Winners and Losers From NFL’s Divisional Round Weekend

There was nowhere near the intrigue during NFL’s divisional weekend as there was during what will go down in history as one of the most dramatic wildcard weekends in the history of the league. In all, three home teams and all four of the perceived favorites came out on top. Two games were decided by one score, but neither seemed to be that close throughout the duration of the matchups. Another two games were decided relatively quickly into the fourth quarter or even before that.

As we did last week, let’s check in on the winners and losers from this weekends action.

Winner: Josh McDaniels, Offensive Coordinator, New England Patriots

The ability to adjust your offensive game plan around the talent that you have on the field is an indicator of the type of coach that you are. Knowing full well that New England doesn’t have the type of receiving weapons that it had in the past, McDaniels and Co. decided to wear down the Indianapolis Colts on the ground. When was the last time New England scored six touchdowns in a game, all on the ground? Without having to research too much, probably when Steve Grogan or Tony Eason were leading the offense before the Bill Belichick era.

In all, New England ran 46 running plays compared to just 25 passes. Tom Brady completed barely over half of his passes in what had to account as nothing more than a stellar management of the game that would make Alex Smith apologists happy. LeGarrette Blount became the first running back in postseason history to tally four-plus touchdown runs in a single game since Ricky Watters did so for the San Francisco 49ers back in 1994.

No, these aren’t your parents Patriots. The ability of McDaniels to adapt to the changing tide of an offense that is clearly restricted by lackluster receiving options has been nothing short of amazing. The former Denver Broncos head coach is now becoming a hot asset around the league. Albert Breer of NFL.com reported last week that McDaniels took his name out of the running for the Cleveland Browns head coaching job…imagine that. Breer cited more stability and job security in New England as a primary reason. Either way you put it, he did as much as any possible head coaching candidate with his performance on Saturday. That much cannot be questioned.
Loser: Cam Newton, Quarterback, Carolina Panthers

Coming off a breakout season in which Newton led his Panthers to wins in 12 of their final 14 games and a first-round playoff bye, the young quarterback had a lot to prove against fellow 2011 draft pick Colin Kaepernick. Unfortunately for Newton and the Panthers, the point that was proven in this one is that they are not quite ready to take on elite teams in January and come out on top.

With multiple opportunities, seven to be exact, inside San Francisco’s three-yard line, the Panthers came up with a total of three points. They were shut out in the second half of a game that seemed to get out of hand relatively quickly in the third quarter. For his part, Newton started out strong against one of the best defenses in the league. Despite an early interception, he rebounded to lead Carolina to two second quarter scoring drives and was seemingly outplaying Kaepernick.

Then, once the third quarter rolled around, the former No. 1 overall pick just couldn’t get anything going against an inspired and talented defense. Newton may have completed 16-of-25 passes for nearly 270 yards, but two key interceptions stalled drives. He also struggled breaking loose from the pressure put on by San Francisco’s front seven, going down a total of five times.

Bigger picture. Newton will forever be compared to Kaepernick. Both were selected in the 2011 NFL draft with Newton going a full round higher than his counterpart in San Francisco. Through three full seasons, he has won exactly zero playoff games compared to Kaepernick’s four (and counting). The future may be bright in Carolina, but it’s pretty sure that Newton’s team has more work to do in order to be considered top contenders in the NFL. It’s now up to the front office to actually get the young quarterback some playmakers on the outside.

Winner/Loser: Jim Harbaugh, Head Coach, San Francisco 49ers

Harbaugh has now taken San Francisco to the NFC Championship game in each of his first three seasons as its head coach. In reality, Harbaugh has been one of the most successful head coaches in NFL history through three seasons. He boasts a 41-13-1 record heading into the matchup next weekend against the Seattle Seahawks. To put that into perspective, Harbaugh’s .746 winning percentage ranks him third in NFL history, behind Guy Chamberlin and John Madden, among coaches with at least three years of experience. While the next logical step has to be a Super Bowl title or two, it’s stunning just how much Harbaugh has turned around a previously fledgling franchise.

On the other hand, Harbaugh’s antics on the sideline this past Sunday was childish and not befitting of a coach that is respected around the National Football League. His 15-yard penalty on a second quarter play in which officials miscalled what would eventually be a go-ahead touchdown is not acceptable. Luckily for San Francisco, the official overturned the call on the field, otherwise that 15-yard penalty would have been huge. The simple fact that wide receiver Anquan Boldin had to calm Harbaugh down on the sideline tells us what we need to know about his passion. Let’s just hope it doesn’t end up costing the 49ers a game, as no one needs that.

Winner: LeGarrette Blount, Running Back, New England Patriots

Remember when Blount was punching everyone in site for the Oregon Ducks over five years ago after a loss against Boise State?

