Four teams are now eliminated from the NFL playoffs after this weekend’s wilcard games. Four now advance to take on the top two teams in their conference on the road this weekend. One of this weekend’s games will go down as a classic, the others weren’t too close. I went 3-1 with my picks incorrectly picking the Eagles to upset the Cowboys. Let’s review.
Jets 24, Bengals 14
Despite starting a rookie QB, the Jets had their way in Cincinnati with the Bengals. Using their running game and attacking defense, they controlled most of the game. Darrelle Revis showed again why he’s a shutdown corner and one of the best players in the league as he blanketed Chad OchoCinco all game. Like Rex Ryan said, the Jets aren’t going to be an easy out in the playoffs.
Cowboys 34, Eagles 14
Dallas dominated the Eagles for the second straight week. They gave up points this time but their defense still played well for most of that game. The Cowboys offense just looks unstoppable. They have a great mix of run and pass going right now and they’re not going to be easy to beat. A lot of questions now for this Eagles team. Is McNabb back? Is Brian Westbrook back? Does Andy Reid adjust his style of offense to run the ball more? Should be an interesting offseason in Philadelphia.
Ravens 33, Patriots 14
Ray Rice took it 83 yards on the first play of the game and the Ravens never looked back. They were up 24-0 at the end of the first quarter and just cruised from there. Their defense battered Tom Brady and simply locked up the Pats’ offense. Sure no Wes Welker hurt but even if he did play, it’d be hard to see this result going in the Patriots’ favor.
Cardinals 51, Packers 45 in OT
An offensive explosion in the desert yesterday. I thought this would be the highest scoring game of the weekend but it ended up being the highest scoring game in NFL playoff history. Both combined for over 1,000 yards of offense. The Cardinals jumped out early and had a 31-10 lead at one point but then came the Packers rally. After getting to 31-17, the Packers went for an onside kick and got it. That sparked them to eventually tie things up and allowed them to keep matching the Cardinals score for score. It seemed the Cardinals had put a drive together late in the fourth to win it on a fieldgoal from 34 yards but not surprisingly, Neil Rackers hooked it left. With the way the two offenses were going you thought the winner would be decided on the coin toss. With the Pack winning the coin flip, they took the ball. Soon after the Cardinals defense came crashing in on Aaron Rodgers and the ball ended up in Karlos Dansby’s hands and the Cardinal LB took it into the endzone. A great game between these two.
