NFL Playoffs: Divisonal Round Turned into Revenge Round

With the NFL's divisional round concluded, it seems more like the winners were avenging previous losses. Each game was a rematch of a regular season matchup.

No matter what game you tuned into this weekend was enormously entertaining. Baltimore versus Pittsburgh featured two hard hitting, smash-mouth football teams. Green Bay versus Atlanta showcased two of the up-and-coming elite NFL quarterbacks, Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers. Seattle versus Chicago featured two teams, that at the beginning of the season, no one expected them to be where they were.

Then finally a week of smack talk (in Wes Welker's case, veiled smack talk) culminated in a game that showed the Jets powerful defense versus the Patriots great quarterback, Tom Brady.

The only team that had already avenged their previous loss was Pittsburgh. After a Week 4 loss in Pittsburgh to Baltimore, Pittsburgh beat Baltimore in Week 13 and finally, once again yesterday in comeback fashion, 31-24.

Yet again Pittsburgh spoils Baltimore's season. 

Then you look at the Packers and Falcons game. Atlanta had previously beat Green Bay in Week 12 in the last seconds of the game, 20-17.

Fast forward to Saturday, Green Bay came in riding on high emotions having basically played playoff style football for the last three weeks. They came in hearing all week how Matt Ryan was nearly unbeatable at home, how Aaron Rodgers needed this win to keep progressing into the elite quarterback he already is and how Atlanta had previously beaten them before.

Well, if a 48-21 victory in the playoffs doesn't say, "Hey the last time you beat us was a fluke, we proved we were the better team," then I don't know what does. Not to mention Green Bay was the sixth seed and Atlanta, well, they were the first seed in the NFC.

Now you look at Seattle and Chicago. Before the season started all the talk in the NFC West was about how the 49ers would win the division. Now, of course in hindsight, that notion is purely laughable.

The NFC North was the same way. You heard about how Green Bay and Minnesota would finish first and second. Chicago was a forgotten thought.

To top it all off, Seattle was 7-9 to finish the season and had everyone saying how they didn't deserve to be there.

Yeah, tell that to the defending champion Saints they beat the first week of the playoffs.

Seattle had beaten Chicago in Week 6, 23-20. That was the only reason they were getting some sort of chance. That and the fact of the momentum they were riding coming off two straight big wins.

It didn't last them long as Chicago seemingly man-handled the offense the entire game to come away with a 35-24 redeeming victory.

Here's the easy one to talk about, the Jets and Patriots. The Patriots demolished New York 45-3 on Monday Night Football. All week Jets players were taunting the Patriots and Welker was going on about Rex Ryan's now well-known foot fetish.

The Jets came in and did what they had to do. They wanted to avenge an embarrassing loss on national television. They shut down Brady and the Patriots offense and handled the last half of the fourth quarter with relative ease.

The Jets shut down their rivals from Foxboro and marched on to a 28-21 victory to knock out the AFC's No. 1 seed. Yet again, the sixth seed beat the first seed.

Next week is no better. The Steelers look to avenge a 22-17 home loss to the Jets in Week 15. The Bears look to avenge their, 10-3 loss in Green Bay, in the final week of the NFL season.

The Bears let the Packers into playoffs when they lost in the final week. Now they have to finish off what they created. The hottest team in the league, Green Bay.

The conference title games are going to be two interesting games. Both of which, yet again, are rematches.