by Ian Tasso
Wild Card weekend has come and gone – in historical fashion.
It was a weekend full of surprises, with two of the four higher seeds being sent home rather helplessly. The victims? A surprisingly hapless Patriots squad and a Bengals team that is the most recent to find out that defense-heavy teams in January are exceptionally, exceptionally difficult to beat.
Meanwhile, in the NFC things went a bit more according to plan – sort of. The Cowboys dispatched the Eagles for the third time this season, and it was far easier than anybody thought possible. In the desert however, things were far from the norm. The Pack and the Cards went at each other’s throats in record fashion, piling up an NFL playoff record 96 combined points, with the Cardinals coming out on top thanks to an Aaron Rogers fumble in OT.
More specifically, here’s how things went down in each game.
Jets 24, Bengals 14
These two teams met exactly one week back, and the Jets had their way with a Bengals squad that rested 99.9% of their starters, kicker Shane Graham not included. Turns out however, maybe he was the one who needed the rest, shanking two kicks that would have given Cincinnati a shot at not choking away the first round like they did. The rest of the Bengals team, meanwhile, discovered that resting your starters simply isn’t a guarantee of anything – except maybe that the NFL isn’t a sport where you can just turn on and off good football. They looked rusty. They looked cold. Regardless of the reason, the Jets are moving on next week to take on the Chargers, and here’s why:
Key Play –
You’ve heard his name all season long. And on Saturday, Darrelle Revis did it again.
With about nine minutes left in the half, with the game knotted at 7, the Bengals were on the move into Jets territory. New York had just scored in a 39 yard run by Shonne Green, and Cincy was looking to reclaim their lead. But on a 3rd and 6 from the New York 41, Palmer was intercepted by none other than Darrelle Revis on a deep pass to Chad Ochocinco, giving the Jets possession back at their own 43. Three plays later, Sanchez hooked up with tight end Dustin Keller for a 45-yard touchdown, putting the Jets up 14-7, giving them momentum that they never gave up.
It Could Have Been Different if…
Shayne Graham didn’t shank his first field goal. The Jets drove all the way down the field to open the second half, but failed to convert after Jay Feely’s 42-yarder got called back thanks to a holding penalty. New York was forced instead to punt, and the Bengals took over on their own 12, trailing 14-7.
Eight plays later, the Bengals lined up their own kicker to bring the game back within striking distance, hoping to trim the lead to 14-10. But Graham pulled the kick wide left, allowing the Jets to come right back down the field to score another seven, going up 21-7 on the Jets – a huge swing from a potential 14-10.
It Was Over When…
Graham shanked his second. Again, the Bengals were faced with a very manageable deficit, only 24-14 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Cincy responded to New York’s own field goal by driving all the way into Jets territory, getting as far as the 11-yard line, but the drive stalled. Graham was then called upon to try to kick another field goal – this one a mere chip-shot.
But instead of bringing the Bengals back to within one score, he pushed it wide right, and Cincy left with nothing. The Jets then entered ‘kill-clock’ mode, and ruined any chance of a Bengal comeback, for when Cincy did finally get the ball back, they still trailed by two scores with only three minutes left on the clock. Game.
Cowboys 34, Eagles 14
This game was far less competitive, as these division rivals seemed to settle the third dispute of the year rather early in this one, the Cowboys going into halftime with a 27-7 lead on Philly.
On offense, Dallas absolutely manhandled the Eagles straight from the start. Felix Jones torched Philly for hefty 148 yards and a score, averaging 9.3 yards a carry. Romo followed suit, adding in a very solid 244 yards and two touchdowns, one going to the ever explosive Miles Austin, who caught seven balls on the day.
But the real story was the Dallas defense. As he has all season, DeMarcus Ware led the charge for the Cowboys, racking up two sacks and another tackle for a loss. In total, Dallas brought down McNabb four times on the day, as their pressure was simply too much for Philly to handle.
