I think it would be fair to say that today's games were better than yesterday's games. None of the games this weekend will be remembered as some of the all-time great playoff contests, or be remembered ten years down the road, let alone decades from now. However, the quality of the contests today, as well as the interest level, was an improvement over the first two games.
They both featured two star rookie quarterbacks in RG3 and Andrew Luck, and Seattle's Russell Wilson, although not considered a star on the same caliber as those other two, also seems to be the featured quarterback that the Seahawks have settled on.
Indianapolis Colts (11-5) at Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
The Ravens were fired up for this game in particular, because it could have been Ray Lewis's last game ever at Baltimore. Plus, historically speaking, it was against the very franchise that left Baltimore for greener pastures back in the eighties, and a team that the Ravens had played in the playoffs before (twice), but had never beaten. Moreover, they had scored a total of 9 points combined in both games. So, they were hungry for a win, and showed it.
Indianapolis needed more than Luck today, and they were not able to get it. After an abysmal end to a season full of inconsistency, Baltimore was able to put together a very solid game plan, and executed it. I had thought that they were vulnerable, and possibly ripe for an upset. Goes to show what I know, huh?
The Colts just were not able to find their rhythm offensively, scoring 9 points off of 3 Viniateri field goals. Defensively, they were not able to stop the Ravens enough times to keep it close into the fourth quarter.
Flacco was 12 of 23 and passed for 282 yards and 2 touchdowns. Luck, by contrast, completed 28 of 54 passes for 288 yards, establishing a record for the most attempts by a rookie quarterback in a playoff game. But it was not enough.
Ultimately, the Ravens just wanted it more. Perhaps the Colts were just happy to be there. They enjoyed a strong, rebound season, going 11-5 and qualifying for the playoffs just one year after sinking to the bottom of the league at 2-14. They have reason to be optimistic and upbeat. But the Ravens are the team that will be preparing to play again next week, not next season (at least, not yet).
Now, Baltimore has a big challenge on their hands for next week, as they prepare for the red hot Broncos at Denver. That,, apparently, is what they wanted all along.
"I wanted Denver", Anquan Boldin said. Boldin set a franchise record for receiving with 145 yards.
They got them next week. It should be an interesting match up. It's still hard not to believe that Denver is the better team. They beat the Ravens (in Baltimore!) convincingly just a few weeks ago, and this time, enjoy home field advantage.
But if the Ravens look as fired up as they did yesterday, and particularly if they play as well as they did yesterday, they could not only make this game very interesting, but they might just have enough to beat Denver. They have enough to beat the Broncos if they play at their best, and they take Denver out of their game and force the Broncos to make mistakes.
Still, my pick is the Broncos, and I like them pulling away at some point in the second half.
Seattle Seahawks (11-5) at Washington Redskins (10-6)
Two rookie quarterbacks facing off against one another in a much anticipated playoff game. One is competing with Andrew Luck throughout the season for the most attention for a rookie quarterback, while the other has relatively quietly emerged on the scene to show strong leadership and solid results for a red hot team that plowed into the playoffs.
It was bound to be an interesting match.
But that is not the way it looked like it would be, early on. The Redskins moved the ball up and down the field in their first two drives, racing out to a 14-0 lead, and looked capable of making short work of the Seahawks, who have perhaps the most solid defense of any team left in the playoffs.
Whatever it was that was a problem for Seattle in the early going, they certainly fixed it, shutting out the Redskins the rest of the way, and scoring 24 unanswered points en route to a convincing 24-14 road win. it was the first road win for this Seattle franchise since the early 80's - nearly three decades ago!
One looming controversy following the game involves Washington head coach Mike Shanahan (who was the head coach for the Denver Broncos in 1997 & 1998, when they won back to back Super Bowls). There is a question of whether or not he lied about RG3's health, minimizing the seriousness of it, so that Griffin could continue to play for the Redskins. As the game wore on, Griffin was limping visibly, and many will now question why he was not pulled out of the game sooner. Depending on how bad the diagnosis
The Seahawks will now move on, and go to Atlanta to take the top seed in the NFC, the Falcons. Atlanta is always tough when playing at home, and they have a lot of offensive weapons, as well as more playoff experience than this young Seattle team.
That said, Seattle has more experience actually winning playoff games by now, having knocked off the defending champion Saints following the 2010 season, and having just beaten the NFC East champion Redskins this past weekend. They are the hotter team, and peaking right at the right time, while Atlanta has not played a meaningful game in the greater part of a month. These Falcons remind me a lot of the 2010 Falcons, who also had a lot of offensive talent, and also clinched the top seed with a 13-3 record, only to lose to the red hot Wild Card team, the Packers, 48-21. I'm not sold on the Falcons, and frankly, I don't really think they are as good as their record would suggest. They have not won a playoff game since 2005, and that won't change this weekend, as Seattle will win once again. The Seahawks are brimming with confidence and believe they can win. There is no reason to think that they wont. This is a team that could very well advance to the Super Bowl.
Head Coach Found in Buffalo
The Buffalo Bills have found their man, apparently. Former Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone will take over the head coaching position for the Bills. He went 25-25 as head coach of the Orangemen.
Montana at Quarterback (Nick, that is)
In other football news, Joe Montana's son, Nick Montana, will be playing for Tulane University next season. He is a junior, and considered a rising star.
No comments:
Post a Comment