Was there any doubt that a matchup between Peyton Manning and the Baltimore Ravens would end any other way?  Now what perhaps seemed to be more surprising to everybody was the fact that Ravens QB Joe Flacco played better than Peyton Manning. The Ravens were taking advantage of one on one coverage with WR Torrey Smith blowing past Broncos CB Champ Bailey for two touchdown catches.  For some reason though the Ravens stopped that aerial attack in the second half.  Denver stayed one step ahead of the Ravens for most of the game.  They had the upper hand with less than a minute to go.  But they forgot that Flacco can throw the deep ball.  He connected with a wide open Jacoby Jones for the game tying touchdown.  It took two overtime periods for the Ravens to capitalize on a Peyton Manning interception. Their rookie kicker Justin Tucker nailed the game winning field goal with plenty of room to spare.  Now Denver will have to go back to the drawing and wonder, what if?  Baltimore gets one step closer to another Super Bowl for their leader LB Ray Lewis.

I guess switching to Colin Kaepernick was a good idea then.  He single handedly defeated the Green Bay Packers.  Even after throwing an opening drive interception that resulted in a touchdown for the Packers.  He was the third quarterback to throw for two touchdowns and run for two touchdowns in a playoff game.  Green Bay knew what the 49ers were going to do and yet they couldn’t stop it.  San Francisco was a dominant offensive team.  They kept Packers QB Aaron Rodgers off the field for a majority of the game. That left a small window for a Packers comeback win.  But in the end the Packers had no answer for Kaepernick.  His arm and his legs are a dangerous combination and not many teams have been able to contain him this year.

It was deja vu all over again for the Seattle Seahawks.  However, this one was a lot worse than their game in Washington.  They were down by 20 points at halftime.  They had opportunities to score some points in the first half.  But they couldn’t capitalize. Once the second half started the Seahawks were a completely different team.  Seahawks QB Russell Wilson was phenomenal in the second half and was nearly successful in completing one of the biggest comebacks in playoff history.  But Seattle’s defense was a huge let down as they allowed the Falcons to get in position to kick the game winning field goal. Also for some reason Seahawks coach Pete Carroll called a timeout to ‘ice’ the kicker, but as Falcons K Matt Bryant missed it.  He was able to nail the next one right down the middle.  Seattle has a long offseason to think about this game and Atlanta knows they narrowly escaped.

The score should have been closer than it was, but the Houston Texans couldn’t keep Patriots QB Tom Brady contained.  Houston was making headway in the first half with their offense, but turnovers at key moments in the second half put the Texans defense in a tough spot with trying to keep Tom Brady out of the endzone.  The Patriots were helped out with an unsung hero in backup RB Shane Vereen playing like a wide receiver for most of the game.  His two receiving touchdowns were a big part of the Patriots aerial attack on the Texans.  It wasn’t any secret that’s how the Patriots were going to beat the Texans, but Houston couldn’t get a consistent rush on Brady and it resulted in a loss. New England will get another shot at the Ravens who defeated them earlier this season in Baltimore.

Baltimore Ravens (10-6) vs. Denver Broncos (13-3)

Ravens – 16th

Broncos – 4th

Ravens – 17th

Broncos – 2nd

Baltimore is very fortunate to be in this spot.  The score shows that they won handedly last week against the Colts, but they could have lost momentum in that game at any point.  Now they have to face a Denver team that is determined not to miss on this opportunity to win a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning.  The Ravens have some bad history with Peyton in the playoffs.  They aren’t thinking about that, but they know it’s there.  Just like they needed Joe Flacco to outplay Tom Brady last year in the AFC Championship game.  They will need Flacco to be even better in this one.  Peyton Manning though has perhaps the best defense he’s ever had this year.  It won’t be easy, but the Ravens have no other choice if they want another shot at the AFC title.

