning a post-season division champion. The Jets get another crack at the Patriots, trying to extract revenge for the drubbing they took in New England on national TV in week 13. The Steelers and Ravens always seem to go the full 12 rounds, and Saturday should be no exception.
As for the NFC, the two teams most visible by year’s end will meet when the Pack visits Atlanta to tangle with the Falcons. Their mission is simple: to go bird hunting for the second week in a row (could they wind up playing the Eagles, Falcons, Seahawks and Ravens?). Meanwhile, the surprising Seahawks venture to Soldier field to take on the Bears.
So, throw a log on the fire, break out the chili recipe and enjoy what should be a good weekend of football.
Thanks to Ben and Goldie for their fine contributions in this edition.
Good
Baltimore – While the Ravens were not inept on offense, this win looked more like one of those during their era of dominating defense. It was not without kinks, as they gave up a 41-yard TD run to Jamaal Charles late in the first quarter. But that accounted for over a fourth of the yardage the defense gave up all day. Couple that with five turnovers and three sacks and you have a dominating performance. Other than Charles TD run, the only thing the defense did wrong was turn the ball over once itself, fumbling away an interception early in the second half. Meanwhile, the offense put up almost 400 yards of its own, 26 first downs and held the ball over two-thirds of this game. A grinding running game, over 250 yards of passing combined with an exceptional defensive performance propels the Ravens to the next round at a date with the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Seattle – Half the fans didn’t even think they belonged in the playoffs, and at least half of the rest thought they had no chance in this game. Thus, one of the bigger Cinderella stories in league history was born, and the glass slipper fit. Seattle could have easily folded after the Saints jumped out to an early lead, but they battled right back. The Seahawks offense erupted through the 2nd quarter. (individual honor for Hass?) Some of their credit there has to be diverted to blame for the Saints defense (see below) but it was still impressive. The Seahawks defense made a goal line stand to end the half with a four point lead. The Seahawks came out and drove right down for a TD on the next drive to open the second half. They followed that up with a FG and a nice hold on a 4th down which left them seemingly in control, nursing a 14 point lead with possession already on the fringe of FG range with 19 minutes to play. Then the wind went out of their sails a bit after a penalty backed them out of FG range to end that drive. Their offense became stagnant and the Saints began taking over momentum and mounting a comeback. The 12th man was getting quieter by the minute as the Seahawks answered a Saints TD with another 3 and out and it looked like the clock might be striking midnight. However the Seahawk defense played bend don’t break again on the next New Orleans drive and held the saints to a FG. With Seattle clinging very tenuously to a 4 point lead, the teams exchanged a pair of punts With Seattle at least back on the map, momentum appeared to be up for grabs. Marshawn Lynch decided to take it, with a 67 yard TD run that was a combination of stubborn refusal to be stopped and piss poor tackling by the Saints. The Saints continued to fight but down 2 scores with just over 3 minutes left they were out of time
Bad
Indianapolis Colts – This was a home game against a QB that had a 62.4 QB rating which means the Colts should have won the game. With the Jets defense set up to stop Peyton’s passing, the Colts ground game could never get it going. Even though Manning and the Colts came back to take a lead with less than one minute remaining, it was not enough. The depleted special teams coverage allowed Cromartie a big kickoff return and a winded Colts defense allowed the Jets to get into easy FG range. Add to that a boneheaded timeout call by Jim Caldwell and it resulted in an early exit for the Colts. Apparently, Caldwell learned nothing from his timeout snafu earlier in the year against the Jaguars and a too conservative game plan from the SB loss against the Saints. This loss puts a disappointing cherry on top of an underwhelming season full of injuries, backups, and screwups.
Ugly
New Orleans – The Saints jumped out to a 10-0 lead before anybody’s seat got warm. It could have been 14-0 if not for a dropped pass on the opening drive that would have likely been a TD. The teams then traded scores, and after three possessions New Orleans was up 17-7 and had not been stopped. The defense then went into full spectator mode for the next 23 minutes, giving up 27 points and leaving the Saints in a 34-20 hole Not that the offense was anything to write home about in that same stretch, scoring only a FG in a desperation drive at the end of the first half and turning the ball over once that led to a FG. After closing to 7, the Saints missed a golden opportunity by having a drive fizzle on the Seahawks 3 and settled for a FG and a 4 point deficit. Still, they looked to have stopped the bleeding…..until the defense responded by 67 yard TD rush to all but end things. Yes, the offense left 8 points on the field in a game they lost 5. But, would anyone have passed on the Saints if they had known New Orleans would score 36 points, racked up 474 yards, 32 first downs and only turned the ball over once? Only if they knew the defense would be Ugly.
