Kansas City Chiefs 44 @ Indianapolis Colts 45
I thought that playing at home and Andrew Luck would give the Colts an edge in a close game. However, I could have never guessed how this game transpired. It was one of the wildest games I have ever watched and culminated with the Colts making the second biggest comeback, 28 point deficit, in NFL playoff history. A lot of events occurred that I would have had a difficult time believing going into the game. First, the Chiefs superstar running back Jamaal Charles was lost within 3 minutes for the game due to a concussion. If someone would have told me the Chiefs would score 44 points in a game that Charles missed most of it, I would bet against it every single time. Next, I did not anticipate the Colts turning over the ball. Andrew Luck only threw 9 interceptions and the team only gave up 14 turnovers during the regular season. I could have bought a young team being unnerved a bit by the postseason and turning over the ball even though they protected the ball the rest of the season. However, I would not think they could recover from those turnovers and a large deficit.
When Luck threw an interception to start the third quarter and Alex Smith converted it into his fourth touchdown to put the Chiefs up 38-10, I thought the game was over. Nevertheless, there were some key factors that resulted in the Colts comeback. First, Andrew Luck played great in the second half. He will be the next great quarterback and he displayed the reasons during the comeback. He has a powerful and accurate arm. Even though RGIII in Washington gets all the hype for his speed, Luck is athletic and can run very well too when he needs for first downs or touchdowns. In addition, he is a big man so he can take hits and run through defenders. Most importantly, Luck has mental toughness. Despite falling far behind, he did not let the dire situation keep him down. He kept on fighting and kept on throwing the ball. Another key factor in the comeback was the injuries to the Chiefs. Although the Chiefs scored 44 points without Jamaal Charles, they could have used him to run out the clock when they had their big lead. However, the Chiefs also lost his backup Knile Davis, who was playing very well, and receiver Donnie Avery. As the game progressed, it was evident that the Chiefs had no one to hand the ball for important carries and only had Dwayne Bowe to throw to in the passing game. As a result, they had trouble milking the clock and keeping the Colts offense off the field. The injury to their top cornerback Brandon Flowers was also a difficult blow. It weakened the secondary which was evident as T.Y. Hilton ran loose. Nevertheless, the Chiefs had a top defense during the season. They have the players and should have made the adjustments to contain T.Y. Hilton and protect a 28 point lead.
While there were a lot of key plays in the comeback, three game changing plays were most important. First, the Robert Mathis strip fumble of Alex Smith with the Colts down 38-17 really started the comeback. The ball was rolling out of bounds but the Colts were able to recover the ball to gain possession instead of the Chiefs retaining it. Next, I thought Andrew Luck’s third interception should have killed the momentum of the comeback after the Chiefs converted it for a field goal to go up 41-24. However, the Colts immediately scored another touchdown in less than 2 minutes to regain the momentum. The third play was the fumble by Donald Brown at the goal line when Luck picked it up and ran it in for a touchdown. It was a lucky bounce of the ball that it rolled to Luck in a position to score. For the Colts, it is a great win for their franchise. It signals that Andrew Luck will be a superstar quarterback and the Colts will be a force for the next decade. While Luck gets most of the credit for the comeback, T.Y. Hilton distinguished himself with a monster game: 13 receptions, 224 yards, and 2 TDs including the 64 yard game winner. Although I wanted to see a Manning and Luck showdown in the playoffs, the Colts will have a good shot to win in New England and can still give us a showdown in the AFC Championship Game. Nevertheless, a Brady and Luck showdown is not a bad consolation prize.
It is a gut wrenching loss for the Chiefs who have now lost 8 consecutive postseason games. Nevertheless, it is still an excellent season. Despite the historic loss, it is still much better than a 2-14 season like last year. They have playmakers on both sides of the ball. If they continue to add to their team, they can definitely contend for the Superbowl the next few years. More importantly, they have a good quarterback they can trust. Alex Smith played great. He threw for 378 yards and 4 TDs while adding 57 yards rushing. While he had an ill advised intentional grounding on the last drive of the game, he did his job putting up 44 points on the road. Their defense was supposed to be a top defense and 44 points should have been more than enough. Critics always talk about what Alex Smith cannot do. However, the abilities he does have can help a team win big. He was close to being an important part of the 49ers near trip to the Superbowl two years ago. He should have been the first Chiefs quarterback to lead them to a playoff win since Joe Montana. He will never be a great quarterback but he has shown he is good enough that the Chiefs can put enough talent around him to have a legitimate shot at the Superbowl.
