NFL Divisional Recap: Back to Normal

by Ian Tasso

Editorial. Photos by AP News.

Now that’s more like it. Well, except if you’re from San Diego.

After a Wild Card weekend that saw two huge upsets, a playoff points record shattered and a surprisingly successful winter Cowboys team, things returned mostly to the norm in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs.

Especially if your name is Norv Turner.

As many expected, the Saints romped, the Colts trampled and the Vikings clobbered. And meanwhile, those pesky Jets continued their improbable postseason run thanks to more of what they’ve been doing all season; great defense, hard running, and a lot of Darrelle Revis.

But enough beating around the (Reggie) bush – let’s get down to business. Here’s how each Divisional game broke down this past weekend.

Saints 45, Cardinals 14

So much for the Saints not having any momentum, eh?

After last weekend’s offensive outburst in the desert, two things became apparent – one, the Cardinals can score points; and two, the Cardinals can allow points. Unfortunately for Arizona, only one of those happened against the Saints, as the caliber of defense increased largely between Green Bay and New Orleans.

We all expected Drew Brees to light it up. We even expected Darren Sharper to get at least one turnover (he had two, but one was called back). Not too many people thought Reggie Bush would be a big factor though. Well, they were wrong. Bush had arguably the best day of any Saint on the field, returning a punt for a touchdown and breaking off a 43-yard rushing touchdown a few quarters earlier. Combine that with a Kurt Warner injury, and you have our third cold-hearted blow-out of the 2009 postseason.

Key Play –

With about six minutes left in the second quarter, the Cardinals were in trouble. They were trailing the Saints by 14, and needed a spark. It was already obvious that Arizona wasn’t going to be able to stop New Orleans – but there was still hope.

That was until Kurt Warner was picked off on the Cardinals 32 yard line, giving New Orleans the ball back deep in Cardinal territory. Six plays later, Brees connected with Marques Colston for a touchdown, putting the Saints on top 35-14.

But for the Cardinals, the interception wasn’t nearly the worst part of the play.

It Could Have Been Different If…

Warner didn’t get laid out in the middle of the interception return. After throwing the pick to Will Smith (no, not that Will Smith), Warner was in pursuit, sort of, to make a tackle.

As if it wasn’t painful enough to watch 38-year old Kurt Warner attempt to chase down 282 lb. Will Smith, Saints lineman Bobby McCray had to add injury to insult – literally.

McCray absolutely blew up Warner on the return, a clean hit I might add, and Kurt was forced to leave the game. He did return much later, but without number 13 behind center, the Cardinals offense becomes a shell of its former self, and the Saints ran away with the game from there.

It Was Over When…

Reggie Bush decided it was.

With just over seven minutes left in the game and the Saints up 38-14, it appeared all was lost for the Cardinals. Key word there: appeared. After all, the Saints defense isn’t exactly a juggernaut, and the ‘Zona offense can put up points somewhat at will (see last week vs. GB).

Unfortunately, the game was officially iced when Reggie Bush took a 4^th-and-two Cardinals punt 83 yards back for the touchdown. It was a glorious return, a combination of speed, quickness, and the ability to make everybody on the Cardinal return team miss at least one tackle a piece, including certain members of the Arizona coaching staff who happened to be too close to the sidelines.

We always knew he could do this. Not a bad time for him to finally do it, huh?

Colts 20, Ravens 3

This was a game that was much closer than the score indicates. In fact, had it not been for a couple of penalties and a Ray Rice fumble, we may have been looking at yet another upset.

But, as the famous Ron Burgundy once said, that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

In the end, Peyton Manning was just too much Peyton Manning, and the Ravens offense was way to much Joe Flacco. Baltimore did however contain Manning for a large part of the game, something that perhaps makes this upcoming match up with the Jets something of a curious one.

Nonetheless, here’s how things went down in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Key Play –

The Baltimore Ravens incompletion on 3^rd and 6 from their own 22 with just over a minute left in the half. Why? Because it caused them to punt the ball away to Peyton Manning.

At the time, the Ravens were only trailing 10-3, a position that wasn’t half bad to head into halftime in. Unfortunately, after they were unable to get a single first down after beginning the drive at the two-minute warning, Peyton Manning took over.

