It seemed weird that the Arizona Cardinals (11-5) would be underdogs against the Carolina Panthers (7-8-1). But through injuries the Cards were down to their back-up, back up, back-up quarterback and the Panthers had reeled off 4 wins in a row after starting a horrible 3-8-1. (Who would have guessed they'd ever make the playoffs?). As we all now know, Arizona be gone and Carolina moves on.
In the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens marched into Pittsburgh and dispatched the Steelers. Really no big surprise there. Pittsburgh gets a lot of hype for various reasons but, come playoff time, we should all know better than to underestimate the Ravens. They've been there, done that too, especially on the road. John Harbaugh's bunch might not have a lot of flash, but they play good old-fashioned hard-nosed football, make few mistakes, and wait for the other team to blink. The Steelers did.
Now the Ravens take their road show to New England, where Tom Brady and company await. Though the Patriots will be favored, don't sleep on Baltimore. They could well pull off another upset. The Pats are pretty good, but hardly unbeatable these days. A team with a road-warrior focus like Baltimore could be a problem.
Indy vs Cincinnati? Merely culling the herd. A formaltiy. Neither will get past Denver playing at home next week.
A very interesting game pits the Detroit Lions taking on the Dallas Cowboys. At last look, Da Boys were a 6-7 point favorite at home, and that sounds about right. But the Lions are quite capable of winning this game. Oddly enough, Dallas was a perfect 8-0 away from home this year. Talk about road warriors.... But in Jerry Jones' palace they were a modest 4-4.
Much has been said about QB Tony Romo playing the best football of his life of late. And Dallas not only has the best offensive line in football, but the league's best running back in DeMarco Murray. Throw in Dez Bryant, Jason Witton, etc., and these guys are going to score some points. Conversely, the Lions have a fairly stout defense as well, one of the best in the league, and their own QB Matthew Stafford is no slouch when it comes to racking up big-time passing yards to Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, etc. They're going to score some points as well. Who will blink? Hard to say. It should be noted that both are also quite capable of occasional bone-headed stunts. Here's hoping Ndamukong Suh doesn't tase Romo right in the heart if he and his Lions find themselves behind. Stomps are one thing, but that would definitely be over the top -- ya know?
[For the record, all the people that keep bringing up the fact the Lions beat the Cowboys 23 years ago for their only playoff victory in the Super Bowl era need to shut up. It's totally irrelevant. That was then, and this is now. There are ZERO comparisons to be drawn.]
So let's look into the future regarding this matchup. If my crystal ball is correct -- a Cowboys victory would send them off to Green Bay next weekend. That would be interesting. During the regular season, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have been absolutely dominant at home. But recent history suggests they're vulnerable at Lambeau come playoff time. And remember the Da Boys are unbeaten on the road so far this year.
On the other hand, if the Lions win, they'll shufflle off to the great northwest for a date with the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. After a mediocre start this year, the SS storm troopers have rounded back into form and appear to be formidable.
The Detroit Lions facing the Seattle Seahawks in the latter's raucous stadium can be summed up in three words....
It ends there. Or perhaps three different words on their chances of actually winning....
Not a chance.
But hey, all in all, not a bad year for the Lions. Let's just not get carried away -- OK?
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