Top Five moments of Wild Card Weekend.
1. Tebow’s Touchdown Celebration
Following yet another “Mile High Miracle”, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow showed us what we were all eager to see. After connecting with wide receiver Demayrius Thomas for a touchdown in over time to beat the Steelers, we all witnessed the infamous “Tebowing” celebration. Tim Tebow got down on one knee and assumed his proper position to thank the Lord. He then ran after Thomas and jumped up into the crowd, something we haven’t seen from Tebow until this past weekend. He proceeded to carry out his “Tebowing” celebration again and it was almost as though we could feel his emotions and excitement. Going into this game as the underdogs and being able to be victorious over the Steelers for their first playoff win in six years was an enormous achievement for this rookie quarterback. Hopefully the momentum the Broncos have after this 29-23 overtime win will carry over into New England this weekend where they will face the number one seeded Patriots.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ngZ6VOMkbk&feature=player_embedded
2. Texans Win First Playoff Game Ever
The Houston Texans faced the Cincinnati Bengals in wild-card weekend and the Texans came away with a surprising, blowout win. With T.J. Yates starting for the Texans and Andy Dalton starting for the Bengals, the game was seen as the “battle of the rookie quarterbacks.” The difference between Yates and Dalton is that Yates is the Texans 3rd string quarterback and Dalton is the starter for the Bengals. Yates and his teammates proved to be more effective and beat the Bengals 31-10 in their first playoff appearance ever. Yates, running back Arian Foster and defensive end J.J. Watt were all important factors in Texans victory over the Bengals and we will surely see more of them in the post-season. The Texans were finally able to make the playoffs because for the first season ever they were not in the shadow of Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Because of this, the Texans had their best season in franchise history and are advancing through the playoffs. This weekend, the Texans will travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens and are hoping to come away with a second-round victory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPMPr7bAMFw&feature=player_embedded
3. Giants Blow-out Falcons
Coming off his best regular season to date, Eli Manning and the New York Giants were able to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 in wild-card weekend. Many analysts claim Manning is inconsistent, but he showed up to win on Sunday at Met Life Stadium. The Giants quarterback threw for three touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons defense and this is one of the main reasons the team was victorious. Everything seemed to be clicking with Manning and his receivers and the rest of the Giants offense. New York also had a season-high 172 yards on the ground, which further proved them to be the more physically powerful team in this match-up. The Giants defense was also a big piece to the victory puzzle on Sunday. They were able to put the pressure on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and were efficient at limiting the Falcons run game. Ryan was only able to complete 24 of 41 passes and threw for 199 yards. The Giants defense was able to stop Matty Ryan and the Atlanta offense on two crucial 4th and 1 attempts as well as one 3rd and inches play. These three moments in the game were important for the New York Giants and the defense made some big plays. This Falcons loss is their 3rd straight first-round playoff loss under head coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan, so they are currently searching for answers. However, the New York Giants get the pleasure of moving onto the next round of playoffs and they will be facing the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field this weekend.
4. Saints Continue to Break NFL Records
Quarterback Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints have been incredibly powerful on offense this season and showed this against the Detroit Lions in wild-card weekend. In this 45-28 comeback victory over the Lions, the Saints broke the NFL record for the most offensive yards in a post-season game. Brees and the Saints offense put up a remarkable 626 total yards on offense, which includes 466 yards through the air and 135 yards on the ground. They were able to break a record that was set 49 years ago. New Orleans and Detroit were also able to tie the previous NFL record for total combined offensive yards in a playoff game and this was set by Buffalo and Miami in 1995. Both the Lions and Saints combined for an extraordinary 1,038 yards in this wild-card weekend playoff game. Brees commented on his powerful offense stating, “We were pulling out all the stops. We play aggressive. We’re not going to apologize for that. That gives guys in the huddle a lot of confidence. We’re not going to pull the reins back. It’s pedal to the metal.” The New Orleans Saints will continue to push through the playoffs and are expecting to come away with a win in San Francisco this weekend.
5. Big Ben and Steelers Secondary Falls Apart
Although they were expected to come out on top in the Mile High City, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed plenty of flaws in their loss to the Broncos on Sunday. With his nagging high ankle sprain, Ben Roethlisberger was forced to play quarterback on one healthy foot and this meant he needed to be protected by his line. However, the Denver Bronco’s pass rush exposed the Steeler’s offensive line and we saw Roethlisberger under pressure plenty of times. Many say despite his injury and pressure from the Bronco’s Roethlisberger still did his job at the quarterback position by putting up 23 points, but it was just not enough. One mistake that stood out in the game was the high snap by second string center Doug Legursky right before half time. This cost Steelers a field goal attempt and the chance to put more points on the board and possibly change the momentum of the game. The Steeler’s secondary was also unimpressive in this game against the Broncos, specifically Ike Taylor. He has been under fire for his lackluster play covering Bronco’s wide receivers, including Demaryius Thomas. Taylor was up against Thomas when Thomas caught the pass from Tebow to win the game in over time and he has gotten plenty of criticism for this one play. The Steelers were certainly not who we expected them to be on Sunday and this cost them their season.
