Twenty Years of NFL Playoffs: Ranking the Wild Card Games, Pt. 1

Tier I – It’s Just Bad (sometimes just by one team), Boring Football

84.) 2002 AFC Wild Card – (A5) Colts 0 @ (A4) Jets 41

Review: This is the largest blowout since the new playoff format began. Oddly, it was also the very first playoff game since the new format began, so it really a case of “it can’t get any worse.” In a game that was 17-0 by the time Manning went back to throw his 4^th pass the Jets dominated in every way, outgaining the Colts 396-176, with Pennington going 19-25 for 222 yards and 3 tds. Manning was admittedly bad, but the Colts defense and run game was worse, in a game that marked the high-point of the Herman Edwards/Chad Pennington era. For them, it was mostly “it can’t get any better.”

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the Jets last playoff game in the Meadowlands, and the last home playoff win by either team that called the Meadowlands home.

83.) 2010 AFC Wild Card – (A5) Ravens 30 @ (A4) Chiefs 7

Review: To describe this game in one line, it was Matt Cassel against the Ravens defense. It should be no surprise that Cassel went 9-18 and somehow in those 18 passes managed to throw three interceptions. That said, this was the only time that Flacco played well in playoff game in his first three seasons, going 25-34 for  265 yards and 2 tds. The Ravens had a yardage edge of 390-161, and ran 78 plays versus 40 against a horribly outmatched Chiefs team that coasted to the AFC West Title mainly because of god-awful special teams by the Chargers.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the 3^rd straight time the Ravens played the 1pm Sunday game in the Wild Card round. All three were Ravens wins on the road, and in the three, they outscored their opponents 90-30.

82.) 2015 AFC Wild Card - (A5) Chiefs 30 @ (A4) Texans 0

Review: This game was over after one play. One special teams play. We didn't have to see one real 'snap' before the game was essentially over, as Kniles Davis ran the opening kick-off back for a touchdown - running it back 106 yards. The game after that was more sad than anything to watch, an old school blowout where the Texans never really had any life. Brian Hoyer was never removed and left out to suffer a 15-34 game with 4 INTs, for a nice 15.9 rating. The Texans defense did nothing, with JJ Watt triple-teamed most of the game. It wasn't a complete domination to the level of the first two games, but it was more sad that it was being done to the home team.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the earliest into a game the winning score was recorded, so in every other shutout in playoff history, the opening score by the winning team was scored later than this. Not a huge surprise, I guess, this being the opening play.

81.) 2005 NFC Wild Card – (N5) Panthers 23 @ (N4) Giants 0

Review: Stop me if this sounds familiar, this was a snoozefest where one team dominated the proceedings, outgaining the loser 335-132. The scariest part of this one, though, was that the Giants were the 4^th highest scoring team in the NFL in 2005, and the Panthers made their offense look amateurish. Eli Manning was awful in his playoff debut, matching Matt Cassel in throwing 3 interceptions In just 18 throws. Steve Smith was Steve Smith, but the real story was that defense that held Tiki Barber (off of an 1.860 yard season) to 41 yards on 13 carries.

Interesting/Memorable Plays: Steve Smith had a rushing and receiving touchdown in this game, which was the most recent time a receiver has done that in the same game.

80.) 2007 AFC Wild Card – (A6) Titans 6 @ (A3) Chargers 17

Review: For the first time, the losing team wasn’t held to under 200 yards. It might seem odd to rank a game that was only ended at an 11 point difference this low, but all you need to know about the game was that the Titans QB was Vince Young and the Titans RB was Chris Brown. That is how good Albert Haynesworth was in his prime, that his defense could carry a team with those skill players to the playoffs. Rivers had a nice game going 19-30 for 292 yards, but he could have done less and just let Vince Young screw it up some more.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Titans actually led this game 6-0 at the half. It is sad they didn’t pull it off, actually, because then the Chargers wouldn’t have beaten Indy the following week, plus we would have gotten that mess of a playoff team in Tennessee against the 16-0 Patriots.

79.) 2021 NFC Wild Card - (N5) Cardinals 11 @ (N4) Rams 34

Review: The Cardinals started the season 9-2 and were at the time in line for the #1 seed. They crashed and burned after that, then losing the first playoff game in Los Angeles in a long, long time. We don't get the level of blowouts in terms of yards that we used to earlier up the post, but they still outgained the Cardinals 375-183, going up 28-0, including a TD on a truly awful interception by Kyler, before the Cardinals finally scored. Kyler on the day was 19-34 for just 137 yards, while Stafford in his first playoff win after three losses in Detroit, was great when he needed to be, going 13-17 for 202 yards and 2 TDs.

Interesting/Memorable Play: I'll talk about that Kyler interception one more time. It was arguably the worst playoff interception in the entire period of this piece (2002 - 2021). It led to a whole offseason of Kyler and the Cardinals having an icy cold relationship - that at least as of this writing seems to have thawed a bit.

78.) 2012 NFC Wild Card - (N6) Vikings 10 @ (N3) Packers 24

This game was essentially over the second it was announced that Joe Webb was starting in place of Christian Ponder. The only thing that saved this game from being last on this list was the first Vikings drive, where Webb had a nice read-option run and they drove it down and come close to getting a TD to take a quick 7-0 lead. Of course, the Packers held them to a field goal, and then started just systematically taking over the game. What hurt even more for this game was that the Vikings defense did a good job against a listless Packers offense, holding them to seven(!) straight three-and-outs in the 2nd half, not even allowing a fun blowout. 

Interest/Memorable Fact: Joe Webb set a new record for the fewest starts in the regular season for a playoff starter with zero, a rare unbreakable record. Even Rob Johnson, in 1999, started a game, as did Rex Grossman when he came back from injury late in 2005.


77.) 2005 AFC Wild Card – (A5) Jaguars 3 @ (A4) Patriots 28

Review: In classic Dynasty-Era Patriots fashion, what is a close game by yards somehow became a total joke of a game because of some long touchdowns. Asante Samuel, as he is known to do, returned an interception for a TD right after Ben Watson of all people broke a couple tackles for a long TD. Brady, in classic Brady fashion, completed just 15-27 passes, but threw for 3 TDs. In more classic Patriots fashion, Willie McGinest somehow had 4.5 sacks in this game. What I’m saying is that if you could draw up a classic Dynasty-Era Patriots blowout, this is how that game comes out.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the last playoff win by a defending Super Bowl Champion. The 2006 and 2009 Steelers didn't make the playoffs. The 2007 Colts, 2008 Giants and 2011 Packers all had great seasons (13-3, 12-4, 15-1) but lost their divisional round home game, and the 2010 Saints lost to the Seahawks.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the last time a non-Super Bowl Patriots playoff game was called by anyone other than Jim Nantz and Phil Simms (because they couldn’t, because it was on ABC). That streak will end probably sometime around 2020.

76.) 2021 NFC Wild Card - (N7) Eagles 15 @ (N2) Buccaneers 31

Review: Jalen Hurts-led rush-focused offense vs. Tom Brady coupled with a great Bucs rush defense never at all felt like a matchup that would end with anything other than this. The final score flatters this game as the Bucs led 31-0 before letting the Eagles put up long drive as they stiopped really playing defense after that. Brady was solid, mostly dinking and dunking his way to 271 yards on 29-37 passing. Hurts was the opposite. Sometimes the QB battle does just tell you the story.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Bucs did give up four sacks - which is a weird trend in Brady's playoff career where he will randomly have odd games in taking a of sacks. In another Brady playoff oddity - he wins those games a lot too (like Super Bowl LI against Atlanta).

75.) 2016 AFC Wild Card - (A5) Raiders 14 @ (A4) Texans 27

Review: This was a game about as dreadful as everyone expected, with the Raiders forced to start Kevin Cook after Derek Carr broke his leg in Week 16, derailing a potential #2 seed, and then backup Matt McGloin, who could have lead a win over a bad Houston team (starting Brock Osweiler) got hurt in Week 17. Connor Cook was every bit as dreadful as people figured he would be - going 18-45 with three picks. The Raiders actually made it 10-7 late in the first quarter, but the Texans scored 17 straight points to remove any bit of drama that the game would have. The Texans weren't great, Osweiler too  was 14-25 with a pick, but at least you had some fun with the Texans defense. In the end, the game was inevitable.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This marked the fourth time the Texans made the playoffs in their history, and the fourth time they made it as AFC South Winners. Each time, they were gifted the much maligned 4:30pm Saturday time-slot. At least they've made well, going 3-1 in those games.


