Biggest Takeaways from NFL's Sunday Divisional-Round Action
NFL viewers were rewarded with two great matchups on Sunday in the divisional round, as the Green Bay Packers edged past the Dallas Cowboys and the Indianapolis Colts upset the Denver Broncos.
Some of the best players in football, including Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo and Peyton Manning, were on display during Sunday's games, and they produced some memorable performances.
Meanwhile, the NFL and its officials made headlines as well on Sunday for a controversial ruling on what would have been a game-changing 31-yard catch by Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant on 4th-and-2.
Initially ruled a catch, the call was reversed after review because Bryant didn't maintain possession all the way to the ground, as is the letter of the rule.
It seems like the NFL can't get through a playoff weekend without a controversial call, and the same was true on Sunday. But there were also multiple examples of players making headlines on the merit of their exceptional play, as well as a couple of surprising disappointments.
We'll take a look at a few of those notable performances as well as other takeaways from Sunday's divisional-round action.
Aaron Rodgers Deserves All the MVP Consideration He's Getting
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Aaron Rodgers' amazing comeback win against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday—the first such win in his postseason career—won't, of course, count when it comes to MVP voting. The votes have already been cast to The Associated Press, taking only regular-season play into consideration.
Indeed, Rodgers' postseason heroics are just the cherry on top of the regular-season cake, one that saw him put together a legitimate play for the MVP title. He threw for 4,381 yards on his way to 38 touchdowns and just five interceptions for an interception rate of just 1 percent.
That's the lowest interception rate of Rodgers' career for a quarterback who is extremely accurate to begin with. His passer rating of 112.2 is surpassed only by his record-setting 122.5 mark in 2011.
Of course, the MVP award goes beyond the stat sheet. In its most literal form, it belongs to the player who was not necessarily "the best" statistically but whose value to his team was unmatched by any other player in the league.
Though Rodgers was an MVP contender earlier than this, his performance against the Detroit Lions in the final week of the regular season certainly got voters' attention.
Rodgers re-injured his calf just before halftime on a four-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb. When he left the game, the score was 14-0 in Green Bay's favor. While he was out, it shifted to 14-14.
Rodgers rallied to come back midway through the third quarter and led the Packers to the eventual 30-20 victory, one that almost certainly would not have been possible had he remained out of the game. That circumstance epitomizes what it means to be an NFL MVP, and if voters were waffling prior to that game, it likely set their votes.
Though it won't count in the official voting, Rodgers' continued heroics Sunday against Dallas, as he continues to struggle with the injury to his calf, only underscore how valuable he is to this Packers team.
The NFL Catch Rules Are a Mess
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It's possible to agree with a ruling made by an official as the rule is written while still disagreeing with the spirit of the rule itself. That's exactly where many find themselves after the controversial call on a would-be game-changing catch by Dez Bryant.
Bryant made an improbable 31-yard catch down the left sideline and was ruled down at the 1-yard line.
But Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy challenged the pass-completion ruling, and after review, the play was reversed. Officials cited the fact that Bryant did not maintain possession of the ball all the way down to the ground as the reason for the reversal.
It was what is colloquially known now as the "Calvin Johnson Rule"—a receiver going to the ground on his own must "complete the process" of a catch and maintain possession throughout.
During their review, officials noted that the ball moved after hitting the ground, leading them to overturn the call.
Now, as the Calvin Johnson Rule is written, this ruling was applied correctly. The issue is with the rule itself. To anyone watching that game unfamiliar with the NFL rulebook, Bryant caught the ball. But per the rule, his attempt to score by reaching across the goal line is unfairly punished when the ball moves.
This rule and others like it have only led to more referee involvement in big games on plays that sometimes end up deciding those games. While the replay officials were correct to rule on this play in the manner in which they did by the letter of the rule, the rule itself is flawed.
Randall Cobb Has Earned Contract Extension
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Randall Cobb was sensational Sunday in Green Bay's win over the Dallas Cowboys, but that's no surprise—he has had the best season of his career in 2014, setting new personal records for receptions (91), yards (1,287) and touchdowns (12).
His 12 regular-season touchdowns tied for the third most in the league among all wide receivers, and though he did not add another Sunday, he was instrumental to Green Bay's success.
Cobb had the second most receiving yards on his team Sunday; at 116, he was just one yard shy of teammate and rookie Davante Adams, who had his best showing of the year.
