Playoffs? Are you kidding me? Playoffs? Don’t talk to me about playoffs. Playoffs? We’ll be lucky if we win another game.
Jim Mora will live forever, and after 17 weeks, the NFL Playoffs are back. Enjoy it now, because after the Pro Bowl, there is a 7 month layoff. Layoffs? Are you kidding me?
All four of the road teams had a reasonable shot at winning their Wildcard games. I predicted Washington to lose at Seattle, despite riding a wave of emotion and a four game winning streak. Jacksonville, despite being a better team than Pittsburgh, will find it is tough to demolish a team twice in three weeks on the road. Nevertheless, Pittsburgh is depleted, and Jacksonville should win. Tennessee has what it takes to upset San Diego, and Jeff Fisher is a better coach than Norv Turner. Even if Vince Young can’t go, Kerry Collins will get the job done for Tennessee. New York is a much better team than Tampa Bay, so if Eli Manning does not have meltdown, always a big if, New York should have little difficulty.
Never mind. Playoffs do not require hyperbole, and my analysis is worthless. It’s game time! Let’s get it on!
Washington Redskins @ Seattle Seahawks–Early on the Seahawks won the battle of field position, and after starting a drive in Washington territory, Matt Hasselbeck’s passing and Sean Alexander’s running got Seattle into the red zone. Leonard Weaver ran it in from 17 yards out with 3:45 left in the opening quarter for a 7-0 Seattle lead. Twice in the first half, Washington began drives from inside their own 5 yard line, and this was the difference. Josh Brown connected on a 50 yard field goal with 9 minutes left in the half to extend the Seahawks lead to 10-0. Another field goal had the Seahawks up 13-0 after three quarters, but despite controlling the game, it was well within reach.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Todd Collins threw a short touchdown pass to Antwaan Randle El, closing the gap to 13-7. After a Matt Hasselbeck interception, Washington started at the Seattle 42 yard line. Todd Collins, who has been on fire in the fourth quarter the last few games, went up top to Santana Moss for another touchdown and a 14-13 Redskins lead with 12 1/2 minutes remaining.
The next play of the game was bizarre. The kickoff was shallow, but the wind carried it past all the Seattle return men. Nobody was back far enough to field it, and the Redskins recovered it as if it were an onsides kick all the way at the Seattle 14 yard line. The opportunity was completely wasted when a 30 yard field goal was no good. Yet despite a promising drive, Hasselbeck was intercepted for a second time in the fourth quarter by Landry, this time at the Washington 9 yard line. As expected, the television cameras showed that Mike Holmgren was not a happy walrus. Under 10 minutes remained, and again Washington had awful field position.
After a 32 yard punt, Seattle started their next drive at the Washington 42 yard line with 8 minutes left. This set up Hasselbeck’s short touchdown pass to Hackett, followed by a successful 2 point conversion toss to Pollard. Seattle had a 21-14 lead with 6 minutes remaining. A strong kickoff return had Washington starting at their own 46 yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Collins decided to go for all the marbles, and his ill advised deep pass was intercepted by Marcus Trufant. Awful tackling by the Redskins led to Trufant returning the interception 78 yards for a touchdown to ice the game. With 30 seconds left in the game, Babineaux intercepted Collins and returned it 57 yards for another touchdown.
The see-saw game had Seattle dominate for 3 quarters, Washington score twice in 2 minutes, and Seattle score twice in 30 seconds. The missed opportunity for Washington after the kickoff proved fatal. Seattle will travel to Green Bay next week, as Mike Holmgren and Hasselbeck face off against Holmgren’s former team and quarterback Brett Favre. The score will give the appearance of a blowout, but this game was tight after more than 3 1/2 quarters. 35-14 Seahawks.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Pittsburgh Steelers–Pittsburgh took the opening kickoff 80 yards in 10 plays for a 7-0 lead 5 minutes into the game. Maurice Jones Drew returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards, getting tripped up at the one yard line. Fred Taylor plunged over the goal line for the tying touchdown. The game then settled into a defensive slugfest as expected, with the tie being broken when Rasheed Mathis intercepting Ben Roethlisberger for a 63 yard touchdown and a 14-7 Jaguars lead 5 minutes into the second quarter.
