Well it’s that time of year: winter is in full swing, snow is falling, and the best teams in the NFL have played throughout the season to secure a playoff spot. So far the playoff season has been highly dramatic, but at the same time boring. This year playoffs have been filled with excitement, nail-biter games, and games that a normal person turned off by the second quarter. The Super Bowl was determined in the end with the Colts and the Saints playing for the championship.
Starting with the AFC Division with the wildcard weekend, the Jets faced the Bengals at home and the Ravens met the Patriots in New England. The Jets and Bengals games ended being a rematch of the last regular season game, which ended with a lop-sided win for the Jets. This game wasn’t any different. The Jets outplayed and outscored the Bengals 24-14, which let the Jets move onto the second round. The Pats game was speculated to be an easy blowout or the Patriots, but reality would say differently. The game ended up being a huge loss in which the Ravens won big against the Pats 33-14. The NFC division weekend ended up being a rematch of the last games of the regular seasons, with the Cowboys facing the Eagles and the Packers facing the Cardinals. If anyone watched these games, it looked like a repeat of the final games of the regular season. The Cowboys and Eagles game ended up with a one-sided win for the Cowboys 34-14. As for the Packers and the Cardinals, it seemed to be the most interesting of the wildcard games. The game ended in overtime, with the spectacular offenses of both teams being overshadowed by an unusual defensive Arizona touchdown.
The next set of games came quickly. Starting in the AFC, the Ravens traveled to the Colts and the Jets played the Chargers in seriously one-sided games. The Colts knocked off the Ravens, 20-3 and the surprising Jets overtook the Chargers. This win surprised many people, as the Jets had been the underdogs in the playoffs. In the NFC, the Cardinals played the Saints and the Cowboys played the Vikings. The Cardinals outplayed the Saints by the numbers; however the Saints still rallied 45-14. The Vikings and Cowboys game was a bit of a nail biter. This season has been a great season for Brett Favre, leading the Vikings to the playoffs and over the Cowboys 34-4.
Contending for the AFC title game were the Colts and the Jets. Many people did not think that the Jets would get this far in the playoffs, especially with a rookie quarterback and coach. This game at first glance looked like the Jets might pull off the impossible and win against the Colts, who were one of the best numerical teams during the regular season. The second half of the game was a different story. Payton Manning led the Colts to a win over the Jets, which sent the Colts to southern Florida for the Super Bowl. The NFC championship, which involved the Vikings and the Saints, was the most exciting game of the entire playoff season. The game was back and forth and ended in overtime. Breakdown by star quarterback Brett Favre led to a late overtime field goal by Saints kicker Garrett Hartley, securing New Orleans first trip to the Super Bowl.
Make sure to catch the Super Bowl on Feb. 7, and our in-depth analysis article on Feb. 10!