74.) 2018 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Colts 21 @ (A3) Texans 7

Review: The Colts got three TDs on their first four drives (the other ended in a lucky interception). The Texans started the game with seven drives without scoring (five punts, one pick, one turnover on downs). It was a complete beatdown, so much so the Colts seemed to not truly care to add to their lead in the second half, easily sitting on a 21-0 lead they never even seemed for a second capable of blowing. Luck was good, but the real star was the Colts revived run game, with their great OL paving the way to a 148 yard day for Marlon Mack. The defense hounded Deshaun Watson, ending a season that two weeks prior seemed to line up with a #2 seed for the Texans.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The Colts interception of Watson came on a really sweet defensive playcall, where the Colts showed a clear man defense, complete with nickelback following a tight end across the formation, but switched to zone after the snap and completely fooled Watson. So much great NFL nerdery was borne out of that play.

73.) 2006 AFC Wild Card – (A6) Chiefs 8 @ (A3) Colts 23

Review: We return to Standard Protocol here, with the Colts winning by running 80 plays to the Chiefs 45 and outgaining them 435-126. That was the 3^rd largest differential in NFL playoff history. The big story was the historically shitty Colts run defense limiting Larry Johnson, when he was still good, to 32 yards on 13 rushes. By the way, those other two games ended 41-0 (NYG def. MIN, 2000) and 62-7 (JAX def. MIA, 1999). This was one obviously much closer, and that is because Manning threw three interceptions, marking the first time a QB was ever, half-correctly, criticized in a game where he went 30-38.

Interesting/Memorable Play: Lawrence Tynes, the man who would in his 2^nd career with the Giants make two field goals that won NFC Championship games in overtime, missed a 23-yard field goal; the game was played in a dome.

72.) 2020 NFC Wild Card - (N7) Bears 9 @ (N2) Saints 21

Review: This game, coupled with the two 2v7 matchups in 2021 did not set the 14-team playoff era to a good start. Granted, the other 2v7 matchup in this period is well up on the list. Here it was a bad Bears team with Mitch Trubisky limiting the limited Saints offense to 21 points and never for a second feeling like they were in teh game. The Bears were limited to 239 yards and were down 21-3 despite Brees throwing for a patented (by this point) 6.2 yards per attempt.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This game was simulcast on Nickelodeon, where Mitch Trubisky would hilariously win the 'NVP' ('Nick Valuable Player) - a factoid that is still listed on his pro-football-reference page.

71.) 2014 AFC Wild Card - (A5) Bengals 10 @ (A4) Colts 27

Review: The Colts won their 2nd straight Wild Card game, but unlike the previous year that needed a furious comeback (a game way, way up this list), this time the Colts walked over a sleepless, overmatched Bengals team. The Bengals were missing AJ Green, and were going back to a place they lost 27-0 earlier in the season. In that sense, I guess you can say the Bengals kept it closer, but their offense was overmatched. Andy Dalton once again had a poor playoff game, completing 50% of his passes for under 10 ypc. Andrew Luck was brilliant, if a little controlled, as the Colts repeatedly got stopped in the red zone, but this game had little doubt in terms of who would win.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The only real highlight from the game was a patented 'Oh My God, Andrew Luck is amazing!' TD that he threw to Donte Moncrief. It was a 40-yard strike thrown as he was getting hit and being taken to the ground. It was an amazing play that got lost in one of the more boring playoff games in recent years.

70.) 2016 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Dolphins 12 @ (A3) Steelers 30

Review: The 2016 Wild Card Playoffs were a disaster, mostly due to the imbalanced QBs. In the AFC, both the losers (the Raiders in the game ranked worse than this) were playing backups. For Miami, making their first playoffs in eight years, it was losing Ryan Tannehill late in the regular season and starting Matt Moore - not as much of a downgrade as Derek Carr to Connor Cook, but it was still dreadful. Matt Moore actually played decently, but most of that occurred after they were already trailing big. The Steelers scored TDs on their opening drives, both catch-and-run's by Antonio Brown, which more or less ended the game right there. Roethlisberger took most of the second half off, with the team just relying on Le'veon Bell. This too seemed inevitable, and it ended up being so.

Interesting/Memorable Play(s): On the Steelers third drive, where they scored a third straight TD to take a 21-3 lead, the Steelers ran 10 plays, each a run by Le'Veon Bell. On the first eight, Bell gained at least 5 yards on each, and gained 82 yards. That took Pittsburgh to 1st and Goal on the 1 yard line. Two Bell plays later and the game was definitely over.

69.) 2004 AFC Wild Card – (A6) Broncos 24 @ (A3) Colts 49

Review: Since I placed the Episode 1 of this two-part movie quite a bit higher than it probably should, I am downgrading this game for being a bad sequel. Instead of accentuating what was fun about the first iteration of this playoff game, the Colts did the opposite. Their long TDs came via YAC instead of bombs by Manning. Manning threw a pick which allowed him to avoid another perfect passer rating playoff game. The Broncos actually played decent against a prevent in the 2^nd half this time, making the game seem slightly closer than it was the first time. All in all, the least enjoyable Manning blowout win ever.

Interesting/Memorable Play: Marvin Harrison did little in this game as Champ Bailey blanketed him (while Roc Alexander did the opposite of blanket Reggie Wayne), but he did lay a hellacious block on Bailey on Wayne’s 2^nd touchdown.

68.) 2005 NFC Wild Card – (N6) Redskins 17 @ (N3) Buccaneers 10

Review: This game happened right before the one right above it, and is easily among the worst one-score playoff games in my lifetime. The Redskins won the game, but did it with a record-low 120 yards, and a record-low 25(!) net yards passing. Mark Brunell went 7-15 for 48 yards, while Chris Simms (remember him – he was the starting QB for an 11-5 team) went 25-38 for just 198 yards. Sean Taylor (RIP) returned a fumble for a touchdown, and that and a disputed non-catch that would’ve been the tying touchdown by Edell Shepard (again, who?) marked the only two interesting things to happen.

Interesting/Memorable Play: Sean Taylor, after his TD, was ejected for allegedly (but pretty clearly) spitting in the face of Cadillac Williams.

Interesting/Memorable Fact II: I was babysitting for a friend during each of these two 2005 Saturday Playoff games. We started playing NFL Blitz in the middle of the Pats game. Way more fun than the alternative.

Tier II – Meh… I won’t rewatch, but at least I didn’t want to stop watching.

67.) 2011 NFC Wild Card – (N5) Falcons 2 @ (N4) Giants 24

Review: Just imagine if the Falcons convert either of those two failed 4^th-down conversion (I believe the scores were 7-2 and 10-2 when they happened), this game could have been higher up. It was oddly defense-heavy in the 1^st half, but the Giants started dominating. Eli Manning finally put up a great playoff game at home, going 23-32 for 277 yards and 3 tds, after two destitute performances in his first two. Hakeem Nicks was the real hero, though, breaking off a long TD to make it 17-2 and slam the door on any chances the Falcons had. One thing: why are there so many QBs that get caught doing illegal grounding in the End Zone?

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was Matt Ryan’s 3^rd playoff game, and the 3^rd out of those three games that he has failed to have 10 yards per completion or throw for 200 yards. He had 199 yards on 24 completions in this game, after having 186 on 20 in 2010 and 199 again on 26 in 2008.

66.) 2008 AFC Wild Card – (A6) Ravens 27 @ (A3) Dolphins 9

Review: In one of those incredibly predictable games the Ravens did all of those Raven-ish things, like win by forcing five turnovers against a team that had only 13 on the season, and picking off Pennington four times after he threw just seven picks on the year. The Ravens won when their QB completed just 9 of 27 passes. The only reason that this game is high is because watching the Ravens do Raven-type things is usually quite fun. WatchingEd Reed picking off two passes is fun. Watching Haloti Ngata, Ray Lewis andTerrell Suggs dole out hellacious blocks on Reeds TD return was awesome. At their best, the Ravens defense is easily worth the price of admission.

Interesting/Memorable Play: On Ed Reed’s second interception, he basically sprints the second the Dolphins snap the ball to a spot to cut off a slant, and starts this well before Pennington even looks to that side, and easily picks off a pass. If ever you can describe Ed Reed in one play, that one is it.

65.) 2014 NFC Wild Card - (N5) Cardinals 16 @ (N4) Panthers 27

Review: 78. That's the only real takeaway from this game. That number represents the number of total yards the Cardinals had in this game. That's a little skewed as they lost about 20 yards on the game's final play - a lateral-o-rama, but still this was the most dominant defensive performance in a long time. Of course, the Cardinals were starting a hapless Ryan Lindley - who threw his first career TD pass in this game. The Cardinals actually led at halftime because of a bad Cam Newton pick and good special teams play, but it was inevitable the Panthers would take over. The final stats for Lindley was two picks and 82 yards (on 16-28 passing), and with the four sacks they got 51 net passing yards. The star for the Panthers was, unsurprisingly, Luke Kuechly, but it was a total team domination of a hopeless offense.

