NFL Wild Card Weekend Wrapup

Well, after a sluggish Saturday, Sunday went a little better for me. Philadelphia and Baltimore proved that being the better team means more than being the home team, something Atlanta and Indianapolis could not do.

To start with the recap, how about the Falcons? Man, talk about a letdown for ATL. Matt Ryan has been solid all season but when the time came for him to play a mistake-free game, it didn't happen. 3 Falcons turnovers turned into 21 Cardinals points. The Falcons D did all they could to slow down the Cards offense but when your own offense can't keep the ball, it's tough to play 100%. Congrats though to the Cardinals for the win. They played well and performed better when it mattered. Their defense also stepped up to the task, slowing down the potent Falcons run game.

As for the Eagles, it was business as usual. Donovan McNabb played like the quarterback we all know and love and Brian Westbrook again proved how runningbacks can do more than run. But it was the Eagles defense that won the game for them. Yeah, Adrian Peterson scored two TD's but besides his 40-yd scamper, he was held in check. And Tarvaris Jackson played about as bad as a Browns QB, thanks to a constant pass rush. Watch out for Philly, they'll be a tough out.

The Chargers-Colts game was the one game I was completely sure of. But in the end, I was completely wrong. If you look at the stats, you would think the Colts won. They won the turnover battle and had decent to great stats in all categories. But what you don't see are all their missed chances. All the times the Chargers gave the ball away, the Colts did nothing with it. They didn't have long drives and in OT when the defense needed to make crucial stops, they couldn't stop the Chargers offense. Darren Sproles proved he is well worth a starting role in the NFL and Philip Rivers continues to prove me wrong that he is a clutch QB.

And finally, what can be said about the Ravens D? Or more like Ed Reed. The guy just has a knack for the ball and making big plays. Joe Flacco didn't play amazing but as usual, he didn't have to. Chad Pennington threw 4 INT not because he had a bad game, but because the Ravens D had a great game. If the Ravens D play like this against the Titans, Kerry Collins may be driven into retirement.

All in all, not a bad playoff weekend. What started with 12 teams is now down to 8. Plenty of great games to come, all leading up to Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa. Previews to come late this week. In the meantime, occupy yourself with the Fiesta Bowl and BCS Championship. That should be enough.