NFL Divisional Week Recap

Game Recaps

Ravens: 24 Steelers: 31

A rip-roaring game in Pittsburgh that swung dramatically in the second half. The Ravens took a comfortable 21-7 lead into halftime, but a couple of lost fumbles and sputtering offense allowed the Steelers back into the game.

A huge completion from Ben Roethlisberger to rookie wideout Antonio Brown with two minutes left (more on that later) set the table for the winning Steelers touchdown. In a typically close encounter, (much) better execution in the second half was the key to Pittsburgh’s comeback victory.

Packers: 48 Falcons: 21

Hard to dissociate any part of this game from the brilliance of Aaron Rodgers. He tore the Falcons defense up through the air leading long touchdown drive after long touchdown drive, while Green Bay’s pass defense successfully slowed Matt Ryan down.

The game’s key moment turned out to be the final minute of the first half when Green Bay first scored an offensive touchdown with 42 seconds left, and then added another score on a pick-six as time expired. A fourteen-point swing that proved too much for Atlanta to overcome.

Seahawks: 24 Bears: 35

The upset never really seemed on the cards in Chicago as the Seahawks offense didn’t even get close to the heights it reached against the Saints. Seattle’s first eight drives stalled and resulted in punts, while at the other end, Chicago slowly built a bigger and bigger lead, mixing the run and pass nicely.

The Seahawks scored three fourth quarter touchdowns to make the score respectable but the threat of a comeback never seemed real.

Jets: 28 Patriots: 21

When it comes to playoff upsets, they don’t come much bigger than the Jets victory over the Patriots on Sunday. In my Internet travels this week, I didn’t find a single NFL expert who picked New York to win. But they did it, thanks largely to an unbelievable display from Rex Ryan’s defense.

The defense did everything right, from getting constant pressure on and hitting Tom Brady to providing almost immaculate down-the-field coverage. With the Pats offense limited, Mark Sanchez played better than he has in months, ably supported by his cast of running backs and receivers.

That makes two unexpected runs of success in the playoffs for the Jets in two seasons under Rex Ryan’s leadership. That’s impressive stuff from the unorthodox coach.

Five (Not So) Quick Hits:

1/ So much for playoff seedings: both number one seeds were sent packing this weekend.

2/ Two hits that made you wince were absorbed by Seattle players on Sunday. Tight end John Carlson and defensive back Marcus Trufant were both unable to continue and were later diagnosed with concussions. Just another day in the NFL.

3/ Players often try to look intimidating with some black face paint and a fearsome glare. But Brett Keisel really pulled it off Saturday. The man's a modern-day Viking.

4/ Wes Welker was benched for the first offensive series of New England’s clash with New York. For what you ask? Well, this, apparently. If it’s true, it’s just more evidence of Bill Belichick’s legendary non-existent sense of humor.

5/ Bring on what should be two great championship games (the AFC title game in particular should be a tight one).

Studs of the Week:

a. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers: An almost perfect quarterback performance by Green Bay’s Number 12. He put the ball exactly where he wanted with almost every throw, completing a staggering 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns. He added a gutsy rushing touchdown to complete his masterful domination of Atlanta’s defense.

b. Jets linebacker David Harris: Hard to pick just one Jet out of a defense that was superb across the board but Harris was extra special. He made nine solo tackles, and was in on three others. He was also a factor in slowing the passing game, picking off a Brady pass and deflected another pass.

c. Bears tight end Greg Olsen: Showed once again why he is Jay Cutler’s favorite target, displaying sure hands and great running ability after the catch. His 58-yard touchdown catch broke the game open, and he finished with 113 yards on 3 catches.

Duds of the Week:

a. Baltimore cornerback Lardarius Webb: Made the blunder of the weekend, allowing Steelers rookie receiver Antonio Brown to run by him and catch a deep ball on 3^rd and 19 on a crucial play, despite giving himself a 20-yard cushion at the snap.

b. Seahawks safety Earl Thomas: Whiffed on a tackle to stop Jay Cutler from scoring a touchdown in the second quarter, and failed to break up a touchdown pass to Kellen Davis in the fourth. A rare rough outing from the otherwise special rookie.

c. Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch: Dropped a key pass on 4^th down towards the end of the fourth quarter and then showed himself to be a bit of a sore loser after the game was over, telling reporters, “The embarrassing part came from a few classless (Jets) guys after the game. There were a lot of classless things that went on after the game ended.”

Hey Deion, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the Patriots celebrate fairly ‘enthusiastically’ after a big win. So take it easy.

