FOOTBALL TALK-Wild Card Weekend: A Second Take

January 6th, 2009 9:37pm PST

FOOTBALL TALK-Wild Card Weekend: A Second Take
By David Ortega for Football Reporters Online

This Weekend NFL fans will see what looks like a rematch of last weekend when the Eagles-Cowboys, Packers-Cardinals, and Jets-Bengals tango. In the first two matchups it will be a complete repeat with the Eagles and Packers again hitting the road. The difference in the Jets and Bengals, unlike last week's contest in the Big Apple this one will be in Cincinnati.

The Cowboys will be shooting for the Tri-fecta on Saturday when they face the Eagles for the third time this season. With quarterback Tony Romo (311 yards passing and two touchdowns last week) playing well and the Cowboys defense (four sacks last Sunday) coming to life, the boys from Texas look like favorites to complete the sweep.

The Packers and Jets may have only seen a mirage of the teams they will face this weekend. Green Bay's defense barely faced the Cardinals starting quarterback Kurt Warner who exited early and Sunday night it looked like the Bengals starters took all of the night off against the Jets.

The Cards offense was stagnate with Matt Leinart under center last weekend, but you can bet the Packers secondary will have their hands full with Warner in the huddle on Sunday. The question for Cincy will be trying to muster some offense against the Jets stingy defense and shut down corner Darrelle Revis. Last Sunday Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco was held without a catch and quarterback Carson Palmer managed only one completion for no yards and an interception.

It's not often a team gets a chance during the playoffs to exact some revenge for an earlier loss in the season, but this wild weekend will present three opportunities with the Bengals, Cardinals, and Eagles all looking for that chance.

Looking under the hood of Week 17

Vikings flex some muscle on Sunday...
So much for the worry, on Sunday against the Giants the Vikings offense appeared to have cured all of their offensive ills. Quarterback Brett Favre was back to form completing 25 of 31 passes and throwing four touchdowns, while the ground game pounded out 129 yards, including a score by Adrian Peterson. The defense was also stellar forcing two turnovers, recording three sacks, and limiting the Giants to only 181 yards.

Cardinals don't show much in finale ....
With nothing to play for in Week 17, the Cardinals limited quarterback Kurt Warner to a cameo appearance last Sunday. Warner only threw six passes, but he'll need to throw a lot more if the Cards hope to get past a very good Packers pass defense (ranked 5th) that leads the NFL with 30 interceptions this season. Warner is a savvy veteran quarterback with plenty of weapons and he'll have wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (13 touchdowns) available, but Anquan Boldin (84 receptions) could be a different story with a banged up ankle.

Bengals show very little in finale.....
Whether it was by design or not, the Bengals showed very little in their season finale against the Jets. The performance was so poor it could have many fantasy owners concerned about even considering any starters this weekend. Against the Jets stout defense the Bengals managed only 72 total nets yards, turned the ball over three times, and surrendered three sacks. With quarterback Carson Palmer going one for eleven passing and the offense mustering just five first downs, offense could be a problem on Saturday.


More fantasy Notes

"Inside the Matchups"

The Bengals could have a big problem on Saturday in their rematch with the Jets in the AFC Wildcard round of the playoffs. Last week shutdown corner Darrelle Revis (six interceptions) did a huge number on wide receiver Chad Ochocinco not allowing a single catch in five tries. Whether Ocho plays or not, the Bengals figure to half a tough time completing passes in the direction of Revis. Revis has been stellar all season up against the best and leads the NFL's number one ranked pass defense.

The Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (94 receptions) did not have a big season in the end zone, but he was consistent and one of quarterback Tony Romo's most reliable. Last week against the Eagles Witten was effective catching six passes for 76 yards, including a score. In his last five matchups with the Eagles Witten has been an effective target, so there's little doubt that Romo will be looking his way a great deal on Saturday night.

The Patriots may have suffered a big loss last Sunday with the injury to Wes Welker, but they will still have the NFL's 2007 MVP, quarterback Tom Brady. It was not a Brady-like season, but the Patriots quarterback still finished the year with strong numbers; 4,398 yards passing, 28 touchdowns, and 96.2 passer rating. With Welker out, it will be a lot of Randy Moss (13 touchdowns) and Julian Edelman (10 receptions last week) on Sunday against the Ravens 8th ranked pass defense.