This Wild Card weekend was everything the name explains: Wild! Three out of the four games played this weekend came down to the wire and were decided by three points or less! Talk about excitement for the NFL fans around the globe.
In each game it really could've gone either way for both teams on the field. If some things were played a little bit differently, we would see whole new Divisional Round matchups next week. But today we focus on the teams that lost in the Wild Card and see what could've gone wrong and how they can look to change their luck next year.
Kansas City Chiefs
Injuries. Injuries are what plagued the Chiefs in Saturday’s Wild Card game that caused an epic meltdown and the second largest comeback for the Colts. It started when running back Jamaal Charles went down with a concussion early in the first quarter but that didn’t seem to faze the Chiefs at all. They were up 38-10 at one point of the game and looked like they would cruise to the divisional round.
Then some more injuries happened in the second half like running back Knile Davis, wide receiver Donnie Avery, corner back Brandon Flowers, and linebacker Justin Houston.
Once the defensive players started dropping, Andrew Luck started dropping dimes to T.Y. Hilton to mark a huge comeback for the ages.
There really isn’t much to say on how they could improve from here on out. Head coach Andy Reid could have better time management instead of wasting timeouts (even though we are used to seeing this when he was in Philadelphia.) Alex Smith is in the right system and is making plays to put his team over the top.
When healthy, this defense is top three in the league and can shut down most quarterbacks in the NFL. The best thing that the Chiefs could improve on in the offseason is their receiving core.
All year it has been Jamaal Charles who has been carrying the offensive load. A true number one wide receiver would improve the offense of this team tremendously.
Philadelphia Eagles
What went wrong for the Eagles was mainly their poor defensive line play in the second half.
Time and time again Drew Brees had all the protection he needed to make good throws and conjure up a 10 play, four-minute, game-winning drive.
But even before that last drive the Eagles defensive line in the second half couldn’t do anything to Brees.
Whenever there was a third and one or fourth and one, Brees would sneak it up the middle for two or three yards.
How could the Eagles not stop this? They knew it was coming and they still could not stop the quarterback sneak. The seniority of the New Orleans Saints bested the young Eagles squad and outlasted them in the frigid weather.
It’s quite simple of what the Eagles need to improve on in the offseason. Stock up on some big and strong defensive lineman. They also need to upgrade their secondary yet they really improved over the course of the season. Offensively the Eagles could use a big receiver. One that stands 6'4" and can go up and get the ball in fade routes and deep streaks. Nick Foles had himself one heck of a season and will have high expectations coming into next year. Hopefully the Eagles can build around him and make it further into the playoffs next year.
Cincinnati Bengals
Turnovers killed the Bengals in the Wild Card round against the San Diego Chargers. If you take out Ronnie Brown’s late 58 yard touchdown run, the Bengals dominated the Chargers in just about every statistical category except for turnovers. Andy Dalton had three crucial turnovers in the second half where he threw two interceptions and fumbled once which put the Bengals out of reach and out of time to try and make a comeback.
Giovani Bernard also had a fumble when the Bengals were driving inside the Chargers red zone. If the Bengals did not turn the ball over and scored at least a field goal on those drives, it would be a 15-point swing in the Bengals favor because the Chargers scored six points off of the turnovers. This would make the score 25-21 in the Bengals favor and would probably end up winning the game.
The Bengals have so much talent on both sides of the ball. What is holding them back from getting over the hump of the Wild Card round s Andy Dalton turning the ball over. He really needs to focus on making better decisions during the offseason and not force the ball when he is under pressure.
If these problems continue over the next two seasons, Dalton may be run out of Cincinnati. The Bengals have a very young team on both sides of the ball and have plenty of time to grow but Dalton needs to be the first to reach that mature level and make better decisions as a quarterback.
Green Bay Packers
You couldn’t ask for a better game to end a Wild Card Weekend. The frigid cold of Lambeau Field made this game bone chilling just to watch from home.
Looking at the game statistically, it was pretty darn even all the way down the line which is why it came down to a game winning field goal as time expires from Phil Dawson. The Packers did all they could to withstand the 49ers but just couldn’t hang on.
What went wrong for them was the legs of Colin Kaepernick. Don’t get me wrong, he had some great throws in this game but when it comes down to the facts, Kaepernick’s legs saved the 49ers multiple times by scrambling for a total of 98 yards in the game.
The Packers knew that he would be on the move but still couldn’t stop him. Kaepernick has the Packers number over their meetings and refuses to lose.
Another aspect that hurt the Packers was their third down efficiency. Only three times out of 11 were they successful in converting a third down. Not being able to extend drives and score points is what loses football games and that is what you see here with the Packers.
Things to improve for the Packers would be simply their defense. The secondary needs to get younger and have more talent as well as some quality backups at the linebacker position since Clay Matthews has been sidelined a lot recently.
Offensively the Packers are very dangerous now with the addition of rookie Eddie Lacy and gives them a dimension that the Packers have been missing for years. Nothing needs to change on the offensive side of the ball except for the fact that they all need to stay healthy for an entire season.