The NFL Divisional Playoffs followed the exact same pattern as Wild-Card Weekend did: three lackluster blowouts and a nail-biter.
On Saturday, the Saints showcased the Cardinals defensive woes in a 45-14 win in what could have been Kurt Warner’s final game. Later that evening, the Colts defense shut down Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, and the Ravens offense in a 20-3 victory.
On Sunday, Tony Romo had a typically lackluster playoff performance, while Brett Favre showed that he hasn’t lost a step with age in a 34-3 blowout Minnesota win. The upset of the weekend belonged to Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets, as they cooled off the red-hot Chargers in a 17-14, down-to-the-wire slugfest.
This sets up the two games next weekend to have one marquee matchup with the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints, one upstart rematch between the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts.
New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, 3:00
In yet another rematch of a game this season, the Jets visit Indianapolis for the second time. However, the game looks to be much, much different. In week 16, the two teams faced off and the Jets came away with a 29-15 victory after trailing 9-3 at halftime when Jim Caldwell pulled the Colts starters.
Rex Ryan has said that he would be “shocked” if the Jets do not come away with a win in this game, exhibiting the swagger that his team has had throughout its playoff run. If Ryan is saying it, it’s obvious his team is feeling it, which makes the Jets a very dangerous foe for the Colts. The running game for New York has been on fire, with Shonn Green coming on strong throughout the playoffs and Thomas Jones being one of the top rushers in the regular season. In the 17-14 upset win over San Diego, the two combined for 169 yards on 37 carries and a touchdown. When the Jets played the Colts in December, Green and Jones totaled 200 yards on 39 carries and a touchdown. Watch the Jets go to the ground often.
The Colts can keep the Jets off the ground and send Sanchez to the air if Peyton Manning can get the team out to an early lead as he did in the Colts’ 20-3 victory over Baltimore. The Colts effectively took Rice, Willis McGahee, and Le’Ron McClain out of the game for Baltimore, putting everything on the shoulders of Flacco, who couldn’t deliver. The Colts need to do the same thing against New York and make Sanchez try to beat them.
It looks like the weight of the game for the Colts will be on Manning again this week. Against a tough Baltimore defense, the Colts running game only managed 42 yards on 25 carries, forcing Manning to throw 44 times in a game. Granted, most of those throws were short passes to his wide receivers, but Joseph Addai and Donald Brown will have to help take the pressure off Manning because Darrelle Revis is waiting in the secondary.
Revis has cemented himself as the premier corner in the league after his performance in the playoffs. He will most likely shadow Reggie Wayne all over the field, making Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon, and Dallas Clark the prime options for Manning. At the same time Manning is watching for Revis, he’ll also have to watch for Kerry Rhodes and Jim Leonhard, the two ballhawking safeties for New York.
This game will come down to the Jets’ running game and Manning’s effectiveness. If one fails, then that respective team is going to lose. Neither team show signs of slowing down, but Manning has been to the playoffs before and has a distinct advantage over Sanchez.
Pick: Colts 20, Jets 17
Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints, Sunday, 6:40
The Saints shook off the rust from the end of the regular season by steamrolling the Cardinals 45-14. Drew Brees had the offense clicking on all cylinders and the Saints defense showed up, confusing Warner the entire game. The Saints offense was fluid, with Reggie Bush running downhill and showcasing his talent, Jeremy Shockey fighting through injuries to make a touchdown catch, and Devery Henderson making a twisting, athletic touchdown catch on a flea-flicker in the third quarter. Any questions about the Saints not being able to perform after losing their final three games to close out the season were answered.
The Vikings also recovered from a late-season swoon to kick the Cowboys out of the playoffs. Favre “looked like a kid out there” per usual, and has turned Sidney Rice into one of the best young wide receivers in the league. Romo looked like his usual playoff self, missing his targets and being easily flustered. The Saints and Vikings both found their stride and both have momentum behind them heading into Sunday’s game.
Both teams feature balanced offenses with great quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers, which puts the pressure on the defenses to keep the opposition out of the end zone. The pressure falls specifically on the secondary of each team. New Orleans will have to get big games out of Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer, while also needing Malcolm Jenkins and Randall Gay to step up when Minnesota goes into three and four wide receiver sets.
On the other side, Antoine Winfield has been banged up recently, but was listed as probable for the game against the Cowboys. After Winfield, the other primary corners for Minnesota are Cedric Griffin, Benny Sapp, and Karl Paymah. Sapp and Paymah will be targeted by Brees because they were exposed at times this season.
There are so many variables going into this game: Favre, Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, Brees, Pierre Thomas, Bush, Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, Jeremy Shockey, Jonathon Vilma. It’s a laundry list of superstars and the game will come down to whoever can make the biggest plays. Watch for Bush to build on last week’s performance and make the play of the game.
Pick: Saints 35, Vikings 34
Daniel Gallen can be reached for comment at [email protected].