WHAT TO LOOK FOR – A LOOK BACK

 

GOOD SEEING YOU:  Three of the four Wild Card matchups were rematches of Week 17 games. 

 

Since 1990, when the current playoff format was adopted, there have been 12 instances when two teams have played in the final week of the regular season and again the next week to start the postseason. 

 

The losing team in Week 17 has won six of the 12 playoff games. 

 

 

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM:  The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 34-14 on Saturday night after sweeping them in the regular season.  Since 1970, 20 teams have gone 2-0 against an opponent in the regular season and then faced that club in the playoffs.  The sweeping team has won the postseason meeting 13 times (65.0 percent). 

 

The 13 teams that have swept an opponent in the regular-season and defeated them in the playoffs:

 

 

A POSTSEASON PRO:  New England quarterback TOM BRADY lined up under center for the 18th time in the playoffs in a 33-14 loss to the Ravens on Sunday.  With 154 passing yards, Brady reached 4,000 in the postseason, a feat accomplished by only five other quarterbacks in history.

 

In addition, with two touchdown passes, Brady extended his streak of consecutive postseason games with a touchdown pass to 17, second all-time (BRETT FAVRE, 18).

 

The passing yards leaders in playoff history:

 

 

The most consecutive games with a touchdown pass in playoff history:

 

 

KURT’S PLAYGROUND:  Arizona Cardinals quarterback KURT WARNER passed for 379 yards and five touchdowns in Arizona’s 51-45 overtime win over Green Bay on Sunday.  Warner now has six career 300-yard games in the playoffs – tied for the most all-time – with all of them over 365 yards, also the most all-time.

 

The most 300-yard passing games in NFL postseason history:

 

 

With his five touchdown passes, Warner moved into fourth-place in postseason history and can add to his total on Saturday against New Orleans.

 

The most touchdown passes in NFL playoff history:

 

 

ROOKIE QB IN AGAIN:  New York Jets quarterback MARK SANCHEZ became just the ninth rookie quarterback to start a playoff game in the Super Bowl era, leading the Jets to a 24-14 victory in Cincinnati.  This marks the second consecutive season that a rookie quarterback has led his team to a postseason victory (JOE FLACCO, 2008).  

 

The nine rookie quarterbacks to start a playoff game (since 1966):

 

 

 

FIRST-TIMER:  Green Bay quarterback AARON RODGERS threw for 422 yards and four touchdowns in first career postseason start.  Rodgers’ yardage total places him second on the all-time postseason list for quarterbacks making their first postseason start.

 

The players with the most passing yards in their first career postseason start:

 

 

Tags: Kurt Warner, Mark Sanchez, Tom Brady, wild-card playoff games

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