NFL 2008 RSS
NFL 2008 Wild Card Weekend is packed with accomplishments and teams that simply did not give up this season.
As far as accomplishments, three Wild Card Weekend teams are led by rookie head coaches -- Atlanta Falcons (Mike Smith),
Baltimore Ravens (John Harbaugh) and Miami Dolphins (Tony Sparano).
It is only the second time in NFL history that three
rookie coaches took their teams to the playoffs in the same season (1992: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh Steelers; Dennis Green,
Minnesota Vikings; and Bobby Ross, San Diego Chargers).
The first two quarterbacks selected in the NFL draft will start on Wild Card weekend for their respective team –
Atlanta's Matt Ryan (Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year) and Baltimore's Joe Flacco.
Never in the same season have two rookie QBs started all 16 of their team's games and taken those teams to the playoffs.
Ryan and Flacco also took their teams to the biggest turnaround in history by rookie QBs who started every game. Ryan
led the 11-5 Falcons to a seven-win improvement over 2007, and Flacco to a six-win jump for the 11-5 Ravens. They will
become the first rookie QBs to start in the same postseason.
In addition to the Falcons and Ravens, there are
The 11-5 Dolphins, who matched 1999 Indianapolis as the only teams in history to make 10-game improvements from one season to the next.
The Chargers became the first team in NFL history to start 4-8 and make the playoffs.
The Colts began their season at 3-4, then won their last nine.
The Vikings started 1-3 and won five of their last six.
The Eagles were 5-5-1 in late November and won four of their last five.
"Everybody turned their backs on us," says Philadelphia safety Brian Dawkins, in essence speaking for all these teams.
"But we believed in one another."
Chances are one of the 8 teams this weekend could wind up Super Bowl XLIII Champion.
Being the number one seed is no guarantee to Super Bowl entry. Fourteen seasons have passed since the last
time two No. 1 seeds faced each other in Super Bowl (
1993 season, Buffalo vs. Dallas in Super Bowl XXVIII).
This wouldn't surprise NBC Analyst John Madden:
Count on unpredictability spilling over into the playoffs and Wild Card Weekend.
Comments from NBC Analyst Chris Collinsworth resonate these sentiments:
"On a neutral site, these are easy games to pick. I would take all four road teams, but you're not talking about a
neutral site. You're talking about the playoffs and you're talking about fans that are going to be a little fired
up for the playoffs and you're talking about some pretty good quarterbacks in there that have been down this road
before with Chad Pennington and Kurt Warner and Philip Rivers playing so tough in the championship game a season
ago. This is about as interesting as I can remember the Wild Card round being."
You can count on that as the only thing predictable in the NFL this season is the unpredictable turn it has taken.
"Sometimes the team that's in the tougher division can be a wild card team and be the better team than a team that
is in a weaker division and wins the division. I think that's what we're seeing here, that some of the wild card teams
from some of the divisions are really stronger than the division winners in the weak division. All four road teams
can be favorites in these games."
-- John Madden
The wild-card round of the NFL playoffs this weekend has all four road teams as favorites. That's about the same number
of road favorites there have been in playoff games this decade. The odds reflect what a strange season it's been. There
are wild-card teams clearly better than the winners of weak divisions.
So let the 2008 NFL playoffs begin with Wild Card Weekend.
Atlanta Falcons (11-5) at Arizona Cardinals (9-7) - Saturday, NBC, 4:30 PM ET
Falcons Visit Cardinals in Wild Card Weekend's 1st Matchup
Atlanta Falcons (11-5) at Arizona Cardinals (9-7) NFL Playoffs Wild Card Weekend
The Arizona Cardinals, which scored a franchise record 424 points, boasts a high-flying attack led by QB
Kurt Warner and wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. The Atlanta Falcons are
in the postseason for the first time since 2004.
The Falcons are led by rookie QB Matt Ryan and RB Michael
Turner. The Falcons ended the season winning five of their last six, and eight of their last 10.
Indianapolis Colts (12-4) at San Diego Chargers (8-8) - Saturday, NBC, 8:00 PM ET
Don't Be Misled by Colts & Bolts Regular Season Records
Indianapolis Colts (12-4) at San Diego Chargers (8-8) NFL Playoffs Wild Card Weekend
Returning to San Diego for the second time in seven weeks to face a familiar playoff foe, the
Indianapolis Colts, 12-4, meet the San Diego Chargers, 8-8, on Saturday, January 3.
The Colts and Chargers met on November 23 this season. Indianapolis earned a 23-20 last-play victory over San Diego.
Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at Miami Dolphins (11-5) - Sunday, CBS, 1:00 PM ET
Ravens Seek to Defeat Dolphins Again in Miami
Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at Miami Dolphins (11-5) NFL Playoffs Wild Card Weekend
The game is a rematch of a regular season game between these teams this year, when Baltimore
registered a 27-13 win on October 19 at Dolphin Stadium.
The Ravens head to Miami hoping to return with the same result.
Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) at Minnesota Vikings (10-6) - Sunday, FOX, 4:00 PM ET
Eagles and Vikings on a Mission
Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) at Minnesota Vikings (10-6) NFL Playoffs Wild Card Weekend
After weak starts this season, both teams finished strong to propel themselves into the NFL 2008 playoffs.
They both started the season slowly. The Eagles were 2-3; the Vikings 1-3.
