NFL 2015-2016 Wild Card Recap

NFL 2015-2016 Wild Card Recap

Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans — In Week 1, the Chiefs went into Houston, jumped to a 27-9 halftime lead, slept through the second half, and won 27-20. The Chiefs then lost five straight games, followed by 10 straight wins. The Texans began 2-5 before winning seven of their final nine games. Knile Davis shocked the home crowd by returning the opening kickoff 106 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Chiefs lead. Both teams have good defenses and subpar offenses. In the first half Bryan Hoyer was intercepted three times and fumbled once. Cairo Santos hit a pair of 49 yard field goals in the second quarter to have the Chiefs up 13-0 at halftime.

With the Chiefs defense playing lights out, West Coast Offense Game Manager Alex Smith dinked and dunked as he does. In the third quarter an 11 play, 94 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive saw Smith hit Conley for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 20-0 Chiefs. In the fourth quarter Ware ran for a 5 yard touchdown and Santos added a 33 yard field goal as the Chiefs won their first playoff game in 22 years. Alex Smith, Elvis Grbac and Steve Bono might all be the same person, and next week at New England will require more than a game manager. For now, Andy Reid is one happy Walrus Lite. 30-0 Chiefs

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals — In November, the Bengals went into Pittsburgh and shocked the Steelers 16-10. In December the Steelers went into Cincinnati and throttled the Bengals 33-20. The Bengals began the season 8-0 but split their final eight games. The Steelers snuck into the playoffs the hard way when the Jets lost last week. 

In 2005, these teams played a playoff game in Cincinnati. The Bengals led 10-0, Carson Palmer got hurt, and the Steelers took over for a 31-17 win en route to a Super Bowl title. Winners win and losers lose. The Steelers have six Super Bowl rings. The Bengals have none, and have not won a playoff game in 25 years. The Bengals will never get respect until they win a game like this. The Steelers know how to win. The Bengals have flamed out four straight years in the first round of the playoffs. Marvin Lewis is 0-6 in the playoffs, all Wild Card losses. Would Charlie Brown finally kick the field goal and get the little red-haired girl?

To do it, the Bengals would have to win with AJ McCarron, in for the injured Andy Dalton. Both teams were warned about bad behavior due to previous skirmishes this season. With hard rain coming down most of the game, this was a game with brutally hard hits, not all legal. Chris Boswell hit second quarter field goals of 39 and 30 yards and added a 34 yarder in the third quarter to make it 9-0 Steelers. The Steelers finally completed an 82 yard drive. Ben Roethlisberger hit Maitavius Bryant for a 10 yard touchdown. Mike Tomlin decided to go for two because he does so frequently regardless of the score. The attempt failed but the Steelers led 15-0 after three quarters. The fourth quarter will be talked about in football circles forever.

The Bengals moved late in the third quarter from their 20 to a 3rd and 9 at the Pittsburgh 23. The game then got very violent. McCarron threw a short pass to Bernard, who then got blasted on a helmet to helmet hit by Shazier. No flag was called. Shazier recovered the ball. The play was initially ruled an incomplete pass but Mike Tomlin challenged the call. The refs reversed the call to a fumble as the entire Bengals sideline exploded at the lack of a defensive penalty. It was clearly helmet to helmet, but instead of 1st and goal the Steelers had the ball. Turnabout then became fair play. On the last play of the third quarter the Steelers faced 3rd and 18 from their own 17. Roethlisberger was sacked and driven hard into the ground, landing on his arm. While piledriving a quarterback is illegal, this play liked legal. No flag was thrown. Big Ben landed hard on his arm. He left the game injured.

The fourth quarter began with the Steelers punting on 4th and 30 from their own 5. The Bengals took over at the Pittsburgh 46. A deep bomb drew a defensive pass interference call at the 4 yard line. Only one minute into the fourth quarter, Jeremy Hill got in from the one as the Bengals were down 15-7. Landry Jones came in for Roethlisberger and struggled. The Bengals got it back at their own 13. McCarron moved the Bengals from their own 13 to a 3rd and 8 at the Pittsburgh 22. A completion came up 3 yards short. With 5 minutes left, Marvin Lewis decided to kick the field goal and trust his defense. Mike Nugent hit from 36 as the Bengals trailed 15-10.

The Steelers again went nowhere and Adam Pacman Jones returned the punt 24 yards to the Pittsburgh 45. On 4th and 2 from the Pittsburgh 37 with 2:45 to play, McCarron found Marvin Jones for 9 yards. With 1:56 to play, the Bengals faced 3rd and 7 from the Pittsburgh 25. McCarron went deep to AJ Green for the touchdown as the home crowd went wild. The 2 point try failed, but the Bengals had come all the way back for a 16-15 lead. The Steelers took over at their own 14 with 1:43 left. Then came the crazy finish.

