Wild card weekend looks a lot like Week 17. Three of the four playoff matchups also happened on Sunday. But what can we take out of those games?
Jets at Bengals » The Bengals didn’t put up much of a fight in the farewell to Giants Stadium, having already clinched the AFC North. But in a 37-0 win, the Jets defense was still very impressive. New York ends the regular season with the top defense in the NFL — allowing only 14.8 points, 253.3 total yards and 153.7 passing yards per game (all NFL bests). It all comes down to how rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez handles the pressure of the playoffs. He threw 17 interceptions in the Jets’ seven losses and just three in eight wins (Sanchez missed one game due to injury).
Eagles at Cowboys » Dallas got revenge from last year’s Week 17 debacle — where the Cowboys missed the playoffs due to a 44-6 drubbing at the hands of the Eagles — with a dominating 24-0 win over Philadelphia. The victory gave the Cowboys the NFC East title and a home playoff game against the team they just crushed. But it’s not Tony Romo and the high-flying offense that has dominated opponents in the last few weeks; it’s the defense. The Cowboys end the regular season on a three-game winning streak — shutting out the Eagles and Redskins and holding the Saints’ NFL-best offense to only 17 points. Dallas’ defense has allowed only 15.6 points per game this season — second best in the NFL.
Packers at Cardinals » Kurt Warner had only six pass attempts in Week 17, so not much can be taken from Green Bay’s 33-7 victory over a resting Cardinals team. The question for Green Bay: Is Aaron Rodgers ready to emerge among the NFL’s top quarterbacks? He had another efficient game against Arizona on Sunday: 21-26, 235 yards, 1 passing TD and 1 rushing TD. Rodgers is fourth best in the NFL with a 103.2 QB rating, 4,434 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. But quarterbacks don’t win respect in the regular season. Rodgers will have to win some playoff games before he’s grouped with the NFL’s elite quarterbacks.