And there is nobody – nobody – better at the two minute offense than number 18. Case and point? Eight plays and 74 yards later, Manning nails Reggie Wayne in the end-zone for a touchdown, leaving only 3 seconds on the clock. Colts 17, Ravens 3. If you’re a Raven fan, a resident of Baltimore or even someone who’s heard the name Joe Flacco before – you could tell where this one was headed.

It Could Have Been Different If…

Ed Reed’s two interceptions didn’t get reversed.

Twice on the Indianapolis Colts third quarter drive, Ed Reed picked off a Peyton Manning pass. And twice, they were handed right back to the Colts – the first time because Reed fumbled after taking the ball 38-yards on the return, and the second because Corey Ivy was called for pass interference.

Had either of Reed’s picks stood up, Baltimore would have had great field position – either the Colts 27 or their 11 – and very possibly been able to trim the Colts lead to 17-10. That would have been a huge boost for the Ravens, especially considering the futility of their offense all game long.

Unfortunately, Reed’s interceptions were nothing but stat book footnotes, and the Colt drove all the way down the field to put a three-spot up on the board.

But the Ravens still had one last shot.

It Was Over When…

Ray Rice coughed the ball up on the Colts 28 yard line. Rice had been fairly contained all game long, but was able to break free for a 20 yard gainer early in the fourth quarter, which would have given the Ravens a great opportunity to cut the Colts lead down to 10.

But before he went to the ground, after bouncing off six or seven would be tacklers, Rice lost grip on the ball, and Clint Session recovered.

It’s tough to really blame Rice. He was fighting for every yard, in a close game, in the postseason. He had already broken countless tackles, and in no way, shape or form would you want him to go down at that point.

Unfortunately, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. And luck would not be on the Ravens side this game. Game, set, match.

Vikings 34, Cowboys 3

The Cowboys have all the momentum. Right?

The Vikings are slipping. Right?

The Cowboys are still quarterbacked by Tony Romo and coached by Wade Phillips. Right?

Hint: Only one of those statements is true. Another hint: it’s the last one.

You could probably count on one hand the amount of people that still stood on the Vikings bandwagon minutes before Sunday’s game. But right from the start, it was clear that the Cowboys were still the Cowboys after all.

Still, the most shocking part of the lopsided Minny victory was their defense. Right from the first whistle, Winfield, Allen and co. absolutely shut down Romo and his offense. For all the flack they take, this Cowboys offense is no slouch. But the Vikings made Dallas, a team that racked up the second most yards of any NFL team in 2009, look like the worst combination of the Lions, the Browns and JaMarcus Russel.

As for the rest of the game, here’s how it shook down.

Key Play –

A few weeks back, when the Cowboys took down the undefeated Saints, the key to that game was simple – pressure on the quarterback. All week, analysts across America were talking about how Dallas must apply similar pressure to Brett Favre as they did against Drew Brees if they want to win.

What nobody was talking about however, was the pressure Jared Allen and the Vikings would put on Tony Romo. He reminded them rather quickly however.

With seven minutes left in the first half, the Cowboys were trailing the Vikings 14-3, and were desperate for some offense. But with names like Romo, Austin and Jones, an explosive play is always right around the corner for Dallas.

Unfortunately, the same goes for Minnesota’s defense, with names like Allen and Winfield. On a second and 11 from the Dallas 29, Allen ripped through the Cowboy line slamming into Tony Romo and knocking the ball lose. Ben Leber then recovered, giving the Vikings yet another possession, and a chance to pad their lead.

A few plays later, and Minny went up another three points, 17-3. Quite a difference from what could have been a slim 14-10 lead had the Cowboys pressed onto the end-zone instead of turning the ball over.

It Could Have Been Different If…

Shayne Graham wasn’t kicking for the Cowboys. Oh wait, that was Steve Suisham? Could’ve fooled me.

Following in Graham’s footsteps from last week, Suisham shanked two field goals, and though both were significantly more difficult than Graham’s chip shots, they had similar effect.

After pulling his first attempt wide left, a 48-yarder that cost Dallas a very valuable three points, Suisham converted on his second, a 33-yarder that brought Dallas to 7-6.