Interesting/Memorable Play: To me the play of the game was Luke Kuechly's leaping interception near the goal line. This came right after a sack-fumble by Cam and a return by the Cardinals to the 8 yard line. Despite the putrid offensive performance, the Cardinals were 8 yards away from making it 27-21. On the first play of the drive, Kuechly made his interception, capping a brilliant day for him in particular.

64.) 2019 NFC Wild Card - (N5) Seahawks 17 @ (N4) Eagles 9

Review: While not as one-side in yards as the game we just covered, this one too is told by the losing team having to play a bad QB and going nowhere. In his last game for Philly, Carson Wentz would get concussed on the Eagles' second position, and Josh McCown entered to a full game of misery, taking six sacks in the process against what is usually a porous pass rush. The Seahawks never really got it going until Russell Wilson went off in the second half to take hold of a game that was close than the score.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The only real cool paly of the game was a 53-yard TD to DK Metcalf. The Seahawks would lose their next two playoff games (and final ones of the Wilson era) but f this one moment it seemed like we were back in old times.

63.) 2008 NFC Wild Card – (N6) Eagles 26 @ (N3) Vikings 14

Review: This is the first game on the list that I didn’t watch live and didn’t go back and watch at any point other than brief highlights. Not much to share here. It was a close game in a way, and featured some big plays, like a long touchdown run by Peterson, a 76-yard screen pass for a TD to Brian Westbrook. And of course, like the sun rising and taxes, Asante Samuel returned an interception for a TD in a playoff game. Also, this game was notable for the fact that it provides evidence that Tarvaris Jackson started a playoff game. He had a most-Tarvaris like day, going 15-35 for 165 yards and a pick. The scariest thing is that if he wins the starting job, Tarvaris has a shot at starting another one with Seattle.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Vikings leading wide receiver on the day was the one and only Bobby Wade. It is odd that he hasn’t played since 2009, considering he put up decent depth receiver type numbers over the course of his career.

62.) 2003 NFC Wild Card – (N6) Cowboys 10 @ (N3) Panthers 29

Review: I was in Italy during Wild Card Weekend in 2003, so I know little of these games as well, especially this one. What I do know is the Panthers dominated, outgaining the Cowboys 380-202, but were forced into five field goals by John Kasay. Jake Delhomme started his first postseason game and played well, with one perfectly thrown deep fade to Steve Smith for a TD. As for the Cowboys, all you need to know is somehow the combination of Quincy Carter and Troy Hambrick couldn’t score enough points. Actually, given that it was them, I’m surprised they got to 10.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This game set an NFL record for most sub-40 yard field goals, as all six field goals kicked in the game were from under 40 yards.

(I totally made this record up, This game could very well have it, but who knows – overall, I couldn’t think of anything interesting or memorable about the game).


61.) 2013 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Chargers 27 @ (A3) Bengals 10

Review: Well, they all can't be good. The three other games on Wild Card Weekend in 2013 were all great, and appropriately way higher up the list. This was a sad game, really. Hard to watch. The Bengals were a really good team, with probably one of the 3 most talented rosters outside of their starting QB. Well, sadly for them the starting QB is important. Andy Dalton had his 3rd straight bad playoff game, this time with two awful 2nd-half turnovers including a back-breaking pick when the Chargers retook the lead. The Bengals defense finally seemed to miss Geno Atkins and Leon Hall, as they had no real answer for the Chargers offense, who were at their most efficient. Rivers did not have to do much, but he was solid. Dalton was not. And the wait for a playoff win continues for the Bengals.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The game turned when, tied 7-7, the Bengals were driving for a TD to go up 14-7 and Gio Bernard fumbled at the 3-yard line. The Bengals never got that close to a TD again.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Bengals made it a 5th year in a row that a team that went 8-0 at home in the regular season lost a game, joining the '09-'10 Pats, '11 Packers and '12 Broncos.

60.) 2007 NFC Wild Card – (N5) Giants 24 @ (N4) Buccaneers 14

Review: The Giants started their march to the 2007 Title a lot like how they started their march to the 2011 title, with a solid win over a good but not great team from the NFC South. In both games, the Giants scored 24 points, and Eli Manning had multiple TDs and no picks. The weirdest part of the game was the fact that the Giants had -1 yards of offense in the 1^st quarter, with no first downs, and still won the game rather easily. I guess that is what happens when the other team has an offense that features a guy who the Giants cast off in 2004 (Ike Hilliard) and Earnest Graham.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: Michael Pittman caught 5 passes for 62 yards, being the Buccaneers best receiver on the day. What is interesting about this: Michael Pittman is a running back who had just one carry on the game, and also the fact that I was shocked Michael Pittman was still in the league in 2007.

59.) 2009 AFC Wild Card – (A5) Jets 24 @ (A4) Bengals 14

Review: The Jets have a way of following the Giants. In 2002, they matched the Giants 41-0 playoff score. In 2009, they matched the Giants 24-14 score from two years previous. This game could easily have been tight had Shayne Graham not shanked two field goals from inside 40 yards. Either way, Cedric Benson and Shonn Greene both had good days, but only one of the two QBs did. Carson Palmer was undone by drops and the power of Darrelle Revis. Mark Sanchez was brilliantly efficient, going 12-15 for 182 yards and a TD.

Interesting/Memorable Plays: In the game, Jets punter Steve Weatherford got hurt early, so kicker Jay Feely punted, and didn’t embarrass himself, with 7 punts with a 32 yard average.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The game was stunningly called by the trio of Tom Hammond, Joe Theismann and Joe Gibbs. Surprisingly, Theismann was better than Gibbs, but overall it worked about as well as the Matt Millen as NBC Football Expert idea. NBC smartly replaced those two with Mike Mayock the next season.

58.) 2019 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Titans 20 @ (A3) Patriots 13

Review: This was the final game Tom Brady would play for the Patriots, ending in a pick-six (the Titans were winning 14-13) in a sullen last moment. A Patriots season that started 9-0 with some ludicrous scores, ending with the Patriots giving up 140 yards to Derrick Henry, losing even when Ryan Tannehill went 8-15 for 72 yards. But the Patriots couldn't overcome Brady's inability to make it work with by far the most patchwork set of offensive players since their prior 2006 nadir.

Interesting/Memorable Plays: Towards the end of the game, Mike Vrabel employed the same tactic that Bill Belichick did in a regular season game against the Jets, intentionally getting a delay of game and then false start penalty to take 1:20 off the clock. Of course, Belichick who cackled when he did it against the Jets was irate in a hilarious twist.

57.) 2016 NFC Wild Card - (N6) Lions 6 @ (N3) Seahawks 26\

Review: The Seahawks went in the Russell Wilson era from playing a slew of great playoffs games to a steady diet of bad ones, this being way up the list. Russell Wilson was great, the Seahawks defense better, and the Lions never really had a chance. They did cut it to 10-6, but the game ended quickly thereafter with two Seahawks TD drives buttressed by two quick punts by Detroit. In the end, the Lions were in no real position to challenge Seattle. The Lions were outscored for the year, easily the worst playoff participant on the NFC half, and played like it.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The only truly memorable play in the game was Paul Richardson's circus catch on an early TD. It was just two yards, but featured a bit of patented Russell Wilson scrambling, him throwing up a lob to a fully covered Richardson, and Richardson going through a player to catch one on the back line. The Seahawks receivers have never been all that great - Doug Baldwin aside - but have made some special catches.


56.) 2012 AFC Wild Card - (A5) Colts 9 @ (A4) Ravems 24

Just like the other two miracle Giants runs, the Ravens started their four-game march to the Super Bowl in a slightly listless game against the Colts. The only memorable part of game was that it was the start of Joe Flacco's amazing playoff run. Flacco wasn't even that good in the 1st half, but facing a 3rd and 19 early in the 3rd quarter, he just threw one up to Boldin for 50 yards. On the next drive, he threw another lob up to Boldin for 46 yards. This would become a recurring theme for the Ravens in their playoffs, as were other things, like Ray Lewis' impending last games (this was his last home game), and Ray Rice fumbling. 

Interesting/Memorable Fact: With this win, the Ravens became just the sixth team to win a playoff in five straight seasons, the most recent being the 2003-07 Patriots (right behind them, the 2000-04 Eagles).


