Views from the Nosebleeds: 2016 NFL Divisional Round

As much as I love the NFL, there is nothing worse than investing so much time and energy into watching as many games as possible over 17 weeks only to have a letdown in the playoffs--and that's beyond the Raiders getting handled by the Texans last week.  (Yup...still salty.)  With the Wild Card Weekend games being decided by an average of 19 points, last week was highly disappointing and hopes were high for better showings in the Divisional Round.  However, the first half of the weekend wasn't shaping up to be much better and it appeared the same thing might happen in the second half.  Nevertheless, by 11:30 p.m. Sunday night, avid football fans had been treated to two competitive contests this weekend, including what could be the best game of the playoffs depending on who ends up in Houston...

#2 ATLANTA FALCONS 36, #3 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 20.  At first, this appeared as if it would be a close call like Week 6 as Russell Wilson led a long 'Hawks drive capped off with a seven-yard TD strike to Jimmy Graham while Matt Ryan responded with a lengthy Falcons drive resulting in a seven-yard TD play to Julio Jones--although the refs missed an offensive pass interference call, which may have balanced out the scales for the swallowed whistle in Seattle back in October.  However, Steven Hauschka's 33-yard FG to push the score to 10-7 manifested how Seattle settled in a matchup against the league's most potent offense.  

Devin Hester ripped off a 79-yard punt return, but Kevin Pierre-Louis' holding penalty drastically changed the field position from the Falcons' seven-yard line to their own seven.  After Thomas Rawls lost three yards, the nail in the coffin was rookie RG Rees Odhiambo stepping on Russell Wilson's foot, causing Wilson to fall and resulting in a safety.  From there, the Falcons took and kept the momentum as Ryan carved up the vaunted The Legion of Boom for 26 of 37, 338 yards, three TDs and no picks.  Moreover, the Falcons' defense played more like a top-five defense than the Seahawks did, limiting the 'Hawks' offense to 309 total yards and forcing two Wilson INTs.  No matter how far the Falcons get in the rest of these playoffs, they're the most dangerous offensive unit remaining...

#1 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 34, #4 HOUSTON TEXANS 16.  For a hot second, it was looking like Houston's defense would actually make this a contest.  A.J. Bouye nabbed an INT from Tom Brady, yielding a Nick Novak 27-yard FG; after his 98-yard kickoff return TD--the first in franchise postseason history--Akeem Dent turned Lewis from hero to goat by forcing a fumble on a kickoff return, leading to a ten-yard TD pass from Brock Osweiler to C.J. Fiedorowicz to close the gap to 14-13; and Andre Hal picked off Brady for a second time, leading to a Novak 46-yard FG early in the fourth quarter.

However, the Texans' defense could neither overcome Brady's resilience (287 yards and two TDs despite throwing under 50 percent), Julian Edelman (eight catches, 137 yards) and Dion Lewis (188 all-purpose yards and three TDs) nor Osweiler's shortcomings as he couldn't even complete over 60 percent of his passes (57.5), crack 200 yards passing (198) or throw more TDs than INTs (one to three, respectively).  Granted, he threw the best pass of his entire pro career to Will Fuller V, but the rookie out of Notre Dame dropped the easiest game-changing TD of his young career.  Another methodically productive day at the office for the Pats as they host yet another AFC Championship game and have the best record of the four remaining teams...

SCRIBBLER'S GAME OF THE WEEK: #4 GREEN BAY PACKERS 34, #1 DALLAS COWBOYS 31.  In the beginning, this looked like a Green Bay landslide as Aaron Rodgers led three consecutive TD drives capped off by a 34-yard TD pass to Richard Rodgers and two Ty Montgomery TD runs.  However, Dak Prescott recognized a game-long mismatch between Ladarius Gunter and Dez Bryant, tossing Bryant his first postseason TD for 40 yards and leading another drive resulting in a Bailey FG to make it a 21-13 game at halftime.  Meanwhile, the Cowboys' underrated defense put immense pressure on Rodgers and shut off Green Bay's points pipeline for the rest of the half.