But going beyond the stat sheet, head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Tom Clements used Cobb creatively and flexibly, and he was often Rodgers' go-to target when the QB needed to be bailed out of trouble. That scenario has carried over from the regular season, when Cobb was on the receiving end of 71 first-down attempts.
That's the third most in the league, underscoring how important Cobb is not only to Rodgers, but to Green Bay's offense. (Interestingly, teammate Jordy Nelson also had exactly 71 first-down catches in the regular season, demonstrating how well these two players work in tandem.)
It was somewhat surprising that the Packers didn't sign Cobb, who is in the final season of his rookie contract, to an extension during the regular season. Letting him reach free agency could be dangerous, but the longer they wait to re-sign him, the more his price tag will rise.
As of Week 16, there were no reported contract talks between Cobb and the Packers, per Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. At that time, Cobb thought maybe he hadn't earned one.
That's clearly not the case after Sunday's performance against Dallas. If it can, Green Bay should make locking Cobb down a priority prior to free agency. He's an essential weapon in Rodgers' collection.
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Tony Romo Is a Super Bowl-Caliber Quarterback with No Super Bowl Ring
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Tony Romo's name was in the midst of NFL MVP award talks during the 2014 season and deservedly so. He had the best season of his career, finishing with both a career-high and league-high passer rating of 113.2. He threw 34 touchdowns to just nine interceptions for an interception rate of 2.1, one of the lowest in his career.
And he did it all coming off serious offseason back surgery. He said in December that he was playing with a broken rib too, per ESPN.com's Todd Archer.
This could have been the year that Romo finally silenced (most of) his critics by adding a Super Bowl win to his list of accomplishments, a glaring absence at this point in his career. But what's so tricky about Super Bowl wins and wins in general for quarterbacks is that so many more elements than QB play alone go into those titles.
Romo was helped this season by being surrounded by Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray, two of the best players at their positions in the league. Murray's help was especially noted Sunday against Green Bay; he carried the ball 25 times, while Romo attempted only 19 passes.
But on those attempts, Romo went 15-of-19 for a completion percentage of 78.9 percent for 191 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. His passer rating was a gaudy 143.6.
Had the call on his 31-yard pass to Dez Bryant at 4th-and-2 in the fourth quarter gone another way, perhaps Romo would be on his way to the NFC Championship Game now. But as long as he stays healthy and as long as the organization continues to surround him with talent, Romo's Super Bowl window remains open.
He may not have a ring to his name, but Sunday Romo certainly played like a quarterback capable of winning a Super Bowl.
Dan 'Boom' Herron Could Be the Future at RB for Colts...
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The Colts backfield in 2014 was, for the most part, deplorable. Once Ahmad Bradshaw was placed on injured reserve in November with a fractured fibula, the Colts largely became a one-dimensional team on offense.
Not a single Colts running back gained more than 550 yards during the regular season. Trent Richardson finished the season with 519, but though he is still listed as Indianapolis' No. 1 running back on the depth chart, he was inactive for the Colts' divisional-round matchup against the Denver Broncos.
In his place, however, Dan "Boom" Herron, who won the starting job from Richardson in Week 16, has shown flashes of talent. In the Wild Card Round against the Cincinnati Bengals, he rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown and caught another 10 balls for 85 receiving yards.
He had issues with fumbling the ball last week, but his versatility in the running game and the receiving game is obvious.
On Sunday night, Herron was instrumental to the Colts' win over the Broncos. He carried the ball 23 times for 63 yards and a touchdown and caught eight balls for another 32 yards. He was the Colts' leading rusher and their third most productive receiver.
Bradshaw, meanwhile, will become an unrestricted free agent in March after landing on injured reserve for the second consecutive season. Though he may very well play in 2015, will it be with the Colts, especially with Herron having come on in the last weeks of the season?
Herron will become a restricted free agent this offseason, but given his performance this postseason and his future potential, it seems likely the Colts will re-sign him and that he may even start the 2015 season as their lead back.
...And C.J. Anderson Appears to Be the Answer for the Broncos at RB
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Undrafted free agent C.J. Anderson got his opportunity this season after injuries to both Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman, but in the offseason, he wasn't even a lock to make the roster.
A lot has changed since then.
