Jets over Colts
Adam: -Mark Sanchez made some really bad throws that clearly illustrated that he has yet to arrive. Still, in the clutch he was good enough to allow his receivers a chance to make a big catches.
-New York began the fourth quarter with a ten minute drive that consisted almost entirely of running plays. Peyton Manning answered by setting up an Adam Vinatieri field goal, but Sanchez was asked to make a couple big throws at the end and he did just that. He didn't have to be great, he just had to be ready in the big moment, and he was.
-The Jets exploited their principal advantage, their powerful offensive line versus the Colts' smallish defensive line, all the way to 170 rushing yards.
-The Jets possessed the ball for 33 minutes, and did what is always the gameplan against the Colts, limit Manning's time on the field. The Jets were also 8-15 on third downs, which is a very good conversion rate.
-Manning has been dealing with questionable help all year, and it showed again in this game. With no Dallas Clark on third downs to go to, no Austin Collie or Anthony Gonzalez, Manning didn't have the chains movers he counts on to help him manufacture drives.
-The Colts' shaky offensive line was surprisingly untested as the Jets mostly dropped seven and eight men into coverage all night, deciding that blitzing Manning was unwise. That approached worked pretty well; the game was on the shoulders of Darelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, and they delivered.
-Though the Jets don't have the pass rush that they were famous for last year, they do have a more diverse offense and a good, if unspectacular, defense. Cromartie and Revis can be a shutdown tandem at times.
-The Jets now travel to New England, and I don't expect they want to get stomped by 42 points again.
-New York began the fourth quarter with a ten minute drive that consisted almost entirely of running plays. Peyton Manning answered by setting up an Adam Vinatieri field goal, but Sanchez was asked to make a couple big throws at the end and he did just that. He didn't have to be great, he just had to be ready in the big moment, and he was.
-The Jets exploited their principal advantage, their powerful offensive line versus the Colts' smallish defensive line, all the way to 170 rushing yards.
-The Jets possessed the ball for 33 minutes, and did what is always the gameplan against the Colts, limit Manning's time on the field. The Jets were also 8-15 on third downs, which is a very good conversion rate.
-Manning has been dealing with questionable help all year, and it showed again in this game. With no Dallas Clark on third downs to go to, no Austin Collie or Anthony Gonzalez, Manning didn't have the chains movers he counts on to help him manufacture drives.
-The Colts' shaky offensive line was surprisingly untested as the Jets mostly dropped seven and eight men into coverage all night, deciding that blitzing Manning was unwise. That approached worked pretty well; the game was on the shoulders of Darelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, and they delivered.
-Though the Jets don't have the pass rush that they were famous for last year, they do have a more diverse offense and a good, if unspectacular, defense. Cromartie and Revis can be a shutdown tandem at times.
-The Jets now travel to New England, and I don't expect they want to get stomped by 42 points again.
Eric: -The Jets went to their bread and butter this game–and what it should be every game–their rushing attack, and the Colts could not stop it. Mark Sanchez played pretty poorly the first half, so New york made the halftime adjustment to pound the rock. LaDanian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene responded, combining for 179 total yards and two LT touchdowns.
-Now the Jets will have a much ballyhooed rematch with the New England Patriots. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this will be the fifth time in the Super Bowl era that two teams face off in the playoffs after one beat the other by at least 37 points in a regular season game. The last four times, the team that won in the regular season won the playoff game by double digits.
Ravens over Chiefs
A: -I like that Todd Haley wasn't all doom and gloom after this tough loss. Of course he's frustrated to lose this game, but in his post game comments he spoke of the team building process that the Chiefs are still undergoing. This is a young team that overachieved this year, not a squad that expected to make a deep playoff run. Haley said the Chiefs will just take this game as a learning experience, a conduit for improvement and growth.
-This Chiefs team was solid all year, but when they were pressed to put up points, we all saw their limitations. Matt Cassell threw three interceptions, surprising considering he only threw seven over the entire regular season.
