An Unlikely Hero

  

What a bizarre set of first round games. Three blowouts and a fourth game that felt like one until an improbable comeback followed by an equally improbable finish left us with by far the most competitive game of the weekend. Three underdogs won, 2 road teams won, and I couldn’t help but feel ambivalence towards most of it. Blowouts are rarely exciting, and this weekend was no exception. Nearly every game felt like it was over before it had a chance to get started.

Through three games, I just didn’t see any point in investing myself in the outcomes. Like most fans without a team I was left disappointed by the lack of compelling action relative to the previous two seasons. Two years ago the Patriots provided compelling theater every weekend. You may have hated them, but they were always entertaining, and their playoff games prior to the super bowl were notable for their incredibly high degree of proficiency, particularly on offense. The pursuit of perfection was at the very least an interesting historical reason to watch, and the aura of invincibility that surrounded the team was so great it seemed almost tangible.

Last year the Cardinals unleashed the beast that is Larry Fitzgerald, and every one of their offensive possessions offered the chance of seeing some previously unfathomable passing zenith. Whenever Warner wound up to throw, everyone in the room held their collective breath, waiting for Fitzgerald to snatch the ball from over the heads of a pair of defensive backs. The AFC championship game was on of the nastiest, most gut-wrenching contests I have ever seen. Big hits were thrown around as casually as high-fives as a fraternity. Even the Super Bowl delivered for the most part, a strong fourth quarter making up for a slight lack of action in the preceding three, capped off by one of the best finishes in the games’ history.

This year held little of that promise. The two weeks leading up to the playoffs were largely unexciting, and three of the four first round match-ups were repeats of the prior week. The scores of the precursors were 24-0, 33-7, and 37-0. Not exactly indicative of an exciting week to follow. Teams were resting their starters, though, and it’s hard to judge future results with so many mitigating factors. It was at least possible, if not probable, that the rematches would exceed their predecessors. They couldn’t be any worse, right?

-Jets vs. Bengals

I called the Bengals overrated, and I was right. I also called Mark Sanchez a pretty boy who makes a lot of mistakes. He is, and he didn’t. He was managed more tightly than you would infer from the undue hype, though. He only attempted 15 passes, compared to 41 runs. He did complete 12 of those 15, but he certainly never had the weight of his team on his shoulders.

Excepting Sanchez’s efficiency, the game wasn’t particularly well played. The Bengals missed two short field goals that would have made the 10-point loss considerably more interesting. They also only completed half of their pass attempts. Cedric Benson had an exceptional game, racking up 169 yards on 21 carries, but his team couldn’t parlay that into points. The Jets were basically protecting their first half lead for the rest of the game, and even though it felt like it might get exciting, it never did.

Looking forward, I don’t think I want to live in a world where teams like the Jets beat teams like the Chargers. Parity is thrown around far too lightly with respect to the NFL, but if teams like the Jets (mediocre-good) can beat teams like the Chargers (good-great) in the playoffs with any consistency, the claims of mediocrity will eventually have to be lent credence. The Jets have a good match-up, boasting the best corner in football and an excellent pass-rush against a one-dimensional offense. The Chargers don’t stop the run especially well, either, which also bodes well for the Jets. Hopefully overall excellence wins out, but I’m not holding my breath.

-Eagles vs. Cowboys

I had high hopes for this game in spite of the week 17 beat-down the Eagles suffered. Division rivals with a score to settle tend to produce good games, and the first game the two played was a pretty competitive affair. Alas, it was not meant to be. Romo had his way with the Eagles early and often, Felix Jones ran roughshod, and the Cowboys defense held the Eagles to 56 yards rushing and a shade over 50% completion percentage.

Unlike the Bengals/Jets game, this one wasn’t notable for its poor play so much as its inevitable conclusion. The second quarter was so one-sided that the thought of the Eagles mounting a comeback was inconceivable. It was at this point that I started to consider the possibility that the playoffs might not be able to live up to my lofty expectations. Neither of the next two games had any particular cache, there was no undefeated team to root for, and even the best teams felt vulnerable.