Rookie of the Week:

Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown: The sixth-round pick out of Central Michigan pulled in (with a little help from his helmet) the biggest catch of his career late in the game against Baltimore, a 58-yard Ben Roethlisberger bomb on 3^rd and 19. Make a few more catches like that against the black-and-purple and you’ll be forever beloved in the ‘Burgh.

Play of the Week: Unbelievable catch in the corner of the endzone by the most gifted athlete on the Jets offense.

Ridiculous Play of the Week: What’s with football players giving up on plays these days? First, it was the Oregon Ducks in the college championship game, then it was the Steelers on this play on Saturday. I thought the first rule of the game was: play to the whistle. I know a couple of pee-wee players who would tell you that.

Picking NFL Divisional Weekend

How I did last week: 1-3

Burned by Marshawn Lynch’s long run, a late Jets drive, and Tramon Williams’ leap.

Record on the playoffs: 1-3

Gotta pull off a winning record this weekend to enhance my playoff reputation.

Ravens at Steelers: When two defensive-minded teams that hate each other face off in the playoffs, you can usually expect a pretty good show. But when the two teams are as evenly matched as the Steelers and Ravens are, you can expect a nailbiter.

These two teams don’t do blowouts of each other: both of their games this season (and last season as well) were decided by a field goal. Neither team scored over 17 points in either matchup. Both games basically came down to a single remarkable play at the death: Joe Flacco 18-yard TD strike to T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the first, Troy Polamalu sack/forced fumble in the second.

And, most likely, the same will apply Saturday.

One nugget of information swung my pick here. Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play in either of Pittsburgh’s last two losses to Baltimore. So with Big Ben under center and the Heinz Field faithful in full voice, the slight edge goes to the Steel City.

Steelers.

Packers at Falcons: If there’s one man feeling a little bit of extra pressure Saturday, it’ll be Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. We all know the kid can play, is superb in the Georgia Dome, and has a playoff-caliber nickname (kind of): “Matty Ice.” But until he gets that first playoff victory under his belt, there’s bound to be some extra nervousness in him.

He’ll face a tough passing defense from Green Bay, which isn’t opposed to trying to slow a passing game with some discreet grabbing or holding of opposing receivers. As in their first meeting (won by Atlanta on a late field goal), Falcons coach Mike Smith will try and punish Green Bay by giving Michael Turner a lot of carries, something the Pack didn’t really have an answer for last time around.

However, the Packers have been very sharp the last three weeks and seemed to discover a new facet to their offense in rookie running back James Starks. If Starks can get moving again, Aaron Rodgers will see a lot more open receivers.

Can’t see this game not being extremely close, but in the end, the Packers extra playoff pedigree will put them on top.

Packers.

Seahawks at Bears: Seattle pulled off the upset of wildcard weekend by knocking off the defending Superbowl champ Saints at Qwest Field. But two of the biggest things going for the ‘Hawks in that game, the element of surprise and raucous hometown support, won’t be there this time around.

As we saw last week, the Seahawks defense isn’t strong enough to hold any playoff-caliber team to under 24 points, so for Seattle to win they’ll have to have another explosion of points on offense. And as the Bears have the league’s second best run defense, the Seahawks most likely won’t get much help from their running game, putting a lot of weight on Matt Hasselbeck’s shoulders to repeat his performance against New Orleans.

The Bears have been solid rather than great for most of the year: they aren’t particularly special in any one area of the game. They are better than Seattle though but won’t underestimate them as the Saints did.

Chicago’s offensive line was a major weakness earlier in the season when the Seahawks beat them at Soldier Field. Jay Cutler took six sacks in that game, but the line has improved over the last half of the season.

As much as I’d like to be the one renegade to pick the Seahawks to pull off another huge upset, barring the Bears O-line falling apart again, I just can’t see it happening. Bears.

Jets at Patriots: New England laid an oldschool a**whuppin’ on New York last time these two teams met at Foxboro, crushing them 45-3 in early December. And as much as Rex Ryan has had to say since that happened, the chances of the Jets finding a way to beat Tom Brady in his own backyard Sunday seem very slim to most onlookers.

For the improbable to happen, the Jets will have to find a way to score points, lots of points. New England hasn’t been held to under 31 points since their Week 9 loss to Cleveland. That means New York running game will have to be a big factor in this one, not only in churning out first downs but in keeping the high-octane New England offense on the sideline. Perhaps even more vitally, Mark Sanchez is going to have to produce a performance far superior to anything we have seen from him recently.