Matchup to watch for: Ravens QB Joe Flacco vs. Broncos defense

Green Bay Packers (11-5) vs. San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1)

Packers – 13th

49ers – 11th

Packers – 11th

49ers – 3rd

The Packers were a ferocious team last week against the Vikings. They will have to be again with the 49ers.  This time around the Niners don’t have Alex Smith as their quarterback.  Instead they will show the Packers what Colin Kaepernick can do.  But aside from that, the Niners need to do what they did in Green Bay.  And that’s run the ball with Frank Gore.  If that works again, you will see Packers QB Aaron Rodgers on the sideline for most of the game. That won’t be a good thing for Green Bay who needs to score a lot of points if they want to advance.  The Packers have a lot of weapons to cover, but that didn’t stop the 49ers last year from beating the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional Round.  This could be a similar type of game and the results could be the same.

Matchup to watch for: Packers QB Aaron Rodgers vs. 49ers defense

Seattle Seahawks (11-5) vs. Atlanta Falcons (13-3)

Seahawks – 17th

Falcons – 8th

Seahawks – 4th

Falcons – 24th

Can the Seattle Seahawks defeat the Atlanta Falcons in the dome? Sure.  Atlanta better believe they can.  Look what happened to Washington last week after they were up by 14 points.  The Falcons have been prone to giving up a lead this year, but they have shown that they can keep it.  Atlanta’s defense will have to be able to stop the Seahawks running game for the entire game if they want to host the NFC Championship game.  It won’t be easy, but teams have been able to keep the Seahawks at bay this season.  And the same can be said for the Falcons high powered offense.  Seattle will need to make sure that Atlanta can’t run the ball consistently.  If the Seahawks do that they will be let loose to pressure Matt Ryan who has been kept clean for most of this season.

Matchup to watch for: Seahawks defense vs. Falcons offense

Houston Texans (12-4) vs. New England Patriots (12-4)

Texans – 7th

Patriots – 1st

Texans – 7th

Patriots – 25th

Houston will actually get another shot at the New England Patriots. Although they would have preferred it to be at home and not in New England again.  All the pressure rests on Texans QB Matt Schaub. Yes, last week was his first playoff game and he played well.  But he can’t have any turnovers if they want to beat the Patriots.  No more interceptions returned for touchdowns especially.  RB Arian Foster is Schaub’s safety net.  If TE Owen Daniels and Foster are open underneath, throw it to them.  Houston likes the big play, but they don’t have to go for it all the time.  Patience will be their weapon.  The Patriots gameplan is simple.  Let Tom Brady do his thing.  He doesn’t lose many playoff games at home.  Two in total. And he’s going for the record for most playoff wins as a starting quarterback.  Passing the great Joe Montana.  If there was a time for redemption, it would be now for Houston.  And they are up to the task.  They just need to prove it.

Matcup to watch for: Texans offense vs. Patriots defense

For the second year in a row there was doubt as to whether the Houston Texans would prove themselves in the playoffs. Thankfully for them, they have thanks to the Cincinnati Bengals. Houston is a different team when they play at home.  Their defense is among the best in the league when they can provide constant pressure.  However, their offense can be predictable at times. They run to setup the pass.  Mainly to their star wideout Andre Johnson.  This time they played it differently with a lot of short passes to expose the Bengals weakness on defense which is their linebackers can’t cover the flat.  The Texans would be wise to use that same kind of strategy against the Patriots.  They can’t keep up with the Patriots if the game turns into a shootout, but Houston can win by keeping him off the field.  They proved that by keeping the Bengals deep threat, A.J. Green in check and off the field for most of the game.

It wasn’t much of a test, but the Packers proved that they are in a good position to get back to the Super Bowl.  They once again showed that they have one of the best quarterbacks in the league when they can keep Aaron Rodgers up right.  Their defense did a great job in containing Vikings RB Adrian Peterson the third time around.  With their quarterback Christian Ponder out to an elbow injury, it was slim pickings for backup Joe Webb.  Most thought that the last minute change would hurt the Packers defense, but it actually hurt the Vikings offense more.  Green Bay had no trouble containing Minnesota’s passing game and it quickly got out of hand.  Whether this helps the Packers going forward remains unknown.  But it sure feels good for them to know they got back at their division rival.

