Bleacher Report's Post-Wild Card Weekend NFL Awards

The 2015 NFL playoffs are underway, and Wild Card Weekend is in the books.

Already, four teams have advanced to the divisional round, while another quartet of teams has been sent packing.

OK, so 3.5 teams—but we'll get to the Arizona Cardinals in a bit.

We saw a dominant defensive performance from the Carolina Panthers (sort of), great individual showings from the likes of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and a phenomenal team effort from the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night.

With that in mind, here's a look back at the best (and worst) of Wild Card Weekend.

Team of the Week

Don Wright/Associated Press

Winner: Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens might not have had the biggest win of Wild Card Weekend, but it was the most impressive.

Not because it was on the road, or against their most hated rivals in the Pittsburgh Steelers.

No, the Ravens were the most impressive squad of the Wild Card Round because their victory over the Steelers was a true team effort.

As quarterback Joe Flacco told reporters, the offense made the most of what the Steelers gave them while avoiding (for the most part, anyway) the sorts of mistakes that will surely doom a team on the road in the playoffs.

"The big thing is we have a good team and we didn't hurt ourselves tonight," Flacco said. "We didn't have a lot of possessions early. We made the most of them by getting some kind of points. We played a clean football game and kept at it."

The defense, meanwhile, did an excellent job against the Le'Veon Bell-less Steelers offense. The front seven, led by outside linebackers Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs, was in Ben Roethlisberger's face all night, and the Ravens' patchwork secondary played their best game of the season when they needed it most.

Until next week, anyway.

Add it all up, and you have Baltimore's first victory over the Steelers in four tries in the postseason, and a divisional-round matchup the New England Patriots likely wanted no part of headed into the playoffs.

Honorable Mention

Over the first half of Sunday's wild-card matchup in Dallas, it appeared that the Cowboys had saved their December collapse for January. The Cowboys were out of sync both offensively and defensively, digging an early 14-0 hole.

It wasn't especially pretty, but the Cowboys rallied in a big way in the second half, with a gutsy 4th-and-6 call in the fourth quarter paving the way for the Tony Romo touchdown pass that ultimately gave Dallas a 24-20 win.

Bring on the Packers!

Coach of the Week

Don Wright/Associated Press

Winner: John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

No, this entire article isn't going to be a long Ravens lovefest. Cut me some slack. I'm a Cleveland Browns fan...

This is painful for me.

Still, you just can't say enough about the effort and game plan put forth by the Ravens on Saturday night, and that's most certainly a reflection of the coaching staff.

For Ryan Mink of the team's website, it was Gary Kubiak's aggressive play-calling:

"

Behind the play-calling of Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak and throws by Flacco, Baltimore maintained its aggressiveness. That aggressiveness is what the Ravens credit with their offensive turnaround and 30-point showing Saturday night.

After the initial three-and-out, Baltimore scored points on six of its next seven drives.

"

Conor Orr of NFL.com, on the other hand, pointed to the sterling play and blitz calls from Dean Pees' defense:

"

What we do know is that Pees has once again proven himself as a serially overlooked head coaching candidate. His game plan, which included a second exotic blitz that significantly altered the evening, was grounded in more than a decade of experience watching Ben Roethlisberger.

Pees coached against Roethlisberger in college at Kent State, the last -- and only -- time he was given the chance to run his own team. His game plan limited mobility and piled on the Steelers' hulking quarterback to ensure no plays would be extended. He took the built in advantage of no Le'Veon Bell and ran with it.

"

I can't decide which assistant deserves this honor more, so I'll split it down the middle by awarding it to Harbaugh.

Dang head coaches—always hogging all the glory.

Goat of the Week

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

"Winner:" Ryan Lindley, QB (?), Arizona Cardinals

On some level, this feels mean. Let's be honest—Ryan Lindley has about as much business starting an NFL playoff game as you or I do.

However, that's exactly what Lindley did Saturday against the Carolina Panthers.

The result: 16-of-28 passing, 82 yards, one touchdown (stunning, I know), two interceptions and, as Jason Lisk of The Big Lead wrote, a spot in NFL infamy:

"

Ryan Lindley already had the "worst quarterback to ever start a playoff game" pretty much wrapped up, and then he went out and led an offense to the fewest yards in a playoff game in NFL history.

Arizona would have finished with the second-worst yardage total, but then they got one last play, where Lindley threw a short pass and lateral hilarity ensued. Lindley got crushed in what was likely his last play ever in a NFL uniform. Few quarterbacks get to walk off a playoff field as their final game, so . . . congrats?

"

It was an exercise in offensive offense that had to be seen to be truly appreciated.

I, for one, watched the game in its entirety—and my eyes still hurt.

(Dis)Honorable Mention

Lindley wasn't the only player for the Cardinals who did his best to be the worst against the Panthers.

Punter Drew Butler was positively horrific. Time after time (especially in the first half) Butler gave the Panthers a short field with bad kicks. His nine punts averaged fewer than 35 yards a pop.

