NFL Playoffs: Eight Unusual Things About 2009

8. A rookie head coach has taken his team to the Conference Championship and could possibly win the Super Bowl.

John Harbaugh, a first-time coach, has taken the Ravens to the AFC championship game and is only the fifth rookie head coach to win two playoff games.

7. A home team with 391 total yards loses to a team with 211 total yards in the Divisional Round.

It’s been a while since I can remember a game where a team clearly dominated the other team in such an important game but came up short.

The Titans completely outplayed the Ravens, but self-destructed almost every time they were in position to score.

I guess the saying is true, it’s sometimes better to be lucky than good.

6. A rookie quarterback has led his team to the Conference Championship.

Joe Flacco isn’t the first rookie quarterback to take his team to the Conference Championship (Shaun King, 1999 season), but he is the first to ever win two games in the playoffs.

Note: Legendary QB Sammy Baugh as a rookie led the Washington Redskins to the NFL Championship where they defeated the Chicago Bears 28-21. That was of course in the pre-conference championship days, but nonetheless, a remarkable achievement for a rookie QB.

 5. All Divisional and Conference Championship games are repeats of regular season games.

Before almost every playoff game this year, it seemed as though the NFL experts were always comparing the upcoming game to a previous game.

I looked it up, and all four games in the divisional round and both upcoming conference championship games are repeats of games played in the regular season.

That’s something I’ve never seen before.

4. An 8-8 team won their division and beat a 12-4 team in the playoffs.

The Chargers this year became the second 8-8 team ever to win their division since the Cleveland Browns in 1985, and the first to beat a 12-4 team.

3. An 11-5 team doesn't make the playoffs.

The Patriots with an 11-5 record missed the playoffs this year. The last and only other 11-5 team to miss the playoffs was the Denver Broncos in 1985.

Not coincidentally, that was the also the last time a 8-8 team won their division.

2. Two nine-win teams are playing against each other in a Conference Championship game.

For the first time ever the two nine-win teams, the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles, will meet for a chance to go to the Super Bowl.

1. The Arizona Cardinals could make the Super Bowl!!

Yes! That’s right. The Arizona Cardinals, the oldest American football team, are going to their first NFC championship game ever. The Cardinals were the charter member of the NFL, which few people know, and were originally known as the Chicago Cardinals before moving on to St. Louis and eventually Arizona.

But back to this year, the Cardinals looked so bad toward the end of the season that many accused the Cardinals of being the worst team ever to make the playoffs.

However, after surprisingly dominating the first two rounds, there is a very realistic chance that the Cardinals will reach their first Super Bowl in team history.