A Bizarre play occurred when Mathis intercepted Roethlisberger again at midfield. He returned it to the 20 yard line, but the return came back because his hair…yes his hair…was out of bounds. If he had been bald or normally cropped, the rest of him was inbounds. However, his long dreadlocks were on the white chalk. Hair is part of the body. No matter how often I watch football, I learn something new. It did not matter, as David Garrard threw a pass to Maurice Jones Drew, who took it the distance for another touchdown and a 21-7 Jacksonville lead. The Jaguars missed an opportunity to turn the game into a route early when Josh Scobee missed a field goal just before the 2 minute warning. Nevertheless, Roethlisberger was intercepted for a 3rd time just before the end of the half.
In the third quarter, David Garrard was intercepted, and several minutes later, a 28 yard field goal had the Steelers within 21-10. The Jaguars, having beaten Pittsburgh only 3 weeks ago in Heinz Field, remained unrattled. Garrard took the Jaguars 82 yards in 5 minutes on the ensuing drive, and with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Jaguars were comfortably ahead 28-10.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh faced 4th and 12 at the Jacksonville 37 yard line. A mistackle was the difference between the ball being turned over on downs, and a 37 yard touchdown pass, and a 28-17 ballgame. For some inexplicable reason, Jacksonville tried three straight passes on their next drive, rather than eat some clock. Roethlisberger drove the Steelers on a 10 play 70 yard drive that culminated on a touchdown toss to Heath Miller. A holding penalty nullified the 2 point conversion, and from the 12 yard line, Roethlisberger tried to run it. He got only 9 yards, and the score was 28-23 with 10 1/2 minutes left. Jacksonville kept throwing, and Garrard was intercepted again. Ike Taylor returned the bal all the way to the Jacksonville 16 yard line.
Pittsburgh faced 4th and goal at the one, when a controversial defensive pass interference penalty gave Pittsburgh a fresh set of downs. It was an awful call, as both players were locked up. Najeh Davenport barely broke the plane of the goal, and after another failed 2 point conversion, the Steelers led 29-28 with 6 1/2 minutes left. Yes, the Steelers came back from 28-10, but had they not tried the first 2 point conversion from the 12 yard line, they would not have needed to try the second one. Jacksonville went nowhere on their next drive, and the Steelers got the ball back with 3:43 to play.
Jacksonville held, and got the ball back at midfield with 2:38 to play and one timeout. A pass to the 25 yard line was ruled incomplete, and Jack Del Rio’s ill advised challenge ended up costing Jacksonville their last timeout. On 4th and 2 from the Pittsburgh 43 yard line, David Garrard lined up in the shotgun, and on a designed quarterback draw, executed it to perfection. Garrard ran 32 yards to the 11 yard line. The entire dynamic of the game changed, as Pittsburgh was forced to take a timeout. On 4th down and 1 from the 2 yard line, out of timeouts, Jacksonville took a deliberate delay of game penalty. The 25 yard field goal was good. The Jaguars led by two points with 37 seconds left. Pittsburgh took over at their own 29 yard line with 29 seconds left. On the first play from scrimmage, Roethlisberger was hit, fumbled, and saw the Jaguars fall on it. One kneel down later, and the Jaguars escaped with a win.
I believe the Jaguars are a stronger team, and hopefully they will play New England, and soften them up so that Indy can take them down and blow up their perfect season. Either team would have had to face questions had they lost. Jacksonville dodged questions about why they kept throwing in the fourth quarter instead of running. Pittsburgh instead will have to answer questions about the two point conversions. Mike Tomlin did an excellent job his first year on the job, and Pittsburgh lucked out in selecting him. Both of these teams will be back, and their future matches will be headknockers, featuring hard nosed running, defense, and coaches that preach toughness. Today Jacksonville was a bit better, by one play by David Garrard. 31-29 Jaguars
New York Giants @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers–Decisions made last week during the regular season would be watched closely today in terms of ramifications. The Bucs chose to rest everyone last week, deciding that the # 4 seed was no difference than the # 3 seed. The Giants decided to play their starters in a meaningless game against the Patriots, expending plenty of energy.
Both teams got off to a sluggish start, but Jeff Garcia eventually got Tampa Bay moving, and with two minutes left in the opening quarter, Graham plunged over from a yard out to give the Buccaneers a 7-0 lead. Eli Manning was able to bring the Giants back, and his 5 yard touchdown pass to Brandon Jacobs tied the score at 7-7 with 10 minutes left in the half. Manning settled into a groove, completing 11 of his first 14 passes. With 4 minutes left in the half, Brandon Jacobs barreled up the middle for a 9 yard touchdown run and a 14-7 Giants lead. Michael Spurlock fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half, and the Giants recovered. However, the Tampa Bay defense, still solid under respected defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, held New York to a field goal and a 17-7 Giants lead five minutes into the third quarter.
