NFL playoffs favor defenses thus far
By: Turner Sports Desk
Pass rush is still king – How do
you stop Brady, Rivers, Romo and Warner? You put them on their backs as early
and as often as possible. The teams that are winning in these playoffs are
finding ways to create consistent pressure on opposing QBs. Who thought Phillip
Rivers would wind up making more mistakes than Mark Sanchez? No one except Rex
Ryan and that dominant Jets defense. The Colts combination of Dwight Freeney
and Robert Mathis are so quick to the QB that they make up for a pretty average
secondary. Saints defensive coordinator, Greg Williams is more pass rush by
scheme while the Vikings combo of Jared Allen and Ray Edwards are absolutely
relentless.
Kickers are really, really
important – There is no worse feeling than driving down into scoring range and
coming up empty handed. There is also no better feeling than your punter being
able to keep the other team pinned in their territory.
Most teams that commit to running win –
Everyone says this is a passing league but all the teams that remain in
the playoffs except for the Colts are running the football pretty well. Running
is ball control and ball control is winning the football game as long as you
finish your drive with points. Running the football in the playoffs is a matter
of will over skill. It is also the safest way to travel in terms of less
potential for turnovers.
Dominant corners are a precious
commodity – The Jets have two really good corners in Darrelle Revis and Lito
Shepherd which allows them the freedom to pressure the opposing QB without
giving up big plays. The Jets made the normally mistake proof Phillip Rivers
look worse than his rookie counterpart in Mark Sanchez.
Dominant defense appears to still trump
dominant offense – The NY Jets versus the Colts will put this theory to the
test next week. History has favored dominant defenses like the 85 Bears and the
Ravens. The Jets and the Vikings appear to have the best defenses remaining in
the playoffs and they both are playing some high octane offenses next week. It
will be very interesting to see how that works out.