First Weekend of Playoffs Remind Us to Expect the Unexpected in the NFL

Coming into the 2011 NFL playoffs, cries were unleashed from far and wide calling for reseeding, revamping, or expansion of the current format. Chief among the targets of fans' vitriol were the moribund Seattle Seahawks, who somehow finagled their way into the postseason by "winning" the doormat NFC West -- albeit with a losing record. A common thread in this line of thought was that the Seahawks were taking a spot from some more well-deserving team, like maybe Eli Manning's New York Giants. The Seahawks were to be quickly dispatched to the local trash heap by the heavily favored defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. A funny thing happened on the way to the city dump, though: Seattle outgunned New Orleans 41-36 in a mighty defensive struggle.

Now, the Seahawks victory doesn't really tell us that no changes should be made to the current playoff format, but it does reinforce the idea that you just never know what's going to happen in the NFL, even during the early rounds of the playoffs. "On any given Sunday" (or Saturday or Monday), the defending champs might forget to tell their D what time the game starts. Matt Hasselbeck might get an afternoon furlow from the nursing home to toss four touchdown passes. Heck, one of these years, if things don't work out quite as planned with Andrew Luck, Jim Harbaugh might come off the bench to lead his 49ers in a playoff battle against the Brett Favre-piloted Detroit Lions. You just never know.

The rest of the weekend's games were a bit more sane, at least by expectation standards, but still provided compelling stories. Rex Ryan finally got the Peyton Manning primate off of his back as the New York Jets dispatched the Colts in Indianapolis;Ed Reed contributed to the Baltimore Ravens' road blowout of the Kansas City Chiefs, despite the ongoing drama surrounding his missing brother; and Michaels Vick's wheels apparently came off at the hands of the Green Bay Packers' mechanics, re-attached too late to make a difference.

Whatever the remaining playoff games hold, you can be sure that there will be some surprises and compelling stories mixed in among the more expected plot lines. It's part of the charm and magic of the NFL that keeps us coming back week after week, season after season. Enjoy the ride!