Historically, being a fan of the Vikings and Bengals has been difficult. This weekend was particularly difficult. One team lost through self-implosion. The other lost on an inexplicable missed field goal. I wonder which was worse. As a fan, is it tougher to lose when your team throws the game away because of stupid penalties? Or, is it worse to watch the win evaporate right before your own eyes, when your normally reliable kicker misses a field goal from a distance where the success rate is higher than 97%? Sometimes, it’s nice to be a Raider fan. Even the Raiders don’t lose important games - well they haven’t played in any important games recently - quite like that. All around, it was a bad weekend for football fans, as no fans left their stadium after a victory. All four wild card teams went into the weekend as favorites, and all four left as winners.
On a positive note, I was one Blair Walsh field goal away from going 4-0 over Wild Card Weekend. However, I am satisfied with going 3-1 straight up and 3-1 against the spread (ATS). Let’s take a closer look at the matchups.
Kansas City Chiefs defeat Houston Texans, 30-0
The AFC South has been rightfully eliminated from the playoffs. The division was awful this year, and the division champion was not very impressive either. Hoyer is not exactly playoff material, and it showed, based on his four first half turnovers. Looks like I made the right prediction, but for the wrong game, based on this predictive quote from my last post: “McCarron throws three interceptions in the first two quarters, as the Bengals are booed off the field at halftime.” Switch “McCarron” to “Hoyer” and “Bengals” to “Texans,” and suddenly I am looking pretty smart. Either way, I did predict an 11 point win for the Chiefs, so I can’t be too ashamed of this prediction. Even I - who claims the Chiefs are not nearly as good as they appear - predicted that the Texans would be no match for the hottest team in the NFL.
The Chiefs played smart, mistake-free football, and easily took care of business by excelling at what they do best: running the ball and playing defense. This game was a quintessential example of who Alex Smith is as a quarterback. How often do you see a team win a game by 30 points, when their quarterback throws for 190 yards? Of those 190 yards, 128 went to Alex Smith’s favorite safety valve, Travis Kelce. Am I stubborn for not being impressed by the Chiefs yet? Of course I am! But I don’t care! Beat New England next week and I will reconsider… maybe.
Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Cincinnati Bengals, 18-16
This game was a classic AFC North grudge match, featuring violent plays and ugly football. The Steelers have been one of the most aesthetically pleasing offenses to watch this season, except when they play against any of their AFC North rivals (maybe other than the Browns). Of course, the rain may have had a bit to do with the sloppy play early in the game, but either way, the first half was offensively ugly, as the Steelers were only able to manage three field goals. Not to be outdone, the Bengals were left scoreless, making Andy Dalton seem more and more valuable to the Cincinnati offense, as each scoreless minute passed by in the first half. When the Steelers finally scored the first touchdown of the day, making it 15-0, the game seemed all but over. And things only got worse for the Bengals when a hard hit on Giovani Bernard forced a fumble and took Bernard out of the game with a concussion. At this point, tensions began to rise, as they often tend to do in the AFC North, with plenty of pushing and shoving to go around. On the ensuing Steeler possession a dirty hit by Vontaze Burfict took Roethlisberger out of the game. However, with the score 15-0 going into the fourth quarter, it still seemed as though the game had been decided, as McCarron and the Cincinnati offense had been totally inept all game.
However, those many field goals finally came back to haunt Pittsburgh. Thanks to the Steelers’ early inability to get into the endzone, the Bengals were able to hang around all game. A generous PI call set up the first Cincinnati touchdown. Suddenly, we had a game. With Landry Jones in at quarterback, it was the Steelers who were now unable to move the ball. As the fourth quarter wound down, McCarron made the big throw, hitting Green for what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown, especially since Roethlisberger was still out. Jones promptly threw a pick to Burfict, only to be outdone by Jeremy Hill’s fumble on the ensuing possession. At this point Roethlisberger had seen enough. However, it would be Cincinatti stupidity, rather than Big Ben heroics that would clinch the game for Pittsburgh, as 30 yards of penalty yards would eventually set up the game-winning field goal.
