Bengals@Texans: A Playoff Game To Forget For Dalton and Co.!

Well, Wildcard weekend is finally here! Of the whole playoff period, this has definitely been my favorite time of the season since as long as I can remember. It has always been synonymous of times when Davids beat Goliaths – a time when teams who barely make it in stun some who find the going easier during the regular season. Last year, the Seahawks stunned the then-champions Saints thanks to a rumbling run by Marshawn Lynch that even made the Richter scale proud. The Packers, Steelers and Ravens have ended up proud Superbowl champions after winning their Wildcard games and proceeding to overturn the obstacle of home-field advantage. However, this year’s Wildcard matchups don’t look as enticing as the ones we’ve grown accustomed to these past years with the Steelers-Broncos’ game looking like the only mouth-watering prospect, probably because divine intervention may be on the menu.

Watching the Bengals and Texans kick it all off slowly was by no means a surprise. With both teams boasting good defenses and rookie quarterbacks, I presumed this would be a boring affair. Both offenses came out of the gates rusty with QBs Yates and Dalton missing easy third down passes, and RB Foster fumbling it twice. Things got a bit better in the first quarter, unfortunately only thanks to a 52-yard pass interference on the Texans that gave RB Benson an easy run-in. For the Texans, it was uniquely the run-game that kept them in it with Foster amassing the yards for his very own TD run-in. The quarter ended in a tie but drastically failed to sate my hungry wildcard appetite.

Quarter two did not betray my expectations much either. It kicked off with K Nugent missing a field goal and the Texans expectedly going three and out. The Red Rifle ignited the game a bit, moving well in the pocket and hitting WR Lee for 36 yards early on. Showing signs of maturity and experience that belie his tender years at times, it did not take Dalton long to succumb once again to happy feet syndrome . The Bengals did muster a field goal on the drive to go up in the quarter. Having had three scoring opportunities, the Bengals looked as if they were on track to cut the Texans first ever playoff run short.

At this point, the game was quite slow and lacking in excitement, even for the likes of George Bush Sr. and former First Lady Barbara Bush, in attendance at Reliant Stadium. Right when the only bright spot for the Texans rested on RB Foster’s shoulders, the Yates-Johnson connection showed a spark. The Bengals had already used out their challenges, as the pendulum looked to tilt in the Texans favor by the 2-minute warning. K Rackers barely tied the game at ten just before the half. By then, I was already looking forward to the potential high-octane offensive shoot-out between the Lions and the Saints. Suddenly, the Texans DL Watt intercepted a Dalton pass and ran it back for a pick-six, making the score 17-10 at the half.

Both defenses reigned supreme at the beginning of the second half thwarting each other until the Texans last drive of the penultimate quarter. The game kicked into a higher gear then, eradicating the "boring" label" I confidently gave the game early on. Yates combined with Foster and Johnson on the way to a touchdown scoring drive that gave the WR the first playoff TD of his career. The drive looked to cement the Texans place in next week’s divisional game with the 24-10 lead. WR Simpson of the Bengals continued to exhibit his athleticism leaping over a standing defender. Who needs cleats when you can go airborne like that! The antics were to no avail though, with the ball ending up intercepted by the Texans few snaps later. From there on in, the Texas team played the possession game, taking valuable time off the clock with an effective ground game. A third interception by Dalton would not sink the Bengals for good, as he sat on the sidelines and watched Foster seal the deal for the Texans with a pounding run. The game turned into a thumping 31-10 score thanks to what I would hands down call : the play of the game.

Congratulations to the Texans for staying alive in this season’s playoffs. Not many teams have been able to do so at the first time of asking. Unfortunately, the only highlight of the game for the Bengals was getting a glimpse of Buzz Philips, the ex-Oilers coach and father of Texans Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips. Faithful to his Stetson cowboy hat, he will have, no doubt, given the Bengals a spark in his heyday - one that coach Lewis failed to give. Tough luck for Dalton and WR Green. They have had a wonderful season, and I would have put my money on them to go through. Luckily, I did not venture to do so, but I am sure we have not seen the last of them!

Next up for the Texans are the Ravens in Baltimore. They will surely give them a run for their money! One thing is for sure: it’s going to be one hell of a night on the ground for both teams!

