I cannot remember four more entertaining NFL Wild Card games than what I witnessed this past weekend.

From the Indianapolis Colts’ 28-point comeback in the first game on Saturday to the San Francisco 49ers rally in the closing seconds to beat the Green Bay Packers in the final game on Sunday, I was consumed by the drama I was watching on the field.

Heck, even the San Diego mauling of the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half of the first game on Sunday was entertaining.

Of course, it helped that I really didn’t want to leave the house except to shovel the driveway a time or two during our worst winter storm in perhaps a decade.

If the Divisional Round this coming weekend is half as exciting as Wild Card weekend we are in for a treat.

There certainly are some entertaining matchups, especially in the American Football Conference (AFC).

San Diego and Denver meeting for the third time this season should be a great one. I am still not sure how the Chargers beat the Broncos on their home field back in December, but hats off to them.

I will be pulling for Denver to win because I am hoping for a Peyton Manning-Tom Brady showdown in the AFC title game in two weeks.

I’m pretty confident that Brady and the New England Patriots will take care of business against the Colts, but you never know. Andrew Luck seems to have the ability to will his team to victory no matter how well he or the Colts are playing.

Things are not quite as exciting over the National Football Conference (NFC).

Seattle seems to be the class of the field, but a potential showdown with the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game would be intriguing.

I can’t imagine either team losing. The Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton have had a nice season, but this is the postseason and things are different. The cream usually rises to the top and I think San Francisco is the second best team in the NFL period.

I like Drew Brees and the Saints, but not in Seattle. If this game is close, that is all I can ask for.

So while I watch the snow continue to pile up outside my window, watch the wind whipping it around and seeing the temperatures drop to dangerously cold levels, I can’t wait until this weekend for another round of playoffs.

 

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com.