The NFL’s 2nd round: four games, four rematches, with three of them offering very intriguing story lines.
When the 6th seeded Ravens head into Tennessee to face the top seed Titans on Saturday, it will feel like dejavu. And that’s because Tennessee has been in this predicament before.
In 2000, the top seeded Titans were ousted by the in coming Wild Card Ravens who went onto beat the Giants in the Super Bowl. The story lines then are almost exactly identical to today; both teams were led by phenomenal defenses (the Ravens being an all-timer), solid running games, and manageable QBing situations. I’d have to say that with the exception of this Ravens’ D being an all timer, this pretty much sums up this game on Sunday.
When the 6th seeded Eagles head into the Meadowlands to take on the top seeded Giants, will they be able to turn in another performance like their last won which resulted in a 20-14 win over the G Men in Week 14?
Could be, but the circumstances surrounding this game will be a lot different. The Giants, not the Eagles, will be the rested ones this time and have had the extra time to prepare for the opponent; both the Giants as well as Eagles will be desperate to win – not the case last time; the Plaxico Burress situation, although still felt on the field, will not be the distraction it was last time when police were hanging around Giants Stadium trying to piece together the shooting; the Giants will have a healthy RB Brandon Jacobs back.
It’ll be interesting to see how the defending Super Bowl Champions come out on Sunday in a game that a lot of people are picking Philly to win. It could happen, but I’ve got news for you: the 2008 Eagles aren’t the 2007 Giants.
When the #4 seeded Chargers head into Pittsburgh to take on the #2 seeded Steelers, it will be a rematch of the fix. If you’re not familiar with the fix, the Steelers should have won this game in November 17-10 to cover the five-point spread on a late game fumble which was returned for a TD by S Troy Palumalu, but after a replay by officials, it was overturned and the score was put back to 11-10. In the end, the Steelers still won, but Vegas made a whole lot of money in the process.
In this one, the result could be different this time around. Questions abound… how will Roethlisberger play after sustaining a concussion in Week 17; will the Chargers defense continue to play the solid football they’re now playing under DC Ron Turner; will LaDainian Tomlinson play and will it even matter; can the Steelers run the ball and take pressure off of Ben. There are a lot of story lines to this match-up and even though San Diego finished with an 8-8 record, the teams are a lot closer than people realize.
And lastly, will the #4 seeded Cardinals be able to go into Charlotte and beat the #2 seeded Panthers? No. That was simple.
Check back throughout the week as we’ll provide our in-depth match-up of every NFL Playoff Game to get you ready for the upcoming weekend.
