BY KYLE MYERS – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
The 2013 NFL Division Playoffs offered viewers one of the greatest weekends in football history. There was no shortage of drama, as several of the games went down to the very last second. Numerous individual records were broken, and one young quarterback put in a performance which will go down as one of the best ever. While many players had great games this past weekend, here are, in my opinion, the six best:
6. Terrell Suggs, Baltimore Ravens – Ten solo tackles, including two sacks and a forced fumble. Suggs was dominant on defense, keeping Peyton Manning in check and getting in his grill all day long. Yes, it’s odd to pick a defensive player on a team that allowed 35 points, but Suggs was an integral part of a defense that forced three turnovers from one of the greatest quarterbacks ever.
5. Shane Vereen, New England Patriots – Three touchdowns, 120 total yards. He was an end-zone magnet and helped the Patriots open up a huge lead against the Texans. Vereen was a significant part of a backfield that combined for four total touchdowns and over 200 all-purpose yards. Vereen was always able to find open space and was a big reason why this game wasn’t close.
4. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks – In his first career playoff game, Wilson broke the record for passing yards in a game by a rookie quarterback with 381 yards in the air, and he led the team in rushing. Wilson marched down the field with less than two minutes to go and took the lead with thirty seconds left. Unfortunately, Matt Ryan had enough time to march down the field and score a game winning field goal. It was a fantastic playoff debut for Wilson, and fans can expect to see him in the playoffs many times in years to come.
3. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens – Yes, Joe Flacco played a near-perfect game against a very good Denver Broncos defense. Flacco threw for three touchdowns, including a 70 yarder to Jacoby Jones to tie the game and send it to OT, and no interceptions. He led his team to a come from behind win and outdueled Peyton Manning. What more do you need to know?
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2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots – Tom terrific showed everyone why he’s won three Super Bowl rings. He rolled over a very good Houston defense for the second time this season, throwing for just under 350 yards and three touchdowns, with no picks. Brady broke the record for most playoff wins by a quarterback with his 17th win, breaking his tie with John Elway. Look for Tom to put this record out of reach as he still has several good years of football left.
1. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers – Kaepernick, San Francisco’s backup at the beginning of the season, set a new record for rushing yards by a QB in NFL playoff history. He also added 263 passing yards to finish with over 440 all-purpose yards and four total touchdowns. Kaepernick overshadowed Russell Wilson by absolutely clobbering the Packers in his first career playoff game. Kaepernick has now fully earned the San Francisco starting job, and his legend grows with every victory.
Honourable Mentions:
* Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons – Three touchdowns, two picks. Led his team with 30 seconds and two timeouts left to the game winning field goal. Some mistakes down the stretch which led to the Seattle comeback are the reason he isn’t ranked higher on the list.
* Zach Miller, Seattle Seahawks – Had 140 yards receiving and a touchdown, was a very significant part of the comeback.
Kyle Myers is a student at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, and an aspiring sports journalist. A lifelong hockey fan, in his teenage and young adult years his sports fandom and passion grew to include basketball, baseball, football, and soccer. In his spare time, Kyle tries to make up for his mediocre real-life sports skills by playing FIFA and NHL online. Kyle has been contributing to Sportsnet’s Fan Fuel since 2012. You can also follow Kyle on twitter @KyleWMyers
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