My name is Sammy Garza. I am from the Washington DC area which makes me a self-proclaimed Baltimore Ravens/Washington Redskins fan. Yes I am a fan of both teams and I claim it proudly. I grew up watching football with my dad, who was an avid sports junkie and taught me so much of
what I know about the sport of football. You can imagine the disappointment I endured with both of my teams not even cutting into the playoffs this year, particularly the Ravens, the defending Super Bowl champs. So my picks this year for the Super Bowl run? Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos.
The Wild Card Weekend met the expectations for a spectacular start with eight teams trying to move up the ranks to the ultimate goal, head to Super Bowl 48.
But before that, let’s talk about this past weekend’s wild card games. At one point enduring a 28 point losing deficit, the Indianapolis Colts came back to win this exciting playoff game 45-44 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Colts now hold the distinction of being the second team in playoff history to come back from a shortfall of 28 points or more to win a game. Chiefs’ running back Jamaal Charles suffered an unfortunate concussion on the opening drive that started the long list of injuries for the Chiefs that night. Remarkably, Chiefs’ quarterback Alex Smith and team pounded the Colts with score after score, ending the first half with a comfortable 31-10 lead. Colts’ quarterback Andrew Luck experienced a rollercoaster performance, throwing three ugly interceptions but impressively coming back to produce five touchdown drives thereafter. This is a first career playoff win for second year quarterback Luck who notched four second half touchdown scores that included a phenomenal fumble recovery. This young quarterback has definitely proven that he has what it takes to become an elite quarterback as his team inches towards the final Super Bowl run. The Colts advance to play the New England Patriots this Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA.
The New Orleans Saints won their first road playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles this past Saturday. The Eagles struggled with their running game with LeSean McCoy hitting a mere 77 rushing yards for the game. An early 48-yard field goal miss by kicker Alex Henery proved a huge Eagles’ expense to the game as the Saints won only by two points, 26-24. Eagles’ quarterback Nick Foles played a solid game with two touchdown scores, a second quarter 10-yard pass to wider receiver Riley Cooper and then a 3-yard pass to tight end Zach Ertz late in the fourth quarter. Despite an injured Pierre Thomas, the Saints found strength in their running game by relying on the efforts of three different running backs-Mark Ingram, Darren Sproles, and Khiry Robinson. Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees fought pressure by the Eagles defense and threw two interceptions that provided some relief to the Eagles. At the end, the Saints pushed through with a 32-yard field goal by kicker Shayne Graham to win the game. The Eagles had a strong regular season but just weren’t strong enough to execute the home game win. The Saints will head to Seattle to play the Seahawks on their home turf this Saturday night.
With an exceptionally solid regular season, I felt confident that the Bengals would edge out the San Diego Chargers. But after a semi-consistent first half, the Bengals fell apart in the second half. Despite a strong and supportive offensive line, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, proved once again that winning a playoff game is a monstrous challenge that he can’t seem to overcome. Dalton led the Bengals in sloppy mistakes by throwing two interceptions and causing a fumble. Dalton appeared somewhat dazed towards the end of the game almost as an acceptance to the ridicule that would follow this home game loss. I can’t help but feel sorry for Dalton as folks like me question his quarterback ability and come to the conclusion that he is nothing but a mediocre quarterback with an above-average team to back him up. He is not the keenest when it comes to decision making and his arm isn’t strong enough to make headlining, winning plays. Bravo to the Chargers running game which seemed to dominate the Chargers’ offensive drives. This game simply proved that the Chargers wanted to win more.
The San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers game-talk about a nail-bitter! The Packers got off to a very slow start and went through a scoreless first quarter against a six-point lead by the Niners. But soon enough, Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers’s arm started warming up and the Packers
were in it with a passing touchdown from Rodgers to wide receiver Jordy Nelson. The Niners responded with a ten-yard rushing touchdown by running back Frank Gore. From that point on, both teams pretty much went score for score throughout the rest of the game until it came down to the wire. Kicker Phil
Dawson won it for the Niners with a 33-yard field goal. Packers were realistically stunted from the beginning with the injuries of two defensive starters (already minus linebacker Clay Matthews). Rodgers
was under pressure quite a bit, magically escaping more than one attempted sacks. The Packers played hard enough to keep up with the Niners but not enough to hold them off for the win. Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick, easily dominated this game with his rushing yards, his accuracy in throws, and his excellent ability to extend the offensive drive. His offensive line provided Kaepernick with enough time to find open receivers or to make necessary runs. Boy can Kaepernick run with that football! At times, it appeared like Kaepernick was floating across the field, he ran so effortlessly. Another big name throughout the night was wide receiver Michael Crabtree. With eight completed catches amounting 125 yards, Coach Jim Harbaugh dubbed Crabtree, the “greatest catcher of all time.” Crabtree has clearly proven that his earlier Achilles injury is just that, a thing of the past. In addition to Crabtree, Kaepernick has his pick of killer receivers that he can depend on for big completions and big plays, Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis who have both had a stellar season. The Chargers are set to face the Broncos next Sunday with the confidence that they have a week 15 win from the regular season to reinforce that it is indeed possible for a repeat. The Niners will play the Carolina Panthers which will prove to be an amazing match up with all eyes on quarterbacks Kaepernick and Cam Newton, both young, athletically equipped, and driven. The race to the Super Bowl is swiftly coming to an end and whether or not your team is in it, enjoy
all of this playoff mania the best that you can.”
