# NFL Wild Card Weekend **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 29, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077 "2008-12-29T16:53:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/41 "2009-01-04T00:49:25Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I think Miami has a decent chance, at home against Baltimore. Otherwise, I pick Atlanta, Philly, and the Colts to advance. 0-1 for me, as Atlanta lost to Arizona. Prolly a good thing I don’t bet on football. Though I probably would, if it were offered at Tunica casinos… ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/42 "2009-01-04T00:53:23Z")
Congrats dalej42! Good Luck next week. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/43 "2009-01-04T00:55:31Z")
Bill Simmons’ reasons for picking the Cardinals made a lot of sense. I shoulda listened. Oh well… ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/44 "2009-01-04T01:28:39Z")
Well, I’ve been a fan of the Cards through many years. Yes, today felt good. So, we did it. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/45 "2009-01-04T02:11:19Z")
Hopefully Flacco looks like a rookie tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/46 "2009-01-04T04:03:46Z")
The Colts/Chargers game is certainly living up to the hype. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/47 "2009-01-04T04:37:41Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > 0-1 for me, as Atlanta lost to Arizona. Prolly a good thing I don’t bet on football. Though I probably would, if it were offered at Tunica casinos… 0-2 after the T-Bolts dump the Colts in OT. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/48 "2009-01-04T04:42:05Z")
I’m 1-1. So much for all the pundits saying all four road teams would win…so far, home teams are 2-0. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/49 "2009-01-04T04:44:13Z")
Jeez, I’m 0 for 2. It’s a strange postseason when two home playoff teams win and it seems weird. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/50 "2009-01-04T04:44:45Z")
Wow, the Chargers beat Indy without LT. Pretty impressive. Mundane and pointless observation: doesn’t Phillip Rivers look like Mike Nelson? ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/51 "2009-01-04T04:56:36Z")
1. The game’s most valuable player was Mike Scifres, it’s not even close, and I’m not exaggerating. His six punts tonight: 51 yards to the 10, no return 58 yards to the 15, 4 yard return 50 yards to the 3, no return 67 yards to the 5, 2 yard return 38 yards to the 9, no return 52 yards to the 1, no return I’ve never seen a more dominant punting performance. Without Scifres’ ridiculous excellence, Indy probably wins in regulation by two scores. 2) Manning’s mostly shed the playoff-choker label, but just in case: given the above, anyone who argues that Peyton Manning came up short in a big game because his team only scored 17 points is an idiot. The average Colts drive started on their own 15.7 yard line (Chargers: 31.1). Also note that Manning got no help from his running game. He played like a league MVP tonight. 3) The defensive holding on the Colts CB in overtime: there was enough contact for it not to be a B.S. call, but it sure looked awfully ticky-tacky, and I hate to see that (in general, I mean, not just at the end of games). ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/52 "2009-01-04T05:00:52Z")
Dolphins/Ravens is going to be very tight, but nobody is giving Sam Koch any credit. I can hear most of you Googling already. The Ravens’ first quarter game plan looks like this: (1) Big sacks on Dolphins’ first possession (Backup plan: Ed Reed intercepts the ball, steals Pennington’s lunch, and sleeps with his girlfriend… then runs it back for six.) (2) Ravens get the ball in okay territory, and Flacco goes for broke on first or second down. Flacco is a rookie and doesn’t put it all together – he’s just trying to scare Miami and shut up the home crowd. (3) Sam Koch comes onto the field, punts, and puts the Dolphins inside their 5. (Backup plan: inside their 10.) (4) Big blitz on first down breaks the run designed to get Miami out of safety territory. After a painful three-and-out featuring a big Suggs sack, Miami gives it to Baltimore near the fifty. (Backup plan: an embarrassing first-quarter safety on a Suggs sack shakes Pennington’s confidence early) (5) Ravens march to within field-goal range and put 3 on the board after a risky Wildcat play fails to come up with great yardage. (Backup plan: Troy Smith rolls a ten-sided die to determine who gets the ball on the Wildcat play, and it comes up “5” - TD pass to Flacco). Seriously, Miami is not going to know what to do. If Pennington stinks, then the Dolphins’ mediocre defense has to handle Flacco and the unpredictable Ravens offense. If