Wednesday 9 January 2013

NFL - Sunday's Wildcard Games Review

Indianapolis Colts 9-24 Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens picked up a win over the Indianapolis Colts in Ray Lewis' last game at M & T Bank Stadium, to set up a divisional round trip to Denver.  The first half was extremely tight but the Ravens got there in the head with a strong second half showing.

Indianapolis had their chances but they were unable to take them and Andrew Luck was let down by his receivers who struggled all day.  The Colts dominated the time of possession but the big difference was that they went 0-3 in the red zone compared to the Ravens who went 3-5.  If the Colts had converted at least two of those it would have made the game a bit more interesting for the neutral.  It wasn't to be however and instead the Colts will now reflect on an emotional year where the team's personnel was completely turned over and they also went through the emotional roller coaster that surrounded Coach Pagano's battle with leukemia.

Andrew Luck ended the game with 28 completions from 54 pass attempts for 288 yards and an interception.  I know his receivers weren't great but I am starting to think people might be over rating him.  He has hovered around that completion rate of just over 50% all year.  To throw for over 4000 yards was a great achievement for him but when you consider he threw the ball 627 times and had a pass completion percentage that was worse than Mark Sanchez, he suddenly doesn't look as good as people seem to think.  One thing I will give him credit for is his play after the interception.  He  chased Cary Williams right down the field and made the tackle to stop a certain touchdown.  Most quarterbacks would have let the ball get to the end zone instead of making the tackle.  Reggie Wayne was the leading receiver again, catching 9 passes for 114 yards.  Vick Ballard had another good day on the ground, running for 91 yards from 22 carries.  

Joe Flacco's completion percentage could have been better (52%) but other than that his numbers were solid.  He completed 12 of 23 passes for 282 yards and 2 touchdowns.  His best receiver was Anquan Boldin who had an excellent game.  Boldin caught 5 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown.  The Ravens also done a lot of damage on the ground.  They totaled 172 yards on the ground and it was Bernard Pierce who done the bulk of the damage.  Pierce ran for 103 yards from just 13 carries.  He was assisted by Ray Rice who had a good game, rushing for 70 yards from 15 carries.

The Ravens will now face the NFL's in form team when they travel to Denver to take on the Broncos.  It will be a big ask for the Ravens who lost at home to the Broncos in week 15.  A win would certainly not be beyond them but it would take every man on the roster performing to the maximum of their potential.  Either way one of two great veterans will be heading to the AFC Championship game but the question is, will it be Ray Lewis or Peyton Manning?

Colts Offensive Star :
Reggie Wayne - The veteran receiver caught 9 passes for 114 yards to end what was a very good year for him.
Colts Defensive Star : Antoine Bethea - The safety made 10 tackles in what was a bad day for the Colts defense.
Ravens Offensive Star :
Anquan Boldin - Boldin made 5 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown which was a good return but when you watch the catches a time or two, some of them really were outstanding.
Ravens Defensive Star : Paul Kruger - It was between Kruger and Lewis who both had good days but for me Kruger was the difference.  He made 4 tackles but it was the problems he gave Andrew Luck that got him the nod.  He picked up 2.5 sacks and also had 5 hits on the quarterback.  If he can do that in Denver, then the Ravens have a chance.



Seattle Seahawks 24-14 Washington Redskins


The Seahawks picked up a big win in Washington to keep their Superbowl hopes alive.  They got off to the worst possible start, going 14-0 behind by the end of the first quarter.  Things weren't looking good for the Seahawks at that stage but they got themselves back into it with a strong second quarter and then secured the win in the fourth.

It's easy to say with hindsight but Redskins head coach, Mike Shanahan had an absolute nightmare.  Quarterback, Robert Griffin III, took a knock in the drive that put the Redskins 14-0 up.  As time went on it became clear that the injury was serious and it was effecting his performance.  Shanahan didn't seem to care and left Griffin in the game.  In the end, Griffin's knee finally gave in and seemed to go from underneath him.  The result was RG3's knee having to be completely rebuilt.  Shanahan said that Griffin told him he wanted to play.  As a coach, does he just let anyone who wants to play, play?  If Kirk Cousins came to him and said I want to play, does he do it?  Of course he doesn't.  He is there to make these decisions on behalf of the Washington Redskins and he didn't do it on Sunday night.  He let Griffin down, the other players down and the future of the Washington Redskins down.  A blind man could see that Griffin was hurt and was performing below his usual standards but Shanahan seems more concerned about winning now than the long term future of the franchise.

RG3 ended the game with 84 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.  He also managed 21 yards on the ground.  Alfred Morris was the lead rusher, picking up 80 yards from his 16 carries.  The leading receiver was Pierre Garcon with 4 catches for 50 yards.  The Redskins will have a long off season now to think about what might have been and most of the questions will be about RG3's future.  This is his second serious knee injury and my initial thoughts are that he most likely won't be the same again.

Seattle done well after the first quarter and their offense and defense were completely dominant.  Russell Wilson had a solid game completing 15 of 26 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown.  He also ran for 67 yards from 8 carries.  Seattle's receivers were led by Zach Miller who caught 4 passes for 48 yards.  Marshawn Lynch had another great game, rushing for 132 yards and a touchdown from just 20 carries. 

The win for Seattle sees them travel to Atlanta to take on the NFC's number one seed, the Atlanta Falcons.  If Seattle turn up and play like they did in the first quarter, the Falcons will finish them off and their season will be over.  If it's the Seattle who finished the game, they might just hand Matt Ryan yet another playoff defeat.  The defense looked scary good after their first quarter blip and Matt Ryan is prone to the odd multiple interception game and if it's going to happen, it will happen against a defense that is as aggressive as the Seahawks.

Seahawks Offensive Star :
Marshawn Lynch - Lynch had another big day rushing for 132 yards and a touchdown at 6.6 yards per carry.  In this form Lynch can be a danger to any defense.
Seahawks Defensive Star : Bobby Wagner - The linebacker made 9 tackles including one for a loss in a fine display.
Redskins Offensive Star : Alfred Morris - 80 rushing yards at 5 yards per carry was a good return from the rookie, unfortunately he was on his own.
Redskins Defensive Star :
Reed Doughty - 13 tackles, 2 sacks, deflected a pass and hit the quarterback twice, it's all in a days work for Doughty.

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