NFL Playoffs Reaction

There are a lot of reasons why the Colts, Patriots and Bears are done playing football.

But the one that stands out has nothing to do with this past weekend's games. It's the choices these teams made once their playoff standing was determined, lolly-gagging against inferior teams, resting their starters while playing not to get hurt.

The Colts, once their dream of an undefeated season was snuffed out by the Chargers, stopped playing in a loss to the Seahawks and a narrow victory over the pathetic Cardinals. The momentum that carried Tony Dungy's team to a 13-0 start was over. The Colts took nearly a month off and expected to pick up where they left off.

Bad idea.

Look at the four teams left. Both the Steelers and Panthers have played with a sense of urgency straight through the season, battling for wild cards. The Broncos, even though they could have let up after clinching the No. 2 seed, never did, trouncing the Chargers in their season finale. The Seahawks are the one exception, losing to the woeful Packers in the final week before managing to get by the Redskins.

Winning breeds winning. Momentum is a valuable edge. Play hard. Always. Teams that fail to grasp this are the ones on the outside looking in.

Comments

[Scott Burnett]

The Seahawks were jarred out of any lethargy that might have set in when Alexander went out in the first quarter! That could have burst everyone's balloon, but the team (led by Holmgren and Hasselbeck) found the right mixture of patience and adrenalin. Impressive. We're all pretty giddy out here in the Upper Lefthand Corner...

[Dan]

Scott - Seattle has a good chance of not only making it to the Super Bowl, but winning it. Carolina is playing well, so the Seahawks will need to be at their best to advance.

Dan

[Scott Burnett]

Your predictions for last weekend were impressive, Dan. Are you going to publish what's showing up in your crystal ball for this weekend?

[Dan]

Yeah, I'll give it a shot again. I missed the Colts game, but so did most people.