NFL Sets Next Weeks Playoff Games
So the NFC playoff picture is set now, with two rematches taking place during wild card weekend. here's how it stacks up:
1) Saints
2) Minnesota
3) Dallas
4) Arizona
5) Green Bay
6) Philadelphia
The Saints will play the lowest-seeded winner from the matchups out of Dallas/Philadelphia and Arizona/Green Bay. Meaning, if Dallas wins the Saints will play the winner of Arizona/Green Bay. But if Philadelphia wins, the Saints will automatically play them (since they're the lowest seed overall).
So who will you be "rooting" for in wild card games?
I think the Saints will match up well with both Arizona and Green Bay, although Green Bay scares me a little more than the Cardinals. Regardless, I have no doubt the Saints could beat either of those teams, given they work the "can't score more than 17 points" thing out. Philly is definitely beatable, as well, especially since the Saints have done so already once this season. I know - they didn't have McNabb, but their running game was better and we were also on the road. I don't think they'll come to NO and be able to win - and that means I can still hope the Cowboys lose.
This FanPost was written by a reader and member of Canal Street Chronicles. It does not necessarily reflect the views of CSC and its staff or editors.
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Definitely Eagles
Ever since they lost their starting center Jamaal Jackson to IR a couple of weeks ago, they haven’t been the same team. They’re having a hard time blocking right now. I don’t see how they can beat Dallas next week. Although, Dallas has been known to be inconsistent at times this season, so anything could happen.
Arizona has somehow played much better on the road than at home this season, so they are still very dangerous despite the beat down the Pack put on them today. I think the Packers will win again and then face us in the next round. It should be a good game that we should be able to win.
We’ll have a pretty healthy team by the time this game happens. By my estimations, we’ll have the exact same offensive and defensive starters we began the season with, with the exceptions of Heath Evans and Kendrick Clancy. That’s pretty good when compared to the other playoff teams. Plus, I have to believe that Payton and Williams will have some dangerous surprises for whoever they face in the playoffs. WE…WILL…SMELL…GREATNESS!!!
"I said this early on that this was a good football team, they just maybe had to have a stick put in certain parts of their body to play a little harder in certain places to where we’re able to take interceptions and score touchdowns."--Gregg Williams
by David "Satch" Kelly on Jan 3, 2010 9:45 PM CST reply actions
I agree.. The Buzzards looked terrible today, or...
are the Cowgirls that good right now? I think not. Mc Who ??? We could have beaten the Buzzards today with that team that we fielded in Carolina. If you think that Brunnel’s a bum, you should have seen McNabbbrrry.. Whatever…..
"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading". Henny Youngman
pack probably
i would rather play arizona, but i think we will end up playing the pack . i really havent seen any of them play very much this season (esp lately) with the exception of dallas and the eagles for a couple of games.
"Give them nothing! But take from them everything!"
-King Leonidas
by DrewBreesManCrush on Jan 3, 2010 10:24 PM CST reply actions
Eagles
The eagles play dallas next week and the winner of that game plays vikes to go to NFC chanpionship game
Cardinals play greenbay winnier of that game play saints to go to NFC championship
if the eagles win, we play them
regardless of what happens in the cardinals / packers game.
saints face the lowest winning seed.
i thought it was like this too
like a bracket setup. In a bracket, we’d play the winner of the 4/5 game since if the #3 seed beats the #6, they’d be the highest seed to win out of those and wouldn’t put us in the best position. I’m fairly certain it’s a bracket format. gonna do some more research on it to find out for sure though
Superbowl bound!!!...I know! do you?! Go Saints!!
by skinnykinney on Jan 4, 2010 12:58 AM CST up reply actions
according to nfl.com
i am wrong. have they always done it like this or is it just this year?
Superbowl bound!!!...I know! do you?! Go Saints!!
hmm
i feel stupid. they did it the same way last year
Superbowl bound!!!...I know! do you?! Go Saints!!
i'd like to face arizona or philadelphia
but i feel as if we’re going to have to beat green bay, who have an awesome defense of late and a pretty well functioning offense since the o-line woke up.
tough, tough game.
