So Eagles fans, do you still want to see Donovan McNabb head elsewhere?
On a day when the Eagles' running game was non-existent, McNabb threw for 300 yards, generally ran the Eagles offense efficiently and made only two serious mistakes. With an Eagles' defense that's good enough to get this team to the Super Bowl, that was enough.
The Vikings had almost everything happen according to plan and they still lost by 12. Adrian Peterson broke off a long run with a 40-yard touchdown run and scored two touchdowns. Bernard Berrian got deep for a 27-yard catch and the Vikings pass rush sacked McNabb three times.
The big question heading into the 3:30 pm EST kickoff is whether Eagles coach Andy Reid will try to take advantage of this. Long known as a pass-happy play-caller, Reid does have the talent in the backfield to exploit the Vikings defensive front, which has missed Williams each of the last two games.
His absence may also hurt the effectiveness of the Vikings' other linemen, who aren't used to getting tons of attention from blockers on running plays.
You can blame Matt Ryan's two interceptions, or the Falcons' defense's inability to get off the field, but the most shocking part of the Falcons loss has to be Michael Turner's inability to ever get going against the Cardinals defense.
Turner finished with only 42 yards on 18 carries, a 2.33-yard per carry average that looks more like what Chris Perry would do instead of what you would expect from the second-leading rusher in the NFL. And to add to the ugliness, a botched exchange between Ryan and Turner turned into the go-ahead touchdown for the Cardinals.
Turner picked the worst possible time to have his worst game of the season. Twelve of Turner's 18 carries went for two yards or less, and six were for no gain or negative yardage. The Cardinals had a solid run defense this year, but it was hard to expect that they would completely turn Atlanta into a one-dimensional passing team.
Turner had seven carries in the first quarter, eight in the second quarter and only three carries in the entire second half. Jerious Norwood, one of the more dangerous No. 2 backs in the league, got only two carries all night -- his fewest of the season.
But considering how the game was going, you can't blame Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for junking the run. Atlanta had very few possessions in the third quarter and it was already clear that the running game wasn't working. By the time Atlanta finally got the ball back in the fourth quarter, it was desperation time.
Turner and Ryan carried the Falcons to the playoffs. So it's not surprising that when they struggled on Saturday, Atlanta's season ended.
You have to give the Arizona Cardinals credit. They don't often make the playoffs, but when they do, they get their money's worth. The last time they were in the playoffs was 10 years ago, and they won a game that time around as well.
I guess all those people constantly reminding Arizona fans how much their team sucks needed to check themselves a bit. After a beautifully executed flea-flicker -- resulting in a touchdown by Larry Fitzgerald -- the Cards outplayed the Falcons for most of the game. There was a brief interlude where Atlanta took the lead due to a late first-half interception deep in Cardinals territory. That sequence alone is why the game ended up much closer than it should have been.
The Cardinals controlled this game at the line of scrimmage from start to finish. Coming in, the Atlanta Falcons were the ones with the vaunted rushing attack, while the Cardinals ran the ball less than any team in the league. With John Abraham being rendered basically meaningless and the Cardinals defensive front living in the Falcons backfield, the Cards outran the Falcons.
The San Diego Chargers got some great news Saturday, as they get ready for their AFC Wild Card game against Indianapolis.
Running back LaDainian Tomlinson and tight end Antonio Gates, both of whom have missed significant practice time throughout the week, are active for the Chargers. It's not known how much either will play, but it's worth noting (via PFT) that running back Michael Bennett is active for San Diego for the first time since they picked him up off waivers. That would indicate that there is at least some serious question about Tomlinson.
All of this comes in light of a report from ESPN's Chris Mortensen, who says Tomlinson has a torn tendon. The Chargers have not publicly confirmed Mortensen's report, though head coach Norv Turner told NBC's Andrea Kremer (again, via PFT) that if the report were true, Tomlinson wouldn't be able to walk.
The game kicks off a little after 8pm Eastern time.
