The second weekend of the 2016 NFL Playoffs is done, so let's take a quick look at what happened.
5 Kansas City @ 2 New England:
Brady-to-Gronk is pretty much unbeatable.
People have focused on the clock management on KC's side, and I agree that it was problematic. But really, were they going to win? Were they expected to win?
I think not. What we did see, on the other hand, is Alex Smith's ceiling, especially when the coaching is not perfect at all times in all situations.
It may have helped to have a couple of the guys healthy.
Even still, Brady-to-Gronk (and Edelman) won the day.
5 Green Bay @ 2 Arizona:
The most exciting and ridiculous game of the weekend.
Carson Palmer was terrible; his performance (or lack thereof) allowed the Packers to stay in the game for as long as they did.
And much like the clock in the previous game, the coin toss and overtime rules have been scrutinized. However, I find that there is little merit in criticizing how overtime is carried out. Changing the rules would be overly reactionary.
Rodgers didn't get the ball? Oh, well. Arizona did what they had to do: they got the ball to Fitzgerald and he put in supreme effort to win the game.
That's right, people. Herm Edwards' admonition that "you play to win the game" is still accurate and relevant even in 2016.
6 Seattle @ 1 Carolina:
Going up 31-0 was a big deal. That's five scores and a guaranteed win.
Seattle then went out and proved it by coming up short.
It's not that they didn't play well in the 2nd half. They just dug themselves a hole so big that they had no chance to recover. Russell Wilson was primarily responsible by throwing a terrible pick-six that essentially sealed it.
He has a lot of fans who want to defend everything he does and claim that his late-season run of 19 TD's and 0 INT's somehow meant that he had "turned the corner" or whatever. I didn't buy it then, I don't buy it now.
What Wilson has done is benefit from a great defense and strong running game.
And in going down 31-0, you could safely argue that the defense let him down. But he was definitely an accessory.
Also, Cam Newton played excellently (befitting an MVP, I'd say) in the first half and rightly threw some blame on the coaches for their pathetic second half game plan. You have to score to win in the NFL, even when you're up 31-0, because we all knew the comeback was coming.
Of course, we all knew it'd come up short, but it still doesn't hurt to put more points on the board.
6 Pittsburgh @ 1 Denver:
Was it the wind that made this such a mediocre game?
Either way, it was mostly even until a late turnover by Pittsburgh's third-string running back.
Peyton Manning was again nothing special, but they won the game, so in a way it doesn't matter as much. Playoff wins don't come around every day, after all.
Really, the only interesting thing to look at is how Peyton and Denver will play against New England. The obvious conceit is that if he plays like he did against Pittsburgh, Denver will go down in flames and it will be ugly.
That's all for the Divisional Round.
I went 3-1 straight up in my picks (again). For whatever reason, I had Pittsburgh winning and was damn close...until late in the 4th. Oh, well.