New Orleans Saints 26 @ Philadelphia Eagles 24
It was a hard fought game between two good, playoff teams. Although the two offenses are at the top of the league, their defenses did well to contain the offense in the game. In my opinion, both defenses did their jobs in holding the other offense to the mid 20s so their own offense had a chance to win the game for them. Even though the score was 7-6 at halftime, it was only a matter of time before the offenses took over. As the game progressed in the second half, it was evident that the last team with the ball would win. Nick Foles did his job by leading his offense down the field for the go ahead score. Then, Drew Brees responded by driving his team down the field. The final drive was perfect. It started out by Darren Sproles breaking to the outside on the return. As he was about to break a long run for a touchdown, the Eagle defender had to take him down illegally for a 15 yard penalty. It was the key play that put the Saints in great position near midfield to set up for the field goal and kill the rest of the clock. Sean Payton also did not fall prey to playing for a 40+ yard field goal that other coaches have done in the past. 40+ yard field goals in cold weather and the pressure of the playoffs are far from a sure thing. Accordingly, the Saints got in closer so it was more of a routine kick for Shayne Graham, who they picked up near the end of the season. In addition, I like that Payton had the faith in rookie running back Khiry Robinson to give him carries during the drive and he rewarded Payton with key yardage.
The Saints finally got over the hump and won the first road playoff game in franchise history. Moreover, they did it in a cold, outdoor stadium. They wised up and adapted by running the football instead of depending on their potent passing game. They rushed for over 185 yards as a team and did most of their damage running to the right side finding a hole in the Eagles defense. It was proper approach and they won even though Drew Brees had a mediocre game with one touchdown and 2 interceptions. As noted above, Sproles made a major contribution with his return on the final drive. He is a player that does not dominate one area of the game but is explosive and can make a game changing play in three areas of the game: rushing, receiving, return. He is a unique player and invaluable. On defense, the Saints were able to contain Lesean McCoy and Desean Jackson, who are both explosive. As a result, the fast paced, high powered Eagles offense was held at bay. They will now head to Seattle for a rematch with the Seahawks who annihilated the Saints on Monday Night Football during the regular season. While the Saints should play better as they could not play much worse, it will be a tall order to defeat the Seahawks since they have only lost one home game in the last two seasons.
For the Eagles, it is very disappointing because they were one of the hottest teams in the NFL and definitely expecting to make a deep playoff run. However, it is still a very good season for them in Chip Kelly’s rookie season. The Eagles can move forward and their fans can be excited because they know they have a great head coach and have a franchise quarterback in Nick Foles. Foles did well throwing for two touchdowns, including the go ahead score, and not turning the ball over in the game. He had a phenomenal season despite not being the starting quarterback for the whole season. He had an incredible 7 touchdown to 2 interception ratio since taking the job from Michael Vick. One area of his game that he can improve on is holding on to the ball too long that results in sacks. However, Eagles fans can get excited that Foles can get better since he only has limited experience as a starter. They should also have huge expectations for next season. They are in a division in turmoil. The New York Giants were a mess on offense and have a lot of work to do in the offseason. The Washington Redskins need to add players, find a coach, and hope that RGIII remains healthy and becomes more coachable. The Dallas Cowboys have talent but are still shooting themselves in the foot with mistakes and penalties. Accordingly, the Eagles will be the clear favorite to win the division heading into next season.
San Diego Chargers 27 @ Cincinnati Bengals 10
They are two evenly matched teams. While the Chargers certainly played well enough to win, the Bengals gave them a lot of help with 4 key turnovers. Not many teams can win playoff games by giving up 4 turnovers and generating none. The first Bengal turnover came at the end of the first half when running back Giovanni Bernard fumbled near the goal line. Instead of getting a touchdown to go up 14-7 going into the half, the Bengals had to settle for a field goal after their defense forced a Charger punt. In the second half, quarterback Andy Dalton completely self destructed with 3 turnovers. He fumbled in his own territory then threw an atrocious interception in his own territory on the next drive when he chucked and ducked a pass rusher in the third quarter. He would add another interception in the fourth. In my preview, I noted that the Bengals usually win or lose based on Dalton’s performance. As he had a terrible second half, the Chargers outscored the Bengals 20-0 in the second half and pulled away. Moreover, Dalton has been terrible in his three postseason games throwing for one touchdown and committing 7 turnovers. It is a very bad sign for Bengal fans and he deserves criticism. There will be a lot of fan talk about whether the Bengals can move forward with Dalton. However, he is still a very young quarterback. While it may be difficult for their fans to hear, he needs to be given more time and a few more chances. The Bengals are not going to be able to bring in someone better. As a result, they need to just wait and see if Dalton can get over the hump. No one is going to be clutch and get it done in a big spot until they do it. Moreover, even some quarterbacks that end up getting it done have their struggles at first in the postseason (e.g. Eli Manning). Coach Marvin Lewis will take heat for another postseason loss as he is now 0-5 in the playoffs. Although he has done a great job since taking over the Bengals, it is fair for the organization to consider a change. Nevertheless, I think it is wiser to keep him and give him another shot at it as there are no clear improvements at head coach at this point after all the best candidates have been hired.
For the Chargers, it is an impressive win. Philip Rivers is definitely the superior quarterback. Although I still believe the Bengals have the better overall team, having a significant advantage at the most important position on the football field still counts for a lot. However, the Chargers did not even need Rivers to do too much as he only threw it 16 times for 128 yards and a touchdown. They pounded the Bengals defensive front for 196 rushing yards. As a result, the Bengals defense needs to take some criticism as well since they are supposed to be tough and physical as one of the best defenses this season. Nevertheless, the Chargers are a dangerous team. After the Bengals won all their 8 regular season home games, the Chargers gave them their first loss at home this season. In addition, the Chargers gave the Broncos their only home loss in Denver, which is where the Chargers are headed to in the Divisional Round.
