Call it bizarre, unpredictable or the weekend of the dogs - maybe you could even call it football. But, three of the top four seeded NFL teams got knocked out of the playoffs this weekend with home field advantage and a week off to prepare in their favor.

Next Sunday Pittsburgh will host Baltimore - the Steelers have already beat the Ravens twice this season - and Philadelphia will travel on the road for the third straight week to square off against the Cardinals - a rematch of a game which the Eagles soared to a 48-20 romp several week’s ago. Let’s take a look at what went wrong for who…

NFC - A first in NFL history, no teams from the top three seeds of the NFC will be playing in the conference championship. With the No. 1- and 2-seeds both losing, an unlikely showdown for the NFC title is now set. I remember being in Las Vegas during the preseason and joking with two senior citizens wearing Eagles jerseys that their team would be going to the Super Bowl this season. Neither myself nor the couple took my comments seriously. And I don’t even think anyone on the Cardinals ever thought they would have made it this far prior to the season started.

Arizona @ Carolina: I still can’t believe it.

Did Jake Delhomme take the day off because it was his birthday?

The Cardinals - you know that 9-7 team that won the pathetic NFC West? - are going to the NFC Championship?

The Panthers lost at home for the first time this season?

Who would have thought? Certainly, not me.

How did the Cardinals pull off the upset?

Kurt Warner threw less interceptions than Delhomme, Arizona was able to consistently run the ball and Larry Fitzgerald ate up Carolina’s pass coverage without Pro Bowl teammate Anquan Boldin on the field.

Delhomme threw five interceptions and fumbled once, after turning the ball over just 12 times in the air and three on the ground throughout the entire season.

And Warner threw the ball only 32 times - well below what I excepted - amassing a mere 220 yards for two scores and a pick.

With Boldin out, Warner connected with Larry Fitzgerald for eight of 21 completions on the night, which totaled for just over 75 percent of his total yardage.

Shockingly, Arizona was able to successfully run the ball and play defense. Again.

How far can they go? Well, I didn’t expect them to make it this far, and chances are you didn’t either - unless your from the Copper State.

Philadelphia @ New York: Throughout the 2008 season the Giants experienced no Super Bowl “hangover” - it was never present. The G-Men did, though, have to do deal with the Plaxico Burress incident. And boy, did they sure get a hangover from it.

Since the Burress incident, the Giants have never been the same, and it showed once again Sunday in their 23-11 loss to the Eagles.

The Giants failed to move the ball in the air and struggled miserably in the red zone against the Eagles.

Uncharacteristically, John Carney missed two field goals and Eli Manning hit his targets just 15 of 29 times for 169 yards. Manning and the rest of the Giants offense did not reach the end zone once.

Though, the game though wasn’t as one-sided as the as the 23-11 score would suggest.

Donovan McNabb didn’t play much better than Manning and the Giants’ rushing attack ran the Eagles’ rush off the field, but the Eagles won the turnover battle, as their defense was more effective than the Giants Sunday. And when push comes to shove, that’s what wins games.

AFC - Another NFL first: A rookie quarterback won two playoff games. The Titans may have been the best AFC team during the regular season, but when it’s all said and done nobody will remember that. They will, however, remember that the Titans lost a chance to go to the AFC Championship Game to a rookie coach, quarterback and a defense full of seasoned vets. And for the Chargers: LaDainian Tomlinson will remember standing on the sidelines in the snow, watching his team get yet again knocked out of the playoffs.

Baltimore @ Tennessee: Forget what the scoreboard says.

Forget what they say about rookies in the playoffs.

Forget about the Titans.

The AFC’s No. 1 seed lost to a rookie quarterback and a rookie head coach 13-10 at home after a bye. However, it wasn’t Flacco under center or Harbaugh’s coaching that necessarily won the Ravens a spot in the AFC Championship game.

Baltimore’s defense created three turnovers - all from within the red zone - and its offense was error-free.

Veteran quarterback Kerry Collins threw for more than 100 yards than Flacco and the Titans gained over 70 yards more than the Ravens on the ground.

San Diego @ Pittsburgh: Had the Chargers been able to stop Willie Parker, they may have won.
Parker, who had been injured most of the season, ran for 146 yards on 27 carries for two scores. Chargers’ running back Darren Sproles, playing for an injured LaDainian Tomlinsonon, gained just 15 yards on 11 carries.

Sproles, however, was highly effective receiving out of the backfield and returning kicks, and his efforts keep the Chargers in the game for most of 60 minutes.

Chargers’ quarterback Philip Rivers did all he could - 21 of 35 for 308 yards and three touchdowns - but it wasn’t enough. When San Diego needed him most - the third quarter - he only got to touch the ball once and he was intercepted.

And like the Giants, the Chargers lost the turnover battle. The Steelers were error-free and the Chargers had two big mistakes.

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