January 4th and 5th both ended up being memorable days for the NFL Playoffs as 4 Wild Card showdowns took place. For each of these 4 games I have taken notes on how the game was won and who was to credit.
AFC
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts
The first playoff game of 2014 ended up being the best of the week, though if it was judged solely on the first half, that wouldn’t be the case. The Chiefs defense was extremely impressive in the first half, giving up 10 points as Alex Smith’s equally impressive offense threw for 3 touchdowns in that span to help KC take a 31-10 lead going into the 2nd half. The Colts looked out of it on every drive offensively and defensively, which was very surprising considering they were huge favorites to win the game.
When Andrew Luck threw his 2nd interception (which eventually led to a 38-10 Chiefs route), it very much looked like it was over. And then suddenly the Colts outscored Kansas City 35-6 out of nowhere.
The final score was 45-44, in what became the 2nd biggest comeback in postseason history (Buffalo Bills comeback against the Houston Oilers in 1993). Chiefs coach Andy Reid deserves a lot of credit for turning Kansas City into winners this year, but questionable 2nd half timeouts (not to mention 6 injured Chiefs and the collapse of the defense) proved his undoing, and mental mistakes were everywhere for KC in the 2nd half. Alex Smith threw for 1 touchdown in the 2nd half as opposed to the 3 he had in the 1st half, but blame should not be placed solely on him. The Colts had far less possession time, and put 536 total yards on offense
Andrew Luck deserves all the credit in the world (made much smarter throws in the 2nd half) for leading Colts to the biggest postseason comeback of the 21st century. If there were any proof to show Luck’s skill as a comeback leader, this game would be it. Luck threw 443 yards for 4 touchdowns (3 interceptions as well) and had a QBR of 93.5. Of course, the play we will all remember is Luck’s fumble recovery turned into a touchdown. Some call it pure Luck (no pun intended), I call it great awareness of your surroundings. Colts face New England at Foxboro next week.
San Diego Chargers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The San Diego Chargers were considered a waste of a playoff spot by many, but defied that logic, shocking Bengals fans at Paul Brown Stadium with a 27-10 victory. Though San Diego was unspectacular on the day, the sums were greater than their parts. Phillip Rivers provided numbers when needed, going 12/16, 1 TD pass, without committing any turnovers of any kind.
On paper, Andy Dalton LOOKED to have the more successful day, throwing for 334 yards and a touchdown (almost tripling the amount of yardage Rivers threw in the same game), but in reality he looked like a mess. Turning over the ball 3 times (2 of them interceptions), Dalton finished with a QB rating of 14.2 and completed 29/52 passes. Numerous times I saw Dalton fail to connect with his receivers, and the team’s failure to convert on 3rd down (went 3 of 12 on 3rd down conversions) put Cincinnati in yet another early playoff exit.
The real stars of the game were the Chargers defense. Despite giving up 439 total yards, the defense allowed only 10 points, zero of which came in the 2nd half. Out of 3 total red zone attempts by the #Bengals, 1 was made successful. The Chargers also won the turnover battle, evident in that Danny Woodhead only got the ball on a return ONCE throughout the entire game.
So much for being a waste of a playoff spot.
NFC
New Orleans Saints vs. Philadelphia Eagles
In a tightly contested game at Lincoln Financial Field, the Saints defense surprisingly shut down Chip Kelly’s masterful offense. The Eagles, who averaged 417.3 yards a game (256.9 passing yards per game), were held to 257 total yards by New Orleans (176 passing yards). The biggest shutdown was on the rushing. Philadelphia averaged 160.4 rushing yards per game, the highest ranking in the NFL. On Saturday night, New Orleans only allowed 80 rushing yards on 22 attempts.
By comparison, the Saints offense put up 434 total yards, 249 passing and 185 rushing. Despite having thrown 2 interceptions, Drew Brees helped lead his team to victory with 250 passing yards and a touchdown., while completing 20/30 passes. Mark Ingram also led the way with 97 yards rushing and a touchdown. Like the previous games mentioned, nothing spectacular, but it didn’t matter in the end, as the Saints stole a victory late in the game with a 32-yard field goal from Shayne Graham as time expired. New Orleans will play a highly anticipated playoff rematch at Century Link Field against the Seattle Seahawks.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers
In the most interesting Wild Card matchup, San Francisco won its 2nd straight playoff matchup against Green Bay in a tightly contested 23-20 victory, which ended on a nearly blocked field goal by Phil Dawson, one of the best kickers in the game.
The most surprising aspect was that it took a significant amount of time for both offenses to get started. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers completed barely any passes in the first quarter, and his first 2 drives ended with 0 completions. The QB eventually finished with 177 yards completed 17/26 passes for a touchdown. Eddie Lacy also had 81 yards rushing and looked good for a while, but eventually San Francisco allowed nothing more.
49ers QB Colin Kaepernick, as criticized as he has been this season, was a lot of fun to watch on Sunday. His incredible stride from the previous matchup against Green Bay was back, as he ran for 98 yards on 7 carries (averaging 14.0 yards per carry). By comparison, running back Frank Gore ran for 66 yards on 20 carries. Kaepernick showed this late in the 4th quarter as he led his team to victory on the final drive of the game. He also threw for 227 yards and a touchdown.
But perhaps the biggest star of the game was kicker Phil Dawson. Known primarily for being with the Cleveland Browns most of his career, Dawson went a perfect 3/3 on kicks (5/5 if we’re including the 2 PAT kicks) in some of the coldest and ugliest weather conditions in NFL history. There’s a reason why he’s considered by some to be the best kicker in the NFL.
As I close out this week’s playoff notes, I expect the Divisional matchups to be a lot more interesting. There wasn’t too much done that was spectacular on the offensive side, but it was still a step up from last year’s Wild Card matchups by far.
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