Defences rise to the task in NFL’s wildcard weekend

The lasting memory of the offences for Seattle, Tennessee and Chicago this weekend is how offensive they were.

Not in a good way.

Even in a league where scoring was at an all-time high, with more touchdowns than ever, defence becomes a priceless commodity in the postseason. Ask the quarterbacks who were victimized by it, including a Super Bowl winner, the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson.

Ask Derrick Henry, the 2,000-yard All-Pro running back for the Titans whose production in Sunday’s loss to Baltimore almost could be measured in inches.

And anyone on a Bears attack that was more teddy than grizzly — thanks to New Orleans’ dominant D.

“Our defence played outstanding,” coach Sean Payton said of a 21-9 victory. “We tackled well in space . ... Ultimately we forced them to become one-dimensional, and when you do that you’re going to win a lot of games.”

John Harbaugh and Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale could say the same. Rams DC Brandon Staley could echo those thoughts. So could his boss, Sean McVay, an offensive guru whose unit is a placeholder while the defence is destructive.

“This might be the best win I have ever been associated with,” said Harbaugh, who merely won a Super Bowl in the 2012 season and now has a record eight away victories in the playoffs.

There weren’t many fans on hand for any of the games due to COVID-19 restrictions, and chants of DEE-FENSE weren’t rocking any of the stadiums. But the message remains clear: If you bring the D, it’s a smoother pass to the W. And possibly the SB (Super Bowl).