Following round one of the NFL playoffs the winning teams are moving on to face their next opponent. Here is a recap of this weekend’s games.

New York Jets vs. Cincinnati Bengals
New York Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez in his first playoff game led his team to victory over the Bengals. Bengals quaterback Carson Palmer struggled throughout the game to find open receivers and wide reciever Chad Ochocinco was limited to two catches thanks to the pressure put on them by the Jets defense.
The only Bengal that had any success was running back Cedric Benson who rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown. The Jets will face the San Diego Chargers next week.  The big storyline will be if Mark Sanchez can repeat his performance to lead his team to another victory.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys
While the Cowboys had already beaten the Eagles twice this season, last Saturday’s NFC wild-card playoff win was the most special of them all. The Cowboys ended their 13 year drought of playoff success with a convincing win at home over the Eagles. The Cowboys defense continued its dominance as they shut down Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson and their running game. Quarterback Tony Romo stepped up his game, with 244 yards passing and two touchdowns in his first playoff victory.
The Cowboys will meet Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings next week. The Viking’s big play offense with Favre, running back Adrian Peterson and rookie wide receiver Percy Harvin, will face a Cowboys Defense, that has been dismantling opposing offensives in the past few weeks. 

Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots
Ravens running back Ray Rice scored on the first play of the game scampering 83 yards for a touchdown and that run summed up the result of this game. The Ravens defense shut down Patriots quarterback Tom Brady who turned the ball over four times and struggled to find receivers all game, especially wide receiver Randy Moss who was a non factor in the game.
With the Ravens scoring 24 points in the first quarter and the Patriots offense struggling to score, the deficit proved to be too much to overcome. The Ravens will have their hands full next week with the Indianapolis  duo of quarterback Peyton Manning and wide receiver Reggie Wayne.

Green Bay Packers vs. Arizona Cardinals
With a game full of offensive plays and one handed touchdown grabs, it was a defensive play that won the game for the Cardinals. Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers put on a passing duel, as they threw for over 700 yards combined. But it was in overtime where Cardinals defensive tackle Karlos Dansby returned a Rodgers fumble for a game ending touchdown that sealed the victory for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals move onto play the number one seed in the NFC, the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have the same type of high scoring offense so next week’s game will be won by the defense.