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Ricky’s Round-Up: NFL Playoffs Wildcard Weekend

Welcome back to Ricky’s Round-Up! It is the crunch time in the NFL season, where it is either win or go home. Let’s get into the action!

#1- Dallas Cowboys must have been singing some Joy Division before the game…because Love tore them apart!

Jordan Love, take a bow. I’m going to focus on the shambles that is the Dallas Cowboys later, this is a dedicated tribute to the Green Bay Packers. I hold my hands up, I got this one very wrong, thinking the lights may be too bright for this young Packers team.

From the very get-go, when head coach Matt LeFleur elected to get the ball first, which many teams do not do, you knew this was going to be an aggressive approach. There is aggressive and then there is 27-7 up at half time! A brilliant team performance on all sides of the ball.

RB Aaron Jones had himself a day, scoring three touchdowns and rushing for 118 yards. Young WR Romeo Doubs also had a spectacular game, with an emphatic 151 receiving yards. Love was magnificent, orchestrating his offence as if he had been a starting QB for years, with three passing touchdowns and 272 yards. Love is in the air!

Green Bay also made history as the first seventh seeded side in this format of playoff history to win their wildcard matchup. They now face the NFC number one seed in the San Francisco 49ers. Could another upset be on the cards? *whispers* Green Bay victory.

#2- Detroit Lions got the Real Slim Shady to stand up for their first playoff win in 33 years!

This was the game that everyone was most looking forward to. Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford facing each other for the first time since the humongous trade that saw them switch teams. Stafford won the Superbowl with the Rams that year, but Goff had the last laugh this time around, with big time Lions fan Eminem in attendance.

To see the tears in Detroit fans’ faces at the end of the game was a beautiful sight. That is how much the victory meant to them. The Lions stuck to what they were good at, and it worked. Run the dang ball! The RB tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs were emphatic behind the ever strong offensive line, and Goff and his receiving corps did the rest.

Stafford and the Rams made it an incredibly tense contest, with rookie Puka Nacua once again having an incredible game. But in the end, it just came down to the finest of margins, and they’ll feel hard done by in the 24-23 loss.

Next up for Detroit is Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tough call, but I’m going for a Lions win!

#3- Houston continues to be a problem.

A rookie QB in his first playoff game. For some the stage would be too much, but it was no problem for CJ Stroud, who sliced and diced this supposedly dominant Cleveland Browns defence as if he was in his back garden. I had Houston as my sleeper team, and they proved me right.

Stroud and Nico Collins are such a brilliant duo. Who would have thought an Ohio State QB, and a Michigan WR could have such chemistry! Stroud has one of the best tackles in the game in front of him in Laremy Tunsil, who shut down first-team All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett with ease.

It has to be said, Joe Flacco and the Browns were poor, with Flacco throwing two pick-sixes in back-to-back drives. Baltimore will be far better, and the Texans must be ready to deal with a far superior defence.

#4- FraudWatch- The NFC East.

The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles embarrassed their division and their franchises this weekend. Both sides are fully deserving of this damning fraudulent title. This is not to take away from the Packers or the Buccaneers, but both performances were absolutely dire.

Dallas were a disaster from minute one. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, normally so reliable, looked as if they had never shared the field before. Prescott was awful, don’t let the statistics fool you. Is this the end of the road for head coach Mike McCarthy? I am not sure how you recover from such a damning loss.

Philly have been spiralling since their week 13 loss to the 49ers. They had lost five of their last six, but this is the playoffs. It is what your season is all about. I at least expected some fight, but they could not even make simple tackles. They were run over by the Bucs, and that is because they let them. Expecting some big changes in the off season.

#5- Bills and Chiefs meet again for yet another playoff showdown.

The weather in Kansas City was absolutely absurd. With winds making it feel like -30 degrees Celsius, how any football got played is beyond me. Mahomes and the Chiefs simply outplayed Miami, with their defence dominating a once prosperous Dolphins offence 26-7. A crushing end to a promising season, again.

The same can be said for the weather in Buffalo. With the game postponed initially, it’s a miracle that they cleared the snow in time. Josh Allen had a brilliant game in the 31-17 victory over Pittsburgh, scoring a ridiculous 52-yard rushing touchdown and throwing three. The Steelers could not match their quality.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1747025094285590996

Mahomes will be playing his first ever playoff game on the road (crazy considering he’s played in three superbowls). The Bills and Chiefs have produced some blockbuster games in the past, and this will undoubtedly be no different. Bills for me! See you all next week.

Author

  • Ricky Westaby

    Ricky Westaby is the American Football editor for the Sports Gazette. Originally inspired by the Blind Side’s ‘true story’ to get into American Football, learning its dark truths was a crushing reality. However, the passion was already instilled. A QPR fan born and raised in West London, his other main areas of focus will include football and rugby union. @RWestaby_SG

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