55.) 2012 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Bengals 13 @ (A3) Texans 19

In a rare playoff rematch, the Bengals and Texans met at the same place at the same time on the same network (NBC's kind of black-sheep 4:30 Saturday Wild Card Game), and despite this game being 15 points closer than last year, it was probably a little worse. Instead of the energy of the first playoff game in Reliant Stadium, the fans were dour as their assumed first round bye had slipped through their fingers. Instead of this being JJ Watt's coming out party (2011 Playoffs, when he pick-sixed the Bengals to break a 10-10 game), it was a relatively quiet game by Watt's standards. Instead of a dominant Texans effort, it was more about how awful Andy Dalton was on deep throws. Just a forgetttable game that is propped up because at least it was somewhat close.

Interesting/Memorable Play: It was during a play early in the 2nd quarter when NBC cutaway to Al and Cris at Lambeau to give us the news that Christian Ponder would not play against Green Bay, making this the first game to not only be boring, but to cause people to already dislike the game to come.

54.) 2018 AFC Wild Card - (A5) Chargers 23 @ (A4) Ravens 17

Review: The Chargers led 23-3 in this game before a furious Ravens rally that always seemed a bit too farfetched. In the end, they were given 45 seconds to go 66 yards which unsurprisingly didn't happen. What's weird is the Chargers took their 23-3 lead despite not playing all that well on offense (granted, against the league's best defense), instead capitlizing on a brutal start by Lamar Jackson (fumbling twice) and the special teams (long punt returns). The Chargers defense was great, being able to physically keep up with the league's craziest run game despite playing no linebackers and seven DBs. In the end, the Chargers dream season continued for one more week, and the Ravens lost their first home playoff game in 12 years.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Chargers got a lot of plaudits for their inventiveness of playing seven DBs agianst the Ravens. Of course, this was somewhat by necessity and the next week they would simiarly try that against New England, and let's just say it didn't work out so well.


53.) 2021 AFC Wild Card - (A7) Steelers 21 @ (A2) Chiefs 42

Review: The Chiefs had an up and down offensive season in 2021, one that would ultimately cost them two weeks later, but in tis game they showed the full might of their offensive powers. The Chiefs actually started out with three punts, a pick and a fumble that was returned for a TD, but were down just 0-7 and then put up six straight TDs to close it out. They came in every way, including a ridiculous stretch of 11 minutes of game time featuring five Mahomes passing TDs to five different players. That was the Cheifs.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was Ben Roethlisberger's last game for the Steelers, and third straight one-and-done to close out his playoff career. The weirdest part is this massacre where his team gave up six straight TDs was actually their best defensive performance of the three, giving up 45 to Jacksonville in 2017 and 48 to Cleveland in 2020.

52.) 2015 NFC Wild Card - (N5) Packers 35 @ (N4) Redskins 18

Review: It seemed strange entering the game to see the Aaron Rodgers-led Packers as underdogs on the road against a Kirk Cousins-led Washington team, but it made sense given the way the two teams entered the game, and even more so when through the first 18 or so minutes, the Redskins sacked Rodgers for a safety, and put together two nice drives for a FG and TD to take a 12-0 lead. But 12 is not a huge lead, and by halftime it was gone. Aaron Rodgers finally got some protection, and more than that, relied on a resurrection from his running game. Both Eddie Lacy and James Starks combined for 120 yards on 24 carries, and they even used Randall Cobb out of the backfield. By halftime, it was 17-11 Packers and the game was basically over, a sad slow end for what was a really nice run for the Redskins.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The momentum seemed to turn when following the Redskins TD to make it 11-0, Dustin Hopkins missed the PAT. In the first year of the extended PAT, this would not be the last time it would wreak havoc in the playoffs.

51.) 2020 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Browns 48 @ (A3) Steelers 37

Review: Hey, it's that game we just talked about at the end of the last Steelers one. The Browns took a 28-0 lead scoring a TD on their first three drives after a TD on a snap recovery on the first play of the game. The Steelers had one of the strangest games, going fumble-int-punt-int-punt-int on their first six drives, but somehow ending up with 550 yards of offense. The Steelers closed it to 35-23 in the third quarter, but the Browns scored on their next possession on a 40-yard catch and run by Nick Chubb in probably the single best moment for the new-Browns to date. Certainly this was the best win they've had to date, with Mayfield having a 115 passer rating, and Chubb & Hunt rushing for 134 yards.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: Ben Roethlisberger threw for 501 yards and was never sacked and threw 4 TDs - in maybe the worst performance for a player to hit those marks. Which is what happens when you also throw 4 picks, and do it all - including the 501 yards - on a ridiculous 68 attempts.

Tier III – It wasn’t close, but it was still a Good Ride

50.) 2016 NFC Wild Card - (N5) Giants 13 @ (N4) Packers 38

Review: We finally finish our tour of awful 2016 games with the Packers stomp over the Giants. I put this in the category of it maybe being a good ride because for a half, it truly was. The Giants ballyhooed secondary was smothering the Green Bay receivers. Unlike the 2011 playoff game where Rodgers couldn't react to this type of coverage and pressure, in this one he was special. The Giants forced the Packers into five straight punts to start the game, but once Rodgers got hot, it was over, as the Packers got four TDs and the field goal in their next seven drives. For the Giants, they couldn't keep up the pressure or the coverage, and they petered out late with two straight TDs on their last two drives. In the end, it was somewhat similar to the game above, the Packers coming back from an early slow start against an NFC East team to eventually steamroll them.

Interesting/Memroable Play: Obviously, it is Randall Cobb's hail mary catch on the last play of the 1st half. Firstly, for Rodgers, this was the third in a three-part hail mary act that started teh year before against Detroit, then followed in the Divisional Round against Arizona. Secondly, it was sweet revenge for the Packers, who got back at the Giants who got a critical hail mary TD on the last play of the first half in their stunning 2011 upset.

49.) 2009 NFC Wild Card – (N6) Eagles 14 @ (N3) Cowboys 34

I remember this game turning on one (admittedly correct) overturned interception. After a back-and-forth dull 1^st quarter, the Eagles, with Michael Vick throwing a laser for a 76-yard TD to Jeremy Maclin, the Eagles appeared to pick off Tony Romo deep in Dallas territory. The stadium was damn silent at that moment, all thinking “here we go again.” In the end, the Cowboys somehow rattled off 20 more points in that quarter. The Cowboys played pretty perfect. Multiple TDs and no INTs by Romo? Check. Long run by Felix? Check. TD reception for Miles Austin? Check. Pound the shit out of the Eagles o-line missing starting center Jamaal Jackson? Check. It really was that simple.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: In what was Donovan McNabb’s last game as an Eagle, the Reid & McNabb Eagles lost their first playoff game for the first time, after not going one-and-done in 2000-2004, 2006 & 2008.

48.) 2009 AFC Wild Card – (A6) Ravens 33 @ (A3) Patriots 14

Review: The only thing wrong with this game was that the Ravens dominated the 1^st quarter so much that the rest of the game was more of a bore than a beatdown of the Patriots should have been. Just a quick reminder: The Ravens scored on the 1^st play of the game with an 80-yard TD. Brady was sack/fumbled, with the Ravens turned into a TD. After trading punts, Brady threw back-to-back interceptions which the Ravens turned into 10 more points, and it was 24-0 before 15 minutes were up. Julian Edelman replaced the ACL-ed Wes Welker admirably. Tom Brady seemingly played with no-ACL as well, as he put up a performance far worse than Manning has in any home playoff game.

Intersting/Memorable Play: Brady’s first interception (a scared throw into the middle of the field to an area where two Ravens and zero Patriots resided) was among the worst I have ever seen from a big-QB, yet that great duo of Nantz and Simms never once questioned the shittiness of the throw. Not even once. Had Mark Sanchez, or Philip Rivers made that throw, they would be talking about their "lack of poise" or some other Nantz & Simms derivative crap.

47.) 2002 NFC Wild Card – (N6) Falcons 27 @ (N3) Packers 7

Review: Michael Vick’s first playoff game started in style, with his team taking a 24-0 lead into halftime, courtesy of some solid play on his part, and the harbinger-of-an-upset blocked punt return touchdown (other than the Raiders doing it in Super Bowl XXXVII, I can’t remember a team getting one and not winning). Brett Favre was in top-form, with a 20-42 day with one td and two picks. If I do remember correctly, it was snowing during the game, making the play of the indoor team from Atlanta all the more stunning.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the first time the Packers ever lost a home playoff game. Of course, since then, it has happened three more times (2004 Wild Card, 2007 Championship, 2011 Divisional), and the Packers have won just twice at home in that span.

