Houston Texans 19, Cincinnati Bengals 13
Two games were played today to kick off the NFL's playoffs.
Frankly, they were hardly the most exciting of playoff games. Both were predictable, and both lacked that real playoff intensity that we all tend to look forward to at this time of the year.
The Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) were trying to upset the Houston Texans (12-4), in a rematch of last year's wildcard game, where both teams had the same seeds that they have now (although both teams improved their regular season records from one year ago). Houston won that meeting, 31-10.
Houston won this one, too, in a defensive, low scoring affair, 19-13. Mat Schaub, who has been criticized towards the end of this season for poor play, did not play remarkably well. That said, he was not nearly as bad as his counterpart on the other sideline, Andrew Dalton. Schaub threw a pick six, but Dalton had a horrible game, going 14 of 30 for 127 yards, with no touchdowns and 1 interception, although even that is deceptive. In the first half, Dalton was 4 of 10 for 3 yards in the first half.
The Bengals as a team were held to under 200 yards total offense. It was a very bad day for the team on offense.
In the meantime, the Bengals defense allowed 420 yards total, the most that they have allowed in ten games. Arian Foster ran for 140 yards and a touchdown for Houston. Still, it was Cincinnati's defense that ultimately kept them in the game, despite allowing Houston a lot of points, as well as a huge advantage in time of possession (they held onto the ball almost for 2/3's of the game.. The Bengals defense bent, but did not break, so much. They were outplayed by the Texans offense, but they received no help from the offense at all, that could not get anything.going. A more competent day on offense might have seen them win.
Young J.J. Watt, the defensive star for Houston, was all over the place, disrupting and frustrating the Cincy offense all afternoon.
The Bengals have the longest active drought among NFL teams, as far as playoffs wins go. The last time that they won was at home against another team from Houston, although back then it was the Oilers. on January 6, 1991. Back then, the San Francisco 49ers, fresh off back-to-back Super Bowl wins, were going for the "three peat", and trying to get the nineties off in historic fashion. The New York Giants, who had seemed like strong contenders for a while, suddenly had a backup named Jeff Hostetler filling in, and most people did not give them a chance. The Buffalo Bills seemed to come out of nowhere to dominate the AFC, earning the top seed, and they were hoping to make their first ever trip to the Super Bowl. The Bengals had been one of the favorites that season, but had wound up with a disappointing 9-7 record, after a 4-0 start. They still won the division, and beat Houston handily (although not as handily as in a meeting the season before, which Cincinnati won, 61-7). Behind Boomer Esiason, the Bengals showed shades of their inspiring 1988 run, where they almost shocked the 49ers in the Super Bowl.
The following week, they went to Los Angeles to play the Raiders (yes, LA actually had not just one, but two teams back then). They lost, 20-10, and so ended their hopes of a return trip to the Super Bowl. On that day, a man from my hometown of West Milford, Kevin Walker (we also have an Olympic Gold medalist in Mogul Skiing, Donna Weinbrecht, back in 1992) ran down a sprinting Bo Jackson and tackled him. On that play, Bo Jackson sustained a serious hip injury that effectively ended his football career. The Bengals played tough the rest of the way, but lost the game. It was the first playoff loss of what has come to be a string of consecutive losses during playoff appearances - the longest active streak in the league. That is why Cincinnati has the longest playoff drought in the league presently. That loss to the Raiders was the first of five straight defeats the few times when the Bengals have actually managed to make the postseason. They were division champions in 2005 and 2009, and made the playoffs in 2011 and 2012, the first time in three decades that the Bengals have made it to the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
It should also be noted that the Bengals are one of the few teams left in the league never to have won a road playoff game. Their opponents today also are among those teams to not have won a road playoff game, although they will get another chance next weekend against the Patriots, at New England.
I had really been hoping the Bengals could win this one. I first really started following the NFL back in the 1981 season, and the Bengals became the first team that I ever saw qualify for the Super Bowl, which they eventually lost to the 49ers, 26-21, when I was pulling for Cincy. It was the first Super Bowl appearance for both teams. They had the more famous and exciting rematch following the 1988 season.
The Bengals did improve this season from last season, although this loss raises some questions, particularly on the offensive end, and perhaps especially with Dalton, their quarterback. Still, if they can continue to improve, they could prove to be contenders next season.
As for Houston, they now go to New England, where they got blown out about a month ago, 42-14. Back then, the Texans were 11-1, and entered that game with a comfortable margin over the rest of the AFC. It has been a long and embarrassing drop since, and it all began with that humiliating, demoralizing loss. The Texans will have a chance to get revenge and redeem themselves. But the Patriots have a lot of playoff experience, and New England is hardly a hospitable environment for road teams to have to win in, and especially during the playoffs in January. I will go ahead and predict a relatively easy Patriots win.
Green Bay Packers 24, Minnesota Vikings 10
In the other Wildcard Game, Green Bay avenged their loss to the Vikings last weekend, which cost them the second seed and the playoff bye.
Green Bay's defense, which was a huge liability last season, has played well at times this season. Today, the Packer defense proved very tough, holding off the potent Vikings offense.
In particular, Green Bay finally managed to contain Adrian Peterson, who had really enjoyed incredible days against the Packers in their two previous meetings this season. But the Packers defense was very strong today, and the Vikings were not really able to get anything going.
Minnesota, despite this setback, enjoyed a terrific season, and showed some promise for the future. Their offense has strong potential, although they still need a little bit of work, and more consistency. But given that this team had a total of eight wins in the prior two seasons combined, this season can be viewed as nothing but a huge success.
The Packers, in the meantime, now move on to a showdown with the 49ers next weekend. The two teams will be renewing their rivalry, which includes five previous playoff meetings dating back to the mid-nineties. The Packers, behind star quarterback Brett Favre, established themselves as a serious contender by upsetting the, powerhouse 49ers, who were the defending Super Bowl champions, dominating them at Candlestick. The Pack would knock out the 49ers three years in a row, before losing in an epic Wildcard Game in 1998. They met again in the Wildcard a few years later, with Green bay winning again, 25-15.
In the season opener, these two teams met at Lambeau Field, in a game that saw the 49ers surprise Green bay, en route to a big road win. But Coach Sherman made clear that the Packers are a different team now. Indeed, they have been through a lot, and despite seeming vulnerable at times, they looked complete and at full strength today, something that could very well help them against San Francisco next weekend.
I will go ahead and predict a Green Bay upset over the 49ers next weekend. I still think this team is the best in the NFC, and are probably heading to the Super Bowl.
Here are links to articles that helped me in writing this blog:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/houston-beats-bengals-19-13-004842923--nfl.html
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/packers-show-off-depth-24-040759328--nfl.html
http://deadspin.com/5973410/the-bengals-really-could-break-their-8400+day-playoff-winless-streak-today
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