Wildcard Heartbreak

One and done
Four teams are packing their bags and joining the fans on the couch for the remainder of the playoffs. Records were broken and there were upset surprises; a shake up to the norm should make for an interesting playoffs.

Patriots Lose in Foxborough?
Tom Brady was quoted as saying ‘I would have been booing us, too’ after the horrible performance on Sunday. A game that many thought would be a standard Patriots home win started with the Ravens Ray Rice blasting an 83-yard touchdown run up the middle on the game’s first play from scrimmage. Things didn’t get any better from there; Brady was intercepted 3 times while the Ravens running game owned the Patriots to a point where Joe Flacco wasn’t even needed. Flacco ended his day with just 35 passing yards, completing only 4 passes.

Where to go from here: the Patriots were banged up, and not healthy in this game…but that’s not an excuse. This team needs to be rebuilt on defense, freeing up some aged talent for more drafted Patriot studs like Jerod Mayo. This team should be proud of their season, and the best is yet to come with young talent like Julian Edelman and Darius Butler, but either way some dead weight needs to be dropped for next season.

Eagles No Match for Cowboys

Defensively the Eagles were outmatched, offensively the Eagles were terrible, and overall this game was hard to watch.  Fans will call for blood but the Cowboys earned all three of their wins against Philly, this last one maybe with a little help from the refs. The Cowboys seemed to be in every Eagles huddle, blanketing the receivers’ routes. Dallas was also able to break through the offensive wall with ease, pressuring Donovan McNabb all game. McNabb was sacked four times but he could have been easily flattened 7-8 times more. The Cowboys just wanted it more, and seemed to have a bigger, tougher team that was able to do whatever they wanted.

Where to go from here: the Eagles will no doubt address their linebacker core this offseason, and maybe their safeties as well, but the coaching staff needs to get a hard look. The never ending addiction to throwing the ball has held back the Eagles for years, teams need balance and a running game sets up the pass. McNabb still has skills, but a balanced attack would allow for faster starts and longer drives.

Bengals All Talk No Game

The New York Jets had a smart game plan that they stuck with to a tee.  Run the ball, play smart defense, and control the clock. Cincinnati was not looked at as a team that was going to the Super Bowl, but with home field advantage in the Wildcard weekend, many had the Bengals in their pick’em pools.

The Jets proved they were no underdog.

Ochocinco, shut down by Jets Pro Bowl CB Darrelle Revis, didn’t make a catch until 11:56 remained and finished with just two receptions for 28 yards. Palmer was out of rhythm (or terrible to say the least) and the Bengals will end the season as just another flop team that lays an egg in the playoffs.

Where to go from here: the Bengals can build on their young talented defense, but if there was ever a quarterback who eludes the criticism it would be Carson Palmer. Palmer has been awful in the last month and doesn’t see nearly as much blame as he should, this team needs a shake up on offense.

Packers Overtime Giveaway

Best game of the weekend by far, the Green Bay Packers came back from unspeakable odds to tie the game and head to overtime. Unfortunately the heartbreak for Packers fans was felt twice, first with the blowout first half, and then with the fumble in overtime, but a great effort was put forward by the cheeseheads. Rodgers was 28 of 42 for 422 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.

Where to go from here: straight up, the Packers are loaded with young talent. When the bitter taste left from this game passes, the Green Bay Packers should be an elite team in the NFC next season. However, an improved pass rush is needed for the next level.

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