The Packers started off the second half with a vengeance as Jared Cook (six catches, 104 yards) snagged a 26-yard reception and then a three-yard TD catch on a play action fake.  However, after Rodgers traded INTs with Prescott, the rookie QB led the offense down the field and found Jason Witten for a six-yard TD catch to shrink the margin to 28-20.  Once the defense got a necessary stop, Prescott found Bryant in the end zone again and ran for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 28.  After Mason Crosby and Dan Bailey traded field goals in the game's waning moments, Dallas' defense had their biggest lapse as a three-man rush on 3rd and 20 allowed Rodgers to find Jared Cook on the sideline for an amazing 36-yard reception with only three seconds.  Despite trying to ice Crosby, his 51-yard FG which looked like it would miss wide left hooked inward and rang true.  Although I'm no Cowboys fan, I give this young team props for fighting and clawing their way back into a game which looked done much sooner than it was...

#3 PITTSBURGH STEELERS 18, #2 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 16.  Although most loved the offensive showing of the previous game, this was your kind of game if you love defense.  Although the Chiefs gave up 389 total yards--including 170 to Le'Veon Bell and 108 to Antonio Brown--they allowed no TDs to "The Killer B's".  Unfortunately, Chris Boswell aka the fourth "Killer B" accounted for all of the Steelers' points and set an NFL postseason single-game record for FGs.  Furthermore, despite an early five-yard TD from Alex Smith to Albert Wilson, their offense was missing for most of the game due to Pittsburgh's ferocious defense and key drops.  They wouldn't find life again until the fourth quarter as Smith led one of his most impressive drives capped off by a Spencer Ware goal-line TD run.

However, two daggers killed Kansas City's chances of tying the game.  First, Smith converted a pass to Demetrius Harris to tie the game at 18, but Eric Fisher's holding penalty erased the conversion, moved the ball to the twelve and led to an unsuccessful pass attempt to a well-covered Jeremy Maclin.  Second, despite forcing the Steelers to begin their final drive at their own five, the Chiefs exemplified how most teams have no answer for Antonio Brown as he darted past Justin Houston on a drag route to convert a deal-sealing 3rd and 3.  In some ways, the Patriots would've rather faced the Chiefs, but considering how stingy the Chiefs are in the red zone, I think they'd rather Brady be the hero than Gostkowski.

SCRIBBLER'S CHOP LICKERS FOR THE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS:

• #4 GB VS. #2 ATL, 01/22/2017 @ 3:05 P.M. EST (FOX): if you loved the offensive outpouring between the Packers and the Cowboys, then expect the same from the Pack as they travel back to Atlanta where they narrowly lost a regular season thriller, 33-32.  Considering how porous Green Bay's defense was against Dez Bryant and Dallas' passing attack, their hands will be even fuller trying to cover Julio Jones, Taylor Gabriel, Mohamed Sanu and the extensive weaponry Matty Ice has at his disposal.  Although this will be another close game with little defense being played and the Packers are a much better team this time around, they better hope Old 12 has the ball last or the Falcons will make their first Super Bowl in 18 years; and
• #3 PIT VS. #1 NE, 01/22/2017 @ 6:40 P.M. EST (CBS): although the Killer B's pose a huge threat to the Patriots' quest for a seventh Super Bowl appearance in the Belichick-Brady era (ninth overall), history is not on the Steelers' side.  Tom Brady is 9-2 against the Steelers--including a 27-16 victory at Heinz Field in Week 7--has burned them for 26 TDs to only 3 INTs (no INTs since 2005) and has his best QB rating against any one team he's played at least five times.  Even worse, they've never beaten Brady in Foxboro.  If Pittsburgh wants to get to their first Super Bowl in six years, then Chris Boswell cannot be the only effective "Killer B". I see the Steelers giving a valiant effort, but I see The Brady Bunch in Houston much to the chagrin of everyone who isn't a Patriots fan.