It was announced that this will be Ravens LB Ray Lewis’ last run at another Super Bowl title.  To think that we will no longer see one of the game’s fiercest competitors patrolling the middle of the field is astonishing.  I mean, we all figured he could continue to play until he was 45.  Being realistic though, this could be what the Ravens needed.  They have been inconsistent for most of the season. Can they rally around their leader?  They didn’t run away with the game against the Indianapolis Colts.  In fact the Colts were in the game up until the second half started.  Two things the Ravens need to keep in mind for the rest of the playoffs.  Ray Rice can’t fumble anymore and they must get the ball to Anquan Boldin early and often.  They do those two things and the rest will take care of itself.

Never have I seen a team start out so fast and fall so hard.  The Washington Redskins scored touchdowns on their first two drives of the game.  After that they couldn’t gain over 100 yards on offense.  Credit to the Seattle Seahawks for not giving in when a lot of other teams would have.  Seattle went on to score 24 unanswered points to win by 10.  Also it became apparent fairly early that Redskins QB Robert Griffin wasn’t his usual self.  Turns out that on the last play of the game for him, he tore his ACL and LCL.  If he was 100 percent, the outcome might have been different, but the Seahawks bruising rushing attack wouldn’t have played any different.  The Redskins had no answer for that running game and the Seahawks exposed them.  Can that kind of performance be repeated?  Doubtful, but the rest of the league knows that Seattle won’t go down without a fight.

Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) vs. Houston Texans (12-4)

Bengals – 22nd

Texans – 7th

Bengals – 6th

Texans – 7th

This is a statement game for both teams.  The Bengals haven’t won a playoff game since 1991.  The Houston Texans were primed for home field advantage, but squandered that opportunity.  Both teams have had a defense first philosophy this year.  More so with the Bengals.  They will need to put pressure on Texans QB Matt Schaub and try to neutralize RB Arian Foster.  The Texans will need to watch out for the deep threat that Bengals QB Andy Dalton and WR A.J. Green can provide.  If Texans DE J.J. Watt can cause havoc like he did last year when these two met, then it will be over quickly for the Bengals. 

Matchup to watch for: Bengals offense vs. Texans defense

Minnesota Vikings (10-6) vs. Green Bay Packers (11-5)

Vikings – 20th

Packers – 13th

Vikings – 16th

Packers – 11th

The third could be the charm for either one of these teams.  The Green Bay Packers I’m sure would love to knock out their division rivals after the Vikings took away the Packers chance of having a first round bye.  This will be even more difficult for the Vikings as the Packers know exactly what their gameplan will be.  Get the ball to Adrian Peterson.  If he can run for over 150 yards, the Packers will be reeling.  Time of possession will be a key for the Packers. If they can keep QB Aaron Rodgers up right and not have Adrian Peterson run all over them.  The Packers should be able to move on.  If not it will be another offseason of ‘what if’ for Green Bay.

Matchup to watch for: Vikings RB Adrian Peterson vs. Packers defense

Indianapolis Colts (11-5) vs. Baltimore Ravens (10-6)

Colts – 10th

Ravens – 16th

Colts – 26th

Ravens – 17th

I’m sure the Baltimore Ravens fans don’t want to see the Indianapolis Colts.  After all this is the team that started in Baltimore and their previous QB Peyton Manning used to destroy the Ravens.  Now the Colts have another 1st overall pick in QB Andrew Luck who can do the same.  The Ravens will have their leader LB Ray Lewis back for this game.  But will it matter?  The Ravens have looked sluggish on defense even when he was out there.  And the Ravens offense has been so inconsistent that it will help the Colts if QB Joe Flacco gets flustered early.  If the Colts can score early on the Ravens, it could be a long day for Baltimore.

