Jets Outlast Bengals and the Cowboys Embarrass the Eagles

   A week after the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys completely dominated their week 17 opponents by a combined score of 61-0, nothing changed on playoff Saturday, as the New York Jets ousted the Cincinnati Bengals 24-14 and the Dallas Cowboys walked all over the Philadelphia Eagles 34-14.
         The New York Jets were in control throughout the game, as they won the turnover and time of possession battle.  The Bengals had a fumble and Carson Palmer threw an interception to lean the game in the Jets favor.  Shonn Greene, Mark Sanchez and company took advantage of their opportunities as Greene rushed 21 times for 135 yards and a touchdown, while Sanchez was a respectable 12 of 15 for 185 yards and a touchdown pass to tight end Dustin Keller.  Greene even exploded for a 39 yard burst that showed his power and speed, as the Bengals had no answer for the Jets rushing attack all day.  As has been the trend throughout the entire year, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis silenced Chad Ocho Cinco and completely took him out of the game.  Ocho Cinco went for a measly 2 catches for 28 yards, as he and the Bengals had absolutely nothing to celebrate in this one.  Even the steady place kicker Shayne Graham missed two field goals from inside 40 yards to eliminate any Bengals momentum in this one.  The only positive on the day for Cincy was the running game of Cedric Benson, as he rushed 21 times for a massive 169 yards and a touchdown, however, the passing game was non-existent for the Bengals to cut off any further scoring opportunities.

          The Dallas Cowboys for the third time this year defeated the Philadelphia Eagles to put them in route to a second round powerhouse matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.  It sounds almost ridiculous to think that the Dallas Cowboys win last night was their first playoff victory since 1996....unbelievable.  Are we talking about the Bills or the Cowboys??  The big difference in this game was the 4 turnovers that the Eagles committed, which ultimately led to Cowboy points and huge momentum.  It didn't take long for the Cowboys to put the game out of reach, as before any Philly fan knew it the game was 27-7.  Felix Jones ran over and around the Eagles defense to rush for 148 yards and a touchdown on only 16 carries, one of which was 73 yards.  Where was the stout Eagles defense in this one....they didn't blitz enough and the Philly corners couldn't contain Miles Austin and Roy Williams.  It was difficult to watch for any Eagles fan, but the Cowboys faithful must have felt like they just won the Superbowl as they dominated their conference rival and won their first playoff game in over 12 seasons.  It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys and Jets fair in their next playoff match up, as emotions ran high in their first playoff game this year. They will need the same intensity and execution next week if they wish for the train to continue to roll.