Dallas celebrated. Detroit remonstrated. The rest of us watched open-mouthed. So bewildering was the final chapter of Wild Card weekend that even the players themselves seemed to have a hard time taking it all in. “This doesn’t make sense,” said Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh at his post-game press conference. And then he broke down into tears.  His team had lost, 24-20, but contained within that scoreline were so many narratives that it is hard to know where to begin. Most obviously, this was an occasion when Tony Romo shed his label as a playoff choker – playing poorly for much of the first half, as his Cowboys slid to a 14-0 deficit, but holding his nerve when it mattered most as he delivered the game-winning touchdown pass to Terrance Williams.  Were it not for that throw, this might easily have been remembered as a game belonging to Suh – who began the week with a suspension for stepping on Aaron Rodgers but who, after overturning that ban on appeal, delivered sacks on consecutive plays to help Detroit keep their noses in front at an early stage of the fourth quarter. As it is, this might have been the defensive tackle’s last appearance as a Lion, with his contract set to expire in the offseason.  This was also the day when Golden Tate stuffed idle threats back down Dallas’s throats. Cowboys safety Barry Church had used a radio interview during the week to advise the wide receiver that he planned to “get him back” for a hit on linebacker Sean Lee in 2012. Even in defeat, Tate might draw some satisfaction from knowing that he avoided any such retribution while torching the Dallas secondary for 89 yards and a score.  But more than any of those stories, this game will now be remembered for a single fourth-quarter play. Detroit were ahead by three and trying to extend their advantage when Matt Stafford threw incomplete to Brandon Pettigrew on third-and-one from the Dallas 46-yard line. A flag was thrown on the play. Referee Pete Morelli announced that the penalty was against Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens for pass interference. On replays, it looked like a good call. Hitchens had certainly put a hand on Pettigrew, and made the key error of not looking for the ball. Not that it really mattered either way. The point was that the call had been made. A whole stadium, plus millions on TV, heard Morelli deliver his verdict.  But then, without warning, he reversed it. Morelli offered no explanation for this change of heart, simply picking up the flag, announcing that there was no foul and signalling for fourth down. After a lengthy protest, the Lions finally accepted their fate, punting the ball away after a failed attempt to draw the Cowboys offside. Dallas took the ball down the field for their winning touchdown.  If Detroit had won anyway, then the whole affair might quickly have been forgotten. And the Lions had a real opportunity to do so. With hindsight, might they regret the decision not to keep the offense on the field after that call? The Cowboys would go on to convert a much longer fourth-down on their game-winning drive.  As Suh himself would eventually say, “you can’t just let one play define the game”. But Grantland’s Bill Simmons was content to do so, defining this as “The Picked Up Flag game”.  Morelli would later tell reporters that he had waved the penalty off because of information he was given by the head linesman, who had a better view of the play than the back judge who had initially thrown the flag. He acknowledged that “it would have probably been smoother” if he had waited to make an announcement until they had all got together, but otherwise stood by the procedure followed on the field.  His words are unlikely to come as much consolation to the Lions or their fans. The only narrative that matters in Detroit this morning is the one that says a season has ended too soon. PB  Dallas and Detroit weren’t the only ones experiencing problems with officials. This year’s playoffs began in perfectly shambolic fashion, Ed Hochuli bungling the coin toss before Saturday’s opening game between the Panthers and Cardinals. Arizona had correctly called tails, but the referee initially told Carolina that they would have the choice of whether to receive the opening kickoff, before Calais Campbell pointed out his mistake.  It might not have been the most egregious error made by an official on an evening of contentious calls, and it definitely was not the weirdest moment of Hochuli’s evening, as he later went on to refer to one of his colleagues as “Jungle Boy” in a conversation accidentally broadcast over the stadium’s public address.  But it was the perfect tone-setter for a game in which both sides put their worst flaws on display. This was a day on which the Cardinals moved the ball just 78 yards on offense – the fewest of any team in playoff history – but still led their hosts in the third quarter, and did not have their hopes completely extinguished until Tre Boston picked off Ryan Lindley in the end zone with two minutes left to play.  