Playoffs - Wild Card Round

'68 NY Jets vs. '00 Ravens

Just 3 weeks ago these teams faced off in regular season, and the Jets were victorious. With a championship shot in sight, would Namath and company repeat? Or would Baltimore's defense over power?

For the first half of the game, Baltimore defense was definitely too powerful for NY. They held the Jets from scoring any points. Meanwhile, the Ravens' rushing attack was helping set up for a pair of FG's, giving the Ravens the 6-0 advantage at half.

Things looked worse when Jamal Lewis ran for a Baltimore TD early in 3rd quarter to put the Ravens up 13-0. But at this point Namath began to open up his passing game some. He was able to get in scoring range, and Bozer would run in the first Jets TD halfway through the 3rd quarter. Later, Namath would hit Maynard for a 40 yard TD catch to give the Jets the lead.

The NY defense would continue to hold off Baltimore for the 4th quarter, and after a pair of FG's to top off some other good pass plays, end up taking the win. Final score NYJ 20, Baltimore 13.

Namath was only 15-37, but as history has proven, in those 15 throws his receiving core can give him big yardage - 236 yards in this case. The Ravens totaled 241 yards together, 165 of which were on their rushing efforts alone. Jamal Lewis and Holmes shared those yards almost evenly, despite Lewis taking several more carries.

If Houston wins here later, they play the Patriots next week, whom they have yet to beat all season. Otherwise they'll be looking at the Jaguars.

'12 Houston vs. '74 Oakland

Earlier in the season, Oakland lost to the Texans as they struggled to stop them on offense. With Oakland hosting, and a winning record at home, would they be able to pull it off?

Early on, Oakland seemed able to stop Houston, holding them to a FG. Stabler would return the effort and find Davis in the end zone to put the Raiders up 7-3. But on their next possession, the Raiders would be looking to punt, and would instead get a horde of Texans attack after the kick was blocked. The ball was taken into the end zone, and Houston was back on top 10-7.

Oakland still seemed composed in the 2nd quarter, as their defense held Houston to just 2 FG's, while Stabler "snaked" out a TD pass to Branch. Houston led just 16-14 at halftime.

The 2nd half would see a very different game, as Houston was in complete control. They put the brakes on Stabler's passing game, and their offense continued to find ways to increase their lead. Texans win 30-14. This will set them to face off against Jacksonville next week, in yet a 3rd matchup between division rivals.

Oakland did have some success rushing, with several rushers grabbing 20 or more yards, for a total of 171 yards. But not only would Arian Foster run for over 100 yards himself, Schaub would complete 17 passes for over 220 yards. Oakland also hit with a total of 12 different flags on the day, with Houston only being penalized once.

'15 Carolina vs. '13 Seattle

This playoff game is expected to be one of the best, as both teams are very close in every way. Both have very agile QB's with phenomenal accuracy. Both have really powerful defenses, balanced against both run and pass.

During regular season, the Seahawks beat the Panthers 24-15 on the road. This time, the game is taking place in Seattle, home of the 12th man. Will Newton be able to handle the noise?

Early on, it didn't seem so. After a scoreless first quarter, the Seahawks scored on a Wilson run early in the 2nd quarter. After a deep kickoff return, the Legion of Boom was able to take Newton's poor field position and turn it into 2 more points, giving the Seahawks a 9-0 lead.

Inside the 2 minute warning, Newton would find better ball position, and better luck. He was able to get in the red zone and score on a throw to Cotchery, cutting the Seattle lead to just 2 points.

By the 3rd quarter, it seemed the Panthers were hitting a stride as they took the lead on a Stewart TD run. Later, they would top this effort with a FG early in the 4th quarter, to lead 17-9. Wilson and company seemed to be unable to get anywhere against Carolina's D.

The Seahawks would eventually get 3 more points on the board, but with under 7 minutes to go, had trouble stopping Newton. The Panthers would get 3 of their own just inside the 2-minute warning, and would take the victory for the day, despite a heroic effort by Wilson to tie. Panthers win 20-12.

Both teams had great rushing games. with Marshawn Lynch breaking 100 for the day with a 6.4 average and a long of 57. Cam Newton ran for over 80 yards, exceeding his teammate Stewart. However, it was Newton who had the superior effort in the air, averaging 13.4 yards / completion on his 18 throws, showing how important yards-after-catch can be in a crunch.

The Panthers, being the lowest seed, will meet up against Green Bay next week. They have not played each other yet, but Green Bay has proven almost impossible to beat.

'15 Arizona vs. '17 Philadelphia

The Cardinals travel to Philadelphia to take on an Eagles team that has been hot as of late, with several great performances from Carson Wentz. The Eagles D is also strong against the run, but the Cardinals rely mostly on Palmer, who has been consistently good for Arizona. These teams have not met before, so literally anything can happen. The winner meets Atlanta next week.

The first quarter was scoreless, but the Eagles would get the first score on a Blount TD run to start the 2nd quarter. From there, however, Arizona took over, as Palmer hit several throws to Larry Fitzgerald, 2 for TD's. On a 3rd possession, the Cardinals settled for a FG, but went to the half up 17-7.

As the 2nd half kicked off, Philly still struggled on offense. The Cardinals, meanwhile, would score on a 3rd Palmer TD throw. The Cardinals D would continue to hold the Eagles until late in the 3rd quarter, when Jay Ajayi put the icing on a good Philly drive with a 1 yard rush TD.

The Eagles would eventually stop Arizona, but not until just 10 minutes remained in the 4th quarter. Only needing a 10 point comeback, everything seemed within their grasp after Wentz found Agholor in the end zone to put the score at 24-21.

As the Cardinals got the ball, Philly seemed to be handling things well, but a 45-yard TD pass to Larry Fitzgerald changed all that, putting a Philly win out of reach. Arizona wins 34-21.

Palmer was 22/27 for 307 yards. Fitzgerald, with a number of huge plays, had 155 yards on 9 catches, averaging 17.2 yards per catch. He had 3 of Palmer's 4 passing TD's. Arizona also racked up over 160 yards rushing with the Johnson & Johnson duo.

Philly simply just struggled to get yards rushing, and Wentz was only 16/29 for 173 yards with 2 picks. The Eagles will be staying home, and Arizona moves on to take on the Falcons.