I go for Arizona. They have played OK on the road at times, but they’ve also laid some real stinkers. But I wouldn’t mind GB or Philly either. Any of them are beatable. Of course, we are too. But I’d like to think that our starters can play a bit better than our backups and since we’ll have almost all of them (save for the IR crew) back that should give us a good shot to at least host the NFC championship.
Definitely Arizona. They’ve been hit or miss all season. Their running game is improving, but certainly not as formidable as Green Bay or Philadelphia’s, meaning they’re less likely to control the clock. Their secondary is torchable. We’ve handled Warner in the playoffs before. The only things that truly concern me about the Cards are their WRs and pass rush and those are universal concerns, based on the Saints’ weaknesses.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
what's interesting is...
The eagles are the only team in the nfc playoffs that we have played this year. I don’t know if that works to our advantage or not. what do y’all think?
In Breesus' name we play
by Breesus Christ Superstar on Jan 4, 2010 7:48 AM CST reply actions
I would say it doesn’t. It’s difficult to beat anyone twice in the NFL, much less a playoff caliber team. We’ve also played theme twice in the playoffs already. I’d rather fresh blood, even if that means facing a more formidable opponent out of the gate.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
Dallas?
but he we’ve only played 40% of the other NFC playoff teams. I get what you’re saying
I see what you got...Lets rock - Al Bundy
by knucklesmalone on Jan 4, 2010 8:34 AM CST up reply actions
duh, yeah I forgot about them. my bad
you get what I’m saying though. Is it better to play a team we’ve faced and prepared for before, or sombody we haven’t played before
In Breesus' name we play
by Breesus Christ Superstar on Jan 4, 2010 12:37 PM CST up reply actions
I just wanna end up playing the Vikes
( And shutting some of these people up that live around here). !!!!!!!!!
I'll be your huckleberry- Doc Holliday to Ringo
I wouldn’t mind playing the Eagles for one reason in particular: it would make a third Favre vs Packers matchup possible, without ending the Saints playoff run in the process. I’m pretty sure that’s what the game the vast majority of NFL fans wants to see, albeit at the NFC championship game level. If the Eagles beat the Cowboys, we might both get our wish.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
Any.
Since any kind of success is dependent on the Saints regaining their early-to-mid-season form, I would take any of those teams. The good Saints can beat any of the three possible divisional opponents, with Green Bay being likely the toughest matchup. The bad Saints couldn’t beat Tampa Bay, much less Green Bay. So it all depends on which team shows up. And since all of our hopes are riding on a huge timely rebound from New Orleans, I’d take any of those three, least of all Green Bay. But Arizona would likely be the most favorable matchup, as we haven’t played them yet, and they look like the most beatable team in the NFC playoffs(though I’d honestly not be very concerned with Philly, either). I’d love Dallas to beat Philly and Minnesota, as I’d love a rematch, and Minnesota is the toughest possible opponent in the playoffs to me. Again, this is all assuming the good Saints come to play. I pretty much think the NFC North has the best chance to beat the good Saints. The bad Saints would be totally irrelevant in these playoffs, much like Arizona.
"Think about that statement and all its implications for a second. The New England Patriots did not play up to the level of the New Orleans Saints." -Pat Yasinskas
To Arizona’s credit, they quietly won 10 regular season games and a division title, two things they weren’t able to accomplish last season. After last year’s pst season run, I’m not putting anything past them.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
They have better offensive balance than last year’s team, too. Which is what we’re (hopefully) all about. I know if we come out unnecessarily Air Coryelling it, a la the Bears NFC championship game, I’m going to defecate a cinder block.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
that is just 1 more win than last year
i dont think they were any better than we were last year, they are in an easier division and got hot at the right time. and phily and carolina really crapped the bed against them… but i think that if pitt hadnt taken that int back for a td right before half, they probably would have won the super bowl.
"How you climb the Mountain is just as important as how you get down the Mountain. And,so it is with life , which for many of us becomes a gigantic lesson. In the end it all comes down to one word. Grace . Its how you accept winning and loosing,Good Luck and Bad Luck, The Darkness and the Light.
- Jeremy Shockey (via Twitter)
by DrewBreesManCrush on Jan 4, 2010 11:32 AM CST up reply actions
I’m not sure why you’re comparing them to the Saints. The other three teams in the NFC West won 13 games last season, 14 this season. That’s slightly more competitive, the way I look at it. Not easier. I agree with you, they weren’t a whole lot better than us last season. They probably weren’t much better than countless 7-9, 8-8 and 9-7(read: mediocre) regular season teams throughout history. That doesn’t mean they haven’t improved.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
Just thankful for the week off.
