2012 - week 18 - results

Linesmaker have correctly picked the favorite in each game, and each game has gone under the total.

Favorite and under combo sweeps the weekend

MIN and IND w/late changes to personnel (MIN QB Webb starts and IND QB coach Christensen does OC duty) were too much for either team to overcome and it's reflected in the scores where GB and BAL won by greater than two TD's.

WAS may have been served better if backup QB Cousins had started, as after initial emotional high Q1, their O sputtered and SEA showed the type of resolve to win the game, after losing their best DE player Clemons in Q3

CIN @HOU,
Both teams start out punting, looks like a D battle, HOU had first possession. Notably out of position is CIN MLB Maulauga, Q1 HOU TE just looks quicker, short area, Q2 HOU RB Foster just makes him look bad. I think the closer to the line of scrimmage that he is, the better he plays, anything else, he just doesn't have the quickness required in the short area .
CIN CB Hall makes the play of the game so far returning an interception for a TD. CIN TE Gresham had the dropsies in Q1 and CIN QB Dalton just not making good decision, very lucky a throw was not intercepted by HOU D. CIN RB Green-Ellis is doing well.
HOU QB Shaub is intercepted in Q2. A very bad throw and it's returned for a TD, he still has accuracy issues.
HOU ST Q3 KO error doesn't hurt it. CIN ST punting team makes mental error, they appear to be tense
CIN O punts in starting Q3 it doesn't look good for them. HOU D is much more aggressive, HOU O marches down field and scores TD, TE Daniels injury?
CIN O 2nd drive of Q3 is looking good, 6 consecutive passes, 4 to WR Green (3 caught, 1out of bounds), drive stalls/ends w/FG (odd why does Kubiak challenge incomplete pass?)
HOU O next drive ends up punting, again CIN ST looking shaky, punt almost muffed.
CIN O next drive is disrupted by HOU DE Watt, but D make mental error, again CIN O runs on first down, intercepted by CB Joseph on next play.
HOU O starts in FG range, run, pass, pass (TE Daniels catches middle pass), pass, run, pass, FG (holding penalty somewhere before that).
CIN ST nice return, CIN O quick throw, run determined, pass incomplete, pass, run, 4th down, run = 1st down, deep pass incomplete, late, wants too pass, but runs, pass, FG
HOU O pass, run, pass, pass, pass, punt
CIN O pass, run, wants too pass, but runs, timeout, O penalty no play, pass - D penalty, pass, run, pass incomplete, deep pass incomplete, arggh TV reception, pass incomplete? downs?
HOU O run, run, pass D penalty, run, run, knee - game over

I guess you can say HOU owns CIN w/2nd straight playoff win. End of game thoughts - CIN seems ill prepared on O, decent on D (D out scored O 7-6), tense execution on ST at times. HOU D played really well (Watt) O seemed to just survive, and at times ST was tense as well
BTW really nice broadcast team w/Mayock and ?

MIN @GB
Late news: MIN QB Webb to start (annonced 90 min prior to game), QB Ponder injured elbow/triceps

MIN O runs and runs and runs, running all over GB D, QB Webb runs 2x, Peterson the rest, all the way to the 15yd line before an O timeout, pass incomplete, FG

GB O punts, MIN O runs, pass to TE, pass incomplete, punts, GB O run, run, run, D-penalty, pass pass run, pass run pass run pass TD
MIN O punts, GB O cross mid field, punts, MIN O punts, GB O makes 4th down count FG
MIN O punts GB Walden having a great game, MIN O needs to run more
GB O rush TD, Rodgers is smiling, this game is in the bag
MIN O

Q3
GB O
rest of game who cares?

Game thoughts MIN went away from run O too soon, too much passing, first drive was run O, every drive after that lots of passing QB Webb lacks accuracy, out of synch w/WRs. MIN D was picked apart slowly but surely by GB O, GB owned game by mid Q2

Loved the live streaming (though it's about a play behind broadcast tv, should've tried first), wish Sunday's games were streamed as well


IND @BAL
late news IND OC Arians hospitalized, QB coach Christensen calling plays on sideline

@the end of half
BAL D in near constant blitzing mode, BAL O needs to feed Ray Rice
IND D plays well, IND O QB Luck is withstanding the blitz, making plays, only ST needs noticeable help
you would think BAL O would have an advantage vs IND D, but BAL O needs to feed Ray Rice more
Somehow MLB Lewis drops a gift interception, seems to be his only mistake in first half, though you could see a couple of times he was caught up in the 'wash'
I think they don't need to give ball to RB Pierce, feed RB Rice, ride your stud RB

Q3
BAL TD, IND FG, not a good trade off, but IND O is moving ball with no-huddle O, keeps blitzing down, wish they had started no-huddle earlier.
BAL gets the win, IND looks like the best young team

SEA @WAS
which rookie QB will advance?

SEA O starts out oddly with 3 straight passes, SEA D is also contained on the edge allowing big runs by WAS O. WAS QB Griffen is limping, SEA D shouldn't worry about running QB. Emo edge early on with WAS, SEA withstands it and comes back nicely 13-14 @half.

Q3
SEA opening drive ends with a fumble, DE Clemons injured on next series, things aren't looking good for SEA, but WAS O punts.
SEA punts next 2 possessions and so does WAS, finally SEA scores on a rush TD, follows with a pass for a 2pt PAT and the game is officially on SEA side, even officials seem to overlook a penalty of pass interference on SEA D later on in Q4. WAS O lost steam after Q1 and perhaps they would have been better served with backup QB Cousins starting, QB Griffin injured in Q4, two bad snaps by WAS C and QB Cousins makes a couple of good passes, but not enough to comeback and win