Kansas City – It would be unfair to say the Chiefs did not show up. They ended the first quarter up 7-3 and, although not particularly impressive in the second quarter, only trailed 10-7 at halftime. The Chiefs apparently thought the game ended at that point. The Chiefs turned the ball over to end five of their six second half possessions, and turned it over on downs on the other. Meanwhile, Baltimore scored on all four of their possessions, one consuming over ten minutes of the final quarter. Kansas City posted two first downs in the half and only eight for the game. The offense produced a putrid 161 total yards, only 53 in the air and possessed the ball for a mere 18 minutes. On offense, this was almost beyond Ugly and into incompetent.
Honors
Joe Flacco – 25 of 34 for 262 yards and a pair of TDs sparked the Ravens offense.
Matt Hasselbeck – He was part of a one-two punch on offense that dismantled the Saints defense. Hass tossed 4 TDs out of 22 completions in 35 attempts for 272 yards. He may well have saved his best performance in 2010 for the playoffs.
Marshawn Lynch – People will revisit his 67 yard fourth quarter TD run with the game still in doubt for years. On the day he posted 131 yards in 19 total carries.
James Starks – In a game that was in contention much of the way, Stark’s 23 carries for 123 yards may have been the difference. He provided the Packers an element of ball control, which was critical.
Dishonors
Matt Cassel – It was not all his fault, but 9 of 18 for 70 yards and 3 interceptions did not help.
Awards
Ciron Black (Best of the Good): Seattle. The Seahawks weren’t even supposed to be in the playoffs and should have been dispatched about 20 minutes into this game. Instead, they put on a clinic in the middle third of the game to post a huge upset and move on.
Aunt Esther (Ugliest of the Ugly): Kansas City. The Chiefs hung around for a half but never distinguished themselves. Then, in the second half, they imploded. Nobody did less this weekend.
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Wild Card Playoffs
NFL Wild Card Playoffs: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
January 11, 2011 - 10:07 am · 0 comments
by Zack Kelberman
in Community Commentary, Weekly Segments
Wild card weekend is now in the books, and the field of twelve has been pared to eight. Gone are the defending champion Saints, defending AFC champion Colts, NFC East champ Eagles and NFC West champ Chiefs.
There is an investigation in Seattle. The Seahawks that showed up Saturday were clearly not the same team donning those uniforms in the regular season. Baltimore gave a clinic in Kansas City, dominating the game and eventually the scoreboard. Green Bay won a technical knock out in Philly. The Jets outlasted the Colts in Indianapolis to advance.
As usual, we have highlighted some good, some bad and some ugly, plus two standouts and a few individual performances.
That leaves us with some intriguing matchups for the Divisional Round. Those of us who enjoy watching football played in the elements will note three of the four games will be played in potentially “frozen tundras.” The early forecasts for game time including some potential of snow and 20-degree temperatures in both Chicago and Pittsburgh and temperatures in the low 30s in Foxboro.
The AFC breaks down to the East and North crowning a post-season division champion. The Jets get another crack at the Patriots, trying to extract revenge for the drubbing they took in New England on national TV in week 13. The Steelers and Ravens always seem to go the full 12 rounds, and Saturday should be no exception.
As for the NFC, the two teams most visible by year’s end will meet when the Pack visits Atlanta to tangle with the Falcons. Their mission is simple: to go bird hunting for the second week in a row (could they wind up playing the Eagles, Falcons, Seahawks and Ravens?). Meanwhile, the surprising Seahawks venture to Soldier field to take on the Bears.
So, throw a log on the fire, break out the chili recipe and enjoy what should be a good weekend of football.
Thanks to Ben and Goldie for their fine contributions in this edition.
