Game Recaps:
Saints at Seahawks
If you had to pick one lock going into the weekend, it would have been the Saints getting the better of the Seahawks. But Seattle flipped the script on the defending Superbowl champs, overcoming a slow start that saw them fall behind 10-0. The game turned into an offensive shootout, and Seattle just kept scoring thanks to sterling performances from its quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and its comeback running back Marshawn Lynch.
Jets at Colts
The big-talking Rex Ryan got his revenge on the team that sent him and his Jets packing in the AFC Championship game last year. The two moments that changed the course of Saturday’s game were the Jets two long touchdown drives which ate up over 15 minutes of second half clock. As is always the case, keeping Manning off the field proved key, although Mark Sanchez awaking from the dead to throw three vital completions and get the Jets within field goal range at the very end certainly didn’t hurt either.
Ravens at Chiefs
Another team that showed itself capable of sustaining long, back-breaking drives this weekend was the Ravens. Baltimore's offense chewed up almost 42 minutes of clock against Kansas City and converted 10 of 18 third and fourth downs. That, along with the Ravens’ D shutting down Dwayne Bowe and limiting the Chiefs running game, proved far more than Kansas City could handle.
Packers at Eagles
Green Bay repeated its early season victory over Philadelphia by limiting the big explosive plays of the Eagles offense. The key difference proved to be in the red zone where the Packers were typically efficient, scoring three touchdowns, and the Eagles were typically sloppy (on both sides of the ball). Philly hung around, thanks a positive turnover ratio, but Michael Vick’s inaccurate endzone throw in the final minute ended up in Packers cornerback Tramon Williams’ arms.
Five (Not So) Quick Hits:
1/ Talk about some suicidal 4th down penalties by losing teams this weekend. The first came Saturday when the Colts backup receiver Taj Smith ran into the Jets punter giving New York a huge first down with just over 3 minutes to play in the game.
The second came Sunday when Chiefs backup linebacker Demorrio Williams jumped offside on a punt to give the Ravens a fresh set of downs on the drive that ultimately put the game beyond Kansas City's reach.
Did those plays ultimately change the outcome of either game? Probably not. But in playoff season, with the margins of success and failure are so slender, you never know...
2/ Can you believe that a quarterback as good as Peyton Manning now has a playoff record of 9-10?
3/ Rough day for Eagles right tackle Winston Justice who just couldn’t handle the explosive speed of Clay Matthews coming off the edge. In the third quarter, Matthews got him to false start (for the second time in the game). On the very next play, Justice actually committed two penalties, moving early and then putting a blatant hold on Matthews. Andy Reid had seen enough: for the next series, Justice got the hook and spent the rest of the game on a lonely spot of the bench.
4/ Gotta be excited for those AFC division rivalries that will be renewed next week. Doesn’t get much more exciting as a football fan than Baltimore against Pittsburgh and New York versus New England.
5/ You think the Bears might be excited that they get to face the Seahawks and not the Eagles?
Studs of the Wildcard Week:
a. Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck: Some questioned whether the 35-year-old veteran should even get this start after Charlie Whitehurst’s strong showing against the Rams. Maybe that was the fuel he needed to take it to the Saints. He was excellent, throwing four touchdown passes and continually leaving the New Orleans secondary confused. He completed 22 of 35 passes for 272 yards, and avoided mistakes after throwing an early interception.
b. Ravens tight end Todd Heap: Just when Baltimore appeared to be struggling to come up with ways to move the chains at the end of the second quarter, Joe Flacco hit Heap twice on consecutive plays with big passes over the middle. The drive ended in a touchdown, and Flacco had found his go-to guy for the rest of the game. Heap finished with ten catches for 108 yards.
c. Jets safety Eric Smith: Safeties play a key role when it comes to dealing with Peyton Manning, because they have to be careful of not allowing the deep completion, while also stepping up to limit the yards gained by the short passing game. Smith (not even a starter earlier this year) walked that thin line very well, making seven tackles (many of them for short gains) and breaking up two passes.
Duds of the Wildcard Week:
a. Saints secondary: Safety Darren Sharper said it himself: Hasselbeck spent the afternoon throwing the ball to open receivers. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but there were repeated instances of blown coverage by the New Orleans secondary, particularly on a couple of the Seahawks touchdowns. For a unit that was so impressive in last year’s postseason, you have to wonder if complacency set in.
b. Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel: Tough day for Cassel who completed only 9 of his 18 pass attempts for a total of 70 yards. The Chiefs were on and off the field so quickly that he seemed unable to establish any kind of rhythm. He threw three picks to boot, to finish with a lowly passer rating of 20.4.
c. Eagles kicker David Akers: Every postseason at least one kicker seems to crumble under the pressure and Akers is the first this year. He missed two of his three field goals, a 41-yarder and a 34-yarder. Granted, the first miss was into a fierce wind, but the second was inexcusable, as those three extra points would have completely altered the end-of-game scenario.
Rookie of the Week:
Packers running back James Starks: The skinny on Green Bay’s offense is that they can’t run the ball. Well, the rookie sixth-round pick out of Buffalo (the college) did a phenomenal job of discrediting that nugget of common knowledge by rushing for 123 yards against Philly. He did it mostly in small- and medium-sized chunks too (his longest run was for 27 yards), allowing the Packers to continually have Aaron Rodgers in 3rd-and-short situations.
Play of the Week: No surprise here: the honors go to Marshawn Lynch, for one of the most beastly runs that I have ever seen.
No comments:
Post a Comment