Landry Jones was quickly intercepted by Vontez Burfict. The Bengals were at the Pittsburgh 26. All they had to do was run out the clock. The game was over. A jubilant Bengals defense sprinted all the way across the field and through the tunnel. They had finally played the dragon. Hill got the carry, gained 6 yards, and then fumbled. A shocked crowd saw the Steelers recover the ball at their own 9 yard line. While it looked like Hill’s arm hit the ground to make it down by contact, the fumble ruling stood. The game was not over. Football fans everywhere said it. “These are the Bengals.”

To make things even more dramatic, Jones did not come back in. Roethlisberger did. Players with concussions have to sit out and go through concussion protocol. Big Ben was no concussed. He had a screwed up arm. Nothing prevented him from coming back in. Roethlisberger is as tough and courageous as they come, but the Steelers were at their own 9 with 1:23 to play. The Steelers did have all 3 timeouts, as the stunned Bengals defense had to come on the field for one more stand. On 3rd and 2, Big Ben hit Toussaint for 7 yards. With 28 seconds left, the Steelers faced 4th and 3 at their own 41. Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown for 12 yards as the Steelers called their final timeout with 22 seconds left. These are the Bengals. Then came the play that will be talked about for years to come.

From the Cincy 47 without a timeout, the Steelers were not in field goal range. Roethlisberger went deep to Antonio Brown incomplete. Brown was then levels by Burfict in another helmet to helmet hit. Brown was motionless on the ground. He left the gam injured. The refs threw the flag. It was helmet to helmet, but the refs did not call it earlier on the hit by Shazier on Bernard. This time they did call it. The 15 yard penalty moved the Steelers to the Cincy 32. A field goal try from 50 yards out in miserable weather was far from a sure thing. Yet the Bengals found a way to destroy themselves. The referees played a very controversial role.

After the personal foul, play was delayed when players from both teams spilled on the field. Former Steelers player Joey Porter was always an agitator. Now he is an assistant coach for the Steelers. He had no business being on the field, but he was. He got into it with Adam Jones. Jones shoved Porter. Rather than call offsetting penalties, only Jones was flagged. The unsportsmanlike conduct call on Jones meant 15 more yards. 30 yards of penalties on one play now had the Steelers at the Cincy 17. These are the Bengals, who were now in full meltdown mode. Their entire sideline was going insane as Marvin Lewis could not contain them. Mike Tomlin kept his guys slightly calmer by comparison.

With 18 seconds left, on first down, Tomlin immediately brought in Boswell for the 35 yard field goal try. Boswell was good. The Bengals got it back at their 24 with 6 seconds left, and one deep incompletion later the game was over. This was a gut-wrenching loss. Marvin Lewis is 0-7 in the playoffs, all Wildcard losses. He has 5 straight Wildcard losses. The Bengals will howl about the refs, and they have legitimate grievance. yet they had their chances, and collapsed.

Despite the loss, AJ McCarron still sleeps with Miss Alabama, who he recently married. He will be fine. Marvin Lewis might not be. There was even talk that he could be fired despite a 12-4 season. Pittsburgh was going to Denver and Cincinnati was going home after one of the most gut-wrenching losses in franchise history. Winners win. These are the Steelers.  Losers lose. These are the Bengals. 18-16 Steelers.

Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings One month ago, the Seahawks went into Minnesota and blasted the Vikings 38-7. Minnesota showed a ton of grit going into Green Bay in the regular season finale and winning the division crown. Seattle throttled seemingly invincible Arizona by 30 points in a game that was over at halftime. Unlike the comfortable Metrodome, this game was played in brutal cold weather that dipped below zero degrees. The Purple People Eaters would be proud. This game was a bone-chilling street fight. Blair Walsh hit a 22 yard field goal in the first quarter and field goals of 43 and 47 in the third quarter as the Vikings led 9-0 after three quarters.

The Seahawks began the fourth quarter at their own 20 and finally moved the ball. On 1st and 10 from the Minnesota 39, the most bizarre play of these young playoffs occurred. Out of the shotgun, Russell Wilson was clearly not ready for the snap. It sailed past him. Wilson fell on the ball for a 5 yard loss, but quickly realized no defenders were near him. He alertly got up, scrambled, and found a wide open Tyler Lockett. Lockett caught the ball and raced all the way to the Minnesota 4 yard line. Wilson then threw a 3 yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin. With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Seahawks only trailed 9-7.

Two plays later, disaster struck the Vikings. On 2nd and 5 from their own 27, Adrian Peterson got the carry and gained 8 yards. Yet the ball was chopped out of his hands by Kam Chancellor. Rubin recovered the ball for the Seahawks at the Minnesota 40. Peterson is an all world superstar, but so is Kam Chancellor. The Legion of Boom did it again. On 3rd and 7 from the Minnesota 37, Wilson hit Jermaine Kearse for 8 yards. That was just enough for Steve Hauschka to try a 46 yard field goal. In zero degree weather, Hauschka was good. The Seahawks had the one point lead with 8 minutes left in regulation.