I think the saints are the most in need of the bye week. If we had to play this week, I’m afraid we would be done. However, that’s not the case. The saints and the who Dat nation will be ready for who ever the f@&! We play! I am ready to end warner’s season like we did a decade ago!
by saints fan in cowboyland! on Jan 4, 2010 1:39 PM CST via mobile reply actions
I still have that game on VHS. Watch it every so often, just to cheer myself up during the offseason. Everyone remembers Milne’s fumble recovery, but the biggest play of the game, at least in my opinion, was Sammy Knight baiting Warner for a pick in the red zone earlier in the fourth quarter. Had they scored on that drive, we would have inevitably been down four during that final minute of play, meaning there would have been no punt to muff. Willie Jackson came up huge in that game, too. That after Joe Horn went down on the 2nd play from scrimmage. Makes me wonder what this so-called “best Saints team ever” could accomplish without Drew Brees, Pierre Thomas and Marques Colston in the playoffs. Not saying I want to see that play out first hand, but it just goes to illustrate that there’s so much more to a “team” than 22 healthy starters.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
Dallas....
is all I care about. I want a rematch with our team healthy and hungry for some payback. I hope the cowgirls make it all the way to the NFC championship game and hopefully it will be in the dome!!!
I think we run them outta the gym fully healthy.
Also, did anyone else notice Sunday afternoon (dallas vs philly) what song they were playing in Cowboy stadium for the kick-offs………………………………………..?
YEp, “Stand up and Get Crunck!” I may be wrong but I’ve seen plenty of Cowboy games on TV and can’t remember EVER hearing that song until they played us. Can someone tell me if I’m wrong or have they been playing it all season or they saw how much it got our crowd and special teams up and started using it themselves. I’m not saying were the only team that uses that song but I don’t think they used it before right?’Bastards!
My thoughts
I remember I took a poll about a month ago about who everyone was MOST afraid of in our 1st playoff matchup and the result was Arizona. Now, out of the three teams present, Arizona has become our smallest fear? Weird.
Here’s my take on it though: if the Saints truly are championship material, it doesn’t matter who comes to town. If they’re Super Bowl good, then any comer will lose.
People with high-blood pressure should consult their doctor and ask if they're healthy enough for Saints activity before rooting for this team.
My thoughts exactly...
If winning a Super Bowl was easy, any team could do it. To be the best, you have to beat the best. Right now, I think the Cowboys are probably the toughest competition in the NFC. Followed by the Packers. Don’t know exactly why, but Minnesota, Arizona or Philly playing in the dome just don’t concern me as much.
In a perfect world, I’d like to see Green Bay beat Arizona… Philadelphia beat Dallas…Green Bay beat Minnesota in a third match up… New Orleans beat Philly…. and New Orleans beat Green Bay in the NFC Championship. The reason being is it would be such poetic justice for the Pack to end Farve’s season. If it doesn’t play out this way in my perfect world scenario, beating Dallas in the NFC would be a close second best.
I believe that we will play the Cowgirls for the NFC championship and....
we will WIN because at our best we are better than they are and… we have a better coach.
No disrespect to Wade Phillips, but he is “Wade Phillips”….
As Maximus said to Comedais, “we will have our revenge, in this life or the next”. It will be in this life………. Whoa Dat !!!
"I feel sorry for people that don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, thats as good as they are going to feel all day" Frank Sinatra
I'll take the Packers.
I’m definitely in the minority here, but I think the Green Bay matchup is our most promising.
First off, I’ll always choose the least experienced QB against our aggressive secondary. McNabb and Warner will be more prepared to handle what we throw at them.
Arizona’s WRs are fast and tall, which is a dangerous combination. I am scared of Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner having at least 2 big plays.
The Eagles have DeSean Jackson really exploding onto the scene. They really looked bad this week, but they’re dangerous and can easily show up with both barrels firing.
Green Bay just doesn’t overly impress me. It would be the weakest offensive line out of the 3 teams, which we would take advantage of, especially with Grant hurt. I think we’d have at least 4 sacks.

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