Conversely, the recipe to attack a great pass rush is a solid running attack and quick dump screens, something Philly failed to exploit. LeSean McCoy finished with only 24 yards on 5 carries, meanwhile the explosive Brian Westbrook only caught one pass out of the backfield. Dallas’s next task defensively will be a tougher one, as they set up to face the Vikings, a team that finished second to only the Saints with 29.4 points a game. But first, let’s look back on this NFC East Showdown.
Key Play -
Philly made it clear all year long they were going to involve Mike Vick in the offense – however sparingly. But it cost them Saturday night.
Trailing Dallas 17-7, Philly was in need of some sort of spark with only three minutes left in the half. On the second play from scrimmage as Philly attempted to answer Dallas’s offensive outburst, Vick was subbed in for McNabb as he has been all season long for various and sometimes successful trick plays. But this time, it was very, very unsuccessful.
Vick took the snap, and appeared to play-fake a handoff to Leonard Weaver, which was actually quite successful. So successful in fact, that Vick even seemed to forget he was faking the handoff, completely letting go of the ball as it bounced to the turf, only to be recovered by the Cowboys – giving them possession at the Philly 18 yard line. Three plays later, Tony Romo hit Miles Austin in the end zone to put Dallas up 24-7.
It Could Have Been Different If…
Tony Romo’s second quarter pass had actually been intercepted – instead of intercepted and then ruled incomplete. It was a questionable call, but it definitely appeared like in incomplete pass. Still, had that not been reversed, Philly would have had the ball at the Dallas 20, with the game tied at 7’s.
But after it was overturned, Romo led the ‘Boys all the way down the field, eventually completely an 18-yard pass to Jason Witten who was tackled on the Philadelphia one yard line. One play later, Tashard Choice punched it in for the score: Dallas 14, Philadelphia 7…let the route begin.
It Was Over When…
Tashard Choice hit pay dirt for the second time in the game, much like he did in the second quarter. Only this one was much longer. Much, much longer.
After Philly went three-and-out (sort of) to open the second half, Dallas also posted an equally futile effort on their first possession of the half. Philly then responded with a drive that came to a close at midfield, but they were forced to punt, giving the Cowboys a chance leading 24-7 to put the game away with a score. And that’s exactly what they did.
On a first and 10 from their own 27, Felix Jones took a Tony Romo handoff 73 yards on a sprint to the end zone, absolutely puncturing any chance Philly had of a comeback, as the Cowboys went up 34-7 midway through the third. Philly had their chances to open the half - two to be exact – but unlike the Eagles, Dallas converted when they needed it the most. Their prize? A date with Brett Favre.
Ravens 33, Patriots 14
And here we have the biggest shocker of Wild Card weekend.
Sure people thought the Ravens would be competitive. And sure, people knew the Patriots would be a little off without Wes Welker. But nobody, except apparently LT, figured New England would trail Baltimore 24-0 after the first quarter. Nobody.
Nobody except maybe Ray Lewis, who was reading New England’s offense like a book from snap one, an offense that looked pathetic all afternoon in layman’s terms. Ironically enough, it didn’t seem like the problem was the absence of Wes Welker. Let’s be honest – Julian Edelman, who figured to step in for Welker, is absolutely in no way, shape or form Welker. But he was ironically the only part of the Patriot offense that functioned Sunday afternoon. The problem was everybody else – Tom Brady included. Surely Welker would have been more productive than Edelman, but the man still piled up a team-leading six catches for 44 yards. Meanwhile, there was no running game to speak of, no passing game at all, no catching game, no blocking game– not even a kicking game, as Stephen Gostkowski missed his only attempt of the afternoon.
The Ravens meanwhile were firing on all cylinders on offense, starting with the first play from scrimmage, when Ray Rice ripped off an 83-yard game opener to put Baltimore up 7-0. Joe Flacco was only forced to throw the ball 10 times, while both Ray Rice and Willis McGahee combined for 42 carries on the day. Rice found pay-dirt twice, both in the first quarter, and McGahee ended up there once, the touchdown that put the Patriots out of their misery in the fourth quarter.
