Then there were eight. Four teams were eliminated in the Wild Card weekend, and we were left with some stunning plays.
The best plays from Wild Card weekend: Andrew Luck is a football god
Andrew Luck breaks the NFL and more of the top plays you might have missed.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
He's no Peyton Manning, he's better! (At picking up fumbles and diving)
Andrew Luck is often compared to Peyton Manning, but I've never seen Peyton do anything like this.
Let's set the scene. The Colts are down big and the offense has already been burned once by a running back fumbling the ball. Indianapolis is down on the goal line, and surely Donald Brown won't fumble again, right?
OH NO!
Have no fear, Luck is here! The ball hits the helmet of Samson Satele, and bounces just right so Luck can pick it up and dive into the end zone. It was a defining moment of the game, and the catalyst for the team's comeback.
The real whiff Shady
LeSean McCoy is kind of awesome. Not only is he the NFL rushing champion, but he has ridiculous moves that tend to make defenders look foolish.
We're not watching a late-round rookie whiff here. I's six-year veteran David Hawthorne, who has three 100-plus tackle seasons in his career. This attempt will not be added to his tally -- in fact, he should probably lose 10 tackles from his total for it.
Ladarius Green has all the ups
Forget the fact that Chargers tight end Ladarius Green stays in the air for an eternity. Look at how much ground he covers!
Green's jump starts in the middle of the Bengals "B" and clears all the way into the black stripe on the left-hand side. Estimation isn't my strong suit, but this makes it look an awful lot like he's traveling at least 7 yards.
Goodness gracious Aaron
It has been really fun to see Aaron Rodgers back in action, but it's just a shame we didn't get a chance to see this all season long.
The caption says it all, really. This is an otherworldly escape by Rodgers to dodge the pass rush and find an open man.
NOT the play of the week, AFC edition: WHY ANDY, WHY?!
Andy Dalton had one job on Sunday: Don't lose the game. He failed.
So we live in a pressure-cooker society that evaluates every NFL game like a quarterback prize fight, and that’s not wholly fair -- but do us some favors, Andy.
This play sums up his afternoon in one play and ensures the next six months will be all about whether Dalton is the one holding the Bengals back.
NOT the play of the week, NFC edition: Lambeau Flop
Kudos to Kuhn for trying to play this off as “what did I trip over?!” It’s OK, John, we know you didn’t and that’s A-OK.
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