Anderson got his first start of the season against the St. Louis Rams in Week 11, and he has started every game since then. He has had two games with more than 150 rushing yards, and in the last two weeks of the regular season he had more than 100 all-purpose yards...and four touchdowns over those games.
Hillman was active in Sunday's matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, but he carried the ball just twice for a eight yards. Anderson, meanwhile, had 18 carries for 80 yards and another six receptions for 29 yards.
It was his third consecutive game with 100-plus all-purpose yards.
Under contract through next season, Anderson has led a legitimate campaign to be the Broncos' No. 1 back to start the 2015 season. Yes, second-round pick Ball will be back next season, but he averaged just 3.1 yards per carry in 55 attempts in 2014 for 172 total yards.
When it comes down to who will give the Broncos the best chance to win next season, they should put their best players on the field regardless of draft position.
The Colts Always Have a Chance with Andrew Luck Under Center
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With his third postseason win under his belt, Andrew Luck demonstrated Sunday that he has exactly the kind of trait the Indianapolis Colts hoped for when they drafted him: He improves on his previous year's performance every season.
In his 2012 rookie season, Luck led his team to the Wild Card Round. Last season, Luck and the Colts surged to the divisional round only to fall to the New England Patriots.
And this season, with their convincing upset over the Denver Broncos, Luck and the Colts will travel to the AFC Championship Game and attempt to settle their score with New England.
So far in his young career, Luck is doing all the right things. Though a rash of postseason interceptions last season (seven in two games) and another two Sunday night were worrisome, Luck was able to overcome his mistakes, an invaluable trait in a franchise quarterback.
He has nine touchdowns to 10 interceptions in the postseason, but what's important is that he's getting better. After throwing seven picks during the playoffs last season, he had none against the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card Round and just two against the Broncos.
Sunday night, Luck was 27-of-43 for two touchdowns in addition to the two picks.
With a postseason record of 3-2 in a league that worships titles and Super Bowl rings, Luck is proving to have the exact combination of skills the Colts hoped he would when they drafted him. He performs at a high level during the regular season, to be sure, but the NFL demands more than that from its elite signal-callers.
Luck's combination of high football acumen, pocket presence and athleticism have made him a formidable weapon in the playoffs.
This postseason, Luck can also credit the play of his offensive line (the Broncos didn't sack him Sunday), the emergence of Dan "Boom" Herron and the resurgent Colts defense for reaching the conference championship.
But when the Colts sit down to build a team that can carry them to the playoffs season after season, it all starts with Luck under center.
Peyton Manning's Postseason Legacy Continues to Haunt Him
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Heading into the 2014 playoffs, it was a widely held belief that Peyton Manning can't earn the title as the best quarterback in NFL history with his current postseason resume.
With the loss to the Colts Sunday night, Manning's postseason record fell to 11-13. Of course, wins are not just a quarterback stat, and Manning's Colts and Broncos teams have also been complicit in their various postseason failures.
But Manning's postseason passer rating of 89.2 (heading into Sunday) is notably lower than his regular-season rating of 97.5. And his 24 interceptions to 38 touchdowns are eye-opening.
Regardless, while this league values regular-season excellence, it demands postseason success from its top-tier quarterbacks. And Manning's legacy took a hit Sunday with the loss.
The end of Manning's season looked very different from the beginning. Through his first eight games, Manning threw for 2,572 yards. Through his last eight games, he had 2,155, but more notable was his touchdown-to-interception ratio in both halves of the season.
In the first half of the season, Manning threw 24 touchdowns and only five interceptions. In the second half, he had 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The inconstant offensive line and injuries to Julius Thomas, Demaryius Thomas and the decreased use of Wes Welker all contributed to the change in Manning's stats. But it was also underscored by the lack of zip on his passes and his increasing interception percentage as defenses figured out how to stop him.
Sunday night against the Colts, Manning went 26-of-46 for 211 yards and one touchdown. He struggled to throw the ball downfield against a strong Colts defense.
Was this Manning's last shot at another Super Bowl title? Back on Christmas Eve, Manning said he planned on being back "if the Broncos would have [him]," per The Associated Press (via The New York Times). He's under contract through the 2016 season but owed $19 million salaries in both seasons.
If Manning does play through 2016, there's no guarantee he will reach another Super Bowl.
There's no doubt Manning is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, to ever play at the quarterback position. But in a league that values postseason success above almost all else, the questions about his postseason legacy will continue.
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