Sunday, January 10, 2010

NFL Wildcard Pick Results

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Pick results for Wildcard Weekend.

Jets (APR, SRS) @ Bengals (Line)
Wow... maybe the Jets are actually good? I didn't think the Bengals would make it past the divisional round, but I figured they could take care of the Jets. And if the Bengals could've kept their defense off the field more, maybe they could have.
But it was the Bengals offense that struggled. So many times receivers were dropping balls, Palmer was overthrowing them, or they were just flat-out not on the same play. Mark Sanches threw fewer total passes (15) than Carson Palmer threw incompletions (18).
Eagles @ Cowboys (APR, SRS, Line)
Were the Eagles secretly mediocre? Looking back on their regular season schedule, they only beat one team (the Falcons) with a winning record, and were 0-4 against teams that qualified for the playoffs.
This game furthers the case that the Eagles are just not ready to play at the highest levels of the NFL. Other than that early touchdown, their offense didn't have a drive longer than 32 yards until garbage time. And thanks to a combination of offensive turnovers and bad defense, They gave up a back-breaking 27 points in the second quarter, and never came close to being in the game again.
Ravens @ Patriots (APR, SRS, Line)
The Patriots looked unprepared for this game right from the start. The Ravens' first play from scrimmage was an 83 yard touchdown run; the Patriot's first drive ended with negative yards and a lost fumble that the Ravens quickly converted to another touchdown. The Patriots never got close after that.
Packers (APR, SRS) @ Cardinals (Line)
In a lot of ways, this was a replay of the Packers @ Steelers game from week 15. Two offenses shredding their opposing defenses, and a final late clinching score. If the Packers ever figure out a pass defense, they'll be a real powerhouse.

Standings:

This Week Overall
APR  2-22-2
SRS  2-22-2
Line  3-13-1
Unanimous 1-11-1

New power rankings, and Divisional round picks to come.