On the other side of the field, New England will be well rested, but not rusty, because if anyone can get the most for his team out of a bye week, it’s Bill Belichick. You can be sure that Brady and the rest of Pats are fully aware of everything Ryan has been saying about them to the press, and they won’t be satisfied by anything but another blowout victory.

Closer than last time? Sure. Close enough for the Jets to squeak a victory? I wouldn’t count on it.

Patriots.

NFL Divisional Week

-I guess right about now is the moment we forget all about the Saints end of season woes. On Saturday, New Orleans looked once again like the team that destroyed the Jets, Eagles, and Patriots during the course of the regular season.

Its defense was solid and made a few plays, but the real strength of this team is its offense, and Drew Brees and co. were simply awesome against the Cardinals. Brees threw the ball crisply and accurately, Marques Colston was at his “matchup-nightmare” best with Devery Henderson and Jeremy Shockey supporting him well.

But the real star of the show was Reggie Bush. Running back Bush, the number 2 overall pick in 2006, came to New Orleans with almost impossible expectations to live up to. For much of his four seasons in Louisiana, he hasn't been able to live up to them. On Saturday, he did...More than.

Bush ran for 84 yards and a touchdown on 5 carries and added 4 catches for 24 yards. He also returned a punt for a touchdown that effectively put the game out of the reach of the Cardinals. He set the tone early, running over defenders on his first two carries, and ran the ball with purpose all day long. There was none of the dancing, toe tapping, or sideline to sideline running that have plagued Bush in his NFL career. He ran north and south, between the tackles, and displayed the explosive speed we've always known he's had.

What a trump card for Sean Payton to have in his back pocket for the rest of the playoffs! Any team the Saints play from here on in better have some kind of plan to stop Reggie.

-Moral of the story for the Cardinals: don't expect to win consecutive playoff games if you don't play defense. No matter how good your offense is.

-The Colts were far from terrifying for most of the game against the Ravens, but beware, this team knows how to win. Indianapolis flashed its quality at times -particularly when it scored two touchdowns in the last two minutes of the second quarter- but benefited primarily from the Ravens offensive's ineptitude.

The Colts inability to run the ball (44 yards on 23 carries, that's less than 2 yards per rush) must be a concern, but then again they might not face a front seven as frightening as the Ravens for the rest of the playoffs.

You just get the feeling that Manning and the offense had plenty left in the tank, and believe me they might well need it against the Jets next week.

-Speaking of the Colts, has a team ever had better luck with two rookie corners than Indianapolis has had this season? When they drafted Jerraud Powers in the third round from Auburn and signed Jacob Lacey, undrafted out of Oklahoma State, could they have possibly imagined the two of them contributing as much as they have their rookie seasons?

Both Powers and Lacey seized their opportunity when injuries allowed them to get some playing time early on this season and both looked like seasoned vets against the Ravens. They both had one defended pass, and Powers picked off Joe Flacco in final minutes.

But the thing is, it's not luck. The Colts have done this time and time again, making stars out of low-profile draft picks and free agents. Clint Session, Raheem Brock, Pierre Garcon, Robert Mathis, Gary Brackett, the list goes on and on.

Powers and Lacey are just the two latest products of the school of footballing excellence that is Indianapolis.

-Moral of the story for the Ravens: don't expect to win consecutive playoff games if your offense is one-dimensional. No matter how good your defense is. If there's a bigger problem area on any playoff team than the one Baltimore has at wide receiver, I'd like to hear it.

With Derrick Mason surely having his last game in purple and black, Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh have got to get something done either in the draft or in free-agency. Aside from Mason and Ray Rice, Joe Flacco just doesn't seem to have any chemistry with his other receivers.

-Don't take anything away from Minnesota, but where did this display by the Cowboys come from? We knew the Vikings would be better than they had been the past few weeks what with homefield advantage and a week of rest. But I don't think anyone saw this type of display coming from the Cowboys.

The team we saw on Sunday was the spitting image of the team that lost two straight back in December, and whose toughness was being questioned all over the media. Since that time it seemed the Cowboys had turned the corner, that Tony Romo and the team as a whole was playing to its potential.

Not so in the Metrodome. They didn't play well in any phase of the game but their offense was particularly bad. They did lose LT Flozell Adams to injury early on, but nonetheless did a woeful job of protecting Romo, who himself was a shadow of the QB who torched Philly twice the last two weeks. The kicker was that they had opportunity after opportunity to get back in the game, but couldn't come up with a single, big momentum-swinging play.