Matchup to watch for: Colts QB Andrew Luck vs. Ravens defense

Seattle Seahawks (11-5) vs. Washington Redskins (10-6)

Seahawks – 17th

Redskins – 5th

Seahawks – 4th

Redskins – 28th

This probably isn’t the matchup Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll wanted.  He had trouble with a running QB at USC when Texas QB Vince Young single handedly defeated Carroll’s Trojans for the national title.  Now he has to deal with an even better QB in Redskins rookie Robert Griffin.  Both the Seahawks and Redskins want to establish the run early and take away the defense’s momentum.  Whoever can do that first will be declared the victors. Both of these teams have had hot streaks going into the playoffs and whoever wins will have a lot of momentum going into the divisional round.

Matchup to watch for: Seahawks defense vs. Redskins QB Robert Griffin

For the final Weekly Review of the 2012 season, we’ll look back at some of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly moments in the NFL. 

Peyton Manning began his triumphant return to the NFL by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.  Rookie QB Robert Griffin showed that he is the real deal in an amazing display in New Orleans against the Saints.  The San Francisco 49ers showed that last year was no fluke as they defeated the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers new head coach Greg Schiano made a new friend in New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin.  It was all for nothing in the end.  The replacement referees were quickly making a mockery of the entire NFL season.  49ers QB Alex Smith was quickly becoming one of the best stories in the NFL.

The Houston Texans quickly became one of the best teams in the NFL.  Baltimore Ravens WR Torrey Smith plays the game of his life just hours after he lost his brother in a motorcycle accident. The final game with replacement referees proved to be the last straw for everyone.

The Atlanta Falcons had established themselves as the best team in the NFC.  At the time the Arizona Cardinals were off to a great start.  The Philadelphia Eagles narrowly blew a win with a questionable coaching decision late in the game.

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees breaks Johnny Unitas’ record for consecutive games with a TD pass.  The Indianapolis Colts were beginning to play inspiring football for their head coach Chuck Pagano.  The San Francisco 49ers do something that hadn’t been done before in franchise history.

The Green Bay Packers weren’t dead in the water after all.  The San Diego Chargers began to unravel with another disastrous performance against their division rival.  The Cleveland Browns were bought for a billion dollars and it began another rebuilding project.

The Washington Redskins and New York Giants played what was one of the best games of the regular season at the Meadowlands. The Baltimore Ravens began to show their fragility.  The New York Jets and New England Patriots both showed off their flaws in a poorly played game.

The New York Giants and the Chicago Bears were among the top teams.  The Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks were among the worst teams.  Shows what I knew then.

The Chicago Bears were well on their way to the playoffs.  Or so I thought.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie RB Doug Martin has a field day with the Oakland Raiders defense.  The Atlanta Falcons were still undefeated, but questions remained.

Sure enough, it was the first loss for the Atlanta Falcons.  And the Chicago Bears began to unravel thanks to the Houston Texans. We started to see the beginning of the end for Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid.

The NFL still showed their stupidity by attempting to suspend a player for a hit that was no where near the most egregious hit I’ve ever seen.  The Carolina Panthers blew another lead late into the fourth quarter.  The Chicago Bears continued their downfall on the Monday night stage.

A Thanksgiving day treat as the country saw Redskins QB Robert Griffin roast the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium.  4th and 29 will be talked about for a long time in San Diego.  The San Francisco 49ers switched quarterbacks at an interesting time in the season.

The Indianpolis Colts had shown that they were a legitimate team. While the Detroit Lions were at the bottom of the barrel.  The Kansas City Chiefs won their second game of the season, but no one was wondering about football at the time.  The New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons and the Houston Texans clinched the first playoff spots.

The Washington Redskins had a comeback for the ages against their crosstown rivals, the Baltimore Ravens.  The New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants showed off their season of futility in a shootout at the Meadowlands.  The Houston Texans had another disastrous loss to the New England Patriots.

What was perhaps the best game of the regular season, the San Francisco 49ers went into Foxboro and defeated the New England Patriots.  Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson was primed and ready for a 2,000 yard season and possibly the record as well.  The Green Bay Packers clinched their division after all the turmoil to start the season.