Pennington stays on the field, he will eventually throw it to Ed “You Seem To Have Thrown The Football Right To Me; Here Let Me Take It To Your House” Reed. Dolphins fans are saying “No, it’s exactly the other way around! _WE_ run the Wildcat!” Guess what? Ravens stopped it once, and now Flacco has 3x more experience than he did back then… so now you’ve got to stop a real quarterback with a nearly-healthy receiver corps and some potent running weapons. When all else fails, we’ll trade you three-and-outs and push you deeper and deeper into your own territory using Koch’s artillery-quality leg, capitalizing on any minor error for big points. Does all of this sound like faint praise for my purple birds? Let me say it this way: Ravens play an imperfect – even an ugly – game, and win it by 6. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/53 "2009-01-04T05:11:20Z")
Lots of wishful thinking in that post. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/54 "2009-01-04T06:21:41Z")
Hey, I lost my #1 hopes in the Manning game tonight, I’m sure as heck hoping that his wishful thinking comes true, as I’d love to see those purple birds keep on playing! Stupid Chargers Punter. I can only hope that in 2 years or so the Colts acquire him just so they don’t have to play against his stupid Shaolin golden leg again… I haven’t been that angry at special teams since the old Pats of the early 2000s… ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/55 "2009-01-04T06:39:42Z")
Indianapolis’ DVOA rankings in special teams since 1997: 21st, 21st, 21st, 18th, 25th, 21st, 14th, 25th, 25th, 25th, 32nd, 26th. You think at some point they’d devote a few roster spots to players players who can contribute on special teams instead of just picking from whomever happens to be backing up their offensive and defensive starters. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/56 "2009-01-04T07:21:55Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > Lots of wishful thinking in that post. And in your post. Seriously, I am NOT disrespecting the 'Fins, but Koch is going to be a huge difference in this game. Ravens march on to Nashville. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@The\_Tof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tof)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/57 "2009-01-04T08:30:15Z")
> [@Ro0sh](#): > > Hey, I lost my #1 hopes in the Manning game tonight, I’m sure as heck hoping that his wishful thinking comes true, as I’d love to see those purple birds keep on playing! > > Stupid Chargers Punter. I can only hope that in 2 years or so the Colts acquire him just so they don’t have to play against his stupid Shaolin golden leg again… I haven’t been that angry at special teams since the old Pats of the early 2000s… I mentioned in the Pro-Bowl thread awhile back I have really wanted Scifres to get into the Pro Bowl now for awhile. He never seems to be able to get in, but he’s been amazing for years. Hopefully this game gets him some national attention.. I think people just know Lechler, and he certainly gets to kick enough being on the Raiders. But, IMNSHO, Scifres has been the best punter in the league for a couple years now. Freaking amazing game by him today! ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/58 "2009-01-04T14:08:19Z")
> [@The\_Tof](#): > > IMNSHO, Scifres has been the best punter in the league for a couple years now. Freaking amazing game by him today! Agreed. Are statistics kept by which his game can be ranked against other great punting performances? ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/59 "2009-01-04T14:37:02Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > 1. The game’s most valuable player was Mike Scifres, it’s not even close, and I’m not exaggerating. His six punts tonight: > > 51 yards to the 10, no return > 58 yards to the 15, 4 yard return > 50 yards to the 3, no return > 67 yards to the 5, 2 yard return > 38 yards to the 9, no return > 52 yards to the 1, no return > > I’ve never seen a more dominant punting performance. Without Scifres’ ridiculous excellence, Indy probably wins in regulation by two scores. Never in my life did I ever think that a punter would have such a game changing performance and deserve the MVP. Never. And, although a good part of it was the bounces after the punt lands, he did an outstanding job. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077/60 "2009-01-04T14:38:38Z")
> [@Weirddave](#): > > And in your post. If you say so. We’ll find out soon. But if I were forced to make a financial bet on the game, I would bet that your punter will NOT be the difference in it. If the Ravens win, it will be because of their defense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wild-card-weekend/479077.md?page=4)