Good
Baltimore – While the Ravens were not inept on offense, this win looked more like one of those during their era of dominating defense. It was not without kinks, as they gave up a 41-yard TD run to Jamaal Charles late in the first quarter. But that accounted for over a fourth of the yardage the defense gave up all day. Couple that with five turnovers and three sacks and you have a dominating performance. Other than Charles TD run, the only thing the defense did wrong was turn the ball over once itself, fumbling away an interception early in the second half. Meanwhile, the offense put up almost 400 yards of its own, 26 first downs and held the ball over two-thirds of this game. A grinding running game, over 250 yards of passing combined with an exceptional defensive performance propels the Ravens to the next round at a date with the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Seattle – Half the fans didn’t even think they belonged in the playoffs, and at least half of the rest thought they had no chance in this game. Thus, one of the bigger Cinderella stories in league history was born, and the glass slipper fit. Seattle could have easily folded after the Saints jumped out to an early lead, but they battled right back. The Seahawks offense erupted through the 2nd quarter. (individual honor for Hass?) Some of their credit there has to be diverted to blame for the Saints defense (see below) but it was still impressive. The Seahawks defense made a goal line stand to end the half with a four point lead. The Seahawks came out and drove right down for a TD on the next drive to open the second half. They followed that up with a FG and a nice hold on a 4th down which left them seemingly in control, nursing a 14 point lead with possession already on the fringe of FG range with 19 minutes to play. Then the wind went out of their sails a bit after a penalty backed them out of FG range to end that drive. Their offense became stagnant and the Saints began taking over momentum and mounting a comeback. The 12th man was getting quieter by the minute as the Seahawks answered a Saints TD with another 3 and out and it looked like the clock might be striking midnight. However the Seahawk defense played bend don’t break again on the next New Orleans drive and held the saints to a FG. With Seattle clinging very tenuously to a 4 point lead, the teams exchanged a pair of punts With Seattle at least back on the map, momentum appeared to be up for grabs. Marshawn Lynch decided to take it, with a 67 yard TD run that was a combination of stubborn refusal to be stopped and piss poor tackling by the Saints. The Saints continued to fight but down 2 scores with just over 3 minutes left they were out of time
Bad
Indianapolis Colts – This was a home game against a QB that had a 62.4 QB rating which means the Colts should have won the game. With the Jets defense set up to stop Peyton’s passing, the Colts ground game could never get it going. Even though Manning and the Colts came back to take a lead with less than one minute remaining, it was not enough. The depleted special teams coverage allowed Cromartie a big kickoff return and a winded Colts defense allowed the Jets to get into easy FG range. Add to that a boneheaded timeout call by Jim Caldwell and it resulted in an early exit for the Colts. Apparently, Caldwell learned nothing from his timeout snafu earlier in the year against the Jaguars and a too conservative game plan from the SB loss against the Saints. This loss puts a disappointing cherry on top of an underwhelming season full of injuries, backups, and screwups.
Ugly
New Orleans – The Saints jumped out to a 10-0 lead before anybody’s seat got warm. It could have been 14-0 if not for a dropped pass on the opening drive that would have likely been a TD. The teams then traded scores, and after three possessions New Orleans was up 17-7 and had not been stopped. The defense then went into full spectator mode for the next 23 minutes, giving up 27 points and leaving the Saints in a 34-20 hole Not that the offense was anything to write home about in that same stretch, scoring only a FG in a desperation drive at the end of the first half and turning the ball over once that led to a FG. After closing to 7, the Saints missed a golden opportunity by having a drive fizzle on the Seahawks 3 and settled for a FG and a 4 point deficit. Still, they looked to have stopped the bleeding…..until the defense responded by 67 yard TD rush to all but end things. Yes, the offense left 8 points on the field in a game they lost 5. But, would anyone have passed on the Saints if they had known New Orleans would score 36 points, racked up 474 yards, 32 first downs and only turned the ball over once? Only if they knew the defense would be Ugly.
Kansas City – It would be unfair to say the Chiefs did not show up. They ended the first quarter up 7-3 and, although not particularly impressive in the second quarter, only trailed 10-7 at halftime. The Chiefs apparently thought the game ended at that point. The Chiefs turned the ball over to end five of their six second half possessions, and turned it over on downs on the other. Meanwhile, Baltimore scored on all four of their possessions, one consuming over ten minutes of the final quarter. Kansas City posted two first downs in the half and only eight for the game. The offense produced a putrid 161 total yards, only 53 in the air and possessed the ball for a mere 18 minutes. On offense, this was almost beyond Ugly and into incompetent.
Honors
Joe Flacco – 25 of 34 for 262 yards and a pair of TDs sparked the Ravens offense.
Matt Hasselbeck – He was part of a one-two punch on offense that dismantled the Saints defense. Hass tossed 4 TDs out of 22 completions in 35 attempts for 272 yards. He may well have saved his best performance in 2010 for the playoffs.
Marshawn Lynch – People will revisit his 67 yard fourth quarter TD run with the game still in doubt for years. On the day he posted 131 yards in 19 total carries.
James Starks – In a game that was in contention much of the way, Stark’s 23 carries for 123 yards may have been the difference. He provided the Packers an element of ball control, which was critical.
Dishonors
Matt Cassel – It was not all his fault, but 9 of 18 for 70 yards and 3 interceptions did not help.
Awards
Ciron Black (Best of the Good): Seattle. The Seahawks weren’t even supposed to be in the playoffs and should have been dispatched about 20 minutes into this game. Instead, they put on a clinic in the middle third of the game to post a huge upset and move on.
Aunt Esther (Ugliest of the Ugly): Kansas City. The Chiefs hung around for a half but never distinguished themselves. Then, in the second half, they imploded. Nobody did less this weekend.
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Tagged as: gbu, NFL Wild Card, Wild Card Playoffs