Quite A Weekend

I've watched a lot of playoff football over the years.  I saw Frank Reich lead his team from down 35-3 to a win.  I saw the Dolphins go undefeated.  I saw the best running back in the league turned down for a slant pattern at the goal line.

I've never seen a playoff weekend like this before.

Let's start with Kansas City blowing out the Houston Texans.  It ended very early.  It was not pretty.  Maybe the dead giveaway was J.J. Watt playing quarterback.  I honestly believe there was a lack of belief in the Texans locker room.  You don't play J.J. Watt at quarterback if you believe you can win the game.

Steelers/Bengals game was the worst of what football could be and the best of what football could be.  Some of the plays were the best of football, summed by a Willis Reed-like performance starring Ben Roethlisberger.  We also saw the dark side of the best football, summed by awful actions from Vonteaz Burfict, Ryan Shazier, and the Cincinnati Bengal fans.  The NFL is filled with too many thugs, but the fans acting out against an opponent as they did is inexcusable.

As a Seahawk fan from day one, I was pleased to see a win, especially since they hadn't done much in the first three quarters.  I was not pleased to see the defense allow the Vikings inside the ten yard line in the final minute of the game.  It took a reincarnation of Ray Finkel to secure a Seahawk victory.  It just wasn't the Super Bowl.  The bottom line: The weather won the football game, not Seattle.

One normal game in the mix and it was the Packers/Redskins game.  Aaron Rodgers played like he hasn't in several weeks, and the Redskin defense can make a lot of offenses well.  Especially when the Packer defense solved Kirk Cousins.  You like that?

What I like is next week's match-ups.  All four match ups are intriguing. I like Kansas City and Denver in the AFC.  The Chiefs are hot, the Patriots have been faltering down the stretch.  The Chiefs' defense is an overlooked gem.  I know.  They made me a strong competitor in my fantasy football league.  Even with Ben Roethlisberger making a Willis Reed like start in Denver, the Broncos have turned to Peyton Manning to try to advance.  He knows how to do that, and I'll bet he's starving to play one more time.  Hopefully, a last run.  I hate seeing people talk about Peyton Manning the way they have talked about him this season.

In the NFC, I favor Arizona and Carolina.  However, Green Bay may not have shown all their cards two weeks ago when the Cardinals ran the table against the Pack in Arizona.  Arizona's defense is not the Redskins' defense and watch for a big game from Carson Palmer.  Seattle are still the champs, and if anything was proved today, sometimes you just have to find a way to win.  Russell Wilson is a lot younger than Tom Brady, which is why I use this argument here instead of  earlier.  Carolina has a defense which can take over a game.  Look for the Carolina defense to win this game: Cam Newton will have to win the rest to bring a title to Carolina.

So...am I off base?