NFL Wild Card, Postmortem
The Wild Card round is over. On to the divisional playoffs. This Wild Card round was one of the least competitive rounds in recent memory. All the games were blowouts, although Green Bay vs. NY Giants was close at halftime (GB 14, NYG 6). I will give my postmortem of each game, starting with Oakland at Houston.
Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans: the Texans showed why they have the NFL's #1 defense. Jadeveon Clowney was a beast. He was by far the best player on the field for either team. He made his impact felt early with a pass defensed and his first career INT, and the Texans fed off of it. He is fending off talk that he was a colossal bust, and showed why he was the #1 overall pick when the Texans drafted him out of South Carolina a couple of years ago. It didn't help the Raiders that Connor Cook was making his first NFL start in a playoff game. Cook looked shaky, but I attribute that to the complex schemes and personnel the Texans threw at him. Brock Osweiler LOOKED like a $72 million quarterback; he was making all the throws that great QB's make. The Texans ran the ball effective enough to keep the Raiders' pass rush honest. Let's face it, Oakland is an ENTIRELY different team without Derek Carr at the helm. The Raiders were 12-3 and a legitimate Super Bowl contender with Carr behind center, 0-2 without him. Amazingly, this was the closest game of the entire weekend (MOV: 13 points). Houston moves on to face New England in Foxboro. (Analysis of that game and the other divisional round games later in the week.)
Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks: while the Lions' defense did some good things (like sack Russell Wilson on back-to-back plays early in the game), their defensive shortcomings were exposed. Ziggy Ansah needs help, plus he has been battling a high ankle sprain which limits that explosiveness he's known for. My question for Darrell Bevell: why don't you give the ball to Thomas Rawls more often? He may not be the home run threat that Marshawn Lynch was but he can consistently move the chains and keep the clock moving. The Hawks need every man up against Atlanta this weekend because the Falcons are EXPLOSIVE. As for the Lions, Matthew Stafford needs to get healthy, he needs a consistent running game, plus the Lions need a road grader at right tackle.
Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers: missed opportunities by the Dolphins. They had a chance to make it a one-score game at halftime, but they began a streak of four straight possessions in which they committed a turnover. In the playoffs, turnovers and mistakes are much more magnified than in the regular season. Jay Ajayi, their big rushing weapon, was held to 33 yards on 16 carries by the Steelers' stout defense. Matt Moore did throw for nearly 300 yards and one TD, but also took a beating similar to the Timex watches of yesteryear. He took a licking and still kept on ticking. The Steelers did a great job on defense. James Harrison turned back the clock a decade, when he was the most dominant OLB in the NFL. The front three got a push more often than not, and dominated the point of attack. On offense, it was pretty much Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell. Brown turned two short, simple passes into long TD's. Bell set a franchise postseason record with 167 yards on 29 carries and 2 TD's. Ben Roethlisberger was effective enough, but also threw 2 INT's. The Steelers have a huge advantage of not facing New England until possibly the AFC Championship, should they beat Kansas City next Sunday. Beating KC there is a VERY tough task.
New York Giants at Green Bay Packers: missed opportunities by the Giants. Colossal mistakes on defense. Aaron Rodgers shredding the Giants' defense to the tune of 362 yards passing and 4 TD's, 3 to Randall Cobb, who's finally healthy. The Packers are a MUCH more dangerous team with a healthy Randall Cobb. Davante Adams also caught a TD pass and was the Packers' leading receiver with 8 catches for 125 yards and that one TD. Cobb contributed 116 yards on 5 catches. One of those catches was yet another Hail Mary from Rodgers that swung the momentum in the Packers' favor. Jordy Nelson was injured (ribs) during the game. They need a healthy Nelson against the Cowboys. Eli Manning didn't have one of his better playoff games, despite throwing for 299 yards, a TD, and an INT. One question I have: why didn't the Giants continue to run the ball on the Packers when they had opportunities? They WERE moving the ball on the ground effectively, and you keep a white-hot QB like Rodgers on the bench and limit his opportunities. Note to the Giants: it's time to think about drafting Manning's successor. Perhaps Father Time is beginning to loom larger in Manning's rear-view mirror.
