If each Divisional round game in the NFL Playoffs was decided by one player or aspect of the game, who or what would it be?
Each NFL game is 60 minutes long, and there are millions of tiny “plays” that happen within those 60 minutes that have an outcome on the game.
A block here, a tackle there could mean all the difference in the game. While those plays are much too hard to predict before the game, usually, the game can be broken down to one aspect of the game, one X-Factor, if you will, where if that X-Factor plays well, their team will win the game.
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For example, in the wild-card round, Ryan Lindley was the X-Factor in the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers game. If Lindley played well, the Cardinals were going to win the game. If he played poorly, the Panthers would win the game.
It’s as simple as that.
Lindley played the worst game in playoff history, and possibly NFL history when you break it down pass-by-pass, play-by-play, and the Cardinals lost the game.
Heading in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, the stakes are higher. The winners will play next week for a spot in the Super Bowl.
Who needs to step up and make THE difference for their team when a spot for a spot in the Super Bowl is on the line?
Let’s find out!
Next: Baltimore at New England