Patriots 35, Ravens 31
Things weren’t looking good for Brady when he was uncharacteristically intercepted prior to halftime and allowed Baltimore to march down the field for a scoring drive, but he was sharp following intermission, going Brady 18-of-26 for 165 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. This was despite missing center Bryan Stork, who went down with an injury. Brady methodically moved the chains on many drives, spreading the ball around, as a whopping six players registered at least four receptions.
Brady’s overall numbers looked like this: 33-of-50 for 367 yards, four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing). His final score to LaFell moved him ahead of Joe Montana for most passing touchdowns in NFL playoff history. Aside from the scores, Brady’s best throws were a pair of third-and-long conversions to Rob Gronkowski (7-108, TD), both of which helped the team on drives that ultimately concluded in the end zone.
Flacco, who began the game 8-of-8 for 100 yards and a touchdown, finished 28-of-45 for 292 yards, four touchdowns and the two interceptions. Part of the reason he was so successful was because the Patriots couldn’t get any pressure on him. His offensive line was fantastic despite the fact that Eugene Monroe did not play in this game.
Seahawks 31, Panthers 17
An early Seattle drive produced no points, but it should have. Ricardo Lockette was flagged for taunting when he threw the ball at the opposing corner, which took the team out of field-goal range. Richard Sherman then dropped what looked like a pick-six, which was sandwiched in between two Carolina fumbles that Seattle failed to recover. Earl Thomas then let the ball hit the ground on an interception, which set up the Panthers with a field goal. That kick was actually blocked by Kam Chancellor, who had a great game. However, the officials incorrectly ruled that Chancellor ran into the kicker; Graham Gano flopped, which shouldn’t have even mattered because Chancellor changed the trajectory of the attempt.
The Panthers went into the break down 14-10, though they were extremely fortunate it wasn’t 24-7. The Seahawks appeared to be in jeopardy of potentially blowing a victory despite being a 12-point favorite, but they got their act together in the second half, finishing on a very strong note. They hit some big plays and finally took advantage of a turnover, as Chancellor brought a pick-six 90 yards to the house to seal the win.
Newton had a ton of success moving the chains this way, but he had to dink and dunk doing so because of the Seattle edge in the trenches. As with any dink-and-dunk offense, Carolina’s scoring unit was disrupted by mistakes, such as penalties, drops and sacks. It’s clear that the team needs to upgrade the offensive line as well as the receiving corps this offseason.
Newton finished 23-of-36 for 246 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. He played well considering the competition, but the picks were a killer, and as mentioned, things could’ve been much worse for him. It should be noted that he was effective on the ground, gaining 37 yards on 11 scrambles.
Packers 26, Cowboys 21
The big call, of course, was Dez Bryant’s reception that took the ball down to the Green Bay 1-yard line with a few minutes remaining in regulation. Bryant caught the ball, made a few steps and then fell just short of the goal line. This was initially ruled a reception, but replay review deemed it an incompletion. Dallas turned the ball over on downs and never got another possession. The Packers were able to prevail, allowing them to advance to the NFC Championship in Seattle.
The ruling was incorrect, and the reception should’ve stood. Bryant made a football move when he took a few steps and dived toward the end zone. The ball barely grazed the ground, but Bryant never really lost control, though that shouldn’t have mattered anyway. Because Bryant made a football move, it was a reception by NFL rule. The Cowboys, who are now aware of how the Lions felt, were royally screwed by incompetent officiating.
Rodgers, however, got into a great rhythm in the second half, as he became an unstoppable force. He finished 24-of-35 for 316 yards and three touchdowns. He turned the ball over once, though that was really rookie center Corey Linsley’s fault because he snapped the ball before Rodgers was ready. Rodgers threw some absolute darts to his receivers in the fourth quarter, particularly Davante Adams, who got open quite easily against overmatched corner Sterling Moore. It really helped Rodgers that his offensive line held up extremely well following halftime. It struggled to protect Rodgers early on, but that changed as the afternoon progressed.
Colts 24, Broncos 13
Indianapolis outscored Denver the rest of the way, 24-6. This was a complete loss by the Broncos. Their defense couldn’t put any pressure on Andrew Luck, who dissected Denver throughout the afternoon. Meanwhile, the Broncos couldn’t do anything offensively following the initial possession. Peyton Manning had yet another epic playoff choke job, as he spent the entire contest overthrowing players and heaving weak-armed throws. No one in the media wanted to mention it because they feared offending Manning, but the future Hall of Fame quarterback had a decaying arm down the stretch, beginning with the second half of the Kansas City contest. There was talk that Manning was healthier during the week, but that didn’t appear to be the case at all.
Luck finished 27-of-43 for 265 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. The picks were both like punts on third-and-long situations where Luck just tried desperately to make something happen. He also had a 20-yard scramble. Some of Luck’s best passes came on third downs. He fired a ball to Donte Moncrief on a third-and-6 through a tight window, and then floated a perfect pass to Coby Fleener for a gain of 32 on a third-and-16. Another key conversion was when Luck hit T.Y. Hilton on one of the few plays in which he had pressure in his face on a third-and-9.
Perhaps Manning will get healthy next year, but he looked done as an elite quarterback late in the season, though I’m sure he would’ve found some way to lose in the playoffs even if he were 100 percent.
For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.
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