In a round full of blow-outs where every game save one was decided by half time, the true elite of the NFL stepped up their game and established themselves as a clear cut above their overmatched and overwhelmed counterparts en route to the NFL’s own version of the final four.  Now, only the Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and New York Jets are still standing with a shot to stamp their one-way ticket to the Super Bowl in Miami on February 7th.

New York 17

at San Diego 14

Review:  The only truly competitive 60 minutes of football in the Divisional Round of the playoffs saw the underdog Jets go into Southern California and emphasize the tried and true formula of playing solid defense and establishing the run to escape with a narrow three point victory over the Chargers.  This loss rests squarely on the shoulders of San Diego kicker extraordinaire Nate Kaeding, who choked under pressure multiple times, missing two field goals under 40 yards (and three kicks total) at clutch moments in the game that would have drastically altered the outcome of this contest and the rest of San Diego’s season.  There’s enough blame to go around for all of the Chargers offense however, as they weren’t able to cap off enough drives with touchdowns, weren’t able to convert on third downs to keep drives alive, and routinely got stuffed when trying to run the ball.  This lackluster offensive outing overshadowed the superior effort by San Diego’s defense, who held the Jets in check even when turnovers were giving Gang Green short fields and the time of possession was starting to drastically tip in the favor of New York in the second half.  Jets rookie quarterback (and USC alum) Mark Sanchez was able to march back into his old stomping grounds and come away with an upset victory thanks to his dominant defense and the stellar running of fellow rookie phenom Shonn Greene, who’s stolen the show for New York so far in the playoffs.  The Jets will need Greene and the defense to step up big again as they now go on to face Peyton Manning and the top ranked Colts in Indy to see who will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

News and Notes:

Minnesota whooped on Dallas as the Brett Favre to Sidney Rice show was in full effect.  Favre showed that the Cowboys had plenty of holes in their secondary as he burned them for four touchdowns while his own defense was in Tony Romo’s grill all game long.  Felix Jones took over lead back duties from Marion Barber but it wasn’t enough to impact the game, as Minny pulled away big in the second quarter and never looked back.

New Orleans laid a beat down on Arizona and someone finally told Reggie Bush that he’s actually allowed to hit defenders.  Bush looked like a different player and  played like a beast, running over safeties and making guys miss while helping his team score 45 points in the first half alone.  The Saints defense was just as dominant, pasting Kurt Warner multiple times and knocking him from the game.  Tim Hightower started the game with a huge touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage, but the Saints responded in a big way and stifled the Cards the rest of the way.

Indy’s win over Baltimore was effortless, as calm, cool, and under control Peyton Manning helped the Colts build a double-digit lead at half time and then let the Ravens unravel the rest of the way.  Joe Flacco threw two picks in the fourth quarter, Ray Rice added a fumble, and the one turnover that the Baltimore defense was fortunate enough to force, it gave right back by fumbling the interception return.  Way too many mistakes for the Ravens to try to overcome as they went out with a whimper instead of a bang.


Categories: Red Flag Review