Tagged As: NFL, Playoffs, Eagles, Dolphins, Vikings, Ravens

Saturday was awesome. I got to see two great, close games. I was hoping that Sunday could give me at least half the thrill. The story lines were not as great, but it was still postseason football. NFL playoff tickets may not have been near me because the Bears are awful, but I can still enjoy the excitement of playoffs in just about any sport. I did not enjoy Sunday even a fraction as much.

I felt like I was recovering from a hangover watching the games. The sad thing is that I did not even get buzzed the nigh before. The games simply put me in that much a malaise.

The day started off with the Baltimore Ravens at Dolphin Stadium. The announcers said it was 80 degrees in Miami. I walked over and felt the air around my window. It was not 80 degrees outside. It was not 80 degrees inside. I was reminded why I hate watching the Dolphins play. Most of the time it is the sickening uniforms. Aqua and Coral are not football colors. They are vacation colors. This game the Dolphins played like they were on vacation, losing 27-9.

The Ravens defense is tenacious, but it was not just Baltimore that won this game. It was also the awful play of the home team. I do not know how Miami won 11 games. Chad Pennington threw pick after pick. He apparently liked Ed Reed better as a receiver than anyone on his team. Reed returned one errant throw for a 64 yard touchdown. The Dolphins run game was more like a newly-neutered dog than a three headed beast.

Joe Flacco made big throws, but missed far too often. He finished 9/23 for 135 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. I like Flacco, but I do not watch Ravens football too often and would not think that this team scored 24.1 points per game. I am assuming that the defense gets at least one score a game then.

The second game of the day was the Philadelphia Eagles visiting the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings held on to the top spot in the NFC North. No team should have “held” on to the NFC North lead. The season was awful for just about every team. The sad thing is that after watching his 40 yard run I was once again reminded how truly awesome Adrian Peterson is out of the backfield. Speed and power. Future Hall of Fame player.

Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson? I blame much of the 26-14 loss on him. If he could do even a little better than 15/35, 164 yards, and one interception then Peterson would not have been running into a nine-man line. Jackson’s interception was returned for a touchdown too, so he is directly responsible for seven of the Eagles 26 points.

Donovan McNabb did well, throwing for 23 completions in 334 attempts for 300 yards with one touchdown and a pick. He was able to sidestep the vaunted Vikings front four and keep the ball moving enough to make up for a powerless running game.

Without question the Vikings season ended at the 6:37 mark in the fourth quarter when Brian Westbrook took a screen pass 71 yards to the end zone. He is Brian-Freaking”-Westbrook, the best all around back in the league. A safety or linebacker should be on him at all times.

The Eagles win sets up a second round match up with the New York Giants. This game has the added bonus of two teams that a true rivals. The Ravens play the Tennessee Titans in a game that should be a defensive struggle.

The other playoff games have the Chargers leaving the sun and fun of San Diego for the bitter cold of Pittsburgh for a game against an ailing Steelers team. The Cardinals play the Carolina Panthers in a game that will test the Panthers defense.