-For their part, the Ravens came in and did what they should have, beat a less talented and less experienced team. The defense, and especially the maligned secondary, looked tremendous: ball hawking, creating havoc, and controlling the game.
-Joe Flacco likely had his best postseason game to date passing for 265 yards, 2 scores, and no picks. Baltimore held the ball for 42 minutes and ran for 142 yards. They converted over half of their third downs. There's no way the Chiefs could win a contest in which they only had the ball for 18 minutes and went 1-8 on third down.
-The formula for KC has been ball control, no turnovers, and a punishing running game all year, but they failed in all those respects Sunday.
-This Chiefs team was solid all year, but when they were pressed to put up points, we all saw their limitations. Matt Cassell threw three interceptions, surprising considering he only threw seven over the entire regular season.
-For their part, the Ravens came in and did what they should have, beat a less talented and less experienced team. The defense, and especially the maligned secondary, looked tremendous: ball hawking, creating havoc, and controlling the game.
-Joe Flacco likely had his best postseason game to date passing for 265 yards, 2 scores, and no picks. Baltimore held the ball for 42 minutes and ran for 142 yards. They converted over half of their third downs. There's no way the Chiefs could win a contest in which they only had the ball for 18 minutes and went 1-8 on third down.
-The formula for KC has been ball control, no turnovers, and a punishing running game all year, but they failed in all those respects Sunday.
E: -The Chiefs made the most of their soft schedule this season on their way to a playoff berth, but against the Ravens though, they were overmatched in every facet of the game as the Ravens held the ball for nearly 42 minutes, the Chiefs for only 18.
-This is something I always say about the playoffs. Turnovers are a big part of the game in the regular season, but in the playoffs where everything is magnified, winning the turnover battle is often the difference in the game. Case in point: the Chiefs turned the ball over five times, the Ravens only twice. It's not a hard and fast rule–the Packers and Jets both won this weekend despite turning the ball over more than their opponents–but it is a strong guiding force to the outcome of playoff games.
-The Ravens now travel to Pittsburgh, giving us the AFC's second in-division game of the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
-This is something I always say about the playoffs. Turnovers are a big part of the game in the regular season, but in the playoffs where everything is magnified, winning the turnover battle is often the difference in the game. Case in point: the Chiefs turned the ball over five times, the Ravens only twice. It's not a hard and fast rule–the Packers and Jets both won this weekend despite turning the ball over more than their opponents–but it is a strong guiding force to the outcome of playoff games.
-The Ravens now travel to Pittsburgh, giving us the AFC's second in-division game of the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Packers over Eagles
A: -The Eagles were kind of disjointed all night long. It seemed they were just a bit off rhythm for the last few weeks of the season, and that carried into the playoffs.
-Dom Capers showed Michael Vick a different front on just about every play, and though he passed for nearly 300 yards, he never got into a real groove. Every Eagles drive was full of negative plays. Philly allowed three sacks, had some penalties, and Vick threw the decisive interception.
-Amazingly, Green Bay's biggest advantage was in the running game. James Starks went off for 123 yards, a Green Bay rookie record, and the Pack went for 138 yards all together on the ground.
-Philadelphia by comparison ran for just 82 yards, probably because their offensive line was so inconsistent all day. The Eagles' pass protection was questionable, and as a consequence, Vick never looked entirely comfortable.
-Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson only got into open space a couple of times all game, and if you can curtail the big play, you can beat the Eagles.
-Aaron Rodgers was coolly efficient tossing 3 scores with no picks, and now we can officially bury the ridiculous argument that Rodgers isn't an elite quarterback because he hasn't won in the playoffs. For the record, Rodgers has played in two post season games, thrown for 600 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 1 interception.
-Dom Capers showed Michael Vick a different front on just about every play, and though he passed for nearly 300 yards, he never got into a real groove. Every Eagles drive was full of negative plays. Philly allowed three sacks, had some penalties, and Vick threw the decisive interception.
-Amazingly, Green Bay's biggest advantage was in the running game. James Starks went off for 123 yards, a Green Bay rookie record, and the Pack went for 138 yards all together on the ground.
