After Saturday’s games ended I was looking like the second coming of Jimmy The Greek.
Then came Sunday’s Divisional round playoff games. So, the good news is I’m 6-4 in the playoffs at least.
We’re not eating at a Michelin star restaurant with our winnings, but we’re not settling for McDonald’s either.
Two other pieces of good news: All four games were competitive for the most part – aside from the second half of the Texans-Ravens game.
And thanks to the Chiefs, the Cowboys aren’t the only team to lose at home in the playoffs this year.
Hey, we take our victories where we can find them on Monday mornings around here.
A couple of former Cowboys had a much better Divisional round weekend.
The MVP Showed Up
There’s been a lot of talk about how Dak Prescott should be the MVP over Lamar Jackson.
Jackson put that talk to rest, along with the Houston Texans on Saturday. The Texans have a solid defense, but he tore it apart in the second half.
He won his Divisional round game and will be playing in a conference championship game.
That is what an MVP quarterback looks like.
Why Couldn’t They Both Lose?
Yeah, it was a tough call deciding on who to root for in Saturday’s other contest, wasn’t it?
On one hand, the only team Cowboys Nation hates more than the San Francisco 49ers is the Philadelphia Eagles.
On the other hand, the Green Bay Packers knocked Dallas out of the playoffs. And somebody had to win.
At least it was a competitive game and the Packers nearly pulled off the upset.
By the way, in 2018 the Cowboys signed an undrafted free agent defensive back. Before the end of preseason that year, they traded him to the Chiefs for offensive guard Parker Ehinger.
They waived Ehinger the following April and he is no longer in the NFL.
That defensive back? Charvarius Ward.
Ward had five tackles and defended a pass for the 49ers in their win over Green Bay.
Yeah.
Former Cowboy Makes Good
Dan Campbell played tight end for the Dallas Cowboys not so long ago. Now, he’s coached the Detroit Lions to their second NFC Championship game – their first since the 1991 playoffs.
In just three years Campbell has gone from a 3-13-1 season, to a 9-8 and just missing the playoffs, to one win from the Lions’ first Super Bowl.
The Lions haven’t played for an NFL championship since winning it all in 1957. It’s hard not to root for the guy.
There’s another guy that’s not hard to root for.
Jared Goff is one win away from becoming only the fourth quarterback to lead two different teams to a Super Bowl.
Former Cowboys Craig Morton was the first to do it, taking Dallas to Super Bowl V and Denver to Super Bowl XII. Both were losses.
Kurt Warner did it for the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV – a win — and a loss in XXVI before getting the Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII.
Peyton Manning was the third – and the first two win a Super Bowl for two different franchises. He led the Colts to a Super Bowl XLI win, and a loss in Super Bowl XLIV.
He then led the Broncos to victory in Super Bowl 50.
Goff will be hoping not to join Morton as a quarterback to lose both games. Goff led the Rams to a Super Bowl LIII loss to the Patriots.
Josh Allen May Be Cursed
I’m not sure what else the guy has to do.
He’s driven the Bills to the playoffs five straight years in his six NFL seasons. Three of those years he’s been knocked out by the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.
Once came in the AFC Conference title game.
He’s lost twice in overtime.
He’s 5-5 in the post-season after Sunday’s latest loss. And he played about as well as he could.
In a way, he’s reminding me a lot of former Cowboys quarterback Danny White.
He just can’t quite get over that final hurdle.
Pigskin Prognosticator Rides Again
Okay. I went 2-2 this past weekend.
Do I really want to risk finishing below .500?
Why not.
Based on the way San Francsico played against the Packers, I’m not convinced the 49ers are all that.
So, yes, I’m rolling with the Lions.
They have a quarterback that has won a conference title game. And he was looking pretty solid on Sunday.
Plus, Goff played in the Bay Area in high school at Marin Catholic before playing at Cal across the bay from Levis Stadium.
Lions 27-20.
As for the AFC, the Chiefs played a perfect game against the Bills. I don’t see them pulling that off in Baltimore.
Allen tore through the Chiefs defense with his legs at will.
What do you think Jackson is going to do? And he has a defense that won’t quite be as easy for Mahomes to move the ball against.
Ravens 31-23.