The NFL Wild Card round is now over, with some teams moving in and others going home. “Defense wins championships” may be the oldest football cliche ever, but we saw why this weekend. The teams who played more physical won for the most part. Another cliche is “it’s better to be lucky than good”. Just ask the Eagles.
Colts over Texans 21-7:
Ever since the Colts won two straight after their 1-5 start, I have been calling them my dark horse team. They came to play Saturday evening, while Houston was sleepwalking at home. Indy jumped out to a 14-0 start in the first few minutes and they never looked back. Marlon Mack had a huge game, finishing with 148 rushing yards. TY Hilton had another big game, something he is accustomed to against Houston throughout his career. Deshaun Watson and the Texans looked out of rhythm all game. Indy constantly had a linebacker dropping back to double cover DeAndre Hopkins, leaving openings in the middle of the field. Outside of hitting Keke Coutee on the occasional drag route, he couldn’t make big plays. He overthrew Ryan Griffin on a sure TD, and he missed an opportunity to score after leading a long drive into his red zone. Let’s be real, the Texans have a long history of crumbling in the playoffs. Indy looked more prepared, and they won because of it.
Cowboys over Seahawks 24-22:
This was quite an interesting matchup, considering the strategic similarities the two teams share. Both teams have mobile quarterbacks, stout running games, and attacking defenses. The game came down to which offense would get hot first after both defenses dominated in the first half, which ended up being the Cowboys. Pete Carroll has used supreme scheming to develop an elite running game this year despite an awful o-line, including using an extra tackle in George Fant. This worked for several weeks, but Dallas’ defense may have been a step up in competition. Dak Prescott is no superstar, but he did just enough to win as usual. His ability to run late was critical in closing out the game, and he played big in the big moments. Dallas was better equipped to play smash mouth football. Ezekiel Elliott is the best running back in the league, while Chris Carson is only above average. Dallas’ o-line, albeit banged up, is light years ahead of Seattle’s. Although Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett are very good receivers, Amari Cooper has big play burst that neither of them have. This included a big reception in the fourth quarter which led to Dallas taking the lead. The Seahawks stalled out on offense, and losing Sebastian Janikowski certainly hindered their ability to kick. His backup was rugby style punter Michael Dickson, who has little experience kicking a ball traditionally. Seattle opted against attempting a 57 yard field at the end of the half for this reason. The Cowboys go as Zeke goes, and Saturday was no different. He only had 26 yards in the first quarter, but he got going after that. He had a 44-yard run before halftime which set Dallas up for their lone first half touchdown. He finished with 137 yards on 26 carries. His big performance in the second half is a big reason why Dallas was able to take control.
Chargers over Ravens 23-17:
This game was not as close as the score may indicate, as the Chargers completely dominated the Ravens Sunday. Baltimore has been winning games with their defense, but the Chargers o-line won the battle up front and neutralized the Ravens pass rush. Philip Rivers went 22-32 for 160 yards. He didn’t have any TDs or picks, and he was sacked once. The Ravens looked lost on offense all game, highlighted by Lamar Jackson fumbling the ball twice on his first two drives. I knew he was in trouble after the first one. His youthful inexperience showed, and Baltimore did not have an emergency option in case he struggled. Many have suggested he should have been pulled for veteran Super Bowl champ Joe Flacco. I think that would have been disastrous, considering Flacco has not played since week nine and the offensive scheme is totally foreign to him. Playing RG3 may have been a better option, but he was not dressed. Jackson actually played well late, scoring 14 of the team’s 17 points in the fourth quarter. But he only had three completions and three first downs previously. The Chargers defense looked like the best unit on the field Saturday, constantly putting pressure on Jackson. They limited his ability to escape the pocket, and sacked him a whopping seven times. DT Justin Jones, who was replacing Brandon Mebane, did a great job of setting the tone. Melvin Ingram III was awesome at stuffing the run as well. These factors took away all of Jackson’s weapons, and he didn’t look comfortable until it was far too late. Chargers d-lineman Damion Square claimed the team knew exactly what to expect from Baltimore. That certainly appears to be the case. The Chargers came out with seven defensive backs, deciding to match Jackson’s speed. This is an atypical look against Baltimore, possibly explaining why Jackson looked so confused. This is the first time Jackson faced a team more than once in his career. He took over halfway through the season, after Baltimore played each divisional opponent the first time. Jackson looked far better when they recently beat LA in week. The Chargers clearly made the proper adjustment, a credit to DC Gus Bradley. Bradley was DC for Seattle during the height of their success, and his defenses looked good during his stint as the Jaguars’ head coach. Outside of a late run, the Chargers totally shut Baltimore down. Also, do replay reviews have to take so long? Ugh. Waiting for the game to end was like watching paint dry.
Eagles over Bears 16-15:
Uh-oh, could this be the start of another magical Nick Foles run? This game was an even matchup throughout, but it ended with ex-Eagle Cody Parkey missing a kick that hit the upright and the crossbar. To add insult to injury, he made the same kick just before Doug Pederson calling the icing timeout. Parkey has struggled all year, including a week 10 game against Detroit where he hit the upright four times. Like the rest of the games this weekend, this was a defensive struggle as well. Everyone expected a stingy performance by Chicago’s top notch defense, but the Eagles d stepped up and matched their intensity. Mitchell Trubisky played better than I anticipated, and he made a few spectacular throws. But much like the Chargers did to Lamar Jackson, Philly kept Trubisky in the pocket. Despite Trubisky’s performance, the lack of skill position threats were evident. Coach Nagy has been innovative all year in terms of exotic playcalling, using well timed sweep plays, and utilizing speedster Tarik Cohen. Nagy ran a more conventional offense Sunday, and the run game got shut down. This made Trubisky have to win it with his arm, which is more than he is used to. Chicago moved the ball well for the most part, but they came up small on third down and in the red zone. They left a bunch of points on the table, which is why the game came down to a field goal. The x-factor for Philly in this game was Golden Tate, who has only been ordinary since being acquired mid-season. He made a catch while taking a huge hit in the second quarter, and he made the go ahead TD catch on fourth down after running a perfect route. Moving forward, the Eagles are dangerous as long as Foles does not turn the ball over. Could lightning really strike twice?
