Sunday's game in Arizona turned out to be meaningless for either the Green Bay Packers or the Cardinals. The playoff lineup would have been set this way no matter who won. Unfortunately we have to wait until the last playoff game next weekend until we can watch the Packers. From NFL.com:
Saturday, Jan. 9
AFC: 4:30 p.m. ET — N.Y. Jets at Cincinnati (NBC-TV)
NFC: 8 p.m. ET — Philadelphia at Dallas (NBC-TV)
Sunday, Jan. 10
AFC: 1 p.m. ET — Baltimore at New England (CBS-TV)
NFC: 4:40 p.m. ET — Green Bay at Arizona (FOX-TV)
I've never seen a lineup featuring three playoff games repeated from the previous weekend. I can only think of a couple years when I've seen even one repeat playoff game.
Only Baltimore at New England is a new matchup, and I'm really down on the Patriots because QB Tom Brady is limited by his broken finger and ribs and they'll be without WR Wes Welker due to a torn ACL/MCL. Though QB Joe Flacco always looks confused when he drops back to pass. If Brady can't get it going through the air, I don't know how they'll win.
The only thing that will change about the Jets and Bengals is that the game is in Cincinnati instead of New York. But that was one ugly game to watch in New York on Sunday night. QB Carson Palmer and his 1 for 10, 0 yards, 1 INT first half was the worst lines I've seen all season. I know the Bengals had nothing to play for, but how can any playoff team lose 37-0? QB Mark Sanchez is awful with a 63.2 QB rating, but they're a problem matchup for either the Colts or the Chargers since both teams are built around their great passing games and the Jets secondary, led by CB Darrelle Revis, is the best suited team to stop them. I'm not picking the Jets over either the Colts or Chargers (though I expect they'll easily handle the Bengals again next week) but they're going to be an interesting team to watch. If they can keep the score low, and the game close, then all it might take is one big play for them to win.
Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel:
Eagles at Cowboys. I watched this one at the same time as the Packers/Cardinals. The Eagles just couldn't do anything right against the Cowboys. The Eagles' offense only managed two drives that gave them a chance to score. The Cowboys marched up and down the field all day putting together 6 drives of over 7 plays, and they could have scored on all of them. Their previous matchup was a much closer game, the Cowboys won 20-16, but the Eagles offense did little in that game too (only 296 total yards of offense). If the Eagles couldn't get it together against the Cowboys when they were playing for a bye week, how can they figure something else out by next Saturday?
Packers at Cardinals. I'll be talking about this one all week long.