(Photo: Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images via Guardian.co.uk)

The first game on today’s playoff slate was probably (let’s be honest) the least-compelling match-up of the weekend, with the Houston Texans making their first-ever playoff appearance against the Bengals in Houston.

The game was tied up with time winding down in the first half when Texans stud rookie DE J.J. Watt came up with this incredible game-changing interception of Andy Dalton‘s pass, which Watt snared out of the air at the line of scrimmage and returned 29 yards for the score:

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

Now that’s some serious athleticism, right there. Watt – who played tight end at Western Michigan before transferring to Wisconsin where he converted to the defensive side of the ball – needed oxygen afterward, but the guy clearly has ball skills, and the play proved to be just the momentum swing the Texans needed. Houston took a 17-10 lead into the locker room and came out like a different team, dominating the second half and going on to beat Cincinnati 31-10.

Another Texans rookie, QB TJ Yates, looked the part and did just enough to get his first NFL playoff win, passing for 159 yards, 0 interceptions and 1 40-yard touchdown to Andre Johnson. But RB Arian Foster did most of the damage for Houston, rushing for 153 yards and 2 TDs to put the Bengals away.

Meanwhile, Dalton threw 3 interceptions on the day for Cincy, and rookie sensation AJ Green was held to just 47 yards receiving and no scores.

From today’s Cincinatti-Arizona game, watch Bengals WR Jerome Simpson execute a miraculous front flip over Cardinals’ LB Daryl Washington – who stands at 6′-2″ – and somehow stick the landing in the endzone for the touchdown:

(via mocksession.com)

[GIF Via Mocksession]

Video of the full play HERE.

Quite an improvement over the last time we heard from Mr. Simpson, when he was performing the most blatant flop in NFL history. It’s nice to see Jerome making history in such a positive way on this Christmas Eve.

(Image via mocksession.com)

[VIDEO HERE]

Check out the extra leg kick for emphasis while Simpson is in the air, as though he had been shot in the chest with a cannon. And the worst part is, he actually drew a penalty against Fujita with this performance!!!

I mean, it’s a pretty decent Manu Ginobli impression, but let’s pray that the NFL doesn’t start going the way of the NBA and international soccer, with players taking dives like this at every chance the get in an effort to draw flags. It’s football, gentlemen. Let’s act like it.

(Photo: Yahoo.com)

One of the biggest surprises of the 2012 NFL season thus far has been the emergence of the Cincinnati Bengals, who are off to a 5-2 start and riding a four game win streak, due largely to the play of rookie sensations AJ. Green and Andy Dalton. Together, the wide receiver taken with the #4 overall pick and the second-round quarterback (respectively) are off to the best start of any rookie WR-QB duo in recent memory, giving Bengals fans hope for the future like they haven’t felt in ages.

The New York Times‘ NFL Blog, The Fifth Down, has an excellent piece today on the historical significance of the Dalton-to-Green connection. Not since Jim Plunkett and Randy Vataha connected for 51 passes for 872 yards and 9 touchdowns as Patriots in 1971 have a rookie pair taken the league by storm in this fashion. The closest thing since was the Redskins’ Joe Theismann to Gary Clark (who caught 72 passes for 926 yards and 5 TDs as a rookie in 1985), but it’s become a rarer phenomenon in recent years.

Already through seven games this season, Green has caught 33 passes for 516 yards and 5 TDs. And they have nine more games to notch 5 more scores and become the first rookie QB-WR tandem to connect for 10 TDs in NFL history. Wow.

Fortunately for us, NFL Films had both players mic’d up during their Week 6 win over the Indianapolis Colts, for the always-awesome SoundFX program. Watching and listening to these guys play, it’s clear that Green still has some mental issues on the field, which are to be expected of a rookie, and he more than makes up for with sheer physical talent. But Dalton comes off like an old pro, directing traffic and displaying the leadership of a seasoned vet in the huddle, on the sidelines and with the coaches. And together, the two are developing a chemistry that should be exciting to watch for a long, long time.

Hell, it already is pretty exciting to watch, and we’re just getting started.

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

Bank on it, this will be the new face of one NFL team come Draft Day (Source: Jimrome.com)

The 2011 NFL Draft could serve as our last dose of football for an unfriendly amount of time (especially if you’re an Oakland Raiders fan). Although it’s going to be awkward to watch NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell approach the podium before a packed house during a lockout, Draft Day (or, at this stage, Draft Thursday Night…) remains tangibly intriguing when a blue-chip quarterback has the chance to go No. 1.