46.) 2011 NFC Wild Card – (N6) Lions 28 @ (N3) Saints 45

Review: Here’s another game that went from a close game where an upset was brewing to a blowout because of one call, this one not so correct. The Lions sack/fumbled Brees and the ball was returned for a TD, but the play was blown dead. The score was 14-7 Lions at the time, and it would have made it 21-7. Of course, the Saints ended up scoring TDs on 5 straight 2^nd half drives (and ending the 6^th drive inside the 10) so it may not have mattered, but that run game might not have worked so well down 21-10 at the half. In other news: Brees threw for 466 yards and 3 TDs, while Calvin was Calvin.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Saints gained an NFL-playoff record 626 yards in the game, with 459 passing and 167 rushing. The game it beat was the Chargers over the Boston Patriots in 1964, where the Chargers put up 610 yards.

45.) 2004 NFC Wild Card – (N6) Vikings 31 @ (N3) Packers 17

Review: The Packers lost another home playoff game, and once again it was because they couldn’t stop a gifted African-American QB while Favre got pick-happy. Daunte Culpepper, fresh off of his 39 TD season threw four more (including a screen pass to Moe Williams, who was one of three interchangeable Vikings RBs along with the Whizzinator Onterrio Smith and Michael Bennett), while Favre answered it with four interceptions. This game was most notable for being the game where Randy Moss scored a TD and then faked mooning the crowd (or mooning the Lambeau Field goalpost).

Interesting/Memorable Play: What is more funny than Moss mooning the crowd was two incidents it led to:
1.) Joe Buck’s hilarious white outrage at that “despicable act” in a move where the only recourse for Buck is to say he was doing a Jim Nantz impression.
2.) Randy Moss’s impromptu interview during the week after the game where he responded that he would pay his fine with “straight cash, homey.”

44.) 2005 AFC Wild Card – (A6) Steelers 31 @ (A3) Bengals 17

Review: We all remember where we were when it happened, whenKimo von Ollhoffen, with great malice, basically ended the upward trajectory ofthe sports fastest rising star at QB. Carson Palmer was once the guy who would inevitably challenge Manning and Brady after a fantastic 2005 season. Instead, Ollhoffen did his thing, and despite a fun 1^st half where the Bengals took a 17-7 lead behind Jon Kitna, Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers won, went on to win the Super Bowl and it was Ben who challenges Manning and Brady to this day. The Kimo hit might be one of the five most memorable, important, “what-if?” plays of the 2000s.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The end-around pitchback TD throw by Ben to Cedric Wilson (who had a monster playoffs in 2005) was eerily similar to the pitch-pitchback TD throw by Warner to Fitz in the 2008 NFC Championship Game. The link: Ken Whisenhunt was the Steelers coordinator – where he earned the now-forgotten great nickname “Inspector Gadget.”

43.) 2021 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Patriots 17 @ (A3) Bills 47

Review: The first playoff game in the post-Brady era for the Pats didn't go as planned, but not really because of the offense. Mac Jones wasn't great in his first playoff game, but even Tom Brady in his prime probably loses this game. Why? Because the Bills had seven possessions and scored seven TDs. In those seven TD drives, they only got to 3rd down seven times, going 6-7 on those attempts. It was one of the purely greatest offensive performances in NFL playoff history. Josh Allen was masterful on a bitterly cold game, going 21-25 for 308 yards and 5 TDs, from shot passes to Josh Allen "Holy Shit" moments and throws. It was a commanding performance.

Interesting/Memorable Play: Again, nothing was really stopping Buffalo, but the game could have been interesting for longer if not for a ludicrous interception by Jordan Poyer on the Pats first drive on what for a few seconds seemed like a certain TD. The Bills scored a TD ten plays later and it was all more than over.

42.) 2017 NFC Wild Card - (N6) Falcons 26 @ (N3) Rams 13

Review: While the best 2016 Wild Card game featured an experienced playoff team beating a playoff newbie (first Giants' playoff appearance in five yearss), so too did 2017's worst, with the Falcons not making any mistakes, and the more talented Rams making all of them. Start with two special teams turnovers in the first half, gifting the Rams great field position. Todd Gurley also had a relatively poor game running into stacked boxes over and over again. The Rams never were able to mount much of a comeback, but kept it within striking distance the entire time, only put away by a great Matt Ryan to Julio Jones TD.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the first playoff game in Los Angeles since 1994, occurring in just the Rams' second season back in Los Angeles. For the Rams, it was the first since 1989. The crowd was surprisingly good, only surprising since even in their big home games late in the year (e.g. New Orleans) the patrons had a higher than normal percentage of road fans.

41.) 2011 AFC Wild Card – (A6) Bengals 10 @ (A3) Texans 31

Review: The first playoff game in Reliant Stadium’s history gets extra points because it was just that. It was also a fun blowout because of the big-play Texans living up to that standard. Andre Johnson caught a long touchdown. Arian Foster had a long touchdown run. JJ Watt made an incredible snag of a Dalton pass and returned it to the house. It was a fun game in a raucous stadium that was built in the hopes it would one day have a game like that. The only sad part was that Matt Schaub (and Mario Williams) was on the sidelines while it happened, and instead we got TJ Yates, making this the first all-rookie QB game.

Interesting/Memorable Play: Marvin Lewis challenged the spot trying to make it 2^nd and 1 instead of 2^nd and 3 in one of the worst planned challenges I have ever seen. Of course, it wasn’t even overturned.

40.) 2020 NFC Wild Card - (N5) Buccaneers 31 @ (N4) Washington 23

Review: Tom Brady vs. Taylor Heinecke ended up being decided much like you would expect, but given how Brees, Mahomes (and to some degree Rodgers) would play through the Bucs playoff run, Taylor Heinecke should get a lot of credit for playing well here, going 26-44 for 306 yards. Arguably he outplayed Brady, who went just 22-40, admittedly for 381 yards. The Bucaneers led wire to wire but the Redskins kept it within 12 throughout, and had the ball at midfield down 8 with 2:30 to go. What was a nice game by that point ended quickly with three incompletes and a sack.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This is the only time that a sub-500 playoff team in this era (2002 - 2021) did not win their first playoff game, the Football Team losing here after three prior sub-.500 teams won their opener.

39.) 2006 AFC Wild Card – (A5) Jets 16 @ (A4) Patriots 37

Review: A lot of the talk before the game was about the handshake that would come at the end (yeah, that stuff started well before Spygate). In the end, after a nice victory, Belichick hugged Mangini in a “I’mdoing this to appease people, but you know I still own you” way. During the game, we saw the Patriots effortlessly take down a plucky, frisky Jets team that had the game at 23-16 early in the 4^th quarter. What followed next was pure Patriots football: Vince Wilfork recovers a lateral as he’s the only one who doesn’t think it was an incomplete pass. Patriots score a TD. Asante Samuel gets a pick-6. You can’t script things any better for that team.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: Peyton Manning apparently saw Brady quick-snapping the Jets a lot in this game and decided to utilize it against Baltimore, where it delivered mostly horrible results - Manning threw both his interceptions on plays where  he quick-snapped.

38.) 2007 NFC Wild Card – (N6) Redskins 14 @ (N3) Seahawks 35

Review: This was the final game in the Redskins emotional Todd Collins led run after the death of Sean Taylor. The game is mostly memorable because of the Seahawks relentless pass rush, keyed by the disappeared Patrick Kerney, and a rare back-to-back pick-sixes by Marcus Trufant and Jordan Babineauxm, which turned a 21-14 Seahawks lead into a 35-14 laugher. Of course, what made the game really special was that it was Joe Gibbs final game (and only the 2^nd time he went one-and-done), Mike Holmgren’s final playoff game, and another game for that incredible Qwest Field crowId.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The game was 13-0 before a Redskins TD. On the ensuing kickoff, the ball bounced before the returner caught it and went straight up and was recoverd by the ‘Skins – the rare deep onside-kick in essence. At that moment, who didn’t feel Sean Taylor was hovering over that game.

37.) 2003 AFC Wild Card – (A6) Broncos 10 @ (A3) Colts 41

Review: Yeah, it is high, but if you want to see QB beingplayed as brilliantly as it ever will be played, watch this game. On just 26 throws, Manning threw for 377 yards and 5 tds (on 22 completions). He had just the 2^nd perfect passer rating day in playoff history, and that all come when he had a Giant-sized monkey on his back having never won a playoff game. The game was notable for Brandon Stokley’s brilliance and the fact that the Colts won this game so easily (31-3 at the half) after losing to the Broncos in a meaningful game two weeks earlier in Indy 31-17 where they were outgained 465-183. Again, that was a meaningful game. Denver hammered Indy in Indy. Indy more than returned that favor.

