The first weekend of this year’s playoffs was mediocre but this past weekend the NFL gave fans some of the greatest football I’ve seen in a 48 hour span. The divisional round is thought of by most as the best weekend of the entire season and this weekend’s games certainly backed up that statement. Where do I even begin? We’ll start in chronological order.
Bal-Den: What was Manning thinking with that throw across his body late in the first overtime? I was the back up QB in middle school and even I know not to throw across your body into the middle of the field. But hey, he’s the future hall of fame NFL player so i’ll defer to him. After that interception, the Ravens were able to gain enough yardage to set up the game winning field goal in the second overtime period. Second overtime! How many times do we see “2OT” on the scoreboard in the NFL? It was actually kind of odd. I know Joe Flacco had that great (elite?) pass late in the game to seal the comeback but I gotta give some props to their RB Ray Rice. Rice secretly tore up the Denver defense, rushing for 131 yards and a TD on 30 carries. Incredible game with an incredible finish.
SF-GB: I’ll be the first to admit that I was a bit skeptical about how Colin Kaepernick would perform in his first playoff start but boy did he prove me wrong. Kaepernick bounced back from an early pick-6 in record breaking fashion to lead the 49ers in an impressive victory over the Packers. Kaepernick’s stat line (pass: 263 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT; rush: 181 yds, 2 TDs) doesn’t even do him justice as he out dueled Aaron Rodgers, a proven SB winner and one of the best QBs in the league. Credit to the 49ers defense who never let Rodgers get in sync, even after the Packers took an early lead from a play made on defense. I also have to give credit to the rest of the Niners rushing attack (Gore and co) who had the Packer defense confused the entire game. Damn, the Niners are a scary team.
Atl-Sea: Another wild finish that I did not see coming. Seattle certainly had a chance to win the game after an incredible comeback but Atlanta’s big plays late in the game were the deciding factor. The Falcons finally broke their streak of recent playoff losses and even though I had the Seahawks winning the game, I actually felt good for the Falcons players. Particularly TE Tony Gonzalez, who broke down in tears after the clock expired. I have to ask about the 4th quarter: was it more Falcons meltdown or a Seahawks comeback? It was incredible to watch Russell Wilson lead the Seahawks to 21 unanswered points in the final period but it still wasn’t enough. Seems like there’s a bright future for Seattle but this season it’s the Falcons that are moving on.
NE-Hou: This game didn’t exactly live to the rest of the weekend’s games in terms of excitement but it was still impressive to see how much the Patriots dominated the Texans. Tom Brady broke the record for career playoff wins as he led the Patriots offense in a dominating victory over the Texans. Houston simply could not keep up with the Patriots offense, particularly in the second half. The Texans kept the game close through the first half but after the Patriots dominated the 3rd quarter it began to shape into a easy W for New England. Despite losing Gronkowski (for the season) during the first quarter, the Patriots offense continued to dominate but it’ll be interesting to see how the injury affects them going forward.
Bal/Den: The refs screwed over Den in the first half, but the Broncos collectively weren't good in the 2nd half. It was too cold for Manning who couldn't throw over 15 yards. Unlucky for him, his team messed up.
Hou/Pats: not a surprise. Houston D can save the offense against the Bengals, can't save against Pats.
Sea/Atl: The Seahawks forgot the play the first half again, as is the problem when the west coast teams go east. Happy I won money, but really disappointed the Hawks/SF rematch and the Seahawks/Pats Super Bowl won't happen.
Pack/SF: Didn't everyone say GB had an awful run defense? That was in full effect yesterday.
1st three games were amazing. John Fox was exposed as a fraud coach playing so conservative, Peyton threw a bad pick, I think 49ers vs Patriots is happening
Easy games to pick this weekend. 49ers and Patriots. If it's an all-Harbaugh Super Bowl I might not watch for the first time in forever, I despise them both.
Had a lot of fun watching the games this weekend.
I really thought Manning was a smart guy, but that looked like something Brett Farve would do. What the fuck?
ATL/SEA: Game was on crack at the end. I gotta admit, I was pulling for SEA.
I know it's only Monday, but I can't wait for this weekend's games :-)
@MoeJackson It wasn't *that* bad, that defender made a great play. The game was the fault of that dopey Broncos defender misjudging the ball and letting it go over his head. And the officiating was pretty lopsided in favor of the Ravens.