Butler made no excuses after the game. "Just a bad day to have a bad day," he said. "Didn't help the defense out. My job is to help win field position and I contributed to us not winning field position. ... It cost us for sure," he said.

It may well have cost him more than a game. It might have cost Butler his job.

Play of the Week

Don Wright/Associated Press

Winner: T-Sizzle's leg lock interception

OK, so maybe this is going to be something of a Ravens lovefest, after which I'll sob quietly for an hour or so while thinking back to life pre-1995.

What can I say? The Ravens played really well against the Steelers.

Of course, it doesn't hurt when a little luck gets sprinkled in.

As Bleacher Report's Jake Silver recounted at the time, such was the case during the fourth quarter of Saturday's win:

"

With the Baltimore Ravens leading 23-15 in the fourth quarter of a highly competitive Wild Card Game, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger faced heavy pressure and attempted a short check-down pass to running back Ben Tate.

Tate couldn't reel it in, and linebacker Terrell Suggs managed to secure the ball between his legs for an interception.

One play later, Joe Flacco connected with tight end Crockett Gillmore for a touchdown.

"

That play, and the score that followed, put the Steelers behind the proverbial eight ball. It was just the latest in a long list of huge plays Suggs has made against the Ravens' archrivals over the years.

Honorable Mention

The Indianapolis Colts handled a short-handed Cincinnati Bengals team 26-10 Sunday, setting up a days of future past matchup with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the divisional round.

If the Colts are going to pull off the upset in that one, they'll need quarterback Andrew Luck to have a huge game.

Plays like his 36-yard scoring strike to Donte Moncrief in the third quarter would help. Not only did Luck hit Moncrief with a beautifully thrown ball, but he did so on the move after avoiding pressure.

Drive of the Week

USA TODAY Sports

Winner: Dallas Cowboys' game-winner

Granted, it wasn't the longest drive of Wild Card Weekend. It wasn't the best executed either.

But when the Dallas Cowboys took over at their own 41-yard line with just over eight minutes left Sunday, they began what became the biggest drive of the Wild Card Round.

It took the Cowboys 11 plays, a fourth-down conversion and a couple of defensive holding calls, but when Tony Romo found Terrance Williams with an eight-yard scoring pass with 2:32 left, it gave Dallas its first lead of the day at 24-20.

It would also be the final score of the game.

Honorable Mention

It went for naught, but the Lions probably had the most impressive single drive of the week.

It almost never was. After taking over inside their 1-yard line in the first quarter, the Lions appeared headed for a quick three-and-out.

However, a running into the kicker call breathed new life into the drive, which culminated 11 plays and 90-plus yards later with an 18-yard Reggie Bush scoring run.

The score gave Detroit a 14-0 lead, and according to the Fox Sports television broadcast, it was the first 99-yard drive in the NFL playoffs in over a decade.

Best Decision

USA TODAY Sports

Winner: Indianapolis Colts benching Trent Richardson

It finally happened. The Colts have seen the light. They've come to their senses. They sobered up. Whatever metaphor suits you.

After yet another season of watching Trent Richardson fall forward for two yards, the Colts finally did what fans and the media have been clamoring for them to do since September.

In Indy's wild-card win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Dan Herron drew the start and carried the ball 12 times for 56 yards and a score, adding 85 more yards through the air on 10 catches.

When Herron came out, Zurlon Tipton carried the mail. Tipton had more carries Sunday (11) than he'd had all season long (10).

Richardson touched the ball all of zero times. In fact, the third overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft now has all of four carries in three postseason games since joining the Colts.

In the opinion of Bleacher Report AFC South Lead Writer Rivers McCown, that isn't a bad thing:

"

At this point, there's not much of a reason to believe Richardson can produce anything other than coaching-staff excuses for his presence. Herron isn't a star, and his tendency to fumble (three in 126 touches) is scary, but he's shown he can be a competent committee back. That raises the overall offensive upside for the Colts.

"

Given Sunday's results, it's awfully hard to argue with McCown.

Honorable Mention

After watching Detroit head coach Jim Caldwell eschew going for it on 4th-and-1 in favor of what wound up being a 10-yard punt, Dallas Cowboys head man Jason Garrett faced a similar dilemma in the fourth quarter of Sunday's wild-card matchup.

However, Garrett chose to go for it on 4th-and-6 at the Detroit 42. Tony Romo found Jason Witten for a 21-yard gain, and seven plays later Romo hit Terrance Williams from eight yards out to give the Cowboys a 24-20 lead.

Worst Decision

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

"Winner:" Referees in Detroit versus Dallas picking up DPI flag

Generally, I'm not one to pile on the officials. Not once during the regular season, when these awards were a consensus of the Division Lead and National Lead Writers here at Bleacher Report, did a questionable call make it into this article as the Worst Decision of the Week.

However, there's one play from Sunday's game in Dallas that everyone's going to be talking about, and it didn't cast the zebras in a very flattering light.

Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports reported the details of the non-call. Or was it an un-call?

