NFC Divisional Playoffs Recap Vikings and Saints Roll the Competition

Brett Favre, Sidney Rice Spank The Cowboys

The Cowboys had a great season, especially late in the season, but showed their true colors in a blowout against the Vikings. I stated emphatically that Dallas was a team that could not play without momentum, and when the defense of the Vikes never let them rev their offensive engine, it was over for Dallas in the first quarter. Tony Romo and Wade Phillips, who had lured their betting investors back by decimating the Eagles a week earlier, coughed up a dud. It was a bitter reminder that hot streaks can come to a sudden, frigid end.

Nobody in organization will be at more risk than Wade Phillips who was told that his job would be reviewed upon the end of Dallas’s post-season. Well guess what? Gunning for three whole points and allowing 35 as the second best defense in the league is enough to get you canned. Nobody would be happier, or more deserving, than offensive coordinator Jason Garrett who is likely to replace Phillips after he’s canned in the next few days. The leash of Jerry Jones is short enough to choke you, and Wade’s last gag in the playoffs just cost him his job.

The Cowboys and Vikings game wasn’t what we expected from Dallas. With a moderately sized TOTAL of 45.5 points, we expected a shootout. Yet it was Brett Favre and Sidney Rice that were beating up the scoreboard like it owed them money. Rice had three touchdowns and Favre threw for four scores, a personal best for the 40-year old quarterback.

The Vikings were tight favorites of just -2.5 against the NFL playoff betting line, but proved that they are worthy. However, standing at just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games, the Vikings’ betting investors will have to do a gut check before they meet the New Orleans Saints.

Yet for all of us who questioned Brett Favre’s decision to return, we have been served our just desserts.

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Saints Flatten Cardinals In Warner’s Potential Finale

The Saints rode Drew Brees in the regular season, but in the divisional round of the playoffs, they relied on the other guy they grabbed in 2005 – Reggie Bush. The former USC graduate broke the game in half in the first quarter with a 46-yard run that put the Saints up 21-7. In the third quarter, Bush added a dazzling 83-yard punt return to put the icing on the proverbial cake.

Powered by an incredible all-round performance through their three faculties the Saints gave up a touchdown on the first play of the game, pulled up their socks and never looked back. The deafening crowd of the Saints was also a crucial factor, and gives New Orleans a rare home field advantage. Some crowds are rabid, blood thirsty or loud. The Saints fans get thrown in to a homicidal frenzy when their team starts marching.

The Cardinals were exhausted from their wild upset of Green Bay in the wild card, and a pivotal turnover by Kurt Warner also completely turned the tide. Not only was Warner picked off, he was flattened as he tried to make the tackle and never seemed to be the same. He finished the game 17-of-26 for 205 yards and a pick. It may have been his final game ever.

Warner has been iffy about whether he wants to return, citing concussion, health, age and his family as the main reasons. Whether he makes us wait Favre-style, or he makes a definitive decision in the next few months, I think we can all agree that he deserves to take as much time as he wants.

The 45-14 blowout by the Saints cleared the highest set TOTAL by the oddsmakers in NFL playoff history, and also served as their first win against the betting line in six games. Ever since that lost to Dallas, the Saints have been playing flat and uninspired. The throttling they just handed Warner’s Cardinals has certainly revitalized this team, and the city of New Orleans.

This will be the first NFC Championship Game that the Saints have ever appeared in. The team is young, but it is certainly talented. Arizona may have been flying a bit too high for their own good, but if you really want to measure how good the Saints are, then they’ll get their chance. Minnesota’s defense is one of the best in the NFC and Brett Favre’s magic may be enough to defuse the flurry of energy from the Big Easy crowd.

For now, however, the Saints look like the team that was crushing teams early on in the season. No city, in my mind, is more deserving of having a team perform so well.

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Minnesota-New Orleans is -4 with a total of 52.5. It will be the second highest total of the NFL playoffs this year. The line has already moved down a half-point since opening. The BetOnline Locker Room will have all the updates and info you need to make the best bet in the NFC Championship Game!