Interesting/Memorable Play: On the game’s 2^nd TD, Marvin Harrison caught a pass around the 25 yard line and went down. A cabal of Broncos surrounded him but argued who should have had the play and none of them touched Marvin down, so Marvin got up and raced for the world’s easiest TD. It was that kind of day.

The Rise of Hockey

The hockey season just ended. It was a later than usual ending - mainly because of a two-week break for "The Olympics", which ended up being for covid recuperation. It ended with a great final between two deserving teams, two great teams, with the more greater one pulling it out. In many ways this was about as good a hockey season as one can imagine. I don't want to go all "The NHL is Hot, The NBA is Not", because that is undoubtedly not true (the NBA quietly had a really great year ratings wise as well). But this was a triumphant year for the NHL, and in many ways was so needed.

It was needed mainly because this is a brave new world the NHL finds itself in - having just finished the first year of a new TV deal that saw it placed on ESPN for the first time in 17 years, and Turner for the first time ever. The post-lockout NHL was squired away on NBCSN (and rarely NBC) for so long, a damning look for a league to be shunted on one network.

Now it got to see what glorious times the NBA has been riding with the dual ESPN and Turner set-up. And much like with the NBA, Turner by and large did a better job, both in terms of announcers (admittedly, just scooping up a bunch of ex-NBCSN guys) and studio teams - creating something that at least tonally does well to be the NHL-version of Inside the NBA.

From the return of the great NHL on ESPN theme song, to the snappy graphics, to the just general sense that the sport finally mattered again, the first year in this TV deal was an undoubted success. But what also helped is the NHL gave their TV partners a great TV product as well.

Scoring was up to its highest level since 1995-96 - the season where the Florida Panthers trapped their way to an improbably Stanley Cup Final appearance (doing far, far, far more damage than the more maligned Devils did the year earlier by winning the Cup). The league is now spearheaded by young offensive superstars all playing at the height of their powers, with Connor McDavid having another remarkable season, and Auston Matthews getting 60 goals, and so many other insane performances. Offense had been trending up for years before a lull during the last two shortened seasons. This is in a way a return to norm, but it is pushing us back to before the "neutral zone trap" was a thing.

**before I dive into the playoffs - a quick thought to consider: should the NHL always schedule themselves to shoot for getting their season to end two weeks after the NBA's. There's some value in having their Stanley Cup Final not be against playoff basketball**

And the best is it absolutely continued in the playoffs. Since none of the last three series went 7 games I don't think you can say these were the best playoffs in memory, but they were, at least to me, the most competently, entertainingly and offensively-focused playoffs. The first round set records for scoring - along with having five Game 7s on one weekend which was about as perfect a hockey weekend as you can have.

We had the return of the Battle of Alberta. We had the rise of Prince Igor and the Rangers. We had the Avalanche finally matching their regular season brilliance with playoff success. And of course we had the perpetual story that is the Tampa Bay Lightning. These were a great playoffs, capping off a great season. The best part is the league is in such a healthy place to go forward with.

I truly believe this year is ushering in a new era for the league. The importance of the sport in the general consciousness, be it ratings or just cultural cache, will never be close to its other sport rivals. But the ratings are up, the interest is up. The league is, shockingly, more interesting to watch when more goals are scored. But the league needs to drive into this skid, resist all of its urges to try to roll back offense, and just go with it. This is an offensive league now, with an offense adn possession heavy team at its apex in Colorado. This is the NHL's time - and by God I just hope they don't screw it up.

My 60 Favorite International Cities, Pt. 2: #30-1

 30.) Luang Prabang (2019)

There may be no better small three road town than Luang Prabang, a well manicured slice of Laotian heaven deep on the banks of the Mekong. The place is built for tourists, but expertly combines Western modernity in their restaurants and bars, and Eastern serenity. The amount of temples within this small town is truly incredible, all quite well adorned and decorated. The Laotian cuisine is always a hit. Much like another town on the list in El Calafate, its main street is so full of life. From what I know, unless you want to get really down and dirty, this is as good as Laos gets.

29.) Goa (2011, 2013, 2015)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, my initial ranking of Goa was a little ridiculous. It was built off of an admittedly awesome trip to Goa in 2011, but that was a perfect storm. We were staying in the best part of Goa for a first timer who loves food on beaches at 2 AM. I was fresh off of an alcohol cleanse (which of course came after the opposite of an alcohol cleanse), and was greeted with $0.50 beer. Goa still has all those things, but I quickly realized upon my second visit that the area of Goa you stay in makes a huge difference. Stay too far South and you get isolated beaches, which I am sure are nice to some, but they don't have the same nightlife and food options littering the beach. Instead, they have litter littering the beach. Stay in the right part of Goa and it is amazing, the wrong part and it is merely OK. Still, it is unlike anything else in India, and for that it will always be in my part.


28.) Palermo (2019)

There's a few cities on this list I like for hard to describe reasons - be it Turin, or Krakow. Add Palermo to that list. The sites can basically be visited in barely more than a day, but the atmosphere and culture of Palermo can last a good week. The old town is one of the nicer ones I've gotten lost in, with so many bars and restaurants that spill out into the streets. As you approach the water, you get fancier, more upscale restuarants that could fit in Rome, Milan or any fancier city - but at small town prices. Palermo is also relatively untouched by tourism, the last vestige of true Italia.


27.) Amman (2019)

If you really want to stretch the 90 minute rule, Amman includes all things from the amazing ruins of Jerash, to the edge of the Dead Sea. Between those things, you have a fantastic city, one of the more modern in the Arab world. It has one of the nicer market areas, a beautiful little stretch with a Roman Amphiteater behind a large, open square, to some great food. Amman is a large city, but surprisingly easy to get around, and is the one place within Jordan's limits that modernity reign.

26.) Paris (2006, 2018) 

There’s obviously a ton to see in Paris, and the city center around the Eifel Tower, on either side of River Sein, is beautiful. Paris is a probably a city that certain people would love, but I am not one of them. Of course, I liked it enough to put ahead of some damn good cities, mostly on the ridiculous amounts of things to see alone. I actually don’t remember much of my Paris trip, which is strange given its relative recency, but I do remember thinking one day in the Louvre was far from enough, and the city center of Paris containing some of the best architecture of any European city. **After going back in 2018, I can say I might be being harsh on Paris, but to me it is a slightly less great version of the other great European capitals like London, Madrid, Rome - unsurprisingly all higher up the rankings.

25.) Vienna (2000 & 2009)

The 2^nd time I went to Vienna was on my high school’s Orchestra’s tour of Austria during my Senior year, and much of my high ranking for Vienna is based on that trip. There is a ton of history in Vienna, with the music scene being located there (Mozart and Beethoven’s houses), with the adjoining arts scene with a bevy of theatres. If you like classical music, then Vienna is heaven. I am including the adorable little town of …… where we performed, which was half an hour outside Vienna. The best part of Vienna is how modern it is. The city center has some of the largest streets and public squares of anywhere in Europe, with grand architecture all around. The food isn’t great, but it is no worse than Germany and Switzerland, and Austria is generally less expensive. It took a second trip to get acclimated with Vienna’s charms, but they are there, and plentiful.

24.) Taipei (2019)

I should have figured that Taipei would be a really great city. Still, however, I was surprised by how well built, how green, how beautiful it was. The food was great, from beef noodle shops to fancy high-end restaurants. The bar scene was excellent, with a burgeouning craft beer culture was shocking. The tourism was great, with nice pagodas and temples tucked away all across the beautiful green city. If only the cuisine was slightly better Taipei would have ended up much higher. There's also a lot of hills and forests and greenery within an hour of the city in every direction. Taipei has so much going for it.


23.) Berlin (2014)

Berlin is the only German city I've gone to as an adult, and from what I read it was a good one to pick. The city is sprawling, and has covered it's whole 'we had a giant wall' thing with some really modern buildings and a few nice memorials. But what it also hides is an incredible city. The main squares, or platzes are all incredible, including that entire stretch between the Brandenburg Gate, through the Tiergarten, and ending with the Berlin Island. There are various areas of the city with incredible churches, restaurants, bars (and bars, and bars) and historical buildings. The city houses some fascinating museums that touch on the long, varying history of Germany is a country. Berlin as a city is too big to do in 3 days like I did, but it is definitely alluring enough to go back.

