Divisional Playoff Round

So after another weekend of playoff football, we've learned once again that anything can happen in sports. The games started in Tennessee where the number one seed in the AFC lost to the Baltimore Ravens. The game was really more of a wrestling match that happened to have a football game going on during it, as predicted by one of the players early in the week. There was pushing and shoving after just about every play. So after the first game, we've already lost the number one seed in the AFC. Granted the Ravens have a very very good defense. Second overall in the league as a matter of fact. The difference maker may have been the loss of Chris Johnson who went down in the second half. The Ravens had no answer for Johnson but had no problem stopping his backup Lendale White. The short week for the Ravens seemed to affect them early on as they were getting pushed around by the Titans which didn't happen all year.

Now on to game two. In the game that was supposed to be the easiest to predict, the Cardinals headed to Carolina to take on the Panthers. The game started just like many predicted with the Panthers marching right down the field to take an early 7-0 lead. That's where all the predictions went out the window. The Cardinals answered right back and rolled for the rest of the game to a 33-13 win. Jake Delhomme played especially poor finishing the game with a very unimpressive line of 17-34 for 205 yards, 1 TD, 5 interceptions and a lost fumble.

Sunday held a highly anticipated matchup in the Meadowlands with the Eagles taking on the hometown Giants. It was the third time the teams met up this season with a 1-1 split where the road team pulled out the win both times. Foresight maybe? The Eagles looked to become the third team to pull the upset in as many games. Eli Manning looked to have problems throwing the ball through the swirling winds and coupled with two failed fourth and short conversions, the Eagles sent home the NFC's top seed. The loss made the Giants the first defending Super Bowl champs to lose their first game when being the number one seed. The final score of 23-11 was the first time in NFL history a game ended with that score.

The fourth and final game of the weekend was in Pittsburgh where the Steelers took on their improbable opponents, the San Deigo Chargers. The Chargers rode into Pittsburgh without LaDainian Tomlinson who was inactive for the first time in his career. They also had Pro Bowl snub, Phillip Rivers who was the league leader in touchdown passes and passer rating. But the Steelers had the league's top ranked defense. The Chargers looked to improve on their 2-0 record in postseason games in Pittsburgh, although they are 0-13 in the regular season. Strange yes, but what else do you expect from two teams who played in the NFL's first ever game to end with a final score of 11-10 just a few weeks earlier. The Chargers started with a 41 yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson in their opening drive. The lead was short lived when Santonio Holmes tied the game on a 67 yard punt return on San Diego's next drive. The turning point in the game was the third quarter when the Chargers held the ball for just one snap which resulted in an interception. They also had a ball bounce off a player's helmet which Pitt recovered following the interception. Big Ben and company held down the speedy Sproles and Rivers on their way to a 35-24 win. The win assured them that the Ravens have to beat them in their own house in order to play in this year's Super Bowl. The win also made sure that all four home teams didn't lose which would have been a first for the NFL Division Series. And on a fun note, the Steelers are the only team remaining whose mascot is not a bird. Chew on that.

Championship Sunday

This is what you play for all year long. It's the chance to play in the big game for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The Giants are on an incredible run of road victories and will obviosly look to continue that when they head to Green Bay. Ultimately I think the Packers have too many weapons in their offensive arsenal, especially in the passing game for the Giants depleted secondary. In order for the Giants to have a chance they will need their defensesive line to come up big again. Romo will be having nightmares of the Giants D line (and a certain Mexican vacation) for weeks. The Giants sacked him only twice but hit him ten more times in 36 total dropbacks. That means he was hit 1 every 3 times he dropped back. Thats an awful lot of punishment. Eli Manning has finally showed that he can win football games but if Green Bay stops the New York rushing game, Eli will have to throw the ball alot more than the Giants would like. Now for the AFC...I honestly didn't think the Patriots weren't going to go 19-0 this year, but with the way they are playing they might never lose again. The Chargers may be too banged up to be much of a test. L.T. is probable but who knows how much he will play, and Rivers is questionable. Tom Brady on the otherhand is playing better than usual and that is saying ALOT. It will be interesting to see what happens with Randy Moss. If they don't win the title this year, he will probably return since New England is his best chance at winning a Super Bowl before he retires but if they do, he might just follow the money.