NFL Wild-Card Weekend Recap

(AP Photo/Chris Schneider)
Tebow completed five passes for over 30 yards in a win against the Steelers Sunday. Previously, the Steelers
had only given up seven passes of 30 yards or more in 16 games this season, the fewest in the NFL.

Bengals vs. Texans: 31-10 Texans
Bengals Player of the Week: AJ Green- 5 receptions, 47 receiving yards
Texans Player of the Week: Arian Foster- 153 rush yards, 29 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns

Inexperience killed the Bengals on Sunday. In his first playoff start, Andy Dalton threw three interceptions and fumbled once. Houston started a rookie quarterback too, but depended greatly on a run game led by Arian Foster. Foster didn't let down, rushing for over 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns. TJ Yates didn't have to throw the ball much, but when he, did he made the most of it. He connected with Andre Johnson late in the third quarter to put Houston up by 14 points. Cincinnati's coaching didn't help either. Marvin Lewis burned both challenges in the first half, and couldn't figure out how to get by the Texans' defense. The Texans, who are coming off their first playoff win in franchise history, will face the Baltimore Ravens next week.

Lions vs. Saints: 28-45 Saints
Lions Player of the Week: Calvin Johnson- 12 receptions, 211 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
Saints Player of the Week: Drew Brees- 466 pass yards, 3 touchdowns, 134.4 passer rating

Despite a late start, this game was high scoring duel like everyone expected. The Lions hung around for the first half, but finally Drew Brees took over the game, and gave the Saints their ninth win at home this year. The Lions took an early lead, but the Saints had an answer for every score. Let's face it, even the Packers would struggle beating the Saints in the Superdome, so why would the Lions stand a chance. Matthew Stafford played well, but his two interceptions came back to haunt him.

Falcons vs. Giants: 24-2 Giants
Falcons Player of the Week: Julio Jones- 7 receptions, 64 receiving yards
Giants Player of the Week: Eli Manning- 277 pass yards, 3 touchdowns, 129.3 passer rating

Eli and the Giants had no problem beating the offensive-less Falcons at home, as Eli threw for over 250 yards and three touchdowns. Eli played great, but what really surprised me was the Giants' run game. This season New York ranked last in rushing yards, but in last week's game, they rushed for a combined 172 yards. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw both had 14 carries, as the two of them plowed through or around Atlanta defenders. As for the Falcons, the offense didn't show up, and Mike Smith's risky play call didn't help. The Giants stopped the Falcons on fourth-down three times, proving their front seven is the best in the NFL. Mark my words, the Giants will give Green Bay trouble next week.

Steelers vs. Broncos: 29-23 Broncos (OT)
Steelers Player of the Week: Isaac Redman- 121 rush yards
Broncos Player of the Week: Tim Tebow- 316 pass yards, 3 touchdowns (1 rush) 125.6 passer rating

Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeebowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Last week, I wrote about how the Broncos would give the Steelers a ton of trouble, but wouldn't actually win the game. That was me being scared, playing it safe, and trying to go 4-0 on the week (ended up 3-1). As I wrote last week, "Tebow Mania was fun, but realistically speaking, we know he isn't throwing for 300 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a win." Well, Tebow threw for 316 yards, a pair of touchdowns, and ran another one in. Even when the Steelers came back and forced overtime, Tebow stomped on the new NFL Overtime rules, and ended the game instantly with an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of OT. Denver will be underdogs again next week, but Tebow and the Broncos will never give up.