Seattle Gets Dallas in Wild Card Round, Saturday Night at 5

by Shrug on Dec 31, 2006 1:26 PM PST

The Detroit Lions -- the freaking Detroit Lions -- handed the Cowboys their third straight home loss, 39-31, which gives the NFC East title to the Philadelphia Eagles.

It also means that the Cowboys, the #5 seed, are coming to Seattle next week for the wild-card round. The Eagles will be hosting America's hottest new comedy troupe, the New York Giants.

This will probably be the last game at Qwest Field this season. The only way Seattle can get another home playoff game is if the Giants and Seahawks square off in the NFC Championship game.

Sure, it's possible. So is the earth's rotation going into complete reverse and all of us speaking fluent Mandarin overnight.

The Giants have the worst record of all playoff teams, and are going up against the rejuvenated Eagles. If by some weird celestial miscalulation they win that, then they go to Chicago. Unless you know a really good multi-denominational witch doctor, a Seahawks-Giants conference championship game ain't happenin'.

So rest your lungs this week, 12th Man -- you can confidently shoot your wad in the stands next weekend.

Update [2006-12-31 19:2:10 by Shrug]: The Cowboys-Seahawks game will take place at Qwest Field Saturday night, Jan. 7. Kickoff slated for 5pm Pacific. The full schedule:

Saturday, January 7
1:30pm PT	Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts
5pm PT	Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks

Sunday, January 8
10am PT	New York Jets at New England Patriots
1:30pm PT	New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

Maybe I'll do a bracket later. I'm all cocky with my table creation skillz now.

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a week and a half ago

I probably would of said Dallas, but right now I kinda like our chances.

Hopefully TO disrupts their clubhouse this week, and our guys band together.

Josh Brown is better than you.

by MFAN on Dec 31, 2006 1:35 PM PST reply actions

First time playoff starter on the road

in one of the toughest evnviorments, in a night game no less. Seems like things have worked out about as well as the could have.

by tkjinak on Dec 31, 2006 4:24 PM PST reply actions

prediction:

A poor performance by Tony Romo, Rex Grossman, and Philip Rivers will be why their respective teams will fall in the playoffs.

I call it the Ben Roethlisberger rule. It doesn't matter how dominating you are in the regular season, if you're a rookie starter in the postseason you're going to crack under the pressure.

I'll be interested to see if the prediction holds up. Grossman is added because of his awful performances this season.

by Captain Morgan on Dec 31, 2006 5:54 PM PST reply actions

Gawd.

Grossman looks horrible tonight.

--Shrug

by Shrug on Dec 31, 2006 6:28 PM PST up reply actions

playoffs?!

Happy New Year to everyone. Let's hope the Seahawks prove to be the team in less disarray Saturday night.

Whether or not the Seahawks do get out of the first round, I know Seahawk fans everywhere can bat 1.000 by obeying the following tip...

...No Durians.

Sports and Bremertonians. Because we can.

by wackomann on Dec 31, 2006 6:37 PM PST reply actions

Funny at the beginning of the year

I thought the NFC east had a chance to send three teams to the playoffs and sure enough it happen.

"I got to fulfill every defender's dream of punching Tom Nalen in the head" - Chuck Darby

by Scruffy Lefty on Dec 31, 2006 6:49 PM PST reply actions

This is how I see it.

Chi-1
Phi-2
NO-3
Dal-4
Sea-5
NY-6

None of these teams are dominant per se, but don't get too hung up on their respective QBs. The real question for Chicago is will their elite DTs be healthy/out on bale. Philly is my tentative SB pick, where they will be torn asunder like a meat filled rag doll thrown to hungry wolves by SD/Bal/NE.

Seattle could, could, make some noise but god forbid we face the Bears in Soldier Field again.

by John Morgan on Dec 31, 2006 7:35 PM PST reply actions

really?

100+ QB rating Rex and Stifling Bears Defense was months ago; 0 QB rating Rex and Above Average Bears Defense are in vogue now. And there's always clinging to the irrational hope of "hey, Carolina did it".

by Captain Morgan on Dec 31, 2006 7:41 PM PST up reply actions

That's why getting caught up in the here and now..

is dangerous and misleading.

The Bears point differential is +191, Hawks -6. The Bears are 13-3 and haven't had anything to play for in weeks. The Seahawks are 9-7 and play in the weakest division in football. Frankly, the Hawks would be 8-8 if Shanahan hadn't decided to bench Plummer in favor of the future.

For all the hype Grossman's struggles get, he is not the Bears and Bears are not him. The Bears are--with Harris and Johnson--the best defensive team in football. And they have home field throughout.

I know now is the time for optimism (and drinking) but let's not get carried away.

by John Morgan on Dec 31, 2006 8:17 PM PST up reply actions

Woops! Didn't account for today's loss...

anyway the Bears are +172 and I'm on my way to a steady drunk...goodnight all and Happy New Year.

by John Morgan on Dec 31, 2006 8:22 PM PST up reply actions

Yes, but

You have to wonder about Grossman. You just hafta.

The NFC picture is really cloudy to me. There are no runaway favorites staring out at me. I can only really rule the Giants out. I can't rule the other five out at all.

I dunno. I just dunno. I need more slangy contractions like "hafta" and "dunno."

--Shrug

by Shrug on Dec 31, 2006 10:49 PM PST up reply actions

n/t

According to the NBC broadcast of last night's game, Lovie Smith is starting Grossman for the Divisional Round game. Yes, the Bears haven't had much to play for, but you don't get a 0.0 rating just because you're resting for the playoffs, you get a 0.0 rating because you genuinely suck. Hasselbeck finished with a rating of 119 in the Green Bay game at the end of last year. Like last night, Griese will be coming off the bench, and he should have had 5 INTs if Green Bay's secondary hadn't let a few easy ones slip through his fingers.

As far as the defense is concerned, Minnesota, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Detroit and Green Bay are all mediocre teams, and they've scored 13, 27, 31, 21, and 26 points against the Bears in December. The Bears just aren't the team that we lost to in October, and in this case, being mediocre and getting a lucky bounce might be all the Hawks need. So are they just slacking off, ready to turn it on at any time? Maybe. But Indy last year is a poor portent of the future for Chicago.

by Captain Morgan on Jan 1, 2007 12:56 PM PST up reply actions