National Football League Playoff Game Capsules
Football Betting Lines
01/04/2009 - Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kurt Warner threw two touchdowns and the Arizona defense came up with two big plays as the Cardinals downed the Atlanta Falcons, 30-24, in NFC Wild Card play. Warner went 19-for-32 with 271 yards and an interception while Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald each had a touchdown catch for the NFC West-champion Cardinals (10-7), who played their first home playoff game since the team relocated from St. Louis to Phoenix in 1988 and the franchise's first home playoff game overall since 1947, when the team was playing in Chicago. Edgerrin James had 16 carries for 73 yards while the defense came up with a fumble return for a touchdown and a safety for Arizona, which was making its first postseason appearance in 10 years. Tim Hightower had a rushing touchdown in the win. Arizona will now take to the road for its next playoff game as the team will play either Carolina or the New York Giants. Should the Minnesota Vikings prevail in tomorrow's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona will take on New York, but if the Eagles win the Cardinals will face Carolina. Rookie of the Year Matt Ryan was impressive at times, but threw two costly interceptions and finished the game 26-for-40 with 199 yards and two scores for the Falcons (11-6), who made their first postseason appearance since the 2004 season. Michael Turner had a sub-par game as he finished with just 42 yards on 18 carries with a score while Roddy White had 11 catches for 84 yards and a score for Atlanta, which bounced back from a 4-12 2007 season which saw star signal-caller Michael Vick incarcerated for his involvement in a dogfighting ring and previous head coach Bobby Petrino walk away from the mess with three games still to play.
Final Score: San Diego 23, Indianapolis 17 (OT)
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darren Sproles filled in for an injured LaDainian Tomlinson and carried the Chargers to a dramatic overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts, as his 22-yard touchdown scamper in the extra session gave San Diego a 23-17 decision in an entertaining AFC Wild Card matchup. Sproles scored another rushing touchdown while adding 105 yards on the ground, 45 yards on five catches through the air, and 178 combined return yardage for the Chargers (9-8), who are riding a five-game win streak, including a 52-21 thumping over AFC West rival Denver in a regular season finale that played as a de facto playoff clash. Tomlinson, who was questionable with a groin injury, logged 25 yards and a touchdown on five carries but did not play in the second half. Philip Rivers had 217 yards passing with an interception on 20-of-36 throws, while Antonio Gates, who was also a game-time decision with an ankle injury, hauled in a team-high eight receptions for 87 yards. Peyton Manning, who picked up his third MVP award earlier this week, threw for 310 yards and a touchdown on 25-of-42 efficiency, but it wasn't enough as the Colts (12-5) had their nine-game winning streak snapped. Reggie Wayne caught four balls for 129 yards and a touchdown, while Anthony Gonzalez finished with six grabs for 97 yards for Indianapolis, which was ousted by the Chargers in the playoffs for the second straight season. Joseph Addai led an anemic running game with 44 yards and a score on 16 carries, as the Chargers had a 167-64 advantage on the ground. San Diego will visit the top-ranked Tennessee Titans or AFC North champion Pittsburgh next weekend, depending on the outcome of Sunday's Baltimore/Miami bout.
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help the Nuggets stave off the Hornets, 105-100. J.R. Smith had 17 points for the Nuggets, who have won three straight and five of six overall.
<< Pacers edge Kings
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danny Granger poured in 35 points and was
perfect at the line late in the fourth as the Indiana Pacers held on for a
wild 122-117 win over the Sacramento Kings at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Granger was 10-
<< Howard helps No. 25 Butler past Valparaiso
Valparaiso, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Howard had 16 points and Gordon Hayward
provided 15 points and 13 rebounds as the 25th-ranked Butler Bulldogs topped
Valparaiso, 75-62, in Horizon League action.
Willie Veasley also scored 15 and Shel
<< No LT? No problem! Sproles leads Bolts past Colts in Wild Card tilt
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darren Sproles filled in for an injured
LaDainian Tomlinson and carried the Chargers to a dramatic overtime victory
over the Indianapolis Colts, as his 22-yard touchdown scamper in the extra
session
<< Blues solve Mason, down Blue Jackets
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Steen had a goal and two assists while
Manny Legace made 20 saves as the St. Louis Blues downed the Columbus Blue
Jackets, 5-2, at Scottrade Center.
Brandon Crombeen had a goal and an assist while
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sheldon Souray had a goal and an assist as the Edmonton Oilers downed the Dallas Stars, 4-1, at Rexall Place. Andrew Cogliano, Erik Cole and Dustin Penner each had a goal for the Oilers, who have won four of
Sharks continue home domination with win over Islanders >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Grier scored twice and Jonathan Cheechoo
had three assists, as the Sharks extended their home points streak to 30 games
with a 5-3 victory over the Islanders at the Shark Tank.
Patrick Marleau, Dan Boy
A Quick win: Kings edge Flyers in SO >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jonathan Quick recorded 31 saves and
stopped both Philadelphia tries in the shootout, as the Los Angeles Kings
topped the Flyers, 2-1, at Staples Center.
Wayne Simmonds scored a power-play
Soderling, Gasquet each kick off '09 season with win >>
Brisbane, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robin Soderling and Richard Gasquet
were each first-round winners at the $484,750 Brisbane International -- a
season-opening event on the 2009 ATP World Tour.
While the fourth-seeded Soderling
Azarenka, Bartoli cruise; Kirilenko withdraws in season-opening event >>
Brisbane, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Victoria Azarenka and Marion Bartoli
breezed through first-round action at the $220,000 Brisbane International, a
2009 season-opening event on the WTA Tour.
Seventh-seeded Russian Maria Kirile
Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa
Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.
Should be in:
Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?
Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.
Work left to do:
Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.
Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.
Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.
Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.
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