The NFC wild card games weren’t the only NFL upsets this weekend. The AFC had a surprise in one of the matchups as well.
New York Jets 17, Indianapolis Colts 16
This one was a close finish and gave us the kind of excitement expected from the NFL playoffs. Indianapolis led 7-0 at halftime and the Jets’ return to the run game paid dividends in the second half. Quarterback Mark Sanchez threw an interception in the end zone to wipe away New York’s best scoring chance in the first half. So, the Jets relied on running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene in the second half. Tomlinson finished with 82 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Greene finished with 70 yards on 19 carries. The Colts’ offense was visibly frustrated. Reggie Wayne, a five-time Pro Bowler, finished with just one catch. Still, the Colts were up by 16-14 late in the fourth quarter because of a 50-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri. Sanchez led a hurry-up offense with 53 seconds remaining. An 18-yard pass to Braylon Edwards set up a game-winning field goal from Nick Folk. The game was a battle of the trenches and finished well under the 44-point total. There was a reason the Colts point spread dropped from -2.5 to -1.5 before kickoff and this was it. The Jets will face AFC East rival New England on Sunday as 8.5 underdogs.
Play of the Game: Nick Folk kicked a 32-yard go-ahead field goal for the Jets as time expired.
Money Line (odds provided by Party Bets)
New York: 3/1
New England: 1/4
Point Spread: New England -8.5
Over/Under: 45.5
Baltimore Ravens 30, Kansas City Chiefs 7
This was the only lock of the weekend as Kansas City never really had a chance against Baltimore’s defense. The Chiefs’ only lead came in the first quarter off a 41-yard touchdown run by running back Jamaal Charles. They haven’t won a playoff game in the last seven appearances. The Ravens easily covered the spread under quarterback Joe Flacco. He went 25-of-34 passing 265 yards and two scores. Flacco has reached the playoffs in each of his first three years in the league. His 36 wins during those three years tie an all-time record set by Dan Marino. Running back Ray Rice finished with 99 total yards and a touchdown. The Ravens dominated every statistical category and their time of possession neared 42 minutes. Kansas City finished with five turnovers and its lack of offense forced the under on the 41-point total. Baltimore has proven to be road warriors with four road playoff wins in the last three years. The Ravens are 3-point underdogs at Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Play of the Game: Baltimore took the lead at the end of the second quarter with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Rice for a 10-7 lead. The momentum shifted back to the Ravens and the defense held Kansas City scoreless for the rest of the game.
Money Line (odds provided by Party Bets)
Baltimore: 6/4
Pittsburgh: 8/15
Point Spread: Pittsburgh -3
Over/Under: 36.5