First off, what a great set of games for the NFL.  Both games were really good, competitive, and had some nice off the field story lines to go along in each case.  The Seahawks with worst record in playoff history playing the defending Super Bowl champs, and the Peyton Manning/Rex Ryan chess match made for some interesting back story to the games.

The Seahawks game was a perfect example of an “underdog” game.  You know, the whole “nobody believes in us” and the “us against the world” mentality.  At times, the Seahawks looked downright awful this year.  But, they did beat the Bears earlier in the year and managed to knock off the Saints.

Personally, I wasn’t buying into the Saints just because they beat Atlanta a week or two ago.  A lot of the mainstream media bought the hype of New Orleans after winning that game, but there was a reason the Saints weren’t talked about much this year; they weren’t all that spectacular.  This game was even more evidence of that trend, and getting torched by the vaunted passing game of Seattle is a huge indictment.

Key plays/moments in the New Orleans/Seattle game:

1st Quarter: Saints were up 10…twice, and couldn’t “put it away” by going up 3 possessions early.

New Orleans’ awful defensive play: getting torched for over 400 yds by a mediocre offensive unit and only forcing one turnover.

Marshawn Lynch’s run to seal the deal: catch SportsCenter because it’s a playoff run for the ages, no doubt about it. The crotch grab at the end is pretty comical too.

Final thoughts: I think the Seahawks had every opportunity to pull off the upset by being written off by everyone, playing at home, etc, etc.  However, I think their run will end next week after a physically and emotionally draining win today.

The second game of the day was much less exciting than the first, but still a good game.  A defensive battle for most of the game.  I really thought this one could go either way, depending upon which Jets team showed up.  The Jets played well defensively all game, but their offense was terrible in the first half.  Peyton and the Colts were consistent all game, but could never really “break” the Jets defense and get more points on the board.  Also, the Colts defense couldn’t get stops when they really needed too in the second half.  The Jets game plan was great and they executed it flawlessly by playing a defensive game, controlling time of possession (thus keeping the Colts offense off the field), running the ball well, and a few good special teams returns when it mattered.

Key plays/moments in the New York/Indianapolis game:

Manning to Garcon: the only big offensive play in the first half and the biggest offensive play of the day.  The only time the NY defense made a mistake.

Jets opening drive of the 2nd half: The Jets absolutely punished the Colts to start the second half, ramming the ball down their throats for a score.  To me, this was the beginning of the end for Indy.  The Jets continued to pound the rock and keep Peyton sidelined the remainder of the day; even pulling off a near 10 minute drive later in the half.

Indy running into the kicker: Terrible penalty that gave the Jets a first down and forced Indy to burn timeouts, resulting in only one more possession; instead of the possibility of two.

Coaching/Playcalling: Rex Ryan’s staff shifted playcalling to a much heavier dose of the run in the second half.  I think they realized Sanchez wasn’t sharp and they didn’t let him lose the game for them with any more careless turnovers.  3rd and short seemed to kill the Colts and they could never really sustain long drives; settling for field goals.  Caldwell’s use of their final timeout was odd, Indy’s poor return coverage, and a big special teams penalty were all negatives for Indy’s coaching staff.  I also think the Colts may have been able to burn off more time before the Vinatieri field goal in the final minutes.

Final thoughts: Overall, a superbly executed game plan by the Jets allowed them to win on the road.  However, I think their lack of offense will leave them exposed next week at New England.  I can’t stand the Patriots, and I think the Colts were better suited to beat them than the Jets.  I look for the Patriots to win easily next week at home.

I find it hard to believe day two of the playoffs, can or will be better than day one, but here’s hoping that I’m wrong!