2019 NFL Wild Card Round Winners and Losers

Winners

Indianapolis Colts

Surprisingly, the Colts slaughtered the Houston Texans in Texas to clinch a spot in the AFC Divisional round. WR T.Y. Hilton proved to be QB Andrew Luck's favorite receiver, having five catches for 85 yards out of ten targets. Overall, Indianapolis did great against a spectacular Houston defense who has been one of the best in the league. RB Marlon Mack had 154 total yards and a touchdown, proving to be one of the most underrated backs in the league. The best part of this offense though is the offensive line. For most of the game, they kept pro-bowl DE JJ Watt to only two tackles and gave up zero sacks. The defense did their job, keeping the Texans running game to a minimum so they could play the coverage they wanted to any play. They now move to Kansas City to play the Chiefs, where I believe they have a good shot after the performance they just had in Texas.

Nick Foles

Are we getting a second dose of Foles postseason magic? The Eagles really shouldn't have won that game in Chicago, but I don't think they will care that they did. QB Nick Foles had a not perfect, but a good enough performance to give Philadelphia a chance to win. He was 25/40, 266 yds, 2TD, and 2 INT, which are ok playoff stats. When you look at it again however, this was against perhaps the best defense in the NFC so the numbers are not as bad as they appear. It has been reported that Nick Foles will not return to Philly next season, so the rest of the postseason for him is building a resume for other teams if he chooses to not retire.

Dallas Cowboys' Offense

The Cowboys' offense powered Dallas to their first divisional round birth since 2016, and looking to advance to the NFC Championship since 1995. Seattle does not have a bad run defense, but RB Ezekiel Elliott ran through them. Elliott ran for 137 yards and a touchdown. QB Dak Prescott also had an alright game, throwing for 226 total yards. Prescott always seems to have someone open on a route, it is more just placing the throw where the receiver can grab it and not the defender. WRs Amari Cooper and Cole Beasley have been consistent for them so far since Cooper arrived from Oakland. I am curious how they rebound from losing WR Allen Hurns for the season with a gruesome dislocated ankle injury.

Mike Badgley

Kicking problems come up later on the list, but the LA Chargers had the opposite. Without K Mike Badgley, I firmly believe that the Ravens would have won that football game. Badgley was 5/6, scoring 15 points from 21, 34, 40, 47, and 53 yards away. The only reason that he wasn't perfect was that his field goal at the beginning of the third quarter was blocked. The LA offense was just not clicking on Sunday. RB Melvin Gordon only rushed for 40 yards, and QB Philip Rivers only threw for 160 yards. Their defense kept them in the game, but they could only do that for so long. Going into their showdown in New England this weekend, Mike Badgley better not be the last line of defense, but he is ready if it comes to that. I bet the Bears signed him.

Honorable mentions: Tyler Lockett, Mitchell Trubisky, Treyvon Hester, and the public

Losers

Cody Parkey

Wow, just wow. I still am in shock about this. If you have been living under a rock for the last 24 hours, you missed possibly the most funny/heartbreaking ending I can remember. The Bears were down 16-15 with ten seconds to go, setting up K Cody Parkey for a normal 43 yard field goal. The Eagles did what all teams usually do if they have a spare timeout, and iced the kicker. And it worked! Parkey sent it, hitting the left upright, then hitting the crossbar and bouncing out. There was a slight tip from Treyvon Hester, but I have a feeling it wouldn't have mattered too much. It was the sixth and seventh time he has hit the uprights this season. He was booed off the field, with Chicago fans obviously irritated that their fantastic season has come to an end. There is currently an idea going around Chicago to get rid of the goalposts all together. We'll see about that Chicago, I doubt that they will get rid of a staple in the game just because you kicker loves the posts.

Lamar Jackson getting hot a little too late

Was it a good decision to keep QB Lamar Jackson in the game? That is a question some fans are asking after a tough 23-17 loss at home to end their season. Jackson didn't really show up in the game until the second half, but sadly it was little bit too soon. The Ravens whole offense is run by Jackson, so when he is having an off day, the entire offense does. They have no real RB that can perform consistently. And of course, he fumbles it in their vital drive late in the fourth quarter. There is no question that they have their quarterback for the future, it just sucks for them that his slump happened in a playoff game.

Houston's playoff curse continues

Will the Texans ever win a playoff game? I know, they eventually will, but it just seams that they can never win a playoff game. They are now 3-5 in the playoffs. They have such a good team, including Deshaun Watson, Lamar Miller, and J.J. Watt. They were a playoff worthy team, but just faced a better team on the day. You have to feel bad for an organization that never has substantial success. Imagine if whatever team you root for never would reach the conference finals, it would be painful. I bet Houston will do well next season and be in contention for the playoffs next year, I just wish that they could get the deal even near done.

Seahawks' kicking

The Seahawks had a serious chance to win their game on Sunday night. Going into halftime, Seattle were only losing 10-6. But, they tried to get a field goal before the half ended and that may have lost them the game. When attempting the field goal, K Sebastian Janikowski injured his thigh. They had no back-up kicker, so starting rookie punter Michael Dickson had to kick. He drop kicked the kickoffs, and Seattle never attempted an extra-point in the second half. When it mattered most, Seattle needed Dickson to kick an onside kick. The problem was that I don't believe that he ever tried an onside kick in his professional career. He attempted a drop kick, but it went thirty-yards and Seattle lost the football game. To any future football coaches, make sure you have someone other than your normal kicker to be able to kick the football of the tee.

Honorable mentions: LA Chargers offense, Lamar Miller, Allen Hurns, and the #1 seeds