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Hello everyone.  Well it was an exciting weekend of playoff football.  I was 1-3 though, tough.  The games on Saturday were great, the ones on Sunday not so much.  So let's get right into "The Week that was in the NFL" Wild Card Weekend:

Atlanta 24 @ Arizona 30

Sometime between the Saturday before Week 17 and Saturday, the Cardinals found a running game that is fairly reliable, and the name of the running game is Edgerrin James.  He played really good on Saturday and the Cardinals could beat the Panthers this upcoming Saturday if he can continue to run that good.  Michael Turner did not have a good game due in part to some stellar play by the Cardinals defense.  And Matt Ryan showed that he was indeed a rookie with some bad passes and some questionsable snap counts.  Cardinals defensive end Bertrand Berry said that Ryan used the same snap count nearly the entire game.  The Falcons did have a good season, but the Cardinals are moving on.  If they come into Saturday night's game with the same intensity that they played with against the Falcons, they will be tough for the Panthers to handle.

Indianapolis 17 @ San Diego 23

MVP of the game: no not Darren Sproles.  No not Philip Rivers.  Yes, Matt Scifres.  The punter was outstanding, netting six punts inside the 20.  Thanks to him, the Colts offense could never get started good enough.  The only success the Colts had in the second half was when Peyton Manning threw a TD pass to Reggie Wayne who got open because Antonio Cromartie was fell asleep on the play.  Even with LT hobbled, the Chargers found a great run game with Darren Sproles.  He energized the Chargers and now he and the Chargers are headed for a date with the Steelers in Pittsburgh.  That should be a great game, and with the way the Chargers have been playing the last month, I wouldn't be surprised if they win.  As for the Colts, it was a good season despite the slow start and Tony Dungy will take some time to see if he wants to coach another season.  He is a classy individual and deserves the time to make this decision. 

Baltimore 27 @ Miami 9

Is there a more exciting and dynamic player on defense in the NFL than Ed Reed?  He had another two INTs and brought one of them back for a TD against the Dolphins.  The Dolphins who didn't turn the ball over barely ever in the regular season had five on Sunday.  Chad Pennington did not have a good day, but the Dolphins should be very proud of what they accomplished this season.  No one saw them making this big of a turnaround.  Next for the Ravens: Tennessee, who beat them on a controversial late hit on the QB when these two teams played in Week 6.  It will be slugfest. 

Philadelphia 26 @ Minnesota 14

For three-and-a-half-quarters, the Vikings bottled up Brian Westbrook.  Then a screen pass to Westbrook and he was gone, 71 yards for a TD.  And that was it for the Vikings.  They couldn't take advantage of some good field position.  Jared Allen though was a stud for the Vikings and their d-line will continued to be a force to reckon with next year.  But Tarvaris Jackson just doesn't seem to cut it.  The Eagles meanwhile continue to be a roll.  They head to the Meadowlands next week to take on the Giants.  The two split their season series with each team winning at the others building.  That should be a great game.

Well that is all I have for today.  Check back on Thursday for my preview blog of the divisional round of the playoffs.  Feel free to leave a comment if you think I missed something or disagree with me.  Until next time, c ya.