OK, Philadelphia, once more with feeling.
You too, Arizona.
Shamed and slapped around is no way to stumble into the NFL postseason — especially when your first-round opponent is the same team that just crushed you. But that’s the situation for the Eagles and Cardinals, who aren’t just headed for the playoffs…
They’re bound for the re-playoffs.
For the Eagles, it’s deja blue. They go back to Dallas for a opening-round game against a team that just beat them 24-0, the first time in 68 games Philadelphia had been shut out.
For the Cardinals, it’s welcome back, Pack. Arizona will play host to Green Bay again, a week after Sunday’s 33-7 loss to the Packers.
In the night game, the Jets secured the last AFC playoff spot by beating the Bengals 37-0. That sets up — what else? — a rematch in Cincinnati.
The only first-round game that won’t be a rematch is the Ravens at the Patriots, and they played in Week4 with the Patriots winning at home 27-21.
Whereas Arizona didn’t have a lot at stake and played a lot of reserves, Philadelphia was playing for the NFC East title and a bye.
Instead, the Eagles saw the second seed flutter away and the sixth seed take its place, a huge letdown on an enormous stage.
Now, for the first time in their history, the Cowboys have strung together consecutive shutouts. They have a chance to win their first playoff game since 1996.
“This ballclub has done a good job of putting its best foot forward when it has to,” Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said.
Rolling the dice: Even as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league will look at ways to create incentives for teams to play their best players in so-called meaningless games, there are painful reminders that resting starters might not be such a bad idea.
Patriots receiver Wes Welker suffered a torn ACL and MCL, according to ESPN, on his first catch Sunday, crumpling to the turf after planting his left leg awkwardly.
“We’re sick,” Leland Welker, Wes’ father, told the Boston Globe. “We’re absolutely sick. We take all those hits and stuff all season long. And then just one fluke cut, and he just blows it out.”
Meanwhile, quarterback Tom Brady played with a sore right shoulder, cracked ribs and, according to ESPN, a broken index finger on his throwing hand, an injury suffered a month ago.
Losing Welker for the playoffs has to be more painful to Brady than all of those.
An exclusive club: Early in the fourth quarter at Seattle, Tennessee’s Chris Johnson cut back, jumped over a teammate … and leaped into the NFL history books.
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He became the sixth player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, joining Eric Dickerson, Jamal Lewis, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis and O.J. Simpson.
Johnson’s 11th consecutive 100-yard game gave him 2,006 rushing yards and 2,509 yards from scrimmage, breaking the NFL record of 2,429 set by Marshall Faulk.
So Suh me: With their loss to the 49ers, the 1-15 Rams “earned” the No. 1 draft pick. An early favorite to go first is Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.