The Burfict hit on Brown was dirty, but it is hard to blame Pacman Jones for the following unsportsmanlike conduct, as coach Joey Porter had no business being on the field. Still, a player has to keep his cool in such a critical situation. However, a coach-induced penalty is not the way a game should end. At 0-7, Marvin Lewis is now the least successful playoff coach in NFL history. Obviously, the hot takes are that Marvin Lewis should be fired, but solely blaming a coach for a lack of playoff success is simply not fair. Bad luck has been Marvin Lewis’s worst enemy. Generally, a bad coach does not qualify for the playoffs six years in a row. Unfortunately, Lewis seems to be the easy target for blame, as he continues to search for that elusive playoff victory.
Seattle Seahawks defeat Minnesota Vikings, 10-9
What an unfortunate day to be a fan of the Minnesota Vikings. While Minnesota is a franchise infamous for heartbreaking defeat and overall ineptitude, even this loss will sting in Minnesota. The Vikings had their chances. To say that the blame for the loss rests solely on the shoulders of Blair Walsh is ridiculous. The Vikings defense was dominant in the first half. The frigid conditions certainly helped, but the overall play by the Minnesota defense was carrying the day, as the Vikings headed into the fourth quarter with a 9-0 lead. However, Minnesota’s failures to reach the endzone are what ultimately doomed them. One miracle play by Russell Wilson on a botched snap completely changed the look and momentum of the game. Adrian Peterson was unable to get going all day, and he had the critical fumble that ultimately led to Seattle’s game-winning field goal.
Even though I said that you can’t put all the blame on Walsh, it is still the main talking point from the day. Walsh pointed out the fact that he should never miss that kick, no matter how bad the hold was. And others will point out that “laces in” is not the death sentence for a kick; however it does pose a minor nuisance, with the mental implications of seeing laces probably having the greatest impact on the kicker. Bridgewater had just completed an impressive, veteran-like drive down the field, but ultimately it was all for naught. On a day when the running game simply could not get going Bridgewater showed what he could do, even if it only resulted in nine points.
With respect to my predictions, claiming that Lynch would rush for 150 yards ended up not being very accurate, especially since Lynch did not make the trip to Minneapolis. Also, my prediction of Walsh making a game-winning kick was obviously not so accurate. Maybe one day I will learn from my mistakes and pick the Seahawks to win some playoff games. For now, Walsh serves as a convenient excuse for my one miss of the weekend.
Green Bay Packers defeat Washington Redskins, 35-18
Confidence in Washington was high heading into this one. Whether it had more to do with the Packers’ poor end to the season or the Redskins’ resurgence is a good question. Ultimately, Green Bay was viewed as small favorites. The Redskins didn’t seem too happy about playing the role of the underdog, on their way to an early 11-0 lead (which should have been 15-0 if Desean Jackson knew how to reach the ball across the endzone). However, after a slow start, Rodgers showed us all what one of the top quarterbacks in the game can do, leading the Packers on six scoring drives over seven possessions.
The Packers were able to quickly turn the game around, taking a 17-11 lead into the half. Washington came out of halftime hot though, as Cousins led Washington down the field and capped off the opening drive of the half with a 3-yard touchdown run. However, that would be the last moment of celebration for Washington, as the Packers finished the game with 18 unanswered points, crushing Washington’s hopes of winning a playoff game. Aaron Rodgers and the dominant Packers that we have gotten used to showed up for this game. If this team continues to play at this caliber, they suddenly become a dangerous opponent for any team in the NFL.
Predictions for the Divisional Round will be coming in later this week. For now, I am going to focus on the fact that the Raiders are not moving to Los Angeles (at least not yet). This is great news (for me)! Sorry for all the home fans of the Rams and Chargers out there. Getting screwed over by your billionaire owners must be annoying as hell. I recommend playing the lottery. Jackpot is at like $1.5 Billion right now. Maybe that would be enough money to buy back your team.
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