It’s no sure thing, but with Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert rising up the board, it’s possible both could go in the top 10. One could argue that four of the first five teams to pick could go quarterback. I also wouldn’t rule out a team moving up for one the young guns — especially with Shanahan’s Redskins buried in the 10 slot — but this mock doesn’t include trades. Next month’s v.2 mock will take a shot at pinpointing some possible move-up/down scenarios. With that said, here’s my top 5 picks:

1. Carolina Panthers – Cam Newton – QB, Auburn: Some don’t even have Newton in their top 10. I just don’t see Ron Rivera passing up this opportunity to bring in a franchise-altering passer with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Newton has his flaws, but there’s no way Carolina takes on the NFC South with what we’ve seen out of (granted, young) Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen. While it’s awfully tough to bypass some of the defensive line talent in this draft, I believe Newton will continue to rise up the board. It’s only mid-March. This quarterback’s gifts will only become more coveted as we approach late April. The Panthers are serious about Cam Newton and I expect him to end up as the top pick in this draft.

2. Denver Broncos – Marcell Dareus – DT, Alabama: John Fox is going defense with this pick. At 6-foot-3, 319 pounds, Dareus fits well into Fox’s 4-3 scheme, and has the potential to wreak havoc as a 3-technique the way Warren Sapp did in Tampa Bay — and Sapp himself has showered praise on the prospect. For the many top-shelf defensive line prospects in this draft — it’s one of the more stunning DT/DE draft classes in years — Dareus might be the safest pick, as a guy without looming medical or off-the-field concerns. If Nick Fairley has more potential, Dareus appears to have the work ethic for continued growth.

3. Buffalo Bills – Patrick Peterson – CB, LSU: The Bills are courting Newton and no doubt Chan Gailey is enticed by his athleticism. If Carolina passes, Newton could land here at No. 3.  If he’s gone — and he is in this mock — the Bills will take Peterson, possibly the best football player in the draft. It’s unusual for a team to strike on a corner this high, but I don’t see the Bills taking Gabbert with this pick. Besides, in Ryan Fitzpatrick, they have a passer the team believes in and grew behind in 2010. The Bills need help all over the place on defense and go with the best player available here.

4. Cincinnati Bengals – Blaine Gabbert – QB, Missouri: If Carson Palmer wasn’t so inconsistent, you work out the issues, get him back in the house and move on. Palmer and the Bengals are at a crossroads, and with the QB making it clear he’s had enough in the Queen City, it’s time for Cincy to find his replacement. I’m not in love with Gabbert. Accuracy is an issue when you look beyond his short-field body of work. That said, with Newton gone, Gabbert represents a new dawn for Marvin Lewis.

5. Arizona Cardinals – Von Miller – DE/OLB, Texas A&M: Some are calling Von Miller‘s decision to join the players’ antitrust lawsuit against the NFL a risk. Is he an immediate problem? A guy with a renegade spirit? No. Another way to look at it — this is someone who has chosen to take a leadership role among his peers and represent his rookie class on a critical issue to the players (even if you think they already make too much). That aside, Miller is perhaps the most versatile defensive talent in the draft and music to the ears of the Cards. I keep hearing over and over that Arizona does not go quarterback with this pick — mainly because this could be it for Ken Whisenhunt, and you don’t risk a critical season on a rookie. You have to wonder if the Cards would surprise people and shoot for Newton or Gabbert is one is available.

For picks 6-10, go here.

For picks 11-20, go here.

Revis is average only when compared with the citizenry of Revis Island. (Source: AP)

The Associated Press reports Tuesday that Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Terrell Owens, in anticipation of Thursday night’s game against the New York Jets, labeled All-Pro Darrelle Revis “Just an average corner to me.”

Owens followed it up with this:

“No disrespect. He’s only done one thing for one year. You talk about shutdown corners, you need to repeatedly do it year-in and year-out. I think he did it one year and everybody made a lot of hoopla about it. I think he started feeling himself, then he wanted to come out and say that I am a slouch.”

Revis called Owens a slouch last season, citing his lack of hustle in their matchups. So, to be fair, the Bengals receiver was simply responding.

Owens had no comment about how his inflammatory remarks — coupled with labeling the Bengals as a “terrible” team — would help motivate the Jets and/or demotivate the Bengals, respectively.

Owens, it should be noted, is tied for third in the NFL with 62 catches — a receiver nobody wanted midway through the summer.

Just imagine ... a whole game without these two blathering on endlessly (Image via CoedMagazine)

This is a potential game-changer, folks.  For those of us out there who have to turn down the sound on NFL television broadcasts so we can actually enjoy the game, there may be a brighter future ahead.