"

You rarely see an officiating crew pick up a flag as late as the Cowboys-Lions crew did on the most controversial play of wild-card weekend. On third down, Matthew Stafford threw to Brandon Pettigrew, who was covered by Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens. Hitchens never turned around, face-guarding Pettigrew, and that combined with some contact drew a flag for pass interference.

But the Lions went from thinking they had a crucial first down to facing a fourth and 1. That's because the officials reversed the call, saying Hitchens made a clean play. There was no pass interference. The Lions unsuccessfully tried to draw the Cowboys offsides on fourth an 1, took a delay of game penalty, shanked a punt, and the Cowboys marched down for a go-ahead 8-yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Terrance Williams with 2:32 remaining. The non-call changed the entire game.

"

Some called it a pro-Dallas conspiracy. Fox Sports officiating expert Mike Pereira called it a mistake. It's probably not the former. It absolutely looked like the latter.

And the delay in picking up the flag made things interminably worse.

What it definitely appeared to be was the last thing anyone wants in the NFL, especially in the playoffs: a game effectively decided by the officials—on a bad (non-)call.

(Dis)Honorable Mention

Regardless of that call and how terrible it may have been, Detroit head coach Jim Caldwell should have gone for it on 4th-and-1 from the Dallas side of the field with eight minutes and change to go in the game.

Instead, the Lions took an intentional delay call and punted the ball (10 yards—a "Butler," if you will), and the Cowboys drove for the game-winning score.

Offensive Player of the Week

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Winner: Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts

Yawn.

It says something about the sort of numbers Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has posted to this point in his NFL career that his 376 passing yards with a touchdown in Sunday's win over the Cincinnati Bengals elicits that reaction from many fans.

After all, it's only an "average" playoff game from Luck. According to ESPN, Luck now has 1,438 passing yards over his first four postseason starts. No player in NFL history has had more.

However, for the first time in four postseason starts, Luck didn't turn the ball over Sunday. Head coach Chuck Pagano also credited Luck with calming down the team after a choppy first half.

"We were a little unsettled, a little anxious, in the first half," Pagano said. "We just said, 'Hey! Just calm down, relax.'"

Does Luck have to pay Aaron Rodgers royalties for that?

Honorable Mention

It's been a quiet second season for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams, whose numbers were down in 2014 compared to his rookie year.

However, with the Detroit Lions bracketing Dez Bryant with coverage Sunday, Williams saw his most targets since Week 9.

Williams made the most of those targets, hauling in three catches for 92 yards and a pair of scores, including the game-winner late in the fourth quarter.

There were plenty of other players with better numbers than Williams in Wild Card Weekend, but few made a bigger impact on their games.

Defensive Player of the Week

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Winner: J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans

(Just making sure you're paying attention)

Winner: Terrell Suggs, OLB, Baltimore Ravens

There are two things that Terrell "T-Sizzle" Suggs, the most famous graduate of Ball So Hard University, really likes to do.

Beat the Pittsburgh Steelers and talk about beating the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Suggs did plenty of the latter after Saturday night's win, although the 12th-year veteran told Garrett Downing of the Ravens' website that he wasn't especially pleased with part of his performance:

"

I'm being totally honest with you, I told C.J. (Mosley) that I would rather it had been a sack and a forced fumble, but I'll take the pick. Definitely wanted a sack, but they've done a good job with their protection to make sure that I don't get to [Roethlisberger] too much. But come next year I'm going to have to have confrontations with him a little bit.

"

Yes, Suggs didn't have a sack, while batterymate Elvis Dumervil had a pair. However, Suggs added six tackles (including one for a loss) and a pass defensed while collapsing the pocket on Ben Roethlisberger time and time again.

Throw in the week's biggest defensive play, and you have the week's top defensive performance.

Honorable Mention

It was just another day at the office for Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly in Saturday's win over the Arizona Cardinals. Ten tackles. Two passes defensed. A huge second-half interception.

Kuechly told the media that the Panthers are coming together at the right time.

"We had a lot of new guys early on who had to get accustomed to each other," he said. "Now we're all together and communicating—and that's huge."

However, Kuechly loses points for his game coming against whatever that was masquerading as the Arizona offense over the weekend.

Most Valuable Player

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Winner: Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Here we go again.

Apparently, Joe Flacco just isn't interested in really playing football until January. The first few months of the season are just a warm-up. You win a few, you lose a few, hopefully you sneak into the playoffs...

And then it's time to get down to business.

Flacco put on another show in the postseason against the Steelers Saturday. His 18-of-29 passing for 259 yards and two scores aren't eye-popping numbers. But Flacco didn't turn the ball over and made plays when he needed to, including a third-quarter scoring strike to Torrey Smith where Flacco channeled his inner Big Ben.

Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh didn't mince words about his quarterback.

"Joe Flacco, what can you say," Harbaugh said. "He's the best quarterback in football. We'll take him any day of the week, twice on Sunday or Saturday if that be the case."

I don't know about the best quarterback in the NFL, but Flacco was the best player of the Wild Card Round.