The NFL playoff bracket 2010 is finally set, after 17 weeks of waiting. Mostly, the bracket for 2010 NFL playoffs is getting attention for how familiar the match-ups are. By some fluke, the playoff schedule looks almost identical to week 17, with three rematches of games from yesterday. Each of those three games ended in blowouts, so fans hope things are a little closer next time. After that, the NFL playoff bracket 2010 could have more familiar showdowns and clashes, on the road to the Super Bowl.
The NFL playoff schedule starts on Saturday, as the Jets and Bengals meet again at 4:30 pm est. This time, they meet in Cincinnati, as New York tries to duplicate their 37-0 win last night. The Jets defense made a big statement last night, while the Bengals offense now has to get going again.
Pretty much the exact same thing can be said for the next game on the playoff bracket. The Cowboys and Eagles meet at 8 pm Saturday, six days after Dallas beat Philadelphia 24-0 to win the NFC East. All of a sudden, the Eagles have gone from possible two seed to the reeling sixth seed, while the Cowboys went from being counted out three weeks ago to Super Bowl dark horse.
The NFL playoff bracket 2010 closes the wild card weekend on Sunday. The only wild card game that isn’t a week 17 rematch is the Ravens vs Patriots at 1 pm – and even that is a rematch of sorts. The Patriots gave the Ravens their first loss in week 4, which started Baltimore’s near-slide out of the playoffs. But Wes Welker’s season-ending injury will be the bigger talking point.
Things wrap up at 4:30, with the Packers and Cardinals meeting again in Arizona. Green Bay slaughtered Arizona yesterday, but unlike the other two rematches, that game may not be remembered much. The Cardinals are used to overcoming late-season mishaps before the playoffs, in any case.
Once wild card weekend ends, the NFL playoff bracket 2010 moves to the divisional round, and the Big 4 of the Colts, Saints, Chargers and Vikings. Depending on how things work out, there may be even more juicy second-round matches – and more rematches.
The Vikings and Packers could meet in round 2, if Green Bay and Philadelphia each win. An Eagles win would give them a rematch with the Saints, who throttled them back in week 2. In the AFC, the Ravens could meet the ex-Baltimore Colts with a win, but if the Patriots win, they go to San Diego. The Jets could possibly get another match with the Colts if they advance – but the Bengals would meet San Diego again if they and the Ravens win.
The NFL playoff bracket 2010 doesn’t have many new match-ups on the horizon, for the moment. But in this suddenly wide-open year, there are many different combinations to be made, starting this weekend.
Sources
NFL.com- “NFL Schedule: Playoffs”
