Wild Card Weekend Part 2.

To put it quite simply I don't think I could have been any more wrong on the two predictions I made about Saturdays games. The Seahawks pulled one of the biggest upsets in NFL playoff history on the arm of a rejuvenated Matt Hasselbeck and based on one of the best runs I've probably ever seen. The Saints came into the game with two running backs left and by the 4th quarter they were down to a guy they signed earlier this week off the street. Frankly the injuries to their running backs made their offense entirely too one dimensional for anyone to carry even if that someone is as good as Drew Brees. The real disappointment if your the Saints is your defense, you allow 13 touchdown passes all season and then let Matt Hasselbeck get 4 in one game. I don't think the Saints need a complete overhaul next year they're a team they just needs some minor retooling and better health next year. Earlier today I compared this Seahawks team to the 2009 Cardinals team that no one expected to make it past the wild card round, and maybe.......just maybe that comparison could be a little more apt than I first thought.

The Colts Jets game played out more or less how a lot of people thought. The Colts didn't come into that game huge favorites and most people expected a defensive struggle between two well matched teams. Peyton Manning reallly didn't get anything going for almost the entirety of the game outside of a 57 yard pass to Pierre Garcon there were no explosive plays and the Jets did a good job of keeping Peyton bottled up the entire game. All of Rex Ryans talk made me think he'd have an emotional game plan and come out aggressive but instead he did the smart thing and made the Colts run the football, he played 1 and 2 defensive lineman looks and continually dared Peyton to check down to the run. More often than not he wont those match ups, the Colts don't have the runners in the backfield nor the lineman up front to make people pay for having 6 and 7 defensive backs. Its time like these it really hurts to remind Colts fans they could have had Maurice Jones Drew a couple of years ago instead of perennially injured and ineffective Joseph Addai. I don't know what happens with the Colts next year but if anyone thinks theres a chance Peyton Manning leaves I have some magic beans I'd like to sell them.

Baltimore @ Kansas City

Baltimore - 3

This game sort of reminds me of the Saints Seahawks game in that you have a team everyone thinks is coming into the playoffs with an air of not belonging on the field with the team they're playing. The Chiefs played 3 above  .500 teams all year and managed to only beat one of them shocking the Chargers in their opening game. The Ravens on the other hand have played 7 games against above .500 opponents going 4-3 but losing those 3 games by a combined 11 points. The Chiefs lost their two games by a combined 41 points, which would indicate they feasted on the poor teams that littered their schedule and couldn't compete with any of the good teams. Whats even more troubling is that in the last week of the season with plenty to play for and at home they got absolutely blasted by the Raiders who were merely playing for pride at that point. Their vaunted rushing attack was shut down and the Matt Cassel who had only thrown 2 interceptions over the seasons last 11 games unraveled to throw 2 interceptions in a sack filled disaster. I think the Ravens look at the game tape and think that their defensive line can do the exact same thing to the Chiefs. Plus if Matt Cassel can't look off Michael Huff what chance does he have looking off Ed Reed who has an incredible 8 interceptions in only 10 games played this year. On the offensive side of the ball I think the Ravens will give the Chiefs a bit of their own medicine and grind them down with a combination of Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and Leron McClain. Look for a couple of deep connections to Anquan Boldin in a Ravens road win.

Ravens 23


Chiefs 13


Green Bay @ Philadelphia


Philadelphia - 3

Fun Fact: Aaron Rodgers took the title belt dance from Freddie Mitchel

This is a match up of my two favorite teams still left in the tournament and I'm sad that at the end of this game I'll only have one of them left to root for. I was hoping for these two teams to meet up in the NFC Championship game but hopefully we'll all be treated to an offensive shootout this Sunday. I honestly don't know what to make of the Packers offensively they seem dominant one week to only fluster the next week with their lack of punch. One thing I am certain about is their defense which has rounded into shape the past few weeks to become one of the most feared in the playoffs. They have three of the best defensive players on any team in the NFL with Charles Woodson, Clay Matthews, and the untouted B.J. Raji who is having an absolutely stellar season at the nose in their 3-4 defense. When these two teams played earlier in the year Clay Matthews was a man possessed as he gained 3 sacks and harassed Michael Vick all day and despite that when Vick was asked about that game he thinks the Eagles would have won had he started. Michael Vick has been the story for much of this NFL season but  in an incredibly important home game against a Vikings team with nothing to play for they were toothless on both offense and defense picked apart by rookie Joe Webb. If the Eagles defense had this much trouble containing Joe Webb how can they hope to stop Aaron Rodgers. Honestly I don't think they do, but I just don't think Michael Vick will lose a home playoff game. This is the same man who went into Lambeau Field and go the first win there in playoff history and I think he continues to haunt the dreams of Packers this playoffs.

Eagles 31


Packers 27