Wild Card Weekend produced plenty of excitement around the NFL this weekend, none more than in San Diego, where the LT-less Chargers knocked off Peyton Manning and the Colts for a second consecutive January. But that wasn’t the only noteworthy event of the weekend. Here’s some quick things that I took out of the games.

The Chargers are peaking. Throw out the 8-8 record, the Chargers’ record is now 1-0 after defeating the Colts in overtime. Darren Sproles, perhaps the most dangerous player in, well, football, was dynamite for the Bolts, totaling over 300 total yards. Surely, the Steelers will make it difficult on Sproles at Heinz Field, but it’s hard to gameplan what you can’t see. Also, kudos to the improved Chargers’ defense, now playing some inspired football under Ron Rivera. Look for a close, physical game at Heinz Field on Sunday.

Baltimore will beat Tennessee. I’m putting myself out there on this one and it could bite me in the ass. But I loved what I saw from the Ravens yesterday. I know Miami doesn’t have the most talented offense, but neither do the Titans. If Kevin Mawae is out, it’s going to be difficult for Kerry Collins to know what the Baltimore defense is cooking up. Remember Super Bowl XXXV? The Ravens are a good bet at +2.5, in my opinion.

Another NFC East Divisional. You can bet that the Giants didn’t want to see their hated NFC East rival, but that’s what they must face at the Meadowlands this weekend. The Eagles looked very dangerous yesterday. They really held down the Vikings’ run game and Donovan McNabb kept the city of Philadelphia for at least another week. The teams split the two regular season meetings, so it’s far from last year’s situation where Dallas swept the Giants in the regular season. 

Falcons and Dolphins Go Quietly into Night. They were the season’s two biggest surprises, but neither the Falcons or Dolphins made it through the playoffs’ opening weekend. But I have to give credit for the jobs done by Mike Smith and Tony Sparano, completely changing the culture of two franchises in a single season. Now, it’s up for these teams to avoid the Cleveland Browns’ fluke season. If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.

Hosts: Sonny, Ryan, Kevin and Rich

In this episode, we assessed the current NFL Playoff picture. With several divisions already locked up in the AFC, we took a look at the two races in the AFC West and AFC East. Can the Patriots outlast challenges from the 9-5 Jets and Dolphins? Or will Matt Cassel guide New England to the playoffs? And what will happen in the NFC East? Will the Eagles or Cowboys make the playoffs? All of this and more on the Sportable Spot.

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The Colts were supposed to blow this one wide open by the third quarter. They were supposed to send the RCA Dome out in style. Instead, the defending Super Bowl Champions got served a batch of humble pie by back-up quarterback Billy Volek when he snuck in the go-ahead touchdown with a little over four minutes remaining in the game. It assuredly wasn’t how Peyton Manning had envisioned the game going. It assuredly wasn’t how Norv Turner had envisioned the game going especially after losing LaDainian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers to injuries. In the end, however, it was that jumbled mess from San Diego who began packing their bags for New England, not the reigning Super Bowl Champs.

Give both teams some credit. Five lead changes in a game that was one of the finest I’ve watched all season. We had Marvin fumbling, Dallas stumbling, Rivers mumbo-jumbo-ing, and LT left wondering. Where was Bob Sanders? The Defensive Player of the Year was invisible on the field for most of the game with the exception of the injury he sustained. Where was Joseph Addai? 13 rushes for just 43 yards isn’t the kind of balance we are used to seeing from this Colts offense.

Don’t bother giving any credit to the referees. One of the more lopsided games I’ve ever seen called included a phantom holding penalty that negated an interception return for a touchdown and a pass interference call that wasn’t much beyond a tap of the receiver.  There was a point in this game where it appeared as if Norv Turner’s head might explode from screaming so much.

If yesterday’s game is any indication of how gritty this San Diego team will play next week versus the New England Undefeateds, then I think we are in for a good one. Even with the prospect of Rivers or LT not playing, this Chargers team looks like it has no fear. I’m not going to call them the Super Bolts just yet but maybe, just maybe, this team got it’s 2006 swagger back

Hosts: Sonny and Ryan

In this episode, Sonny and I discuss the point spreads of the four NFL games this weekend. In a weekend with such great matchups, why is each game carrying such a large point spread? We tackle that question and provide some key matchups to look at when assessing each game. All of this and more on the Sportable Spot.

The Ottawa Senators faced basically a must win game against the Anaheim Ducks last night, and managed to come away with a victory. Entering the game, the Senators were down two games to none and did not look like a Stanley Cup Finals team. That all changed last night when the Senators pulled off an impressive 5-3 victory at home over the Ducks.

The Senators had to battle back despite being down by a goal on three different occasions. That is exactly what you need to see out of a team to assume they have any chance of winning the series. At home, the Senators were able to rally the fans behind them and make this comeback. They were spurred on by a cheap shot in the second period by defenseman Chris Pronger. Pronger attacked a Senators player, and after a cheap shot to the head which somehow wasn’t called a penalty, the Senators really came out for blood. There were a series of brawls and the hitting really stepped up. The Senators got a goal off what appeared to have been a kick in, but upon review the referees ruled it clean, and that’s good enough to get them a win.

The Senators will look to capitalize on their success and win their next game at home to even up the series. Before the year even began, a lot of people were crowning the Ducks the champions, and when the finals matchup was announced I think most people just assumed they would win. With a few more performances like last night, the Senators are going to make sure that doesn’t happen too easily.