While the Giants might be the least flashy team in the playoffs, they slowly but surely got the job done by avoiding mistakes. Eli Manning does not dazzle like his brother, but the goal is to win. He engineered a 15 play, 92 yard drive that ate up over 8 1/2 minutes of clock. The drive culminated with a short touchdown pass to Amani Toomer with 8 minutes remaining that put the game out of reach. Manning has faced much scrutiny this year, but neither he nor anyone else on the Giants turned the ball over against a ball hawking Tampa Bay defense. The Buccaneers scored a garbage touchdown late in the game, but it was not enough to save their season. The final score was close, but the game was not.The Giants, having lost to Dallas twice this year, will get a third shot at their hated division rival next week. 24-14 Giants
Tennessee Titans @ San Diego Chargers–Tennessee has perhaps the best coach in the league in Jeff Fisher. The Chargers have Norvelous Norv Turner, desperate to show he can win a game where his team is overwhelmingly favored.
Tennessee dominated the time of possession in the first quarter, hanging onto the ball for 11 minutes. Their opening drive led to a field goal, and San Diego could not move the ball. With six minutes remaining in the opening quarter, Vince Young got belted to the ground. It was a clean hit, and he did come back in the game, but he is one shot away form having Kerry Collins replace him. The Chargers started a possession at the Tennessee 42, but Philip Rivers went for the deep ball and was intercepted by Cortland Finnegan. Another deep ball attempt by Rivers later on was broken up, and Nate Kaeding’s 45 yard field goal attempt was a knuckleball that went way wide. In a game only a defensive guru could love, Rob Bironas added a second field goal on the last play of the half to put the Titans up 6-0. Then again, Jeff Fisher is a Buddy Ryan disciple, so he might have been loving it.
The Chargers took the second half kickoff and methodically drove down the field. On 3rd and 3 from the 4 yard line, they came up a yard short. Turner made the right decision, and decided to kick the 20 yard field goal, bringing the Chargers to within 6-3. The 88 yard drive took over 5 minutes. Later on in the period, with San Diego at midfield, a personal foul penalty on Albert Haynesworth for hitting Philip Rivers after the whistle had blown proved costly. On the next play, Rivers threw a 35 yard touchdown strike to Vincent Jackson. With 2 1/2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the Chargers led 10-6. Tennessee did come right back on their next drive, but one minute into the fourth quarter, Bironas missed a 38 yard field goal.
With 9 minutes left in the game, San Diego had a 3rd and goal that ended up inside the one yard line but short of the goal. Norv Turner challenged that the play was a touchdown. The call went against him, and San Diego was charged with their final timeout. On 4th and goal from inside the one, LaDanian Tomlinson went airborne. Initially he was stoned, but when he got knocked backwards he landed on another player, not all the way on the ground. The whistle had not blown, so he reached over on a second effort and stretched the ball past the plane for a touchdown. This time Jeff Fisher challenged the call, but the touchdown was upheld. Tomlinson was initially stopped, but the whistle had not blown, forward progress had not been stopped, and he was not on the ground. Tennessee was charged with their first timeout, and more importantly, trailed on the scoreboard.
Yes, Norv won where Marty Schottenheimer did not, but Norv survived barely at home against a # 6 seed with a wounded quarterback, while Marty’s team lost to the Patriots, as does everyone else. Next week the Chargers have a rematch with Indy, and we shall see if their lightning bolt strikes twice. I suspect otherwise. 17-6 Colts
Saturday January 12th and Sunday January 13th bring the divisionals.
AFC Divisionals: Jaguars @ Patriots on Saturday, Chargers @ Colts on Sunday.
NFC Divisionals: Seahawks @ Packers on Saturday, Giants @ Cowboys on Sunday.
eric
Only caught the last half of the 4th. Just before Pittsburg scored their last touchdown. some of the best football I’ve watched all year (Which is very little) and now I’m kicking my ass over not turning it on earlier. I could have been watching a great game instead of getting a headache watching the donks bicker like little kids at the dinner table.