The Dance for the Lombardi - Wild Card Weekend
It's been awhile since I've blogged, but I'm getting back on the wagon for the NFL playoffs. The promo that ESPN released for the Wild Card games is a hype machine, and I'm shocked I haven't been able to find a better version than somebody filming the commercial on their phone. But here it is, I dare you to keep the goosebumps subdued.
I get excited for just about any big sports weekend, usually the more games there are to watch and an excuse to hook up three televisions at once is what gets me fired up. But the NFL playoffs are different - they don't give you the 30 games like March Madness, they don't give you 6 top-ten matchups like College Football and they don't have half of the league in the playoffs like the NBA.
Instead, they give you two games on Saturday and Sunday to invest in. The games don't overlap and it becomes quality over quantity with the NFL Playoffs.
Wild Card weekend kicks off with the Texans and Raiders, which is probably a good thing to get that game out of the way because it won't be be a thrilling shootout. On Saturday at 4:35, the Raiders will host a rematch from the Monday Night Football game in Mexico City, but without their franchise/MVP-candidate quarterback Derek Carr.
The Texans will play their 72-million-dollar-man that they benched in week 15, and I can't imagine much has changed in the two weeks since he's started.
Connor Cook (rookie from Michigan State) vs. Brock Osweiller isn't the best way to start the playoffs, but it could be worse. If you're a gambling man, the under in this game sounds enticing and considering the Texans have issues scoring three points, taking the Raiders to cover the three with a rookie QB sounds enticing. The final score of this game could very well be 3-0.
The next game we get on Saturday is Lions at Seahawks. The Lions have been one of the most interesting teams this season, because they have trailed in only one less game in the fourth quarter than the Cleveland Browns, yet they're in the playoffs and the Browns went 1-15. If anyone every doubts the importance of a franchise quarterback, look no further than the Cardiac Cat's and their Captain Comeback, Matthew Stafford. They have a bottom half defense and a middle of the road offense, but the former #1 overall pick has his team in every game, despite missing a receiver nicknamed for his ability to do things un-human (Calvin Johnson).
The Seahawks have been a frustrating team, because they've lost games they should've won and they haven't looked impressive consistently. The defense is still the foundation in Seattle, but they'll be without their stronghold at safety - Earl Thomas. That hole has created an ability for teams to attack them in the air unlike ever before, which is a scary recipe for a gun-slinger like Matthew Stafford.
The opening line at +8 Detroit is a hammer pick, because the Seattle offense is good at times, but again the consistency hasn't been there. This could also be the game where Seattle gets it all together for the playoffs, considering they have tons of playoff experience on their team while this will only be the second playoff game in Stafford's nine-year career. I think the Seahawks scathe by because of playoff experience, but if you're a Falcon, you want to see the Seahawks out even if you're confident in winning a rematch.
The AFC kicks off Sunday's action with the Dolphins traveling to Pittsburgh. The Dolphins, like the Lions, aren't an impressive team top to bottom but have shown resilience this season, winning nine of the last 11 games after starting 1-4. Coincidentally, the Week 6 victory against the Steelers is what sparked their six game win streak. A large reason their in the playoffs is because of the growth Ryan Tannehill has made under coach Adam Gase. But after suffering a scary knee injury that ended up only a sprain, his status for Sunday's game is still questionable. If Tannehill plays, this could be a much closer game but I don't think the Dolphins are complete enough a team to beat the Steelers.
When the Steelers lost to the Dolphins in Week 6, it sent them on a four game slide. But since correcting their trajectory, the Steelers enter the playoffs on a seven-game win streak and have dubbed themselves the "scariest team to play in the AFC right now," by Leveon Bell. The offensive weapons at Big Ben's disposal is undoubtedly scary to opposing defensive coordinators, but the Steeler's defense is not your father's Steel Curtain and they will only go as far as their defense stops the opposition. It's a formidable unit, ranked 12th overall and have the best red zone defense in the league. So while it might not be the Steel Curtain of the 70's, it can still hold up in the playoffs.
Wild Card weekend closes on Sunday with a matchup of classic, original NFL titans. Combined, the Packers and Giants have a combined eight championships. The statue is named after a former Packer coach, Vince Lombardi. The Packers haven't won since 2011 and the Giants since 2012, but both teams are run by streaky quarterbacks that are built for postseason action.
Aaron Rodgers is undoubtedly the more accurate quarterback, but Eli Manning is probably more dangerous come postseason time because of his ability to fly in under the radar and unassumingly beat you with his deep passing.
Rodgers is playing with the "I think we can run the table" chip on his shoulder that has the Packers looking like the buzzsaw they were in the 2011 season.
Both offenses have absurd talent in the skill positions, but the Giants defense is much better (if Janoris Jenkins is healthy) than the Packers and it could be the deciding factor in this game. Right now it doesn't look like anybody can stop Aaron Rodgers, but if any NFC defense can slow Rodgers down, it's this Giants unit.