For the first time in at least since the Baltimore Ravens were last not in the playoffs, there are no Wild Card teams remaining in the NFL post season. All four visiting Wild Card entries lost this weekend, meaning the top four seeds in each conference have advanced to form what people are calling the equivalent of March Madness' "Elite Eight."
The Cincinnati Bengals were the first Wild Card team to get bounced on Saturday, by the Houston Texans, the Ravens next opponent. Next up were the Detroit Lions, who just couldn't keep up with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. On Sunday, The New York Giants sent the Atlanta Falcons packing with an overwhelming dominating performance, and the Denver Broncos upset the Pittsburgh Steelers with a thrilling victory on the first play of overtime.
Last year the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl from the Wild Card slot and the Baltimore Ravens have only made the post season as the Wild Card in the John Harbaugh-Joe Flacco-Ray Rice era. This year will be different as not only are the Ravens division winners, but so are their competition, along with the rest of the remaining teams, although there is no question that the only "Cinderella" team left are those surprising Denver Broncos.