This weekend in the NFL playoffs, no fewer than three massive bandwagons drove off the proverbial cliff and into the pit of elimination. That’s a lot of fair-weather fans that now have to decide on a new team to support for a couple of weeks, or just stop following the playoffs – but we know that won’t happen.
So let’s look at the bandwagons that will have to wait until next season to start up again.
-The Denver Broncos: Let’s face it; this bandwagon should really be called the Tim Tebow bandwagon. After a stunning overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, this team picked up a lot of believers. It was just too bad that the Patriots didn’t read the script. Tom Brady and Co. came out strong and just dominated Tebow and a defence that looked surprisingly beleaguered. Really, we all should have seen this coming. New England already dominated the Broncos once this season and there was really no sign that they wouldn’t do it again.
-The New Orleans Saints: This one was pretty heartbreaking since I had picked them to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season. But they really showed that you do need some semblance of defence to win in the playoffs. They allowed Alex Smith to march down the field not once, but twice to take the lead in the fourth quarter and eventually win it. Drew Brees and the offence didn’t really help the cause, turning over the ball five times. It’s hard to come back from that.
-The Green Bay Packers: During the week, many brought up how the Giants were built the right way to give the Packers headaches. A strong pass rush and playmaking receivers. Well, that’s exactly how they beat them. Green Bay looked sloppy and overmatched by the visitors – certainly something we couldn’t have expected from a team that had lost just once in their past 19 games. So, yet again, we won’t be seeing a repeat.
So, who’s left? Well I see the Giants and Patriots picking up a lot of fans over the next week. And who wouldn’t like to see a rematch of Super Bowl XLII?
This week: 2-2
This playoffs: 5-3