Winners and losers from wild-card round,
Snap reactions from the wildcard round of the NFL playoffs:
The idle Packers had to be in the rare position Sunday of rooting like crazy for a rally by the NFC North rival Lions. Instead, the Cowboys hung on for a 24-20 triumph that sends them to Lambeau Field for the divisional round, while the Panthers — the clear underdogs remaining in the playoff field after Saturday’s win over the Cardinals — head to Seattle. The Cowboys are far better equipped to pull an upset in Green Bay than Carolina, which got run off the field there in an October rout. Dallas is unbeaten on the road this season and has the type of run-first attack that can stress the Packers up front and keep the ball out of likely MVP Aaron Rodgers’ hands.
Three of the AFC’s final four consist of the past three conference champions. Then there are the Colts, who lost on the road to the Super Bowl-bound Ravens and Patriots the last two years and this time get the Broncos in the divisional round. It’s a re- match of the Week 1 game Denver won 31-24 on Sept. 7. And it will be another coming-of-age test for QB Andrew Luck, whose anklebitten 36-yard touchdown toss to WR Donte Moncrief in Sunday’s 26-10 win vs. the Bengals might be the throw of the year. Luck, 25, is the future of the most important position in sports. Beat predecessor Peyton Manning in Denver to reach the AFC title game, and it’d sure seem Luck is the present, too. He’s as good as advertised and getting better. But a Colts defense that has gotten by all season with its best player (OLB Robert Mathis) on the shelf has to contain Manning to have a chance.
Cincinnati’s loss can’t be pinned on QB Andy Dalton, but it did serve as a reminder of his limitations. For all the things he has done well in his career, Dalton can’t elevate lesser players around him, as the Bengals desperately needed him to with WR A.J. Green and TE Jermaine Gresham among the inactives Sunday. In four playoff games with Dalton at quarterback, the Bengals have scored 10, 13, 10 and 10 points. Again, that’s not all on Dalton. But continued futility in January lets questions linger about whether he’s the guy to take the Bengals to the next level. The team paid him more than $18 million this season as part of a contract extension. In 2015, they owe him $7.2 million, including a $4 million roster bonus on the third day of the league year in March. None of it is guaranteed.
Similar questions could be asked about Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, who is 0-6 in postseason games after 12 years at the helm. In a league in which consistency is elusive, it’s hard to fire a guy with Lewis’ regular-season track record. But if the mark of good coaching is the ability to make adjustments, it’s disturbing that Lewis’ teams have been outscored 84-13 after halftime in those six playoff losses. Sunday was the fourth time the Bengals offense has been shut out.