22.) Lisbon (2021)

I truly don't know how in the many times I've done this exercise I've neglected to go with Lisbon as one of the cities. I first went there in 2001, I turned 10 in teh city. I remember liking it then, but definitely remembered it only moderately. Going back this past year was eye opening, from my newfound love of Natas, to the incredible food, to appreciating the views more than I would have earlier, to so much more. Lisbon also had great nightlife, even with the pangs of Covid still reverberating, with packed streets in Barrio Alto (where our AirBNB stupidly was...), to bars with live music and so much more. The food was excellent, the people were great. Sintra, just an hour away, was a fantastic little town with even more great views. I truly want to go back, Lisbon honestly can go higher after a few more trips.

21.) Lima (2016, 2022)

Lima has a few things going for it. First, its culinary brilliance, with two restaurants ranking in the Top 10 in the World per San Pelligrino's list (the most accepted of that type of list), one being Maido, a Japanese-Peruvian sensation. The sites aren't the best, few major cities are in retrospect, with a few museums and halls. The real sites of Lima are the whisping cliffs, the shops and the eclectic nightlife. The best South American cities combine Andean views with European charms, and few big ones do it better than Lima. Big jump here afer my trip in 2022. The food remains incredible, adding Central to Maido on my list of culinary adventures. But also getting more time in Lima this time around, and doing a bit more research to understand neighborhoods like Barranco and others a bit better, I learned to love a lot of it. The greenery is incredible, the museums are nice. The walk along the Malecon is one of the cooler feelings out there. Everything about Lima is great.

20.) Tokyo (2013)

As a tourist, I don't care what the work and life culture are of the people in the city, and good thing, because if I did I may hate Tokyo. To see people in full suit in the subway at 11 PM coming home from work is jarring. But this isn't about any of that, it is about Tokyo the city, and it is a really fabulous metropolis. Tokyo is sprawling, in a way that makes New York seem small. There are really bustling regions like Shinjuku, really fun late night spots like Roppongi. There is a ton to see, and great food options. The food may be more corporate than traditional and homestyle in Tokyo, but that isn't all bad. The biggest complaint with Tokyo is just the size. It is so big that it is tiring to navigate at times, getting from one end to the other. Even with the reliability and the local JR Train lines, it takes time to get around. Good thing that most regions have enough to do to spend half a day there anyway. One last point, I thought Times Square was bright, until I went to Ginza.

19.) Granada (2001, 2021)

I'll admit, I have very limited memory of Granada - like I do with most of my trip to Spain and Portugal in 2001. But from what I do remember of Granada, mainly around the magic that is the Alhambra. Granada also has great food (as does most of Andalusia), including amazing seafood and lamb. Spain itself is probably my favorite country to visit, and a large part of that is even outside is major metropoloses (which are good enough to both be in Top-10 for me) it has incredible gems with incredible history and culture. **After visiting in 2021, I'm justified in my original love of Granada. The Alhambra was as good the second time around, but the food even better. The great old town was just lovely to wander about, pick up tapas at their various tapas bars hidden down alleys with great seating spilling into the streets. That is Spain, so were teh wine bars, and even beer bars, in this beautiful little town.

18.) Bangkok (2003, 2013, 2019)

Here’s the gist of what I remember from Bangkok: nice Wats to see, incredible food, up all night, eating all the time. Bangkok is a food-lover’s paradise, especially for those who like Thai food. Bangkok is also close to areas where you can do all those Asia type things like ride elephants and see the jungle. The weather is surprisingly decent for a city in Southeast Asia, and from what I remember it is pretty easy to navigate. My thoughts regarding Bangkok have indeed changed with my one-plus day visit. The city is better than I remembered, with sprawling malls, an advanced metro system, and new urban centers. The weather isn’t quite as good, as it is still hard to get to different parts of the city, but the city center of Bangkok is about as good as any I’ve seen in Asia. ** After going again for a few days in 2019, my opinion of Bangkok is largely unchanged, but improved in a way. The food is great, particularly the soon to be closed Gaggan. There are some really nice districts. But what it lacks is the cleanliness and constant modernity of a Singapore.

17.) Mexico City (2014, 2018)

I put 2014 there, but I went to Mexico City two different times, staying in two different areas of that expansive, massive, festive city. Far safer than most areas of Mexico, La Cuidad is incredibly impressive. There are tons of historical sites, like the entire Zocalo, the Chapultepec, and La Reforma. Mexico City also has a wealth of food options, with incredibly authentic Mexican fare from around the country, including the incredible Oaxacan food. Really fun night spot as well. Mexico City blew me away also with its strange, mysterious beer culture. The City is a sprawling testament to how secretly, behind the dangerous cartels that line the exterior, the soft interior of Mexico is a gorgeous, cultural attraction that is bettered by so few cities. **After going again in 2018, I realize how much I missed out of Mexico City's overwhelming culture. The neighborhoods of Polanco and Condesa may some of the most cultured and serene in North America. The food scene is incredible, be it world class Pujol or the street taco vendors. Just an amazing city.


16.) Dubrovnik (2017)

My expectations were raised on Dubrovnik from a number of friends and families had already visited, and oh man was it great - matching everything I would have hoped for. Dubrovnik, like many cities that line my top half of the list, aren't huge sprawling metropolises, instead smaller, untouched little power-packs of culture and beauty. The actual structure of the town reminds me of a European Cape Town, with the old town and fort replacing the V&A Waterfront area, and the hills of the newer part of the city similar to East Cape Town, and the hills in hte background, fixed with their own version of Table Mountain, being, well, Cape Town's Table Mountain. The history in Dubrovnik is amazing, with the old town such a beautiful array of nooks and crannies, with steep stairs on alleys down to the water. Within it contains history, and amazing restaurants, and, of course, Game of Thrones. Dubrovnik is one of the gems of the Adriatic Sea, right there with the other great ports of the Mediterranean.


15.) London (1999, 2000, 2010, 2017 & 2018)

I probably should just go to London more, because both my Dad and my Sister, who lived there, swear by London as an incredible city. But again, I’m not ranking this by how livable they are, but how good they are as tourist destinations. London definitely has enough to see, including the nicely compact Royal stuff (palace, parliament, other stuff), and a neatly packed city center (West End, Trafalgar Square, other stuff I’m forgetting), but it is a little too big. It’s subway system is clean, but doesn’t have the expansiveness that it needs (something I give huge credit to the NYC Subway System for, no matter how dirty it is). Of course, it is damn expensive, and the weather is mostly lousy. It may get better with more trips, but I think London is too big for its own good, and a little too confused, as it tries to be both Rome and New York. **So I went here in 2017, and really have nothing more to add. I think what I wrote back then is more or less accurate. In the end, being in any English speaking city outside of the US just doesn't seem as foreign & exciting.


14.) Cusco (2016)

Full disclosure, I'm cheating by including Machu Picchu as one of the associated sites of Cusco, which is a large part of the reason it places so high. Machu Picchu is a spectacular tourist attraction, from teh never-ending views of Hauranya Picchu's face, to the cascaiding hills on every side, to the great hikes. When you peel back to Cusco proper, it remains a great secondary city, a South American, high altitude version of Krakow (next on the list). The food is great, with so many small, but fine quality, restaurants. It has a vibrant restaurant and bar scene, and quite a bit of tourism locally, including other Incan ruins near the city limits. Finally, the altitude, as Cusco us probably the highest city that is easily and heavily visited. Plus, I owe a lot to the Loki Hostel, a wondrous place of Blood Bombs and fun.

13.) Krakow (2014)

By rule I like smaller cities over sprawling ones. Well, while there are expanses to Krakow that extend in all directions, almost everything worth seeing in the city is in a 10x10 block radius circling the best city square (Rynek Glowny) I have seen in Europe. When you get a city that has (their claim) more bars per capita than any in the world, combine that with amazing open space and roadside/streetside restaurants, and an economy that does not use the Euro and is far cheaper than comparale cities in Western Europe, you get a pretty fantastic city. Also, you want history near its borders, you get Auschwitz about 2 hours away. Krakow is an incredible secondary city, arguably the best secondary city I've ever been to. The beer, food and endless beautiful women makes it Top-25; the sites, easily walkable goegraphy, and amazing history (Copernicus lived there too) makes it Top-15.

12.) Singapore (2012, 2013, 2019)

Singapore is one of those places that has to be seen to be believed. There is no city any cleaner. There is no city as tightly situated while having enough external attractions. There is no city better built for a short stay. What doesn’t Singapore have? It has a theme park for kids. A bird park (highly recommended) and a night safari for kids and adults. It has a brand new casino for adults. It has a centralized bar/pub/club area near the waterfront. It has a preponderance of food from really, really cheap to really expensive. It has livable weather year-round. It also has the most interesting and enjoyable airport I’ve ever been to (there is a pool and gym that everyone can use for free in it!), and the cleanest, best organized subway system I’ve seen. So why is Singapore only #3? Because there isn’t that much to do, and Singapore’s not cheap enough to just sit around and eat/drink/do nothing. The sights have no historical resonance, and are replicated in other cities. Still, for a period less than a week, there is no better city to visit.