Quite simply, this game can be described by this video: http://turbo.inquisitr.com/wp-content/2009/12/snookie-punched-in-the-face.gif
But let’s take a more in-depth look at one of the greatest Patriot collapses of the decade:
Key Play –
Easily Terrell Suggs’ strip sack of Tom Brady on New England’s first possession. Baltimore had just scored on their first drive, and regardless of whether it was on one play or not, it was seven points nonetheless. Everyone expected New England’s defense to have some difficulty anyway.
They didn’t, however, expect the offense to struggle as mightily as it did. And when Tom Brady took the field immediately after the Rice touchdown, what happened next really sucked the wind out of Gillette stadium. Facing a third-and-11 from his own 26, Brady dropped back to pass, only he never got very far, as Terrell Suggs screamed in from the backside, ripping the ball away from Brady and taking over possession for the Ravens. Only five plays later, big Leron McClain drove through the Patriot line for six more, putting Baltimore up 14-0, instead of what could have been a potentially tied game.
It Could Have Been Different if…
Brady didn’t toss his first interception of the game with the Patriots trailing 14-0 halfway through the second quarter. Every team’s been down before. And a whole lot of them have come back. But there’s a big difference between being down 14-0 and 21-0. Especially in the playoffs – and especially against a defense like the Ravens.
Not only was Carr’s interception of Brady crucial in giving the Ravens back the ball (like many interceptions do), it also gave them tremendous field position, something they had virtually all game. After their first scoring drive, their final four drives of the first quarter began in Patriot territory; including the one following Chris Carr’s pick, which started at New England’s 25. And much like their first drives of the quarter, six plays later Ray Rice found himself in the end zone, and the Ravens found themselves up 21-0. The rest, as they say, is history.
It Was Over When…
Ray Rice opened the game with an 83-yard touchdown. No, really, seriously it was, if you look at the grand scheme of things. But for sanity’s sake, we’ll look at something else.
It wasn’t over at halftime, contrary to what most people believe. After all, the Packers were trailing Arizona 24-10 at half time, and they came all the way back only to eventually fall in overtime. Coming back from 24-7 is doable. It isn’t easy, but life rarely is.
It was, however, over early in the fourth quarter, when the Patriots were unable to keep Baltimore out of the end zone and preserve a two-score deficit. Brady had just led the Patriots down the field in an entirely no-huddle drive out of the shotgun, and found Edelman in the end zone to bring New England back to within 27-14. With an entire quarter left, all the Patriots needed to do was get a stop. They seemed to have settled down a bit on defense, and at this point, a comeback looked very much possible.
But after the kickoff was returned all the way to midfield, the task got a whole lot tougher. Even so, holding Baltimore to only a field goal would have kept the lead to 16 points – still only two scores. Unfortunately for New England, on a crucial third and two Joe Flacco threaded a needle to an open Derek Mason, and nine plays later Willis McGahee burst through the line and into the end zone, putting Baltimore up 33-14, and effectively ending the game and the Patriots season along with it.
Cardinals 51, Packers 45
Wow.
There are so many words that can describe this game – historical being one of them. Amazing being another. I’d prefer to use something along the lines of shit-show, but I think that’s technically two words, so I’ll stick with historical here.
In putting up a record 96 points for a playoff game, both the Cardinals and Packers showed they have the offensive prowess to hang with just about any NFL team – something Arizona will surely need in the next round, as they set to face football’s top offense in the Saints. Granted, they might have Pro Bowl receiver Anquan Boldin back by then, but the Saints are much more explosive on offense than the Packers are, averaging a league leading 31.9 points per game.
Having said that, it’s important to remember that combining for a record 96 points not only shows that you have a very functioning offense, but also that you have an absolutely non-functioning defense – except of course, for one play.
