Divisional Playoff Results
The Cowboys got trounced while the Jets pulled off a huge upset victory in San Diego. New Orleans rolled through the Cardinals and Peyton Manning pulls to .500 in the playoffs over Baltimore.
Arizona Cardinals 14, New Orleans Saints 45 (predicted: Arizona Cardinals 17, New Orleans Saints 24)
So much for a close game. Although the Cardinals scored a touchdown on their opening drive the Saints didn’t let up on the gas the rest of the evening. The Cardinals didn’t even look like they left Arizona for most of the game. To cap it off, Kurt Warner had to go to the locker room before the half after a massive block when Warner tried to make a tackle. It’s a disappointing end for Arizona, who had visions of repeating last year’s improbable run to the Super Bowl.
Baltimore Ravens 3, Indianapolis Colts 20 (predicted: Baltimore Ravens 17, Indianapolis Colts 20)
Baltimore could not get anything going against a surprisingly resilient Indianapolis defense. The Colts’ playoff debut in 2010 is reminiscent of their Super Bowl season in 2006, when their defense was mediocre in the regular season but tightened up in the playoffs (well, not counting the epic Championship game against New England). The Ravens could not get to Peyton Manning, who got more than a little lucky when an Ed Reed interception was stripped by Pierre Garcon and recovered by the Colts.
Dallas Cowboys 3, Minnesota Vikings 34 (predicted: Dallas Cowboys 28, Minnesota Vikings 27)
I guess baby steps are good for the Cowboys. They won their wildcard game to get out of the media doghouse, but then promptly got stomped in Minnesota. Seriously… the Cowboys were never a threat after Tony Romo’s fumble early in the first quarter. Better luck next year.
New York Jets 17, San Diego Chargers 14 (predicted: New York Jets 14, San Diego Chargers 31)
Another pathetic playoff exit from the Chargers, this time the blame is on the high-flying offense on which the Chargers’ hopes rested. Specifically Nate Kaeding, who has the “crucial playoff field goal miss” down pat at this point. The Jets advance to Indianapolis on a running game and a stingy defense.
Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking when I made my predictions. Oh well. 2-2 for the divisional round, 2-8 overall. Ouch.
Leave a Reply