The Texans set up a divisional round meeting with the New England Patriots by beating the Cincinnati Bengals in Saturday's opening playoff clash. Houston weren't impressive however and unless they can finish off their drives, they will be leaving Foxboro disappointed. The Texans had no problems moving the football but once they got into Cincinnati territory they struggled and ended up kicking four field goals. They had 420 yards of offense and just 19 points to show for it which isn't good enough. Field goals won't beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
The Bengals Superbowl dreams have now been ended in Houston for the second year in a row and to be honest the final score flattered them. They were very poor in the first half but thanks to a good interception from Leon Hall, they went into the locker room trailing by just two points. They showed a little more in the second half and managed to drive up the field on two occasions to score field goals from 34 and 47 yards but they always looked second best and if they had of stole the game at the end it would have been a huge injustice.
Andy Dalton had a poor game, completing just 14 of his 30 passes for 127 yards and an interception. He was also sacked twice. The Bengals were having some joy running the ball. BenJarvus Green-Ellis picked up 63 yards from just 11 carries. That equates to 5.7 yards per carry and in a game that was decided by less than a touchdown it would have to be asked why he wasn't given more carries. After a quiet first half AJ Green got involved in the second half and ended the game with 5 catches for 80 yards but it wasn't enough and the Bengals will have to come back again next year and have another go at winning a playoff game.
Matt Schaub had a decent game apart from the pick six in the first half. He ended up completing 29 of his 38 passes for 262 yards and the interception. There's still something about him though and when I watch him I always feel like a mistake is just waiting to happen. He doesn't inspire confidence and I can't see him leading the team to a Superbowl. Once again Arian Foster was the offensive star for the Texans and he had a very busy day. Foster carried the ball 32 times for 140 yards and a touchdown. He also caught eight passes for 34 yards to give him 174 yards from scrimmage. Foster caught and carried the ball forty times and there's no way he can keep that up right to the Superbowl so if the Texans are going to go the distance, they will have to get him some help. Owen Daniels and Andre Johnson also had decent games. Daniels caught 9 passes for 91 yards and Johnson caught 4 passes for 62 yards.
On the day, the Texans will be delighted to have got the job done but there is a lot of room for improvement and if they can't fix their issues by next week it will be another divisional round exit for this Texans team.
Bengals Offensive Star : BenJarvus Green-Ellis - He averaged 5.7 yards per carry on the ground and should have saw more action. I know he was carrying an injury but if you can't push yourself that bit extra in the playoffs then when can you?
Bengals Defensive Star : Reggie Nelson - He was the one Bengal who troubled the Texans. He picked up 10 tackles, 2 for a loss and also got a hit on the quarterback.
Texans Offensive Star : Arian Foster - Who else? 40 touches, 174 yards and a touchdown from scrimmage. It was a great performance from the veteran.
Texans Defensive Star : Johnathan Joseph - It was either him or JJ Watt but I sided with Joseph as not only did he get 5 tackles, broke up two passes and picked up an interception but he did all that whilst keeping AJ Green relatively quiet.
Minnesota Vikings 10-24 Green Bay Packers
The Packers started their playoff campaign with a comfortable win over the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers outplayed the Vikings in all areas and fully deserved their win. The Vikings were dealt a blow before kick off when Christian Ponder was ruled out with a triceps injury. His backup, Joe Webb struggled and had no answer to the Packers defense.
The Vikings started the game well and with the dual threat of Webb and Adrian Peterson, they were able to run the ball at will and kicked a field goal on their opening drive. it was all downhill from there though and the next time the Vikings scored was late in the fourth quarter and the game was well out of their reach by that stage. The Packers had scored 24 points in between the Vikings scores and Minnesota can have no complaints, they simply lost to a better team.
The running game for the Vikings was fine. Peterson and Webb combined for 167 yards on the ground at 5.8 yards per carry. The problem for the Vikings was when they had to let Webb throw the ball. His numbers were terrible and the crazy thing is, they actually flattered his performance. He completed just 11 of 30 passes for 180 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Those numbers include a fifty yard touchdown pass, a 30 yard completion and a 23 yard completion at the end of the game with the Vikings well and truly beat. He was also lucky to get away with just the one interception as he threw a few dodgy passes and in particular one when he was about to get sacked and he just tossed the ball in the air towards the Packers defensive line. He got away with it but he was very fortunate. Adrian Peterson ended the game with 99 yards on the ground and also caught a pass for 8 yards. Michael Jenkins was the leading receiver, catching 3 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.
The Packers had a good game on both sides of the ball and were very comfortable winners in the end. Aaron Rodgers threw for 274 yards and a touchdown. The running game wasn't great but they did manage to pick up the yards when required. DuJuan Harris and John Kuhn both picked up rushing touchdowns but it was in the air that the majority of the damage was done. One of the Packers strengths is that Aaron Rodgers has so many options to choose from and that was underlined by the fact that ten different Packers caught a pass in the game. Running-back, DuJuan Harris didn't have a huge game on the ground, rushing for 47 yards from 17 carries but he was very effective as a receiver, catching 5 passes for 53 yards to give him 100 yards from scrimmage.
The Packers seem to be hitting form at the right time and I cannot wait for them to play the 49ers next week. These two met in the first game of the season. The 49ers won in Green Bay on that occasion. In my opinion, the Packers are a better team now than they were then and the 49ers don't look as strong but next weeks game is in San Francisco, so it is very much in the balance.
Vikings Offensive Star : Adrian Peterson - He was the one bright spark but he didn't have much help. The final numbers show Michael Jenkins played well but his good work came when the game was over as a contest.
Vikings Defensive Star : Chad Greenway - The linebacker tried his best but his 11 tackles weren't enough to stop a rampant Green Bay offense.
Packers Offensive Star : Aaron Rodgers - He has more to give but he done what he had to and led his team to the next round with the minimum of fuss.
Packers Defensive Star : Clay Matthews - Matthews had an excellent game picking up 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 hits on the quarterback and he also recovered the ball which he had knocked out of Webb's hands for a fumble.
