The 2008-'09 NFL Playoffs: Wild-Card Weekend Analysis and Predictions

Who would have thought we would see this coming? The Miami Dolphins, the AFC East Champions, are 11-5. Their quarterback? Chad Pennington, the former New York Jets leader, but thrown to the dogs after "King" Favre arrived (yeah, we all saw how THAT turned out, right?). Oh, and by the way, the Dolphins were 1-15 last year. That is a +10 win differential, tying the 1999 Colts (w/Peyton Manning) as the greatest turnaround ever. The Atlanta Falcons, 4-12 a year ago, suffering from the Michael Vick scandal and Bobby Petrino's hideous and ugly exit as head coach halfway through the season, is now a wild-card team, with a rookie quarterback and head coach. The Arizona Cardinals, 9-7, have won their division (NFC West) for the first time since 1975, and will host a playoff game for the first time since 1947. They are under 37-year-old veteran quarterback Kurt Warner, who was considered at many times washed up prior to this season but revitalized his career as one of the most premiere ... (link)