-In case you didn't know it yet, this Jets team is for real...and they are going to keep doing it the ugly way. It would be easy to say that New York is only in the conference championship game because of its defense, which is the best in the NFL. And to a large extent that's true.

Against the Chargers, the defense blitzed and pressured Philip Rivers all game while still maintained excellent down-field coverage. 344 might sound like a lot of yards to give up, but they also forced 6 punts San Diego punts and three field goals (all of which were missed by the way, more on that later). Most importantly, they held the Chargers to just 14 points the fewest they've scored in a game all season.

But this team is more than just a stellar defense. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez struggled at times, especially early on, but he was at his best exactly when the Jets needed him to be, leading the comeback in the fourth quarter. RB Shonn Greene continues to be a revelation, notching his second straight 100 yard playoff game. Their stalwart offensive line, which contains three pro-bowlers, was equally good in both run and pass situations.

Don't look now but we've got ourselves another Cinderella team, folks, one that was 4-6 through November 22nd. And the best part is, they don't play anything like a Cinderella team. They just play flat-out ugly, and the whole of New York is loving it.

-Play of the week: This play from Pierre Garcon stopped what could have been a real momentum shifter in the Colts-Ravens game. It showed unbelievable hustle from Garcon, who, after watching Manning's throw get picked by Ed Reed, ran forty yards back the other way just behind Reed before making the perfect diving punch-out to knock the ball loose. Reed, who's been picking quarterbacks for a long long time, never saw him coming.

-Five Superstars of the Weekend:

1) Reggie Bush, RB, Saints: Notice how Sean Payton hardly put him back in the game after he had returned that punt to pay-dirt. That tells me he wanted to make sure that not only would Bush have plenty left in the tank but also that he didn't want other teams to get too much of a look at how the Saints might use him the rest of the way. He just might be the player to watch for the rest of the playoffs.

2) Ray Edwards, DE, Vikings: Probably the most unheralded of Minnesota's four defensive linemen (the others being Jared Allen, Pat and Kevin Williams), but he was the best of the lot on Sunday. He sacked Tony Romo three times, forced a fumble, had another tackle for a loss and countless other pressures. All that despite missing a big chunk of the second half with a knee injury.

3) Darrelle Revis, CB, Jets: You really could have picked any one of the Jets starting eleven defensive players after the game they played on Sunday. But Revis is the talisman of this D, and yet again he lived up to the hype. The Chargers barely went after him, but when they did, on two deep balls to Vincent Jackson, he almost intercepted the first and did intercept the second (albeit rather fortuitously). He also didn't give up a single catch all game to any receiver he was covering; not even a five yard hitch....Will Manning dare throw his way?

4) Brett Favre, QB, Vikings: Say what you will about him running up the score on Dallas in the final minutes, but Favre was money against the Cowboys: 15 of 24 for 234 yards and 4 TDs. No signs of fatigue for the veteran, especially not during his touchdown celebrations.

5) Sidney Rice, WR, Vikings: On a weekend where some of the league's finest wide receivers were on display, Rice outshone them all. His second catch of the game was a 47-yard Favre bomb, his third a 16-yard dump-and-run for another TD. He finished with 141 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Honorable Mention: Drew Brees, QB (Saints); Peyton Manning, QB (Colts); Ben Leber, LB (Vikings); Jason Witten, TE (Cowboys); Shonn Greene, RB and David Harris, LB (Jets); Antonio Gates, TE (Chargers).

-Five Duds of the Weekend.

1) Nate Kaeding, K, Chargers: Can you believe it? For the second postseason week in a row a kicker sits atop the dud list. That's right, a kicker. Kaeding is the Pro Bowl kicker for the AFC this season, but suffered perhaps one of the most dramatic cases of commentator jinx ever after Jim Nantz called him “an automatic” as he lined up to take his first field goal. He missed all three of his kicks in the game, from 36, 57, and 40 yards, which turned out to be a killer for the Chargers in a low-scoring game.

2) Tony Romo, QB, Cowboys: Yes, he had to deal with a lot of pressure against the Vikings, but he also held onto the ball far far too long on multiple occasions. He fumbled three times (losing two), and threw a horrible interception to Ben Leber. Welcome back playoff Tony, where have you been?

3) Bryant McFadden, CB, Cardinals: Another day of poor pass coverage from McFadden who got picked on by Drew Brees and the Saints offense. Didn't give the Cardinals offense a chance.

4) Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens: Flacco wasn't dreadful, but has to be the fall guy for Baltimore's offensive ineptitude. He did throw two picks and generally didn't bring the best out of his receivers.