-Philadelphia by comparison ran for just 82 yards, probably because their offensive line was so inconsistent all day. The Eagles' pass protection was questionable, and as a consequence, Vick never looked entirely comfortable.
-Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson only got into open space a couple of times all game, and if you can curtail the big play, you can beat the Eagles.
-Aaron Rodgers was coolly efficient tossing 3 scores with no picks, and now we can officially bury the ridiculous argument that Rodgers isn't an elite quarterback because he hasn't won in the playoffs. For the record, Rodgers has played in two post season games, thrown for 600 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 1 interception.
E: -Has Green Bay finally found a running game? Rookie James Starks rushed for 123 yards and greatly eased the burden from Aaron Rodgers' shoulders.
-Michael Vick and the Eagles were expecting the Packers to bring the heat basically every down, and when that didn't quite happen, they didn't have the gameplan to respond. What pressure did reach Vick though was effective; he didn't look in rhythm at all. Knocking out Vick's favorite target, DeSean Jackson, for a spell didn't help much either. And when Jackson did come back, he was nowhere near as explosive as he normally is.
-The Falcons beat the Packers earlier this year in Atlanta. We'll see if history repeats itself or if lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice.
-Michael Vick and the Eagles were expecting the Packers to bring the heat basically every down, and when that didn't quite happen, they didn't have the gameplan to respond. What pressure did reach Vick though was effective; he didn't look in rhythm at all. Knocking out Vick's favorite target, DeSean Jackson, for a spell didn't help much either. And when Jackson did come back, he was nowhere near as explosive as he normally is.
-The Falcons beat the Packers earlier this year in Atlanta. We'll see if history repeats itself or if lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice.
Seahawks over Saints
A: -First, what a run by Marshawn Lynch. Say what you want about the Saints' defense, that was still one incredible effort in a clutch situation.
-Seattle clearly is not a perfect team as they certainly had their mishaps in this game, but they were relentless and they competed for sixty minutes. When they got down 10-0 early, they just kept grinding. The defense gave up plenty of yards, but they hit hard all game and managed just enough key stops.
-Matt Hasslebeck threw more passes in this game than I've ever seen him throw, but it worked to the tune of four touchdowns.
-Seattle got a boost from their maniacal crowd, but give credit to a team that nobody believed in. Eleven point underdogs at home, they made plays all day and won a tight game.
-They found a way to win, which is what their next opponent, the Bears, have done all year. The Seahawks vs. Bears may represent the least talent on the field for a divisional playoff game in years, but those teams made it to this point, so game on.
-Seattle clearly is not a perfect team as they certainly had their mishaps in this game, but they were relentless and they competed for sixty minutes. When they got down 10-0 early, they just kept grinding. The defense gave up plenty of yards, but they hit hard all game and managed just enough key stops.
-Matt Hasslebeck threw more passes in this game than I've ever seen him throw, but it worked to the tune of four touchdowns.
-Seattle got a boost from their maniacal crowd, but give credit to a team that nobody believed in. Eleven point underdogs at home, they made plays all day and won a tight game.
-They found a way to win, which is what their next opponent, the Bears, have done all year. The Seahawks vs. Bears may represent the least talent on the field for a divisional playoff game in years, but those teams made it to this point, so game on.
E: -Where was New Orleans' defense?
-When NBC was breaking down the game, they showed a graphic of New Orleans' five inactive players. They mentioned that the top two running backs, Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory, would be out, but the one they didn't talk about was the Saints' best defensive player, Malcolm Jenkins. With Jenkins out of the lineup, Roman Harper had to take on more responsibility, and he simply did not produce. Harper blew multiple coverages and missed tackle after tackle–though I can't single him out for that as all day the entire Saints defense refused to bring down Seattle ball carriers.
-Beasted it.
-Beasted it.
-Matt Hasselbeck played out of his mind, completing 22/35 passes and compiling 272 yards, four touchdowns, and a 113 passer rating.
-Now the Seahawks travel to Chicago to face a Bears team they've already beaten this year, and at Soldier Field no less.
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