11.) Ho Chi Minh City (2019)

The great food, the wide open streets and lanes, the great balloons, the sights. Ho Chi Minh City was truly a perfect Southeast Asian retreat. The place is so full of joy and pride in their city, be it the pristinely conditioned temples, the French architecture. There are great museums and sights all over. What set Ho Chi Minh City apart for me was you get the food of a Bangkok, with the infrastructure and lack of traffic of a Europe - the city so well blending their French history and Asian sensibilities. The nightlife and food was truly incredible. If not for the weather (unavoidable in that part of the world) it probably would be Top-10 for me.


10.) Kyoto (2013)

Kyoto is the 3rd biggest City in Japan, but resembles so little of Tokyo (the biggest city) that makes it seem like a different country. Sure, the food options and the bustle is still there, but Kyoto, in some ways, is like a supersized Siem Reap. The real highlight of Kyoto is the ridiculous amounts of Temples and historical Japanese buildings. All of these are encircling the downtown area of Kyoto. Of course, that downtown is quite large, with beautiful malls, tall buildings with summer beer gardens (umlimited beer buffets for $30) and plentiful up-scale food options. Kyoto even has the most expansive Geisha area of Japan. Kyoto is the perfect city to experience what people's idea of Japan is, temples and pagodas and sushi, oh my!


9.) Rome (2003, 2019)

Speaking of Rome, history’s most famous city checks in next. I haven’t spent any time in Rome as an adult, but I don’t think Rome is the type of city that would change much from an adult’s perspective. It is good for its history and sites first, and if you like Italian cuisine, the food second. If you include the Vatican, and as a Catholic I do, in Rome, then there is even more to see, as you have two different parts of history, the formation of the Catholic Church in the awe-inspiring Vatican grounds near and inside St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Roman history which is very well kept up. I can’t remember how their public transport was, and we went in December, so the weather was bad, but I don’t think it is a very big city. And then there is that food. I don’t want personal biases like my ambivalence towards Italian food to sway this. Many do like Italian food, and the city is even better for those people. That said, what hurts Rome in my book is I think it is too dependent on the sites, and if you aren’t there on a religious pilgrimage, I can’t imagine the allure of going to Rome more than once.

8.) Athens (2010)

So Athens is very much like its historical partner, Rome, with a few less sites, a lot less crowds, less expensive, and with better weather. So does that whole equation spit out a better city? In my mind, it does. Part of this has to do with visiting Athens at the perfect time (19, during March) and Rome not (13, during December), but Athens has it all. It has a lot to see, but not so much that sightseeing takes over the trip. It has a city that is hard to navigate by car and by walking, but has an adequate subway system. It has excellent food, and a great environment that bursts with fun and enjoyment. Just a grand old time in Athens, as I’m sure it was 2,500 years ago.


7.) Sydney (2013) 

Take the weather and leisurely attitude of Australia, combine the waterfront facade of a Chicago, add some pub and club nightlife of any city in Europe and you get Sydney, a city that combines the great aspects of every major city I have been too. It doesn't have a true culture of its own which hurts it in my mind. What I really mean by that is, much like the problems I have with England, there are too many similarities to the US. You don't really feel you are in a foreign city too much. Of course, that all changes when you walk towards the Opera House, or go to the night spots with the Australians out partying, or eat great meats. Sydney is a wonderful city, probably the most livable of any in the Top-10 (of course, it is helped by being English-Speaking), but sometimes I would sacrifice livability for uniqueness, which is why it isn't any higher.

6.) Barcelona (2007, 2021)

I really want to go to Barcelona again, because it could easily be #1. All the ingredients are there. Pristine weather. A people who don’t care about life, making the tourist experience more fun. Good beaches within reach. Stuff to see. An airport that is easily reachable and a city that is easily maneuverable. My issues with Barcelona (other than my dislike for the Blaugrana) are simple. There isn’t a lot to see in terms of history, mainly because the Catalans want their own history so they destroyed or shunned any Spanish national history. Barcelona is a nice city in terms of seeing the sights for a day or two and then doing nothing the rest of the time, but I do want more from my cities. **Going back in 2021 didn't really change my opinion of Barcelona at all. It remains a great city, with a whole lot to see. Getting to see the Sagrada Familia more complete - in that you could go inside - was a nice touch. The food remained excellent, from random tapas bars, to nicer restaurants.**

5.) Santiago (2018)

Midway through my second day in Santiago, I started debating how high it would go. Honestly, on the initial drive to the airport, through beautiful underground tunnels and well manicured streets, it earned its place on the list. Many great meals, multiple vibrant and differing neighborhoods, enough sites to last you days, and a cleanliness of Europe and culture of the Americas, and Santiago morphed into a truly special city. You have views, like at the top of Santa Lucia Hill. You have museums. You have regal government buildings. The restaurants are amazing, going from good street food to world class tasting menus. The competing Barrio Italia, with its Portland-esque vibe, and Barrio Bellavista, with fun bar after fun bar, add the neighborhood vibe as well. It all mixed to a truly brilliant city.



4.) Jerusalem (2018)

Religion's most important city remains the best new city I've been to since I last wrote this piece. I'm floored by how much I enjoyed every aspect of Jerusalem. The obvious important religious sites were incredible, but the food spots in the city, the areas in the old town that are disconnected to religion, the great beer bar tucked inside the great Mahane Yehuda market. All of it was excellent. If I spend more time in Tel Aviv, maybe I add that to the list to, but for Jerusalem, it was a perfect mix of history and culture. Truly, the religious sites are so enormous in their gravity it is hard to not be astounded, even for someone who is practicing but not necessarily devout. The energy in the city is just tremendous - helps we went around Christmas of course. It was a perfect mix of circumstances, but it was just incredible from start to finish, a perfect mix of first world  luxuries and historical beauty. 

3.) Istanbul (2007)

Istanbul is kind of a secret still, but there is really nothing to complain about. It has a waterfront, an easily accessible city center, a lot to see (the palaces, the Bosphuros, the Red & Blue Mosques). Istanbul also has a brilliant food scene, with both Muslim and Meditterannean influences but all sorts of bases (including a ton of seafood). There is little to separate any of the cities this high in the list. My only knock on Istanbul would be the public transport is lacking without a proper Subway (this could have changed since my last visit). Overall, Istanbul combines the palate and affordability of Asia, with the energy and cleanliness of Europe, the best of both worlds.


2.) Madrid (2001, 2010, 2018, 2021, 2022)

I’ll never forget Madrid. It was where I turned 10 years old, in April of 2001. It was where I saw my first naked woman in real life, as I saw two nude woman near the pool in Madrid (given my age and their age, this wasn’t a good thing). It was where I first traveled alone, and where I learned the inherent joy of visiting a place a 2^nd time. Barcelona might be more ‘fun’, but I can’t think of a place that combines everything I want from a city more than Madrid. Madrid has a dependable airport, and a dependable subway system. More than that, the city is small enough in its center that you can easily walk from the Prado side on the East, to the Palace on the West and not break a sweat. It has some of Spain’s best museums. There is more than enough to see. And, of course, you are still very much in Spain. It isn’t as relaxed as Barcelona, but is just as Spanish, with open squares, easy food and drink,  a lot of youngsters (and a lively area for them at night). This wasn’t a criteria, but a lot of people speak English there to boot. Madrid is basically a perfect city. Small enough to walk, with enough sites to not get bored, enough food to not go hungry, and a relaxed, but not too relaxed nature that you won’t ever get tired of doing nothing for an afternoon or two.

1.) Cape Town (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020)

I've been wondering whether doing Cape Town first helped increase my perceptions of it. I was at my most curious and excited at the start of the trip. Then, I remember everything amazing about Cape Town, like the incredible scenery and breathtaking views, the active harbor and Long Street areas (for the youngsters among us), the great food of every type and the wine region to one side with the Cape of Good Hope below it. Cape Town is a special place on the total other side of the word (laterally speaking). I've really never been any place quite like it, which is why I want to go back there more than any place in the world. **I've oddly never updated my write-up of Cape Town since the first time I did this list. Mainly because I from the start had it ranked #2. But after going back (and back, and back...), I think it is time I just move it to #1. The restaurants, bars, clubs, and unending hikes and views just give it such a perfect balance in terms of what I would want out of a city to visit.