A weekend of NFL Wild Card playoff games are over, and what a mixed bag of action it was. It all started with a dreary performance by the Cincinnati Bengals in a home loss to the N.Y. Jets and ended with a NFL history-scoring (96 total points) shootout between the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers.

The in-between action included the Dallas Cowboys finally winning a playoff game after 13 years of futility. Who would have figured Wade Phillips would be the head coach to break the streak?

Then, of course, you had the loss by the New England Patriots to the Baltimore Ravens that may have represented the end of an era. The Patriots, who were arguably the most dominant team in the past 10 years having competed in four Super Bowls and winning three, were humbled, embarrassed and booed at home.

Now it’s time to get ready for a series of divisional games next weekend, but before I move on to the new matchups, here are my Wild Card Weekend Awards:

Best Individual Performance
Aaron Rogers, quarterback – Green Bay
Sure the Packers lost, but c’mon, you can’t overlook the job he did after throwing an interception and his team being down 17 points in the first quarter. In Brett Favre fashion, the second-year starter calmly led Green Bay on seven scoring drives and accounted for five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) and totaled more than 400 yards passing.

Worst Individual Performance
Chad Ochocinco, wide receiver – Cincinnati Bengals
Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis put the clamps on Ochocinco for the second week in a row. After all of the talk during the regular season and complaining about not making the Pro Bowl, he ended up being a non-factor in a game that counted the most. His numbers: 28 yards on a pair of catches.

Best Team Performance
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens beat the Patriots for the first time in their history and did it in convincing fashion, racing out to a 24-zip lead in the opening quarter that included two interceptions and a forced fumble by the Baltimore defense. The Ravens rushed for 234 yards and four touchdowns. Baltimore was the first visiting team to beat New England in Gillette Stadium in a postseason game (they were 7-0 in the playoffs).

Worst Team Performance
Cincinnati Bengals
Yes, the Bengals win two awards for their uninspiring loss. The AFC North champs scored a meager 14 points at home and gave up 353 yards on defense and didn’t record a sack or cause a turnover.

Wild Card Playoffs MVP
Kurt Warner, quarterback – Arizona Cardinals
This was tough. Dallas’ Tony Romo looked good, rookie Mark Sanchez of the Jets played well in his first action in the playoffs, but it was old man Warner who made the biggest difference this weekend. While rumors continue to fly about his impending retirement, Warner showed everyone he wasn’t ready to ride off into the sunset just yet. He set the tone for the Cardinals early and put them in position to win the game at the end of regulation (the kicker missed a chippy field goal) finishing the game with 379 yards (completed 29-33 passes), five touchdowns and no turnovers.

Damon Ford is a former journalist who is now a public relations professional working in the public and private sectors in Charlotte. He is 1-3 in predicting NFL playoff games.

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