NFL Playoffs Wild Card Style! (NYJ v. IND)
AFC Wild Card: New York Jets (11-5) v. Indianapolis Colts (10-6)
Saturday 8:00pm, NBC
The Jets were supposed to run over EVERYONE this year and the Colts as always were expected to hang 50pts on all the teams they faced... neither of these things happened. The Jets had more scandals then they did big runs and the Colts had more injuries than a busy ICU (I am lacking in witty puns and funny analogies at the moment.) But, this game looks and sounds like a great playoff game (as opposed to the Seahawks debacle.) By the way, the Colts are 3-0 when hosting a wild card playoff game since Peyton came to town. NY looked like the fountain of youth for LT but only broke 100yds in one game AND it was against the Bills... enough said.
Key Matchup
(NYJ LT) D'Brickshaw Ferguson v. (IND DE) Dwight Freeney
Brickashaw Ferguson was a great first round pick for the Jets a few years back. He was a true to form blue chip offensive tackle, more importantly a left tackle, which is very rare to find and will always be under a long and lucrative contract. Jets QB Mark Sanchez was sacked 27 times this season. That is one more than the 2009-10 season including the playoffs (26 sacks allowed.) That is a rough stat to look out when you face one the best rushers in Dwight Freeney. No double-digit sacks this season but still compiled a good season with 23tkls, 9 sacks, and 4FF. Now, it will be interesting to see how Ferguson's pass-pro holds up verses Freeney's spin-move. If the Colts can get Sanchez on the move that will play in their favor because Sanchez doesn't seem to have that 'extend the play X factor' that some NFL QB's have.
Difference Maker
(NYJ CB) Darrelle Revis- Talk about falling out of the lime-light. Everyone was ready to crown this guy the best cover corner in the history of the world... this year he and his followers came back down the earth. Darrelle Revis was limited in practice and will have to best 110% (cliche bomb right there) to cover one of the best receivers in the NFL, Reggie Wayne. Revis missed five games this year; and when he did play he did not record an interception, a forced, fumble, not even a coner-blitz sack. So, in order for him to be a difference maker he needs to put Wayne on 'Revis Island' and make Manning check down to his super-practice squad heroes in Blair White and Taj Smith. Yes, Pierre Garcon is out there but that's Antonio Cromartie's problem.
Outcome
It's the AFC so it's always going to be a tough playoff battle to get that spot in the Super Bowl. Since 2001 the Colts lead the Jets in head-to-head match ups 4-3 AND Peyton Manning is 5-1 against Rex Ryan defenses. The key is, it's in Indy, it's a dome game which allows the Colts to run their spread sets. And the Jets stumbled into the playoffs complements to a lot of components: Rex Ryan 'Sex Tape' (gross), Braylon Edwards DWI, Brett Favre's multiple alleged sexual harassment cases, HBO's Hard Knocks with Ryan's trash mouth, AND the Ines Sainz Azteca reporter locker room thing... I think I am missing some stuff. And no matter how you slice it the Jets are just all over the place. Indy is favored at 2 1/2 and that tells me it is going to be close... but not close enough for NY: Jets-23 Colts-28. If this is true the Colts will be heading to frozen Pittsburgh next week.
Next Blog: NFL Playoffs Wild Card Style! (BAL v. KC)
Stats courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information Links courtesy of www.newyorkjets.com & www.colts.com
Saturday 8:00pm, NBC
The Jets were supposed to run over EVERYONE this year and the Colts as always were expected to hang 50pts on all the teams they faced... neither of these things happened. The Jets had more scandals then they did big runs and the Colts had more injuries than a busy ICU (I am lacking in witty puns and funny analogies at the moment.) But, this game looks and sounds like a great playoff game (as opposed to the Seahawks debacle.) By the way, the Colts are 3-0 when hosting a wild card playoff game since Peyton came to town. NY looked like the fountain of youth for LT but only broke 100yds in one game AND it was against the Bills... enough said.
Key Matchup
(NYJ LT) D'Brickshaw Ferguson v. (IND DE) Dwight Freeney
Brickashaw Ferguson was a great first round pick for the Jets a few years back. He was a true to form blue chip offensive tackle, more importantly a left tackle, which is very rare to find and will always be under a long and lucrative contract. Jets QB Mark Sanchez was sacked 27 times this season. That is one more than the 2009-10 season including the playoffs (26 sacks allowed.) That is a rough stat to look out when you face one the best rushers in Dwight Freeney. No double-digit sacks this season but still compiled a good season with 23tkls, 9 sacks, and 4FF. Now, it will be interesting to see how Ferguson's pass-pro holds up verses Freeney's spin-move. If the Colts can get Sanchez on the move that will play in their favor because Sanchez doesn't seem to have that 'extend the play X factor' that some NFL QB's have.
Difference Maker
(NYJ CB) Darrelle Revis- Talk about falling out of the lime-light. Everyone was ready to crown this guy the best cover corner in the history of the world... this year he and his followers came back down the earth. Darrelle Revis was limited in practice and will have to best 110% (cliche bomb right there) to cover one of the best receivers in the NFL, Reggie Wayne. Revis missed five games this year; and when he did play he did not record an interception, a forced, fumble, not even a coner-blitz sack. So, in order for him to be a difference maker he needs to put Wayne on 'Revis Island' and make Manning check down to his super-practice squad heroes in Blair White and Taj Smith. Yes, Pierre Garcon is out there but that's Antonio Cromartie's problem.
Outcome
It's the AFC so it's always going to be a tough playoff battle to get that spot in the Super Bowl. Since 2001 the Colts lead the Jets in head-to-head match ups 4-3 AND Peyton Manning is 5-1 against Rex Ryan defenses. The key is, it's in Indy, it's a dome game which allows the Colts to run their spread sets. And the Jets stumbled into the playoffs complements to a lot of components: Rex Ryan 'Sex Tape' (gross), Braylon Edwards DWI, Brett Favre's multiple alleged sexual harassment cases, HBO's Hard Knocks with Ryan's trash mouth, AND the Ines Sainz Azteca reporter locker room thing... I think I am missing some stuff. And no matter how you slice it the Jets are just all over the place. Indy is favored at 2 1/2 and that tells me it is going to be close... but not close enough for NY: Jets-23 Colts-28. If this is true the Colts will be heading to frozen Pittsburgh next week.
Next Blog: NFL Playoffs Wild Card Style! (BAL v. KC)
Stats courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information Links courtesy of www.newyorkjets.com & www.colts.com
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