What a great NFL weekend it was! As a fan, I loved the games and was very entertained. Although I went 1-3 in my blog picks, my wallet is happy because I got my 4-team parlay right in Vegas! The Patriots game is the only one I was super confident in, so spreading out my picks worked well for me. I did enjoy seeing both Harbaugh boys get their W’s on Saturday too. With how great the games were this weekend, I felt the urge to blog with my thoughts on each matchup. My approach: One Word – NFL Winner Style.

Ravens: Resilient
Foolishly, I made the following tweet after the Broncos struck first with the punt return for a touchdown:

	Renee Klues (@SpartyNae)
1/12/13, 3:41 PM Wow! Game. Set. Match. Broncos came out ready and game over. #NFL #BALvsDEN

I’ve watched my share of Ravens games this year and predicted at the time of fantasy drafts that Torrey Smith would have a big season. I apparently had some amnesia when I posted that. Regardless, I was dead wrong. As I watched the game unfold, there were a couple things that were clear to me: Manning struggled once Moreno got hurt, the Denver D that I expected to see decided to stay warm instead of coming out to play, and the Ravens never quit on either side of the ball. The Manning turnovers loom large, as does Champ Bailey being beat like a drum on multiple scores. Questionable play calling by Fox, both when they ran on 3 straight downs instead of passing to get down to the 2 minute warning and when they took a knee instead of trying to win in regulation. Never underestimate the motivational ability of Ray Lewis, who rallied his troops to make stops for a comeback and to set up the win in OT. Joe Flacco, who has struggled mightily at times, used his arm to humiliate the Broncos secondary. Props to Tucker too for hitting the clutch FG.

49ers: Impressive
As a Midwest person, most the people I know were very happy with this turnout. I thought Aaron Rodgers would be too much to stop – I obviously picked the wrong QB to put my stock in. Colin Kaepernick was a total stud and very impressive in his playoff debut. People though he might be in trouble when he got pick-sixed early, but it didn’t seem to get to him. He was also able to run at ease many times, with a crazy about of yardage before contact. He moves like a true runner on the field while also being hard to tackle and good at creating plays on the move. The San Fran D was impressive with slowing down one of the best QB’s in the league. After seeing this Niner team struggle at times this season, I was very impressed with how complete and focused they appear to be at the right time.

Falcons: Fortunate
What a back and forth game to watch! The Falcons looked like the game was over at halftime before giving up a big lead and were fortunate to come away with a win. Although Seattle did little more than run their mouths to start the game, Russell Wilson did his best to keep the Seahawks in the game and did a great job creating plays with his arm and legs in the 2^nd half. Ultimately, the Falcons tried to give the  game away but failed despite their best efforts. Pete Carroll’s icing the kicker didn’t work, and the refs also let Bryant take a practice kick, which added a little controversy. I wish I had more to say about this game, but in the end the Falcons were barely able to overcome yet another playoff meltdown, and were lucky to get Matt Ryan and future HOF’er Tony Gonzalez their elusive 1^st playoff win.

Patriots: Businesslike
Perhaps the most surprising part of this game is that it was close for a while! Everyone did their job in all 3 phases of the game and didn’t miss a beat when players got injured. Other guys stepped up, Watt and the rest of the Texans’ D couldn’t get big stops, and Tom Brady cruised to a win to move ahead of Joe Montana in career post-season wins. The tone was set early when a great special teams return for Houston yielded only 3 points. The struggles continued with limited bright spots for a team who ended their season scuffling. My favorite moment of them game was when Brady threw a quick TD and Coach Belichick didn’t even know what happened until he looked up at the screen since he was busy talking to his defense. Their win over the Texans another reminder of how businesslike the team is. This is one of the best-run organizations in the league from Robert Kraft down to the practice squad and they showed it again on Sunday.

One side note from the weekend: The Broncos/Ravens was a very interesting matchup for me since it featured two of my favorite players. Although this picture is already viral, it’s worth another share. Two Legends – Pure Class!