Threats of a blackout for the Minnesota Vikings' first home playoff game since 2000 have officially gone away. The team announced Saturday afternoon that they have sold their remaining tickets, and Sunday's date with the Philadelphia Eagles is now officially considered a sellout.
The team's cause certainly wasn't helped by the failing economy, and it was really hurt when some 45 percent of Viking season-ticket holders passed on playoff tickets, apparently choosing to believe that coach Brad Childress or quarterback Tarvaris Jackson would find a way to blow his team's chances.
Of course, the near-miss apparently was enough to cause Vikings owner Zygi Wilf to again complain about the team's stadium situation. That seems like a really good idea. I'm sure plenty of people in a state that is facing a huge budget deficit are going to be sympathetic to a sports owner whining for public dollars to build a new stadium.
(I don't mean to dismiss the role that the Vikings' crappy stadium plays in their struggles to sell tickets, but come on.)
The Minnesota Vikings front office has been sweating bullets all week. They are trying like crazy to sell the remaining tickets for Sunday's NFC Wild Card game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
At the start of the week, there were some 20,000 tickets left. By Wednesday, they were down to 11,000. The NFL's blackout deadline of Thursday was extended, and the Vikings were down to 3,100 or so tickets by Friday.
"There's no corporate buyout in our back pocket, whether it be a company or Fox. It's got to be through our fans and through our sales channels on that end."
For years we've seen different Colts myths exploded.
First it was that Peyton Manning couldn't win the big game, but now that he's wearing a Super Bowl ring, it's hard to say that.
Along the way, we also found that the undersized Colts defense could stop the run. And we've discovered that Reggie Wayne can fill the No. 1 wide receiver role that used to be Marvin Harrison's domain.
But even now, there is a general understanding that the key to the Colts defense is safety Bob Sanders. When Sanders is out, the Colts defense is soft, but Sanders' tackling and his ability to play in the box gives the Colts a toughness that otherwise is lacking.
It sounds great, but this year, it just hasn't been true, at least statistically.
Considering they reside in two different divisions, the Colts and Chargers are quite the familiar foes. Last season the Chargers won a regular season game against Indy when Adam Vinatieri shanked what should have been a gimme game-winner, and then the Chargers went into Indianapolis and shocked the Colts in the playoffs. This season, the Colts went into San Diego and knocked the Chargers to an extremely disappointing 4-7 -- this time on the strength of a clutch Vinatieri kick. At the time, you would have been crazy to think the Colts would have to travel out there again this season.
Instead, the Chargers come into the playoffs winning four straight, and -- by virtue of an embarrassing division -- get the pleasure of hosting a team which holds a four game lead and head-to-head victory in the W column. I'm sure arguments can be made about whether or not this is "fair," but life ain't fair.
You can bet Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy aren't bringing their Colts into San Diego feeling sorry for themselves. If anything, this will light a fire under their bellies.
When the Ravens faced the Dolphins in Week 7, both teams were 2-3 and coming off forgettable 2007 seasons. I'm pretty sure nobody had Baltimore finishing the year 9-2 or Miami winning the division. Yet 11 weeks later, here we are.
The Ravens won 27-13 back in October in what has now become a familiar formula: run, run, play-action; matriculate the ball down the field; control the clock; and let the defense take care of the rest.
Pretty much everybody likes the Ravens tomorrow, partly because of their suffocating defense, and also because the Dolphins haven't beaten anybody outside the AFC East. Of their 10 non-divisional games, Miami was an impressive 7-3, but the teams they beat combined for a 36-76 record. So, yeah, there are some skeptics. The Ravens, on the other hand, smoked the Eagles, Redskins and Cowboys, and played the Steelers well enough to win. Twice.
Now the question becomes: can Miami concoct variations of the Wildcat that will work against Baltimore's defense? And when running a conventional offense, will Chad Pennington be able to play up to his MVP candidate form against the Ray Lewis All-Stars?
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