5 Things I Learned From 2014's NFL Wild Card Round

Ryan Lindley Is Never an Answer

I know what you're thinking -- bold statement, Zachariason. Bold.

It's very obvious that Ryan Lindley isn't a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL, and will more than likely never see the opportunity he did this past Saturday ever again. But this wouldn't be a complete article about the wild card round without a little data surrounding one of the worst offensive performances we've ever seen in the playoffs.

Lindley finished his game against Carolina with a Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) total of -16.82. Throw an average player in his position, and you'd expect a near 17-point swing in favor of the Cardinals (and, actually, "average" for a quarterback these days is greater than zero, so you'd technically expect an even higher point swing).

For the record, Cam Newton's Passing NEP was pretty bad as well (-7.15), thanks to a near pick-six.

As a team, the Cardinals also totaled -9.31 Rushing Net Expected Points on the ground. That was roughly nine points worse than the Panthers, which would've been a huge difference-maker as well.

It's very obvious that the Cardinals lost to the Panthers because the Cardinals had no semblance of an offense. That may be the last we'll ever see of Ryan Lindley.