But his third attempt was much more similar to the first, as he pulled a 49-yarder wide left yet again, a kick that would have brought the Cowboys back within striking distance of a widening 17-3 Vikings lead. But alas, football is a team sport. It’s only as good as it’s weakest link. And on Sunday, Suisham was just one of the many Cowboy links that failed to pull its weight.

It Was Over When…

Favre hit Sidney Rice streaking down the left sideline for a 45-yard touchdown, putting Minnesota up 27-3 with seven minutes left in the game.

The pass was thrown on a 3^rd-and-4, and had the Cowboys held firm, they would have given Tony Romo, Miles Austin and co. a chance to hack into a 17 point Vikings lead.

But perhaps putting themselves out of their own misery, the Cowboys surrendered yet another Favre-Rice connection, this one thoroughly nailing the coffin shut. But all is not lost Dallas - at least Wade Phillips will be back next year…

Jets 17, Chargers 14

And to think we almost made it one full weekend without an upset. Way to go, Phillip Rivers.

Honestly, if this team wasn’t so full of players I detested, I would almost feel bad for them. They were a team primed for a Super Bowl run, having won 11-straight to end the season. Many people were picking them to actually win the thing – and it was tough to argue with them.

But that was until Rex Ryan, Darrelle Revis and a bunch of players nobody’s heard of stormed into Qualcomm Stadium with something to prove.

You’ve heard it all before – teams that play hard defense and run the ball well in the winter win football games. And just when you thought the NFL was becoming a pass-happy, offense-first league, the Jets made you think again.

It started off ugly, but in the end the Jets rushing attack was simply too much for the Chargers to contain, and Phillip Rivers was unable to decipher New York’s defensive schemes.

Peyton Manning will present a whole new set of challenges for New York next week. But for now, this team that took everybody by surprise is now one game away from the Super Bowl.

Weird since they were eliminated from playoff contention about a month ago, right Rex Ryan?

Key Play –

He did it again.

As if last week wasn’t enough evidence, and the week before that, and every game this season – Darrelle Revis did it again. On a 3^rd and 8 from the Jets 36, the Chargers were in a great position to expand their 7-3 lead. But instead of padding their point total, all they did was pad Darrelle Revis’ interception total, as he snagged one from mid-air, robbing Vincent Jackson of a 20-yard completion.

Not only did this give the Jets possession, it also eventually earned New York 7 points. On their ensuing drive, the Jets would drive all the way to midfield, pinning the Chargers on their own 4 after punting on 4^th-and-3.

Two plays later Jim Leonhard would pick off Phillip Rivers on the San Diego 16. Two more plays later and Mark Sanchez found Dustin Keller in the end zone for a two-yard touchdown. New York 10, San Diego 7.

It Could Have Been Different If…

Nate Kaeding didn’t take a page from Shayne Graham and Shaun Suisham’s book entitled, “How to Ruin Your Team’s Post-Season.”

Three times Nate Kaeding had a chance to give the Chargers three points. And three times, he failed.

For those of you that aren’t terrific at math, that’s 9 total points. For those of you that still aren’t good at math, that’s a victory, as the Chargers only lost by 3.

Granted, his second attempt was a 57-yarder that fell short. But his first one, a 37-yarder, was inexcusable. And his third, a 40-yarder, will haunt him forever. Had he nailed the final attempt, the Chargers would have only trailed the Jets by 7. And once Phillip Rivers found pay-dirt, that baby would have been all tied up. Instead, the Chargers found themselves down by 3. And eventually, they would lose by it.

It was Over When…

Thomas Jones got the most important two yards of his life. Facing a 4^th-and-1 from the San Diego 9 yard line with just over a minute remaining, Thomas Jones barreled through the Charger front line for just enough yardage to move the chains.

Had he not converted, the Chargers would have had an entire minute of play to move only about 40-yards and kick a game-tying field goal. Granted, Nate Kaeding hadn’t exactly been on a roll. But you can only miss so many times…right Kris Brown?

After Jones got the first down, quarterback Mark Sanchez would kneel on the following play, ending the game.