The defenses kept dominating as each team punted twice. The Vikings began their final drive at their own 39 with 1:42 to play and 2 timeouts. A defensive pass interference penalty on Chancellor moved the ball to the Seattle 42. Teddy Bridgewater found Kyle Rudolph for a 24 yard gain. With 1:26 to play, the Vikings were at the Seattle 18. Pete Carroll could only helplessly watch. Mike Zimmer handed the ball three straight times to Peterson, who was not letting go of that football again. With 26 seconds to play, Blair Walsh came in for the winning field goal try. He had made three longer ones. This was only a 27 yarder.

No good! He hooked it as wide as wide can be. A shellshocked home crowd sat their stunned. The internet immediately began making jokes about Ace Ventura, Pet Detective. Ray Finkle is Lois Einhorn. Scott Norwood missed from 47. Lin Elliott choked from 42. This was from 27. Cue Paul Maguire. “i hate kickers. They should be paid $50 a game.” The two time defending NFC champions needed a miracle, and they got it. They are off to Carolina next week while Minnesota suffered one of the most bitter defeats in a team history filled with them. In 1998, it was automatic Gary Anderson who missed from 39. The 2015 season saw Blair Walsh miss from 27 yards out. Vikings fans will never get over this one. 10-9 Seahawks

Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins Green Bay started out 6-0 before losing six of their last ten games. Washington looked like an 0-16 team entering the season. Jay Gruden stuck with Kirk Cousins over Robert Griffin III, and the gamble paid off. Washington finally clinched the woeful NFC Least one week before the regular season ended. Despite being 5-7, four straight wins to end the season has Washington on a roll. Green Bay’s offense has been out of sync, as the defense has had to carry the team. Aaron Rodgers is not getting any help and Mike McCarthy took back play-calling duties. It did not save the Packers from losing the NFC North division on their home field last week.

Early on the game was all Redskins. On 3rd and 13 from the Green Bay 5, Aaron Rodgers went back to pass and was sacked in the end zone for a safety. The Redskins took the 2-0 lead and the free kick at their own 45. From the Green Bay 15, Kirk Cousins hit DeSean Jackson for the touchdown. Yet the play was reversed and ruled down at the one. Alfred Morris twice got the carry and twice was denied. On 3rd and goal at the 2, a costly delay of game penalty on Cousins had the Redskins settling for a field goal. Dustin Hopkins hit from 25 to make it 5-0 Redskins. Early in the second quarter the Redskins faced 3rd and 10 from the Green Bay 24. Cousins went deep to Jordan Reed for the touchdown to complete the 64 yard drive. The extra point was no good, but the Redskins led 11-0. Then reality set in.

Rodgers finally got going and the Packers moved 80 yards. Rodgers hit Randall Cobb for a 12 yard touchdown to get the Packers within 11-7. The Redskins kept moving well, going from their own 20 to a 1st and 10 at the Green Bay 39. Cousins was then sacked, resulting in a fumble. The Packers took over at their own 46. Mason Crosby hit a 42 yard field goal with 3 minutes left in the half as the Packers only trailed 11-10. Washington quickly went 3 and out and a 17 yard punt return had the Packers at their own 40 with 2:22 left in the half. With 45 seconds left the Packers faced 3rd and 2 at the Washington 30. Rodgers found Devonta Adams for 20 and again for the 10 yard touchdown as the Packers led 17-11 at halftime.

The Redskins were determined to make a game of it in the third quarter. They moved 73 yards and Cousins ran for a 3 yard touchdown to put the Redskins back in front 18-17. The Packers would not be denied, moving 80 yards in 11 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Starks ran it in from 4 yards out as the Packers had the 24-18 lead after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Packers turned out the lights. They moved 76 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Eddie Lacy got in from the 2 and Rodgers hit Abbrederis for the 2 point conversion. With 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Packers had a commanding lead.

With the Redskins facing 4th and 10 at their own 32 with 5 minutes left, Cousins was sacked to end what little suspense remained. Crosby hit the 35 yarder to ice it. This was the reality check for both teams. The Redskins won the NFC Least. They were never that special. The Packers were the better team. Now Mike McCarthy takes his squad to Arizona for a rematch with the team that blasted them by 30 points a couple weeks ago. Jay Gruden now has to decide whether to extend Kirk Cousins, keep RGIII, or take somebody completely new in the 2016 Draft. 35-18 Packers

The Wild Card round is done. All 4 road teams were favored. All 4 road teams won.

The NFL 2015-2016 Divisional Playoffs are set:

Saturday, January 16:

AFC:

5.) 11-5 Kansas City Chiefs at 2.) 12-4 New England Patriots at 4:30 p.m. on CBS

NFC:

5.) 10-6 Green Bay Packers at 13-3 Arizona Cardinals at 8:00 p.m. on NBC

Sunday, January 17:

NFC:

6.) 10-6 Seattle Seahawks at 1.) 15-1 Carolina Panthers at 1:00 p.m. on Fox

AFC:

6.) 10-6 Pittsburgh Steelers at 1.) 12-4 Denver Broncos at 4:30 p.m. on CBS

eric

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