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| Bears' WR Brandon Marshall lays on the ground as Packers' CB Tramon Williams attempts to console him. |
Carolina Panthers 21 Atlanta Falcons 20
If the Panthers lost, the division title and a first-round bye would've went to the Saints. However, the Panthers were able to pull out the close win. Their defense is their strongest point for them, but the consistent good play of Cam Newton will be a question mark heading into the postseason. If the Panthers face the 49ers or Packers in that divisional round, they'll need Newton to bring a little more offense than expected.
Baltimore Ravens 17 Cincinnati Bengals 34
Many people expected the Ravens to somehow get into the playoffs because they're the defending champions and Joe Flacco is "Joe Cool." Simply put, the Ravens were nowhere close to the team that won the championship last year, and Flacco still isn't the franchise quarterback the Ravens desperately need him to be. This doesn't mean the Ravens should think twice about their expensive investment. They must get better at getting the most out of Flacco, and they didn't this year.
Jacksonville Jaguars 10 Indianapolis Colts 30
The Colts are riding into the postseason the way they would like to, but they'll have to play a Chiefs team that is probably angry about losing to them at home last week. The Colts have the most impressive resume in the league, beating the Seahawks, 49ers, Broncos and Chiefs. Still, there's that team that has been weak offensively since Reggie Wayne tore his ACL. The Colts will be an interesting postseason team.
New York Jets 20 Miami Dolphins 7
Dolphins' ownership may be fuming and decide to get rid of Joe Philbin. The Dolphins were in control of their own destiny after beating the Patriots at home. All they had to do was beat the Bills and the Jets and they were in. However, they only scored seven points in those two games combined, and they're now on the outside of the playoff picture. I don't think Philbin should be fired, but Ryan Tannehill must improve.
Detroit Lions 13 Minnesota Vikings 14
The Vikings closed out the Metrodome with little fanfare, but they got a win while the Lions appear to be on the verge of firing Jim Schwartz. The Vikings have already decided to fire Leslie Frazier. The downward spiral for the Lions is the fault of Matthew Stafford, who continues to put up big yardage but make terrible decisions at the same time. The Lions' inability to score points against teams they should've been able to beat is a direct result of Stafford, and it costs Schwartz his job. If Stafford doesn't improve next season, Lions' fans will be calling for his head.
Washington Redskins 6 New York Giants 20
Eli Manning couldn't finish out the game with an ankle injury, but he didn't look that good either. The Giants' offense remains basic, so offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride should be on the hot seat. Jerrel Jernigan was a bright spot for the Giants, after many people doubted him after three seasons of little production. Mike Shanahan is now reportedly gone, but they must worry about the long-term success of Robert Griffin III. This will be an interesting offseason for the Redskins.
Cleveland Browns 7 Pittsburgh Steelers 20
The Steelers came very close to being one of the most fortunate teams in NFL history. The odds for a playoff berth for the Steelers coming into Week 17 were slim, as they needed to win, plus get losses from the Ravens, Dolphins and Chargers to make it in. The Ravens and Dolphins were handled easily, so all the Steelers needed was a Chargers' loss. The Chargers almost lost, as Chiefs' kicker Ryan Succop missed an easy potential game-winning field goal. The Chargers got lucky in overtime and won, eliminating the Steelers.
Houston Texans 10 Tennessee Titans 16
The Texans are now on the clock as they ended the regular season with 14 consecutive losses. It is pretty clear they need a quarterback, so if Teddy Bridgewater or Johnny Manziel declares for the NFL Draft, the Texans will probably draft one of them. For the Titans, it isn't clear if they plan on keeping Mike Munchak. He has been linked to the Penn State job as well, as he is an alum. For now, it's a wait and see approach for him, as he would love to stay with the only NFL franchise he has ever been with.
San Francisco 49ers 23 Arizona Cardinals 20
It wouldn't have mattered if the Cardinals beat the 49ers because the Saints' victory eliminated the Cardinals from the postseason. Still, a 10-6 record was better than many expected, so Bruce Arians should be the frontrunner for the Coach of the Year award. The Cardinals must continue to get better from this. Something tells me Carson Palmer will regress next year and the Cardinals will be looking for a quarterback.
Buffalo Bills 20 New England Patriots 34
The Patriots secured their first-round bye with a win over the Bills. It didn't come easy as they had to battle through the rain, but they accomplished at least one home playoff game. It appeared the Patriots were going to play in Denver for the AFC Championship Game last year but an upset by the Ravens changed those plans. Could the Patriots being seeing the Broncos in Denver this year? We'll find out.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17 New Orleans Saints 42
The Saints left no doubt about their playoff hopes, winning easily to secure their spot. The Saints will play in Philadelphia, and that is no sure thing. The Eagles are hot right now and the Saints struggle outside of the Superdome. That should be an interesting matchup.
Denver Broncos 34 Oakland Raiders 14
Peyton Manning got the single-season passing yardage record a week after getting the single-season touchdown record. This is the all-time best performance of any quarterback in a single season in NFL history. However, we now get to see what that means when the Broncos are in the playoffs. The only Wild Card team the Broncos will not see is the Bengals. This means they will play the Colts, Chiefs or Chargers in the divisional round. I can see the Chargers winning in an upset, since they have historically gotten the better of Manning in the past. However, I don't see the Colts or Chiefs having much of a chance, so the Broncos should be at least in the AFC Championship Game.
Kansas City Chiefs 24 San Diego Chargers 27 OT
One has to wonder whether Ryan Succop gave the game to the Chargers. He missed a rather easy 41-yard field goal that would've eliminated the Chargers from the playoffs had he made it. Also, one must wonder whether the referees were pulling for the Chargers a little bit. On the fake punt in overtime, it isn't quite certain where Eric Weddle's forward progress was stopped at, but he fumbled and they ruled his forward progress had stopped before losing the football. Interesting set of circumstances but the Chargers are dangerous going into Cincinnati next week.
St. Louis Rams 9 Seattle Seahawks 27
The Seahawks didn't have a letdown in this one, winning easily and making sure they wrap up the top seed in the conference. It'll be hard to win in Seattle, so they are the favorites in the NFC to reach the Super Bowl. It'll be interesting to see what happens if their offense struggles. The Cardinals provided a little bit of a blueprint on how to beat the Seahawks despite performing poorly offensively.
Green Bay Packers 33 Chicago Bears 28
Easily the best game of the day! Both offenses were scoring with ease at times. Jay Cutler was better than expected, but Aaron Rodgers expectedly put the finishing touches on the game with a touchdown pass on 4th and 8 with under a minute to go. It was his escape ability that allowed for the play to happen like it did. The first touchdown for the Packers, however, should eat at the Bears the entire offseason. The ball was stripped loose from Rodgers' hands by Julius Peppers in the first half, but no one on the Bears thought to pick the ball up. Instead, Jarrett Boykin picked the ball up and ran it in for a touchdown.
Philadelphia Eagles 24 Dallas Cowboys 22
Everyone anticipated the final drive for the Cowboys turning out differently just because Tony Romo wasn't the quarterback. Kyle Orton ended up having the same fate Romo usually has, as he threw an interception on the very first play of their final drive. It'll be interesting to see if Jason Garrett returns. I believe he should, but you never know what goes on in Jerry Jones' head. The Eagles will have a tough one against the Saints, but at least it isn't in the Superdome.
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