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.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry experienced what is being called "very serious" injuries today in Charlotte, North Carolina. Police have indicated that Henry jumped into the bed of a pick up truck that was being driven by his fiancee Loleini Tonga after a dispute. Henry was found a half mile from Tonga's parents house on the ground with what KY Post have indicated are "life threatening head injuries." At this point the hospital and police have not disclosed any further information, but some reports have indicated that it doesn't look good for Henry to survive this accident. Moreover, Henry was just last month placed on injured reserve by Cincinnati after breaking his left forearm against the Baltimore Ravens in week 8. He later had season ending surgery after going through half an NFL season in which his production on the field was well below his expectations. Nonetheless, the Bengals have flourished this season, as they're off to their best start in years and lead the AFC North by 2 games with 3 to play.
Overall, Henry has been somewhat of a feel good story lately since he was brought back to the team after initially being let go from the Bengals because of his 5th arrest back in 2007....whoa! Chris has stayed out of trouble for over a year now, and has indicated that his fiancee Loleini is the reason behind that turnaround. Ironically, it appears that in this case Tonga may have ultimately caused the demise of his football career and quite possibly his life. There's no doubt that Henry never reached his full potential after being considered a top prospect out of the highly touted West Virginia program, and it's doubtful after this car accident that Henry will ever play again. We must all keep him in our prayers as he struggles to overcome these unfortunate events; I can only hope that the reports we've all recieved thus far are overstating his injuries.
**An update to the post from last night. Chris Henry, age 26, unfortunately, passed away this morning due to the injuries he sustained in the above mentioned incident from yesterday afternoon. Even though I'm sure most of us were sick of hearing of all the issues and run-ins with the law that Chris Henry went through over the last 5 years. I'm also sure that any person out there, whether they follow football or not, would have loved to read or hear about a story down the road in which a young man turned his life around and became one of the best wide receivers in the game, maybe even a role model at some point. However, Henry didn't live long enough in order for any of us to see his transformation. Most people believe that no sports relationships are closer than the one between a quarterback and his wide receiver. Therefore, I take the words of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer to say a lot about how Chris Henry was actually making an effort to become the best man and wide receiver he could. According to Palmer, Henry had a great offseason and had "really turned his life around." Palmer and fellow coaches had seen a glimpse this year of what could be expected for years to come in Cincinnati, nonetheless, it is ironic that today Chris Henry's life was so tragically taken away. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Henry family on this day.
Grew up in Skaneateles, NY, beautiful town and Finger Lake outside of Syracuse. Attended State University of New York at Geneseo and obtained a bachelors of science degree in Political Science. Currently work for Paychex, Inc, as a 401k Platinum Account Representative and also own a energy efficient replacement window company called George Windows, check it out at www.georgewindows.com. Avid golfer and sports enthusiast.
