Half of the NFL wildcard weekend is over. In the AFC game on Saturday, the Houston Texans appeared to regain their footing (they were 1-3 coming down the stretch) as they eliminated the Cincinnati Bengals in a playoff from postseason play, 19-13. Meanwhile in the NFC matchup, the Green Bay Packers quickly sent the Vikings home early, 24-10.
On Sunday we’ll potentially see two better games. The Indianapolis Colts begin the next chapter of their unlikely 2012 story, as they travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens, and what could be the last hurrah for Ravens LB Ray Lewis. Earlier this week, Lewis announced that the 2012 season would be his ‘last ride’. The Colts have their own feel good story lines, with rookie QB Andrew Luck leading the way, and everyone has been pulling for Colt’s head coach Chuck Pagano, who was diagnosed with leukemia earlier in the year, and missed most of the season while he underwent treatment. The winner of this game will travel to Denver next week and take on the Broncos in the divisional playoff round.
The game of the day, the weekend, will be the Seahawks at Redskins. There are two rookie QB’s starting this game; Russell Wilson for Seattle and Robert Griffin the third, ‘RGIII’ for Washington. Griffin is a little banged up with a brace on his knee from a sprain he suffered late in the season, but he still has the wheels. Wilson hasn’t been as flashy, but he has more than gotten the job done for Seattle. The key matchup will be Redskins QB Griffin, against the tough and physical Seahawks defense. If the Seattle defense can limit rookie RB Alfred Morris, pressure/contain Griffin and challenge the Redskin receivers, it could be a long day for the Redskins. Seattle has a good pass rush, and the secondary is sizeable and very physical. The Seattle offense can pack some serious scoring power. In three victories late in the year, they lit up the scoreboard with scores of; 58-0 against Arizona, 50-17 over Buffalo and 42-13 over San Francisco. If the Seahawks can get the running game established with RB Marshawn Lynch, QB Wilson will find the passing lanes a little easier, a little more often.
Stay tuned. It should be a great contest and more than likely, the best game of the weekend.
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