Arizona made mistakes in every phase of the game. Nobody could be surprised to see their offense sputter with Lindley, the third-string quarterback, under center, but the Cardinals also tackled poorly on defense and made critical blunders on special teams. Ted Ginn Jr’s fumble on a third-quarter kickoff return was a back-breaker. His team had only just fallen behind, 20-14, when he coughed the ball up on his own eight-yard line, allowing Carolina to punch in another touchdown moments later.  Injuries have killed the Cardinals this season, and not just at quarterback. No individual had a worse game at Bank of America Stadium than Arizona’s punter, Drew Butler, a man who took over as starter in October after Dave Zastudil aggravated a groin problem. On Saturday, Butler averaged a staggeringly poor 34.8 yards on nine attempts. It is not a statistic to dismiss. Field position is critical in any game, but especially when your offense is struggling.  A better team than Carolina would have blown the Cardinals away. But the Panthers themselves were uneven. The defense in general, and Luke Kuechly in particular, were excellent, while the running game was also consistently effective, yet mistakes on special teams and in the passing game kept things close.  Arizona’s first touchdown had been set up by Brenton Bersin’s muffed attempt to field a punt on his own 30-yard line. The Cardinals’ second score followed an interception by Antonio Cromartie, who had already dropped one potential pick at the start of the game.  Deep into the fourth quarter, the Panthers kept giving their opponents reasons to hope. Newton fumbled away possession at the Carolina eight-yard line, only for Kuechly to intercept Lindley on the next play. Punter Brad Nortman fumbled a snap and gave Arizona the ball back inside Carolina territory again. Three plays later, Lindley served up another pick.  The Panthers’ players lingered on the field at the end, performing a lap of honour and dishing out high-fives to fans. After a trying season, why not? This was Carolina’s first playoff win in nine years. They are the second team in league history to enter the postseason with a losing record, and the second to emerge with a Wild Card win.  But without drastic improvement, this will be as far as it goes. Arizona were as amenable an opponent as any team could hope to meet in a playoff game. Seattle will not be so forgiving. PB  Joe Flacco is the best quarterback in the NFL. That’s the view of Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh after his quarterback won a record seventh playoff game on the road to advance into the AFC divisional round. Flacco is as laidback as they come off the field, but he flourishes when games matter the most and a January win at the hated Steelers – where Baltimore had never won a playoff game before – is as meaningful as they come. His team left 30-17 victors.  Facing Pittsburgh without star rusher Le’Veon Bell – he failed to recover from a knee injury in time to play – was certainly an advantage, and the return from a four-game suspension of Haloti Ngata at nose tackle keyed five sacks of Ben Roethlisberger from the Ravens defense.  Pittsburgh locked up their first AFC North title in four years last week but were no match for the sixth seeded Ravens, who stumbled into the playoffs with little offensive power and the gaping hole left by Ngata. The hosts dominated time of possession in the first half but their long drives continually ended in field goals, while Flacco threw touchdowns to Torrey Smith in the third quarter and Crockett Gillmore in the fourth, one play after Terrell Suggs had intercepted Roethlisberger for a big play.  This was Baltimore’s third Wild Card win as a sixth seed, and what a ride it has been this campaign. The Ray Rice storm engulfed the franchise for most of the offseason and threatened to destabilise them in the opening weeks, but instead they regrouped and banded together in order to play hard nosed football, the only way they know. The win avenged playoff defeats at Heinz Field in 2008 and 2010 and up next is New England, a team the Ravens beat on the road on their way to a championship two years ago.  This win is not to be sniffed at, either. The first of its kind in franchise history, they restricted the second ranked offence in the NFL and managed to keep Antonio Brown out of the end zone, despite his 117 receiving yards on the day. Big Ben threw for 334 yards, but they meant little while kicker Shaun Suisham was taking aim more than his quarterback.  As they say at this time of year, defense wins championships. Looking after the ball is also essential and the Ravens only turned it over once, scoring on six of their nine possessions. The efficient Flacco had a solid game, completing 18 of 29 passes for 259 yards and those two scores, leading to the highest of praises from his coach.  