Looking at this weekend’s NFL Divisional playoff match-ups, it isn’t hard to come up with story lines. The two teams that played in last year’s Super Bowl are still alive, but looking from a historical perspective makes this weekend’s contests all the more interesting.
2012 AFC Championship Rematch
The Baltimore-New England match-up instantly brings back memories of the AFC title game from two years ago. Most felt the Patriots were a lock to reach the Super Bowl, but Baltimore outscored New England 21-0 in the second half and picked off Tom Brady twice in a 28-13 victory.
While Brady and head coach Bill Belichick will always be remembered for their postseason success, playing in five Super Bowls and winning three, one could argue that Baltimore in recent years has been even better. After topping New England two years ago, the Ravens went on to beat San Francisco in Super Bowl XLVII 34-31.
In five previous playoff appearances under head coach John Harbaugh, Baltimore has never been stopped short of the conference championship. Brady will go down as one of the better quarterbacks in playoff history, but the Ravens’ Joe Flacco actually has a better career postseason winning percentage.
Losers Winning?
After finishing 7-8-1, the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers became just the second team to make the playoffs with a losing record since the NFL expanded to eight divisions in 2002. The first to do it will be the team they’re visiting on Saturday night — the Seattle Seahawks.
Like Carolina, the Seahawks managed to win a Wild Card after capturing the NFC West with a 7-9 record in 2010. Thanks to a highlight run from Marshawn Lynch, Seattle defeated the New Orleans Saints 41-36. The Seahawks were throttled by the Chicago Bears the following week, but the fact that Seattle was able to pick up a playoff win after coming in as an afterthought should keep them from taking the Panthers lightly this weekend.
The Ice Bowl Revisited
This weekend’s divisional match-up between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers has a 1990’s feel to it, but believe it or not, this will be the first playoff game between the teams in Green Bay since the 1967 NFL Championship, famously known as “The Ice Bowl”. A late quarterback sneak from Bart Starr behind guard Jerry Kramer propelled the Packers to a 21-17 win over Dallas and an eventual second straight Super Bowl victory.
Two of the NFL’s most storied franchises, the Packers are just four years removed from a world championship while Dallas’ success seems like ancient history. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is the odds on favorite to win the MVP as he chases a second Super Bowl title while Tony Romo, the Cowboys’ signal-caller, looks to prove he has what it takes to become a championship quarterback.
Dallas has not reached the NFC Championship game since 1995 when it beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX. The team it beat to get there was none other than the Green Bay Packers.
Legend vs. Successor
Fans in Indianapolis are never going to forget Peyton Manning, the quarterback who led the team to its only world championship since leaving Baltimore, but former first overall pick Andrew Luck has certainly helped ease that pain.
The biggest knock on Manning throughout his legendary career has been his inability to get it done in the postseason. Manning and the Denver Broncos were dominated by Seattle 43-8 in last season’s Super Bowl, running his career record to 1-2 on Super Sunday and just 11-12 overall in the playoffs.
While Luck has made the Colts a force to be reckoned with in the AFC quicker than anyone could have imagined, there will come a day when just getting to postseason is not enough. Indianapolis was knocked out in the divisional round by New England last season and a victory in Denver would be a big next step for Luck and the Colts.
At 38 years old, Manning likely has few championship runs remaining. For it to continue this year, he’ll have to beat the man that ultimately made him expendable in Indianapolis.