But both finished the season with strong
winning streaks as the Eagles won 4 of their last 5, while the Vikings won 5 of their last 6.
RELATED ARTICLES NFL PLAYOFFS 2008 WILD CARD WEEKEND
NFL 2008: NFL Playoffs are Always Unpredictable
As unpredictable as the NFL 2008 Season has been the past two weeks, with the NFL one thing may be for certain --
there will always be change. A prime example is the NFL teams that make and don't make the playoffs year after year.
NFL Playoffs 2008 Arizona Cardinals Regular Season Review
The Arizona Cardinals (9-7) finished the NFL 2008 Regular Season as the NFC West Division Champions.
The Cardinals feature a high-flying attack led by QB Kurt Warner and wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan
Boldin and Steve Breaston which scored a franchise record 424 points this season.
NFL Playoffs 2008 Baltimore Ravens Regular Season Review
The Ravens earned the AFC's final Wild Card spot with an 11-5 record, which included a 9-2 record after
starting the season 2-3. The Baltimore Ravens set an NFL record for most wins by a team with both
a rookie head coach (John Harbaugh) and rookie QB (Joe Flacco) along with the Atlanta Falcons (Head
Coach Mike Smith and QB Matt Ryan).
NFL Playoffs 2008 Indianapolis Colts Regular Season Review
Halfway thru the NFL 2008 Season and after a mediocre 3-4 start, the Colts were in danger of not making
the NFL playoffs for the first time in eight years. And then the Colts All-Pro Quarterback Peyton Manning
got healthy and the Colts turned their season around to earn their seventh consecutive playoff berth
with nine straight wins.
NFL Playoffs 2008 Miami Dolphins Regular Season Review
The Miami Dolphins finished the 2008 NFL regular season winning nine of their last 10 games to win the AFC East
division title by virtue of their victory over the Jets at the Meadowlands on the last Sunday of the season.
The Dolphins completed a dramatic turnaround from last season when they finished 1-15.
NFL Playoffs 2008 Minnesota Vikings Regular Season Review
The Vikings earned their playoff berth and clinched their first division title since 2000 with a 20-19
last-second victory at home over the New York Giants. It is the Vikings first NFC North championship since the
division was realigned in 2002. The win also gave Minnesota its first 10-win season since 2000.
NFL Playoffs 2008 Philadelphia Eagles Regular Season Review
With good fortune and another strong December, the Eagles catapulted themselves into the NFL 2008 Playoffs.
The Eagles (9-6-1) destroyed the Cowboys at home by a final of 44-6 while the Buccaneers lost to the Raiders and
Bears lost to the Texans earlier the day. The Eagles win combined with the losses earned the Eagles the NFC's
final playoff spot. The Eagles had started the day as the most unlikely of the remaining NFC teams to qualify
for the playoffs.
NFL Playoffs 2008 San Diego Chargers Regular Season Review
The Chargers (8-8) won the AFC West defeating the Denver Broncos on the last gamne of the NFL 2008 regular season, 52-21.
The victory capped a four-game winning streak down the stretch during which the San Diego Chargeres outscored its
opponents, 149-73. The Chargers are the first team in NFL history to make the playoffs after a 4-8 start. The last 8-8
team to go to the playoffs were the New York Giants in 2006.
NFL Playoffs 2008 Atlanta Falcons Regular Season Review
Almost a complete reversal from last season's 4-12 mark, the Atlanta Falcons finished this season
with an 11-5 record. In retrospect, the disappointment of the NFL 2007 season laid the groundwork for the
Falcons success in 2008. The Falcons realized they needed to go back to the drawing board and conceive their
Hire, Draft and Sign Strategy.
NFL 2008 PLAYOFFS RANKINGS
Once teams are ranked for the playoffs, positions do not change:
American Football Conference
1. Tennessee Titans (AFC South Division champion)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC North Division champion)
3. Miami Dolphins (AFC East Division champion)
4. San Diego Chargers (AFC West Division champion)
5. Indianapolis Colts
6. Baltimore Ravens
National Football Conference
1. New York Giants (NFC East Division champion)
2. Carolina Panthers (NFC South Division champion)
3. Minnesota Vikings (NFC North Division champion)
4. Arizona Cardinals (NFC West Division champion)
5. Atlanta Falcons
6. Philadelphia Eagles
NFL 2008 PLAYOFFS WILD CARD WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Saturday, January 3
NFC: Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals, 4:30 PM ET (NBC)
AFC: Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers, 8:00 PM ET (NBC)
Sunday, January 4
AFC: Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins, 1:00 PM ET (CBS)
NFC: Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings, 4:30 PM ET (FOX)
NFL 2008 WEEK 17 RESULTS (Sunday, December 28)
(Home team in CAPS)
ATLANTA 31, St. Louis 27
PITTSBURGH 31, Cleveland 0
New England 13, BUFFALO 0
Oakland 31, TAMPA BAY 24
CINCINNATI 16, Kansas City 6
ARIZONA 34, Seattle 21
GREEN BAY 31, Detroit 21
BALTIMORE 27, Jacksonville 7
HOUSTON 31, Chicago 24
Miami 24, N.Y. JETS 17
INDIANAPOLIS 23, Tennessee 0
PHILADELPHIA 44, Dallas 6
MINNESOTA 20, N.Y. Giants 19
SAN FRANCISCO 27, Washington 24
Carolina 33, NEW ORLEANS 31
SAN DIEGO 52, Denver 21
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