Wild Weekend Sets Up Divisional Round Re-Matches

It was a wild Wild Card Weekend!   If this is what the rest of the playoffs are shaping up to, I might have to rent one of those portable defibrillators.  This weekend showed why pro football is second to none.

First, you get the first ever losing team, the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks, pull off an upset win over the defending champion New Orleans Saints to advance into the divisional round.  Then you get foot fetishist Rex Ryan leading his #6 seeded New York Jets past the Super Bowl runner-up Indianapolis Colts.  That’s 2 out of 2 on upsets on Saturday, knocking out both of last season’s Super Bowl participants in one fell swoop. 

Come Sunday and other AFC Wild Card team, the Baltimore Ravens went on the road into Arrowhead Stadium to knock off an inexperienced and sloppy Chiefs team.  In the nightcap, the #6 seed Green Bay Packers went into Philadelphia to hang on for another upset win.  By my count, that’s three upsets out of four games.  I’m hoping the same doesn’t hold true next weekend, especially on the NFC side.

The schedule for next weekend features a couple of heated divisional rivals matching up in the AFC.  On Saturday, the Ravens head into AFC North rival Pittsburgh to play the rubber match of a 1-1 season series against the Steelers.  The late AFC game on Sunday features another AFC re-match  – the Jets head to Foxboro to take on Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Over on the NFC side, there another couple of re-matches set up.  Tthe Packers head into Atlanta to take on the Falcons looking to avenge a Week 12 20-17 loss.  Of course, we all know the matchup on Sunday at noon – it’s the Bears vs the Seahawks.    The Bears will be looking to settle the score after a Week 6 23-20 loss.  The Bears will know by the time they kick off on Sunday whether they will be hosting the Packers for an NFC title.  How crazy is that possibility???