My own feelings aside, the Cowboys have to like their chances. They’re hot, they’re talented, and they don’t have a discernable weakness beyond their own inconsistency. Their next opponent, the Vikings, have not been nearly as good following the loss of several key players, and the Saints and Cardinals are hardly juggernauts. If they play like they have the last 4 games, their appearance in the Super Bowl almost appears to be a formality. All the more reason to remember that two losses in December does not constitute the end of the world any more than four wins makes you an unstoppable force. (Looks up) Oops.

- Ravens vs. Patriots

Another game I had high hopes for. The Ravens have a point differential (+130) in stark contrast to their 9-7 record, and the Patriots are a team you expect to step up this time of year. Instead, the game was over even faster than the previous two. A seventy-yard run and two turnovers in nine minutes will do that. Just like that, much as in the previous game, a comeback felt like an impossibility, and the rest of the game did little to hold my interest. The only stat you need to understand the game: Flacco was 4-10 passing for 34 yards, and his team won by 19. The game was many things, but entertaining was not one of them, and my interest in football was at a season long low.

Whether or not the Ravens can keep pace with the Colts is another matter entirely. The Colts have a habit of pulling out close games, while the Ravens have a habit of blowing them. The game between the two of them earlier in the season was 17-15, and their respective statistics suggest that they’re closer in ability than their records would indicate. Everything intangible points to the Colts, though, and all things being equal, I’ll take the team that snatches victory from defeat over the one that snatches defeat from victory every time.

-Packers vs. Cardinals

I had no idea what to think of this game. The Packers are better by a decent margin statistically, and they were on a prodigious winning streak, but the Cardinals showed last year that they are not a team you overlook. I assumed that the game would be fairly close with the Packers pulling away at the end, the Cardinals falling victim to their injuries and malaise.

Given this mindset, you can only imagine my surprise when the game was quickly 17-0 Cardinals. I was ready to give up on football. What’s the point when the games are functionally over in half an hour? The only reason I held out any hope was the seeming randomness of the turnovers. If the Packers could just stop giving the ball away, they could probably make the game respectable at the very least.

Then the Cardinals scored to go up by 21, and I was once again ready to give up for good. The Packers scored, and it was only a fourteen-point game, but they couldn’t stop the Cardinals. I figured it was as close as the game would get. No sooner did I have the thought than the Packers recovered the most perfect onside kick I have ever seen.

The rest of the game was sheer magic. Back and forth touchdowns, amazing offensive plays that simply trumped excellent defensive efforts, and that elusive intangible that can simply be described as playoff atmosphere. The missed field goal was as epic as I’ve witnessed, having been too young to have witnessed “Wide Right” in Super Bowl XXV. The final play was as bizarre as could be expected in such a ridiculous game, and it was about as exciting as an overtime finish can be.

Amusingly enough, it was the Cardinals who once again saved the playoffs. Apparently between losing Boldin and the spread moving by 5.5 points in the Packers favor they found some motivation. I’ll never like their inconsistency, and I’ll definitely never root for Kurt Warner, but they’ve been awfully entertaining the last couple years, and they may have saved the playoffs. They definitely saved week one.

As for their match-up with the Saints, I really have no idea what to think. I’m pulling for the Saints for all the reasons I described last week, but they don’t have momentum on their side, and while they were often excellent, they were also frequently fortunate. The Cardinals, conversely, have just won a game that has them brimming with confidence. They have playoff experience and they won’t have the pressure of being a favorite for the rest of their playoff run. The Saints may be a better team, but pressure is a fickle thing, and their recent stumbles may be indicative of that.

What a difference a week makes. The dull rematches will finally give way to compelling storylines. Favre trying to win a Super Bowl for the Packer’s hated rival, going against an embattled quarterback who idolized him as a child. The Ravens trying to live up to their potential and avenge a narrow loss to the reigning MVP and prohibitive favorite. The Jets trying to prove everyone wrong while the Chargers try to finally get it done. The team that pulls at your heartstrings versus the team that saved the playoffs.

It’s a fresh start for the playoffs, and being the sucker that I am, I’m all in again. Besides, these games have to be better than last week’s. They couldn’t be worse, right?

(Looks up)

Crap.

Image Via Babble.com

You can email Chris with questions or comments at TheSportsKiosK@gmail.com