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NFL Wild Card Weekend proved just how big the NFL is in America. The ratings for last weekend were huge for the NFL and showed how much we love football in this country.
Houston won its first playoff game in franchise history in their first playoff game ever as a franchise. The Texans defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10 in a game that changed off an interception return for a touchdown by JJ Watt.
Even though the Bengals lost it looks like the Bengals’ future is bright. A couple of nice drafts have stocked Cincinnati with talent including a young quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver AJ Green.
The Bengals have some good pieces on defense and should build on this past season. A great storyline to watch next season is can the young Bengals continue to grow up.
Speaking of teams with a bright future, the Detroit Lions finally made the playoffs after two decades on missing out. The Lions lost a shootout to Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints 45-28 but who doesn’t lose shootouts to the Saints.
Detroit has drafted well and has a very young team. If the Lions can find a running game next season, this team will only get better.
The Lions need to fill some holes in the draft or with free agency and add depth. Just like the Bengals next season, watch to see if the Lions continue to grow.
Expectations were high in Atlanta this season. The Falcons traded a ton of picks for wide receiver Julio Jones out of Alabama.
Jones was supposed to provide the Falcons a deep threat to open up their running game. Atlanta had a nice season but had to go on the road to face the New York Giants.
The Giants stopped the Falcons on a few fourth down plays and took all the momentum from Atlanta. New York would take that captured momentum and never let it go while defeating the Falcons 24-2.
Atlanta became the first playoff team in history to score exactly two point and two points only. The Falcons playoff window is not closed but this team and quarterback Matt Ryan (0-3) need to start winning playoff games.
Which game was the most watched on Wild Card Weekend? It was the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Denver Broncos.
This game was the most watched program on TV since last year’s Super Bowl. There are a couple of reasons why this game was so highly watched.
One the Steelers are a national team. The Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and the New England Patriots along with Pittsburgh are huge ratings draws nationally.
The second reason is that Denver quarterback Tim Tebow is the most polarizing figure in the NFL. People want to watch to see if the Broncos win or lose.
It is a referendum on Tebow if he wins or loses. If Tebow wins he can be an NFL quarterback and if he loses it prove he can’t be an NFL quarterback.
The Steelers stuffed the run and forced the Broncos to throw the ball. Tebow would win the game with his arm or Denver would not win.
Even after Pittsburgh forced overtime, they stuck to their plan and it burned them once again as Tebow threw an 80 yard touchdown pass to win the game 29-23.
There is a question how long the playoff window for the Steelers stays open. The defense is getting older and needs to be retooled. How much many more years can Ben Roethlisberger take a pounding and stay an elite quarterback and the offensive line still needs work.
Wild Card Weekend now leads us to the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. Three of the four matchups are rematches of regular season games.
Houston played Baltimore in week six of the regular season. The Ravens defeated the Texans 29-14 at home.
The New York Giants hosted the Green Bay Packers in week 13 of the season. Green Bay defeated New York on a last second field goal for a 38-35 win.
Finally in week 15, New England traveled to Denver and defeated the Broncos 41-23. The score might look lopsided but it was a closer game than score indicates.
To be fair the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints played in the preseason. There is no way to consider a preseason game any indication of a real game but the Saints did win that preseason matchup.
In the divisional playoffs, since format changed in 1990, at least one road team has won. In five of the last six years two road teams have won.
There is a simple blueprint for Saints, Giants, and Broncos to win this weekend. One common theme is shared between the 49ers, Patriots and Packers.
Here is a look at the playoff games this weekend (excluding the Saints/49ers) in order of which his more highly anticipated.
Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens (12p.m. CBS, Sunday Jan. 15)
These two teams are nearly mirror images of each other. The Texans are the second ranked overall defense and the Ravens are the third overall defense.
Houston is ranked third against the pass giving up 190 yards per game with 44 sacks and 17 interceptions. Baltimore is ranked fourth in pass defense only allowing 196 yards a game with 15 interceptions and 48 sacks.
The Ravens are second against the run in the NFL giving up just 92.6 rush yards per game. Texans are not terrible facing other teams rush attacks being ranked fourth and only allowing 96 yards on the ground.
Even on offense these two teams are similar as well. Both the Ravens and the Texans like to run the ball.
Houston is the second ranked rushing team in the NFL averaging 153 yards on the ground. Baltimore is ranked tenth in rushing putting up 124.8 rushing yards per game.
At time the Ravens go way from the running game and seem to forget about running back Ray Rice. Houston will need their backs to put up numbers to help rookie quarterback TJ Yates.
Both teams are ranked very close in the passing game. Houston is averaging 219 yards for 18th in the NFL and Baltimore is ranked 19th with 214 passing yards per game.
In the first meeting the Texans had quarterback Matt Schaub but not wide receiver Andre Johnson. Schaub is not hurt and out for the season but Johnson is back and major weapon.
Read the rest of this post at JFPSports.com.