This “little” incident cost Blount his Oregon career and disabled his ability to get drafted the following April. The talented running back did catch on with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2010 and went for more than 1,000 yards on the ground before falling out of favor over the past couple seasons and eventually being dealt to the New England Patriots for a seventh-round pick. You heard that right, a seventh-round pick.

Blount started his Patriots career as their No. 3 running back behind Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen. In reality, he was nothing more than an insurance policy for Belichick and Co. Blount then proceeded to start the season with just 54 attempts for 219 yards in his first seven outings. After putting up some decent numbers here and there for the news few weeks, the 6’0″, 250-pound running back has caught fire recently. He put up 266 yards and four touchdowns in New England’s final two regular season games before electrifying an unsuspecting crowd at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.

All said, Blount rushed for a Patriots single-game postseason record four touchdowns and put up 166 total yards on the ground in a brilliant performance. Five years removed from being written off by the NFL, Blount is a primary reason that New England is going to play in yet another AFC Championship game this upcoming weekend.

Loser(s): Cinderella Stories

The past couple seasons have seen their fair share of cinderella stories. No one in their right mind believed that the Baltimore Ravens, led by elite play from Joe Flacco, would win four consecutive playoff games en route to a Super Bowl title last season. At 9-7, the 2011 New York Giants were in no way considered one of the top contenders to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. They ended up defeating the Atlanta Falcons (10-6), Green Bay Packers (15-1), San Francisco 49ers (13-3) and New England Patriots (13-3) to win their second championship in five years.

This gave hope to the underdogs heading into the playoffs. The San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints weren’t expected to do much in the postseason, especially against the elite teams in the NFL.

Unfortunately, all of these teams saw their season come to an end before the conference championship games. While putting up a great fourth quarter comeback attempt against the Denver Broncos, Philip Rivers and the Chargers fell seven points short. Philadelphia fell to the New Orleans Saints, who made a game of it on Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round. Despite what have to be considered successful seasons, all of these teams showed that they weren’t quite ready for prime time.

Winner: Colin Kaepernick, Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers

We touched on it last week after San Francisco’s late-game victory against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in the wild card round. Heading into the divisional round, Kaepernick boasted a 3-1 career record in the postseason, including a 2-0 record away from the “friendly” confines of Candlestick Park. Those two road wins represented one more than Joe Montana and Steve Young combined for as members of the 49ers in the playoffs. It’s now time to add another notch in Kaepernick’s belt after an electric second half performance saw him score two touchdowns in a 23-10 49ers victory over Carolina.

The numbers might not have been too great. Kaepernick completed just 15-of-28 passes for less than 200 yards and two total touchdowns. He did, however, convert five key third downs throughout the game. Now 3-0 in his postseason career on the road, Kaepernick leads San Francisco into Seattle… a place of horrors for the young quarterback. He does so riding an eight-game winning streak and a career 21-7 record as a starting quarterback. He does so compiling 25 touchdowns compared to five interceptions in his last 15 starts. Heck, Kaepernick is 7-2 in his last nine road starts with a ridiculous 18-2 TD/INT ratio. At least he can back up that confidence on the field. That’s a lot more than we can say for other young quarterbacks in the NFL today, including the one he defeated on Sunday.

Loser: Drew Brees, Quarterback, New Orleans Saints

Coming off his first career postseason victory on the road last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, there were some who expected Brees to shock the world and lead New Orleans to an upset victory over Seattle on Saturday. Outside of a desperate performance in the fourth quarter of a two-score game that saw Brees throw for 159 yards, he did absolutely nothing in this game. New Orleans was shutout threw three quarters with Brees tallying a total of 150 yards heading into the final stanza.

Brees has now lost three of his last five playoff starts and has failed to lead New Orleans past the divisional round since winning the Super Bowl back in 2009. Including his early days in San Diego, the future Hall of Fame quarterback possesses a 1-3 record away from home in the second season. For someone that has thrown for over 20,000 yards and 161 touchdowns since 2009, Brees simply hasn’t been clutch when it counted the most. It might not be time to compare him to the Peyton Manning’s (AFC Championship game permitting) and Dan Marino’s of the world, but Brees needs to win another Super Bowl before we can even come close to mentioning him with the best to ever play quarterback. Unfortunately, younger signal callers in the NFC have pretty much assured that his time has passed.

Winner: NFL Fans

The four-best teams through NFL’s regular season are the final four remaining. The storylines heading into championship weekend couldn’t be better. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning going at it possibly one last time with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick meeting for the third time this season with both the current competitive balance and future bragging rights in the NFC on the line. Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh displaying their antics on the sideline at CenturyLink. Heck, we are sure to see the old guard versus the new guard in the NFL. No matter the outcome of these championship games, an up-and-coming quarterback will be taking on a future Hall of Famer next month in the Super Bowl. Simply put, the NFL couldn’t have drawn it up better.