The Houston Chronicle reports that the NFL Network is going to re-broadcast the Jets/Bengals Thanksgiving Day game this Saturday without any announcers!  Instead, the NFL Films crew will mic up a whole bunch of players and coaches, and let their words tell the story of the game.  Think about that for a second. A FULL game of NFL Films Sound FX footage! Not highlights … a full game! No Tony Siragusa. No Cris Collinsworth. No asinine, non-stop commentary that slowly grates on your nerves like Chinese water torture. Just the natural sounds of the game.

Seriously, this might be the best idea in the history of sports broadcasting:

“We’ve got 15 players and coaches miked during the game, including both coaches and all the coordinators and quarterbacks and middle linebackers,” NFL Films president Steve Sabol said. “We’ll have 60 people shooting the game, which is more than we use for a Super Bowl, and then we’ll turn it around in 48 hours and show it to you through the eyes of the players. It’s something you won’t see anywhere else.” …

Granted, there’s probably no way to ever do this for a live broadcast – simply because of the on-field language and potential for confidential team info getting out to the rest of the league. But this type of footage will give football fans an insight into the game that we’ve never had before … even if it comes a couple of days after the fact.

And again, thank GOD for the NFL Network. Let’s just hope this will be the first of many game broadcasts like this.

Domata Peko celebrates his block on Troy Polamalu (Photo: The Enquirer/Gary Landers)

We’ve started a new tradition here at ReadAndReact by bringing you the Hit of the Week! We’ll find the most brutal tackle (or block) from each weekend of NFL games, and present it for your viewing pleasure.

You may have noticed (but probably didn’t) that we took a week off from presenting the HOTW … that’s because we were simply terrified that the league was going to fine & suspend us for promoting violent hits in the game. But we’re obviously pretty low on Goodell’s priority list these days, so we’re back, and this week we’re focusing on the offensive side of the ball.

The Bengals have been employing 320-lb DT Domata Peko as a fullback in their goal line package, and last night he showed the world why.  Watch as Peko takes Steelers S Troy Polamalu head-on in the 4th quarter, leading the way into the end zone for Cedric Benson. The result is a cataclysmic explosion of hair that ends with Polamalu flat on his back. It’s quite spectacular:

Who wants some phone sex with their breakfast? Child, please!

Boy, some guys just can’t win for losing … even when they’re trying to do good.

Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco wanted to add a charitable element to his new “OchocincO’s” cereal (which came out in early September), so he decided that portions of the proceeds will go to help the charity Feed the Children.  They even went so far as to list the phone number for Feed The Children on the side of the box, so people could reach out directly.

Unfortunately, the phone number – printed as 1-800-HELP-FTC – actually goes to a phone sex line, as discovered by one unsuspecting Cincinatti family, and their nine-year-old daughter. Call it, and you’ll hear an explicit message from a woman offering all sorts of adult favors in exchange for a credit card number.  Which first begs the question … “wait, they still have phone sex lines?!?“  I mean, who would even bother with one of these things, what with the treasure trove of free internet porn available at your fingertips?!?  How are these companies still surviving?

But I digress … the correct number for Feed The Children is actually a 1-888 toll-free line, instead of the 1-800 listed on the box. Ochocinco told WCPO News in Cincinnati that the wrong number was clearly a mistake for which he was not responsible, and that he’s confident the company behind the cereal, PBL Sports, will fix the problem.

Between NFL stardom, his wildly popular Twitter account and competing on this season of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars”, clearly, Chad Ochocinco doesn’t get enough attention.  So now, the Bengals WR has hooked up with the cupids of cable television at VH1 and gotten his own reality dating show.  Ready for the clever title?  “Ochocino: The Ultimate Catch”.  The show premieres on July 11th, and as you can tell from the trailer above, this is going to be one classy affair.

I’m sure the Bengals organization is thrilled with the way Chad has chosen to spend his off-season.  I mean, what better way to prepare for the rigors of the NFL then to follow in the grand tradition of Flavor Flav, Bret Michaels, Tila Tequila and of course, New York, and entertain 85 morally questionably women in a quest for love?  Those fools wasting there time at mini-camp sure are suckers, huh?

Ughh … this kind of makes we want to throw up.  Let’s face it, Ochocinco is way more likely to catch an STD (or three) than he is to find love on this crapfest of a show.  And I don’t even know what to say about Chad’s desperate need for constant attention. This guy seriously needs help.