Talking NFL

They do tend to pile up, don’t they?

The smoke has cleared from the first round of the playoffs, leaving us with four victors, four teams facing a long off-season, and a boatload of turnovers. In fact, the losing clubs combined for 11 of them. Let’s take a closer look at the biggest culprits:

Seattle 35 - Washington 14

The Culprit: Santana Moss

No, Moss wasn’t actually credited with a fumble or giveaway, but he should have been. With the Skins down by a touchdown with less than six minutes to play, Todd Collins went deep to Santana. Problem was, he gave up on the route, and the pass was intercepted by Seattle cornerback Marcus Trufant who returned it 78 yards for a score that sealed the game for the Seahawks.

Jacksonville 31 - Pittsburgh 29

The Culprit: Ben Roethlisberger

Big Ben had his best season as a pro this year, and is widely considered on of the top 5 quarterbacks in the league. Unfortunately, on Saturday he gave his worst best Drew Bledsoe impersonation. He had happy feet, and made some poor decisions under pressure, throwing three costly interceptions and losing a fumble.

NY Giants 24 - Tampa Bay 14

The Culprit: Micheal Spurlock

Last month, Spurlock became a Buccaneer hero by returning the first kickoff for a touchdown in club history. Sadly, he’ll be remembered in the off-season as the goat, after fumbling the 2nd half kickoff against the Giants. The fumble was recovered by New York cornerback Corey Webster, who also picked off Jeff Garcia in the end zone on the very next Tampa series.

San Diego 17 - Tennessee 6

The Culprit: Chris Brown

Tennessee was up 3 - 0 and driving early in the 2nd quarter for a touchdown. But at the 12 yard line, Chris Brown fumbled when he was hit by Shawne Merriman, and Shaun Phillips recovered at the Chargers 9. Vince Young and company wouldn’t get into the end zone all day, as San Diego clamped down on defense.

NFL, Wild Card, Playoffs, Turnovers