By Stephen Luckey ’15

This past weekend had some exciting moments, as NFC and AFC wildcard teams faced off against divisional champs in the hopes to continue on in the road to the Super Bowl. Saturday had a good start, as the Carolina Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27 to 16. This was a great game, as the Panthers had a 7-8-1 regular season record going into the game, and the Cardinals had an 11-5 regular season record. Carolina’s defense stood tough, and Cam Newton teleported 198 passing yards and two touchdowns. So the Panthers move on to the Seattle Seahawks this weekend for the divisional round.

Later Saturday night, the Baltimore Ravens beat the Pittsburg Steelers in Pittsburg, by a 30-17 score. The Ravens’ top-notch defense stood tall late in the fourth to clinch the victory. Quarterback Joe Flacco carried Baltimore for the win with 259 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, as the receivers caught the bullet passes consistently. The Ravens will head to New England to face off against the Patriots for the divisional game and it will be interesting to see how Tom Brady’s offense adjusts to the Terrell Suggs-lead defense. The Ravens beat the Patriots in the 2012 AFC Championship, so this rematch will be feisty and instense.

The action didn’t just stop there, as Sunday brought great games. The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Cincinnati Bengals at Lucas Oil Stadium as Andrew Luck threw 31 of 44 for a whopping 376 passing yards and a touchdown. The Colts will head to Denver this weekend against Peyton Manning and the Broncos. The Broncos have an elite starting lineup with nine players voted to the Pro Bowl this year. Andrew Luck will have to adjust his style of play as he will be maneuvering around ball hawk cornerbacks Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib. “Mile High” stadium will be packed with excitement and hard hitting.

As Sunday night rolled in, so did the nail-biting matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. The Lions had an early lead with a 14-0 advantage over the Cowboys, but then came Tony Romo with his lethal wide outs. The Cowboys came back to win with a late fourth quarter TD pass to wide receiver Terrance Williams, which gave the Cowboys a 24-20 win over the Lions. The Cowboys will move on to play Green Bay in an expected cold game, hoping to outplay MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers.

The playoffs have had already an interesting start, but the end will be even more intriguing. Who knows what the Super Bowl matchup will be!