With the game hanging in the balance at 45-45 to start the overtime period, the Packers won the coin toss, which has been thrown around as one of the worst ways to decide an overtime football game - short of rock paper scissoring or even just an all out team encompassing game of blob tag. At this point, what the hell right? At least that takes some sort of skill.
But unfortunately for Green Bay, backing up the age-old adage that ‘the coin toss doesn’t decide the victor’ (happy Goodell?) Aaron Rogers was sacked on one of the most important 3rd and 6’s in football history. The result? A fumble, that was picked up by Karlos Dansby and returned 17 yards for a defensive touchdown. Arizona 51, Green Bay 45.
As for the rest of the game, this is how things shook out:
Key Play –
Neil Rackers has been ranked as one of the NFL’s top kickers for the past 5-6 years. But you wouldn’t have known it after Sunday night’s game.
With the score locked up, it appeared Arizona was about to walk away victorious, despite losing grip on a 31-10 lead. Key word there: it appeared.
After starting the drive on their own 21, Kurt Warner had led the Cardinals all the way to Green Bay’s 16 yard line, thanks to a clutch 24-yard reception by oft-forgotten Steve Breaston. In came Neil Rackers for a 34-yard kick that would have given the Cardinals a hard fought win.
But as has been the apparent fad among kickers this postseason, Rackers pulled his kick hard to the left, missing the mark, and forcing the game into an overtime period. Unfortunately for Rackers and his popularity (and possibly life), Green Bay won the toss in overtime. But fortunately for Rackers, he got one of the luckiest plays of the season to bail him out. I promise you he would have been the ultimate NFL goat had the Cardinals lost.
It Could Have Been Different If…
Aaron Rodgers didn’t fumble. Obviously. But in actuality, even if he held onto the ball, it would have been 4th and a mile, and judging by the way that game was going, after the Packers would have punted, chances are Arizona probably would have scored.
Instead, the game might have taken an interesting turn had Larry Fitzgerald’s amazing one-handed grab been called what it quite possibly could have been called – offensive pass interference or even offensive holding.
On his way to the end zone, right before he broke left, past Green Bay cornerback Matt Giordano, Fitzgerald barreled into Charles Woodson, knocking him over and freeing up the route. Not only should that have been called offensive pass interference, it was so blatantly obvious that I’m puzzled as to why not even Joe Buck thought it should have been.
Maybe the ref saw both players vying for a route to the ball – maybe. In that case though, why wasn’t Cardinal’s guard Deuce Lutui called for holding on the Packers’ Cullen Jenkins? He clearly grabbed Jenkins right in the shoulder and actually dragged him to the ground – straight into Kurt Warner. Impossible that the referee didn’t see it, because he actually called Jenkins for roughing the passer, despite the fact that he was tossed like a rag-doll into the quarterback.
But, instead of being faced with either a 2nd and 15 or a 2nd and 20, Arizona scored, and kept up the pace of the shootout, eventually winning in overtime.
It Was Over When…
The Cardinals scored in overtime. Seriously. That’s it – nothing else to really say about that one.
My question, however, is why the hell is Kurt Warner thinking about retiring? I mean, I know he’s getting up there in age, but the dude was 29/33 Sunday night, with 379 yards and 5 touchdowns. He actually threw more touchdowns than incompletions, if you can believe that.
In a day and age where Brett Favre is still sticking around, I don’t see why Warner would ever want to leave. It’s pretty obvious he can still run an offense with the best of them, and when he’s on, control an entire game. And to be honest, I’d rather watch him limp around and chuck for thousands of yards than watch Favre aimlessly run around in the pocket and airmail punt/interceptions for the next few years.
News is he’s still thinking of retiring – though that did come out on the eve of this offensive explosion. We’ll see where he stands if the Cardinals make another improbable Super Bowl run - though they do have quite the test awaiting next week with the New Orleans Saints.
Anyone want to wager on that 96-point record not lasting a full week?
No comments:
Post a Comment