5) Ladanian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers: The fact of the matter is part of the reason the Jets were able to get so much pressure on Philip Rivers because they knew they didn't have to worry so much about the Chargers run game. LT picked up just 24 yards on 12 carries. He's a long way from being the game-changer he used to be.

Honorable mention: Nick Hardwick, C (Chargers); Doug Free, OT and Mark Colombo, OT (Cowboys).

Picking NFL Divisional Games

-How I did last weekend: 1-3

Not bad picks last weekend really, though the Bengals were an awful choice. I don't think many people predicted the Patriots shooting themselves in the foot quite as dramatically as they did. And the Green Bay-Arizona game...Could have gone either way.

-Playoff record: 1-3

Cardinals at Saints: Here we are again, another Cardinals team that was so inconsistent in the regular season turns to gold in the playoffs....Groundhog's day anyone?

Kurt Warner was awesome against Green Bay, and the Saints secondary shouldn't scare him too much.

The real key to this one is whether Drew Brees can get his offense ticking again. The Saints offense has been pedestrian of late compared to what we know it can be. If he continues to struggle to click with his receivers, and the Cardinals defense (which, by the way, is no juggernaut itself) get a few stops, Arizona may be able to pull away.

Finally a mention of what would potentially be the best storyline of the weekend. Deuce McAllister, a fan favorite in New Orleans during the seven seasons he spent there as a running back, has watched football from his living room couch all season after the Saints released him this off-season. Now, due to injury concerns, he's been re-signed and will take the field against the Cardinals. You'd have to be a pretty cold-hearted individual to not be pulling for him at least a little bit on Saturday.

The Saints have all the talent in the world, but the Cardinals have all the intangibles on their side. They have been here before, and they've created something of a playoff aura around themselves. I'm done betting against them. Cardinals.

Ravens at Colts: The Colts have been focusing on this game since Jim Caldwell decided it wasn't worth risking the starters' fitness to go for the perfect season. Well, they'll need all of that focus if the Baltimore D plays like it did against New England.

Ray Lewis had certainly marshaled his defensive troops superbly in that game: they caused four Patriot turnovers, and pressured Tom Brady all game. But shutting down a 'Wes-Welkerless' Patriots offense is an entirely different proposition from getting to MVP Peyton Manning and stopping him.

The Ravens simply have too many offensive frailties to win another playoff game: the team has been carrying quarterback Joe Flacco of late rather than the other way round.

Nonetheless the Patriots only squeaked by the Ravens in low scoring game when they met in the regular season, so expect another close one. Colts.

Cowboys at Vikings: Sure, Brett Favre likes playing football; loves it in fact. But make no mistake about it, the reason he put his 40 year-old body through another full regular season was for another shot at the postseason. And guess what, the Vikings organization brought him in specifically because they believed he would give them a better chance in the playoffs, not because they were enamored with the feel-good story of another Favre comeback. That makes this an awfully big game for the gray-haired gunslinger from Mississippi.

Across from him, he finds a Cowboys defense that has only given up 31 points in its last four games. They can rush the passer with DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer and their secondary is developing into a nasty, scrappy little unit.

The Vikings love playing at home, they are 8-0 this season and outscored opponents 262-124, but the Cowboys provide by far the biggest test to their Metrodome dominance.

A blowout of the hapless Giants doesn't conceal the fact that Minnesota had cooled in the final few weeks of year, just as Dallas was beginning to hit its stride. Cowboys.

Jets at Chargers: It's strength on strength as the Chargers high-octane passing offense takes on the Jets defense; number one in the league both against the pass and overall. Put it this way, if you're not excited about watching San Diego's pro bowl wide receiver Vincent Jackson take on the Jets shutdown corner Darrelle Revis on Sunday, then you don't like football that much....

The Chargers haven't lost a game since mid-October and were the hottest team entering the playoffs. However the Jets' D should make this a close game. If they can make plays and keep Philip Rivers out of rhythm, they have the running game to keep him off the field and chew up the clock.

Nonetheless, I don't see Mark Sanchez mustering another performance like last week's (when he went an error-free 12 of 15 for 182 yards), because the Chargers will get far more pressure on him than the Bengals managed. Expect Antonio Cromartie and Quentin Jammer, San Diego's experienced corners, to get more of opportunities to make plays against the rookie thanks to that pressure.

It's the playoffs and the Jets definitely have some the ingredients needed to knock the Chargers off, but San Diego is a tough team to pick against. Chargers.