Bengals vs. Texans, 2013 NFL Wild Card Playoffs: Opinions don't matter once the game starts

The Houston Texans won a playoff game for the second year in a row, eliminating the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday with a 19-13 win at Houston's Reliant Stadium.

The Bengals struggled to move the ball, racking up negative passing yards in the first half, but used a first-half pick six to stay in the game. Arian Foster finished with 140 rushing yards and a touchdown, and kicker Shayne Graham was perfect on four field-goal attempts.

Over at Battle Red Blog, Vega took Saturday's game and drew a lengthy allusion to "A Few Good Men." Vega's point: His opinion doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, at least, in the grand scheme of football and how the game actually unfolds.

The Texans must cut down on the penalties and still get better offensively. I'm already paranoid about Tom Brady against the Texans man-to-man defense, but you're not going to get to the Super Bowl without facing the best of the best.

But here's the thing -- and there's really no getting around it -- neither Vega nor anyone else writing on these here interwebs has any impact on the way that game plays out.

The Texans will travel up north next week to play the New England Patriots in the divisional round. That game is Jan. 13 at 3:30 p.m. CT on CBS. The winner of Sunday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts will take on the AFC's top-seeded Denver Broncos in the divisional round.