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.
The Philadelphia Eagles once again had a very impressive showing as theyoutlasted the NY Giants in the Meadowlands in a very high scoring and entertaining Sunday Night game. Philly won the special teams battle in this one; Desean Jackson showed why he's one of the most explosiveplayers in the NFL as he exploded for a 72 yard punt return for a touchdown with 4:09 left in the 2nd quarter and then recorded another homerun with a 60 yard touchdown reception from Donovan McNabb with 4:57 left in the 3rd quarter. He is by far the MVP of the season thus far for the Eagles, as he once again recorded a huge game. Jackson's game totals were 6 receptions for 168 yards.....huge! The Eagles also won the turnover battle 4-1 as Giants Running Back Brandon Jacobs continued his rushing struggles this year by fumbling the ball with 9:40 left in the 1st quarter. Eagles Cornerback Sheldon Brown was in the right place at the right time, as he scooped up the ball and returned it 60 yards for the touchdown.
For all those Eagles fans out there, you've gotta love it when Philly comes into the Giants home stadium and racks up 30 in the first half against the G-Men and comes out victorious. The Eagles were in control from the beginning, however, it was clear in this one that both defenses were not holding their own, as big plays and long drives made this an exciting game for the fans. The Giants even took the lead with 5:12 in the 3rd quarter as Eli Manning passed to Domenik Hixon for a 61 yard touchdown, but it wasn't meant to last as the Eagles scored immediately after that to take the lead back.
Even Michael Vick got involved and for the second straight game scored a rushing touchdown. Vick is looking better and better each week, even with his small amount of action on the field, and he's slowly looking like his old football self again. It seems like the sports world and media are also slowly moving towards viewing Vick in a different mindset. He'll still always be remembered for his dog-fighting mistakes, however, there's no doubt he's gained some of the public's respect back since his public apology. Time certainly has healed some of the wounds for Vick, and also for the public as well. My guess is that Vick still has a lot to offer, and hopefully the Eagles will see some of the magic like the one on the video below. Great win this week Eagles, you deserve first place in the extremely competitive NFC East. See you all next week for the Eagles - Niners game.
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.