Snow wrecks a promising season for the Bills

Well, what happened in Cleveland yesterday must hurt if you are an ardent Bills fan like I am.
I got to my TV set during the beginning of the second half and have to take my hat off to both those teams yesterday. Honestly, if I was a player, I would have begged my coach to leave out of it.

On the edge of my seat -as a I always am when the team is playing- I knew that in those conditions, the Bills would have to excel in the running game. From the recaps I saw during the live game, I loved how Marshawn started off but was upset at him not getting any yards in the crucial fourth quarter. His counterpart Jamal Lewis, on the other hand, played the perfect ground game tallying a good 160+ rushing yards - no wonder the guy loves that kind of weather.

Unfortunately for Buffalo, neither Marshawn nor Fred Jackson had the effective bulldozing abilities of Jamal Lewis and their lethal speed could and would not play a part in the slippery game.

The accumulation of snow and strong wind naturally affected the Buffalo aerial game, especially after they were down by eight by the first few minutes of the second quarter. Many players, like Trent Edwards and Marshawn had never played in such weather yet found themselves in situations where they had to make plays. The Stanford kid was forced to play with both gloves throughout the full competition and his usual consistency failed him on fairly easy passes. Yet, the finger SHOULD not be pointed at him as the receivers found great difficulty in mobilizing themselves on the field and were late on many run routes.

It has been a good season for the Bills this year when you take into consideration their woeful 0-3 and 1-4 starts. Twice above .500 this year, they sure have proved that they are a team to reckon with next year. Coach Dick Jauron has built a solid team which I hope will win its upcoming two games and finish the season on a winning record; they need the confidence for the off-season in order to come out strong in 08-09.

I had great confidence in this year's playoff run but it's apparent that the weather thought otherwise. The last playoff appearance dates back to the late 90's: Buffalo has the 2nd longest playoff drought in the NFL. Just how long do we have to wait for a post-season participation from the Bills, only time will tell!!!

The Buffalo Bills get a crucial win over the Jets to approach the .500 mark

Though not in extraordinary fashion, the Bills defeated the New York Jets yesterday to improve their record to 3-4 and record their first sweep of the N.Y. franchise since the 1997 season. Sitting in my chair and watching the game yesterday, I could not help but marvel at what this team has done to better their defense after dismal performances against the Steelers, Patriots and Cowboys. Although, Jet's quarterback Chad Pennington helped the cause a bit, Whitner, Mcgee and company thwarted the aerial attacks directed to WRs Cotchery and Coles. Even when last year's playoff outfit tried to show some glimpses of solid play, especially from their running-back Thomas Jones, the Buffalo linebacking unit did a great job in limiting the Jets running game after a hot start.

The Bills offense did fairly better this Sunday and got some good yardage from their quarterbacks - although the Jets tortured Trent Edwards with their Blitz system. In fact, it was due to one of the Jets raids that the rookie quaterback from Stanford left the field with a sprained wrist. MRI's are negative but the rookie quarterback might be out for some time; word on his availablility will be known Wednesday before the initial week practice.

Edwards' injury was an opportunity for J.P. Losman to make his return after an injury against the Patriots cost him his starting quarterback status. From the moment Losman stepped on the field, I felt that he wanted to prove himself using his strong young arm to connect with his pal Lee Evans and Josh Reed. The only touchdown of the game came courtesy of his throwing arm and a piece of playmaking by WR Evans. Late in the game, the QB heaved a ball into the air for Evans to make what just might be the play of the week, tearing the pigskin away from two Jets players.

If you missed the game, hats off to Marshawn Lynch who wiggled off a hip injury and wiggled his way through the Jets' defense. He is indeed unstoppable as he escaped tackle after tackle and only fell down when the men in green clipped his legs.

After this win in the Meadowlands - a third in four games, it seems as if the Buffalo locker room is in high spirits and will hopefully remind us of the marvelous early 90s team. A showdown with Carson Palmer's Bengals awaits them at Orchard Park next Sunday. In case of a win, the team will be back at .500 and hopefully keep possibility of a visit to the playoffs alive, although amidst tough contention from fellow-AFC teams.



Wishing Trent a quick recovery, I sit here on a Monday evening in Morocco praying for a rescucitated playoff run.