No workforce in NFL historical past has been higher at successful video games on the highway than the 2007 New York Giants. They have been so happy with their historic accomplishment that that they had “Eleven Straight on the Highway” inscribed on the facet of their Tremendous Bowl XLII championship rings.
It wasn’t a fluke and it wasn’t an accident. They have been constructed for that form of success. So that they know precisely what it takes for a wildcard workforce to go on the highway within the NFL playoffs and make a championship run.
“The 2 largest elements are ‘Are you able to run the soccer?’ and ‘Are you able to cease the run?'” former Giants heart Shaun O’Hara instructed FOX Sports activities. “Your protection has obtained to be big for you. However you’ve got obtained to have the ability to run the soccer.
“I really feel like that is such an vital asset. There’s one thing deep-rooted about with the ability to go on the highway and should you can run the ball early within the recreation and simply form of set up your will, it sucks the life out of the gang a bit of bit. Like, ‘man, this workforce’s bodily. They’re kicking our butt.’ You would throw for 300 yards doing slant and fade routes, but it surely simply would not have the identical form of vibe.”
These Giants had the brilliance of quarterback Eli Manning too, to not point out a swarming go rush, but it surely was their toughness, their domination of the trenches, and their capacity to ship and take up a punch that gave them the power to drag off playoff upsets in Tampa, Dallas and Inexperienced Bay that postseason. They have been certainly one of simply 11 wild-card groups to succeed in the Tremendous Bowl in NFL historical past, and certainly one of solely seven to really win all of it.
Beginning Saturday, six extra wild card groups will start their quest to affix the membership that final opened its doorways for Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Most of them will flame out early. Odds are none of them will really attain Tremendous Bowl LIX.
However they will probably discover out early whether or not they’re robust sufficient to actually have a probability.
“I believe that wild-card spherical might be useful for groups that end the common season with some momentum,” O’Hara mentioned. “If you will get that first win, you are feeling like ‘OK, we obtained some momentum now. We belong. Right here we go.'”
It takes greater than only a feeling and a bit of momentum, although. Wild card groups instinctively know they’re underdogs going up in opposition to a few of the strongest groups in soccer. That may be overwhelming, particularly when issues go incorrect, if they are not additionally mentally robust.
“That psychological toughness is about ‘How are you whenever you’re up?’ ‘How are you whenever you’re behind?’ Not each workforce can deal with being behind. Such as you take a look at Baltimore final 12 months. Kansas Metropolis marched down in that AFC Championship, scored a landing, obtained up early on them, and so they freaked out. They completely deserted the run recreation. They did not deal with that properly,” O’Hara mentioned.
“I believe that mindset form of turns into contagious inside the workforce. Whenever you’re a wild card workforce you already know that your margin for error may be very small. You may’t go on the highway in opposition to a No. 2 seed, a high-powered offense, and throw an interception or fumble it. You simply cannot do it. Whenever you’re a wildcard workforce, each play is so vital, so essential.”
And that is the place the power to run the ball properly is available in. It is about controlling the time of possession and taking the steam out of that high-powered offense on the opposite facet of the sphere. The longer an underdog can hold the likes of Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry or Saquon Barkley off the sphere, the higher probability they’ll have ultimately.
“I really feel like that is such an vital asset,” O’Hara mentioned. “You have obtained to have the ability to be bodily and win the possession (battle). If you happen to go on the highway and also you’re simply three-and-out, not taking any day off the clock, you are giving the house workforce extra possessions.
“You do not have to hurry for 200 yards, however you’ve got obtained to have the ability to do it successfully. If you cannot run the ball then you definitely turn into actually one-dimensional and that performs into the arms of the house workforce and the gang and the noise.”
So which of the six wild card groups in these playoffs has the very best probability to make a Big-like run to the championship? Which of them are constructed with the run recreation, run protection and toughness they will have to have success on the highway in opposition to higher groups?
Here is a take a look at every of them, ranked so as of how probably they’re to be the “Highway Warriors” of this 12 months’s subject:
1. Minnesota Vikings (14-3, fifth seed, NFC)
It is exhausting to rule out a workforce that received 14 video games and whose solely highway losses (6-2) have been on the Los Angeles Rams — their first-round opponent — and in Detroit. They’ve a punishing run protection (93.4 yards in opposition to, second within the NFL), too. They don’t seem to be the very best dashing workforce (109.1, nineteenth), however have a harmful and succesful working again in Aaron Jones in the event that they determine to take a bit of of the strain off quarterback Sam Darnold.
2. Inexperienced Bay Packers (11-6, seventh seed, NFC)
They deserved so a lot better than the seventh seed, but when they by some means survive a first-round recreation in Philadelphia they might be off and working. Their dashing assault ranked fifth (146.8 yards per recreation) and their run protection ranked seventh (99.4). Additionally they have a powerful quarterback in Jordan Love and an excellent go rush (45 sacks, tied for ninth). They have been solely 5-3 on the highway, however these losses got here at Minnesota and Detroit, and their opening recreation in Brazil in opposition to the Eagles). All of the substances are there.
3. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, fifth seed, AFC)
New coach Jim Harbaugh has inbuilt a toughness to this workforce, although they’re a bit of extra reliant on their quarterback (Justin Herbert) than they’re on their working recreation (110.7, seventeenth) or dashing protection (117.5, 14th). They have been 6-3 on the highway with losses in Kansas Metropolis, Pittsburgh and Arizona. However a minimum of they get the simplest doable begin in Houston.
4. Washington Commanders (12-5, sixth seed, NFC)
There’s all the time the prospect that dynamic quarterback Jayden Daniels might get scorching, and they’re able to working the ball with him and Brian Robinson. However that run protection (137.5, thirtieth) might be an issue, particularly in opposition to groups just like the Eagles or Lions. They have been respectable on the highway, going 5-3 with losses at Tampa — their first-round vacation spot — Baltimore and Philadelphia.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, sixth seed, AFC)
They have been a middling highway workforce (5-4) and even misplaced three of their final 4 highway video games, which does not bode properly for a workforce that begins in Baltimore (the place they misplaced three weeks in the past). They do have a powerful dashing protection (95.8, sixth) and an honest dashing assault (127.4, eleventh), however the Ravens are much better in each classes.
6. Denver Broncos (10-7, seventh seed, AFC)
The magical season of Sean Payton and Bo Nix has been largely a home-centered affair. They’ve gone 4-5 on the highway this season and misplaced 4 of their final 5 (together with three to AFC playoff groups). With a middling dashing assault (112.2, sixteenth) it is exhausting to see them altering that pattern now, until Nix has a number of magic left in his arm.
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports activities. He spent the earlier six years overlaying the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and earlier than that, 16 years overlaying the Giants and the NFL for the New York Every day Information. Observe him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
Get extra from Nationwide Soccer League Observe your favorites to get details about video games, information and extra
