5 Things We Learned From The NFL Wildcard Weekend

Observations on the first round of the NFL playoffs.

Observations on the first round of the NFL playoffs.

1. If Your QB Never Attempted a Pass in the Regular Season, You’re Going to Have a Bad Time


Filling in for Adrian Peterson-hander-offer Christian Ponder, Vikings quarterback Joe Webb started his first and only game of the 2012 season on Saturday against the Packers. And, sadly, it had to come in the playoffs. Going 11-30, eating three sacks, and throwing one pick in a loss isn’t the worst performance imaginable. Webb, for example, could have thrown a pass directly into Adrian Peterson’s anterior cruciate ligament…twice, but he didn’t! So that’s something.

Photo By SCOTT TERNA/ Landov

2. If Your Starting QB Has a Worse Passer Rating Than That Guy Who Never Played in The Regular Season, You’re Going to Have a Bad Time


Or he could have been Andy Dalton. The Bengal’s quarterback was the eighth-worst QB on the field this weekend, which is pretty impressive considering only eight teams played. A third of Dalton’s 127-yard passing performance came on a single 45-yard bomb. But the Gingersaurus should be proud regardless—in just his second year he tossed 27 TDs and led a notoriously goofy Bengals team to the playoffs, an achievement in itself.

3. If Your Star QB Gets Injured Thanks to Your Crappy Field, You’re Going to Have a Bad Time


RGIII had one of the greatest rookie years for a quarterback ever, bringing a moribund Redskins franchise to the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. But in the process Griffin suffered a concussion, a knee sprain, and now, in the post-season, another knee injury. While we don’t know for sure if the turf on FedEx field was responsible for Griffin’s injury, when your team’s midfield logo is totally unrecognizable after four quarters of football, the playing conditions can’t be great. After the game, Griffin insisted that the poor playing conditions were, “Our home field advantage.” We don’t think ‘Skins fans can agree.

4. If Your QB is Going Against Ray Lewis’ Defense in the Last Home Game of His Career, You’re Going to Have a Bad Time


After announcing his retirement at the end of this season, first ballot Hall-of-Famer Ray Lewis promptly led the Ravens in tackles in his last home game ever. He also managed a pass-defense against unlucky rookie QB Andrew Luck. In a losing effort, the Colts QB lost a fumble, threw an interception, and managed just 288 yards in the air with an arm-destroying 54 pass attempts.

5. If Your QB is Aaron Rodgers, You’re Going to Have a Good Time


With a season-high 21 arrests at Lambeau Field on Saturday, Packers fans were definitely celebrating this weekend (or conspiring in an Ocean’s 11-style caper).

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