Not me (I wish), but a guy that has played evry game and done pretty well I would say. Here are his writeups for today to share the love. 
Well the divisional round seemed to have a couple more twists that were unexpected. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe a team like the New York Jets would be able to go into a hostile environment like Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego to pull off the upset. I mean, the Chargers have one of the most potent offenses and they were held to just 14 points. I really don’t want to make up excuses but when you aren’t able to execute your game plan, you typically don’t win ball games. This was the case for QB Phillip Rivers and Co. The Chargers had no rhythm offensively because the Jets were able to mix up their blitz schemes and when they brought heat it often confused Rivers and forced him to rush through his progressions, leaving him with short dumpoffs and screen plays that the Jets were ready for.
From the beginning I thought the Chargers were rusty. Rivers had a tough day going 27/40, 298 1 TD, 2 INT’s but his teammate RB LaDainian Tomlinson had an even worse day. LT had 12 carries for just 34 yards and his status as the starting RB in San Diego is really being questioned. I just don’t think he has it anymore; not that it would have changed the way this game was played. I just think he has lost a step and now the Chargers are paying for it because they have no running game and their back up Darren Sproles only weighs about 145 LBS soaking wet.
Overall I don’t believe the Chargers were at their best in this game and it is hard to read how they could’ve responded differently. I do believe that the extra week of rest was more harmful than good because of the timing and rhythm that was lost. It became too much for the San Diego offense and they never looked threatening until deep in the 3rd quarter. Of course some people will look at the kicker and say he is to blame but I disagree. Sure the Chargers would have won the game if he nailed 2 out of 3 but that does not change the complexion of the game. The Jets stayed disciplined and they capitalized on the few chances that they were given. Those Jets have a lot of fight in them and lets see if they can carry it into the Conference playoff game.
The Chargers game was really frustrating to watch and often times I found myself pacing throughout the house just trying to find something else to do. It was fate. I knew that the Chargers had little chance at winning when it was the 4th quarter but this was not the most disturbing part of my weekend. The night game on Saturday was the most annoying game of the weekend. Every time the Ravens had momentum they had it ripped away. I really thought the Ravens going into this contest had a great chance at pulling off the upset. In the beginning of the game all looked well. The Ravens initially held the Colts to 3 points on the opening drive and that was a good start. They followed that up with a 15 play drive of their own but had to settle for a field goal. The next two series on defense were productive for the Ravens D but eventually they broke down at the end of the 2nd quarter. Manning went on a 14 play, 8 minute drive to finish it off with a TD toss to WR Austin Collie. The TD itself wasn’t horrible but the ensuing drive by the Ravens was. The Ravens decided they would try and put points on the board before going into halftime. What they didn’t realize is they were going against a defense that forced them into 4, 3 and outs following their 3-point opening drive. Ouch! If I must explain, the Ravens had the ball with 1:55 to go but failed to execute the smartest game plan. Instead they decided to air it out 3 straight times. On first down Flacco completed a 4-yard pass to Ray Rice and the Colts called their first time out. On 2nd down Flacco threw incomplete and the same on 4th down. This was the 4th, 3 and out of the half for Flacco and Co. With 1:26 left and 2 Time Outs, the Colts managed to run 8 plays and finish the drive with a 3-yard TD pass to WR Reggie Wayne.
Things became worse and worse for the Ravens as they had chances in the 2nd half to tie the game but shot themselves in the foot with penalties. Some of the penalties were really questionable and all of them were at inopportune times. Twice Safety Ed Reed picked off Manning and brought the ball inside the Colts 40-yard line. On one of the plays Reed had the ball stripped by WR Pierre Garcon, and on the chance they called pass interference on the defense, Corey Ivy was the guilty party. Had the Ravens capitalized on those two extremely rare chances, the Ravens would have been right back in the game. The Colts outgained the Ravens by just 14 yards, not very convincing if you’re looking to back the Colts this Sunday.
The Vikings game was the other easy victory on the weekend. The Cowboys came into town with a chip on their shoulder and they were shot down! It was not even close. The Minnesota defense was so over powering that the Cowboys couldn’t pound the rock like they had the last few weeks before. RB’s Felix Jones and Marion Barber were held to just 83 yards on 22 carries. DE Ray Edwards was the difference maker; he finished the day with 5 tackles, all for loss of yardage.
While the Vikes defense was stellar, the same can be said about QB Brett Favre. Favre had his 2nd best post-season game of his career with 234 yards and 4 TD’s. It was Favre’s ability to throw the long ball that kept the Cowboys defense on their heels. In just 4 plays on the 2nd drive of the game Favre hit pro bowl WR Sidney Rice for 47 yards. It was just one of them days for Favre where he could do no wrong, lets see if he can do it again this Sunday!
Seriously, I really thought I was going to go 4-0 this weekend. Saturday started off great with the Saints absolutely demolishing the Cardinals. Half way through the game I was wishing that the Cardinals would pull the plug. It was actually quite heartbreaking to see the Cardinals get banged around like they did. QB Kurt Warner took one of the cheapest shots I had ever seen on a QB. Fortunately, he will live to fight another day but his return for one more season is questionable at best.
This week should be a nail biter with such unique matchups between two defensively minded teams taking on two offensively minded teams. The game I am most concerned about is the NYJ @ Indi matchup. Both of these teams come into this matchup with opposing views. The Colts can air it out, much like we thought the Chargers could, but on the flip side, they rank 1 spot behind the Chargers in their rushing offense and that is dead last in the NFL! Something has to give and I’m not so sure home field advantage will be a factor as the Jets have now won the last two playoff games on the road. Let’s take a look at what this matchup has to offer.
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