San Francisco 49ers 23 @ Green Bay Packers 20
The 49ers and Packers played one of the coldest games in history. Despite what the players tell you, it definitely has to affect their play to some extent when it is so brutally cold. While both teams played well on defense, I believe the cold was a factor in holding the offenses down. The biggest question I had going into the game was whether the Packers could slow down the 49er offense. They were steamrolled by Colin Kaepernick’s rushing and passing the last two meetings between the teams, last year’s Divisional Playoff round and in their regular season matchup this season. Moreover, the Packers did not have their best defender and leader, linebacker Clay Matthews Jr. On the first two 49er drives in this game, they were able to drive down the field but had to settle for field goals as they could not get into the end zone. On the third drive, they were moving down the field again. At that point, I wondered whether the Packers could slow the 49ers down. They prevented touchdowns but it is only a matter of time before the 49ers start converting if they keep on driving down the field so easy. However, the Packers intercepted Kaepernick to stall that third drive. It was the moment that signaled the Packers defense would not be steamrolled again and we were going to see a hard fought game.
Both quarterbacks had their moments in the game with big plays. It was only Rodgers’s second game back from a serious injury. Nevertheless, he played well especially considering he was going against one of the fastest and toughest defenses that put pressure on him. At the beginning of the 4th quarter, Rodgers made an amazing play avoiding a sack on a 4th and 2 then hitting Randall Cobb to set them up at the San Francisco 4 yard line. It resulted in a John Kuhn 1 yard touchdown run that gave the Packers a 17-13 lead. However, Kaepernick drove his team right down the field in 1:35 minutes for a TD pass to Vernon Davis. In response, Rodgers drove the Packers back down to the 49er Red Zone. However, they were unable to get to the endzone and settled for a field goal to tie the game. With 5 minutes left, Kaepernick engineered a near perfect drive for a 33 yard field goal with no time left. Similar to the Saints, the 49ers needed to get as close as possible for their kicker especially considering the frigid conditions. On that final drive, the Packers just missed a chance to intercept Kaepernick. If the corner held on to the pick, the Packers could have milked the clock then set up for a field goal to win it themselves. As a result, Packers coach Mike McCarthy correctly pointed out his defense was one play away from winning the game.
While Kaepernick’s stats were not as Earth shattering as his last two performances against the Packers, he was the difference in the game again. He made big plays with his arms and his legs. While his 227 yards passing for a touchdown and interception was modest, his 98 yards on the ground were critical as he avoided pressure from the Packers and turned it into big plays for large gains. Moreover, their passing game is much improved with the return of top target, Michael Crabtree. He came up big with 8 receptions and 125 yards. In addition, he allows Anquan Boldin to be a great number 2 receiver rather than the top target that other teams can hone on. While some critics questioned whether the 49ers could win in the cold, they proved they have a team that can win in all conditions against any team. They have a running game, passing game, and a tough and fast defense. They can beat anyone in the NFL and can definitely return to the Superbowl this year. However, it is a tougher road this year for them as they have to win three road games. Their next obstacle is a tough Carolina Panthers team that also has a tough defense and dynamic athlete at quarterback with Cam Newton. In addition, the Panthers beat the 49ers in the regular season in San Francisco.
For the Packers, it is very disappointing. The Packers franchise used to be unbeatable at Lambeau Field in the playoffs. However, they are only 3-5 in their last 8 games at home. Nevertheless, they suffered significant injuries during the season, which included their superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers. As a result, they should be proud that they made it to the playoffs and had a chance to win. Nevertheless, it is a heartbreaking loss considering their mediocre defense held the 49ers down enough for Aaron Rodgers to win it. He had a chance to punch the football into the endzone for the go ahead score in his last drive. Moreover, their defense had a chance to win the game by intercepting Kaepernick on the final drive of the game. As a result, it is a difficult loss. Regardless, they have Aaron Rodgers and will be contending for years to come. They also found a power running back in rookie Eddie Lacy. If they were the pass heavy offense they were in the past, I do not know if they could have played as well in the cold. They will have balance going forward. However, they need to improve their offensive line and defense. Their offensive line gave up 45 sacks. It needs to be much better to protect the franchise, Aaron Rdogers. Their defense has been average at best since they won the Superbowl. It killed them last season when the 49ers eliminated them and it was hemorrhaging points at the end of this season.
About Pat Wong
Patrick is a contributor for Rookerville. He is an avid sports fan. Before joining Rookerville, he was part of a defunct New York Yankees message board, NYYankeefans, where he was its top poster and was inducted in its Hall of Fame for his contributions. Patrick is also a passionate fan of movies. He has enjoyed reading movie reviews over the years and is excited about the opportunity to review movies.