Most would put Tom Brady ahead of Flacco in the ‘best quarterback’ charts, and the latter will need to come up big against one of the best coached and most improved defenses at Gillette Stadium next week. But to overcome is what these Ravens have done all season. They’re tough. They’re physical. And they love going up against it on the road. The next message from Harbaugh will be simple enough; get me three more wins. MW  Bury your head, Andy Dalton. Under the lights, you simply switch off the power source. And under the vacation sand the Cincinnati Bengals now hide. Meanwhile, Andrew Luck has another reunion with his predecessor Peyton Manning next week in Denver for a place in the AFC Championship game.  In a battle between two teams with very little to suggest they will go deep into the playoffs, Indianapolis and Cincinnati have one big difference; their quarterbacks. Andrew Luck, the epitome of stepping up and delivering, most certainly is in the elite bracket. Dalton, not so much.  Congratulations to the Colts, who dominated the second half 13-0 to take the game 26-10. But really the talk must be about a Bengals postseason record that has turned from ugly to downright gruesome. They are officially the first team to lose four consecutive opening round playoff encounters, all under Dalton and head coach Marvin Lewis. Dalton is now tied with Warren Moon for most consecutive opening round playoff losses. It makes for grim reading, especially given the front office put so much faith in him to advance this team with a huge contract last summer.  Lewis’ sixth consecutive playoff loss tied Marty Schottenheimer, Steven Owen and Jim Mora for the most, while equalling him with the latter for most consecutive playoff losses to begin a career. That career is so far defined as a regular season specialist.  On the other side of things, Andrew Luck played a near flawless game in the 26-10 victory; 31-of-44 passing for 376 yards, while he didn’t commit a turnover for the first time in the playoffs. The former Stanford man is now 2-0 at home in the postseason but is yet to win a game on the road. He gets his third attempt against Manning, and despite Denver being favourites John Fox is under huge pressure to get his team to perform.  It was a strange game in the sense that the Colts didn’t play a clean game while the Bengals were missing key cogs. AJ Green and tight end Jermaine Gresham were out – taking away Dalton’s top two targets – while TY Hilton dropped two passes and Daniel Herron lost a fumble. However, Hilton caught six passes for 103 yards while Herron caught 10 for 85 yards and rushed for 56 and a touchdown.  Indianapolis have been criticised for only getting this far thanks to Luck’s sublime performances, but Sunday saw their defense step up in keeping the Bengals to just 254 total yards.  We are left with two takeaways from this game: Luck will have another reunion with the man he replaced to lead this franchise. Dalton can look back on his 18-of-35, 155 yards and lost fumble outing as another missed opportunity. How many more will he get? MW  • Sunday’s games were overshadowed by news that the much-loved ESPN anchor Stuart Scott had passed away at the age of 49, after a long battle with cancer. No tribute we could give here would be as eloquent as those delivered on air by the colleagues that had worked with him, nor indeed the message that Scott himself delivered when collecting the Jimmy V award for Perserverance at last year’s ESPYs. “When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer,” he said. “You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.”  • Rob Gronkowski was a unanimous selection to the Associated Press All-Pro team, but even he could not match JJ Watt – voted in at two separate positions. The Texans defensive lineman was listed by 45 voters at end and five at tackle, enough to make him a first-teamer at the former spot and a second-teamer in the latter. What else would you expect of a player so incredible that his very image has become immune to fire?  • Missed out among the many narratives in that Cowboys win are the feats of rookie defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, who recorded the sack that ended Detroit’s final drive. He had appeared to win the game several plays earlier on the same series, when he recovered Stafford fumble, only to then fumble the ball right back himself.  • Sergio Brown channels Ric Flair in the Colts’ postgame locker room.  #ColtsNation Sergio Brown sums up the feeling in the locker room #CINvsIND https://t.co/FQR2upiJNC  • What’s this? Oh, nothing. Just Terrell Suggs, making an interception with his knees. PB
It was business as usual for Andy Dalton and Joe Flacco as the playoffs started but the Cowboys are showing new steel