I was able to enjoy each game this weekend because I wasn’t still in shock from watching the sick Tebow-to-Thomas overtime hook-up for the win over the Black and Yellow like last week.
Let’s start with the AFC this time…
Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots
Winner: Patriots 45 – 10
As a new wrinkle, I put up a fan poll after each of my predictions last week and 66.7% of you were correct in picking the Patriots in this matchup.
In my prediction post I said that I expected “Brady to punish Tim Tebow and the Broncos for stealing his headlines”. Well, it appears that Tom Brady was a bit more pissed off about that than I thought. I mean, my goodness, Tom Brady put on a Matt Flynn-esque performance with 363 yards & 6 TDs.
By comparison, Tim Tebow threw for 136 yards with 0 TDs. Fine, Brady… Take your headlines! Give credit to the Patriots defense. Much maligned entering the playoffs, this unit showed up and absolutely dominated the Broncos. They had the trenches on lock-down, swarmed Tebow, and took away the downfield options that No 15 lived off of last week against the Steelers. It was an absolute show of force.
I admit that I was wrong about the spread. I predicted that the Broncos would keep it respectable, and that the Patriots wouldn’t cover the 14 point spread. Oops.
As a personal aside… What the hell was this Denver Broncos fan thinking?
Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens
Winner: Ravens 20 – 13
A whopping 82.3% of you were correct in choosing the Ravens in this contest.
I was correct in my questioning of the 9 point favorite status given to the Ravens in this one. They won by 7 which is where I thought the spread should have been set at initially. I know the line had fallen to 7.5 in Vegas by kickoff.
I admit that Arian Foster had a much, much bigger game than I thought was possible against the Baltimore D. He busted loose for 132 yards and a TD on the ground, and he added 22 receiving yards for good measure. The guy is a stud. Period. I think the important number in that line is 22… By containing Foster in the passing game, the Ravens took away a weapon that had been a go-to option for Houston for much of the season. Andre Johnson got loose for 111 yards receiving, but he was kept out the endzone.
The game hinged on the two players that I thought it would hinge on… Flacco and Yates. Neither QB had a breakout game. In fact, both threw for less than 200 yards and looked less than impressive to say the least. However, Flacco threw for 2 TDs and 0 INTs while Yates threw for 0 TDs and 3 INTs. There’s the difference, folks.
Now, let’s move on over to the NFC side of things…
New York Giants @ Green Bay Packers
Winner: Giants 37 – 20
Only 40% of you were correct in picking the Giants to upset the Packers. We are… The 40%… Nevermind.
Eli Manning was dealing in this one. The pass-to-run ratio throughout was pretty much even, which opened up the middle of the field for much of the game, and Eli took every yard he could. He and Hakeem Nicks alone connected for 165 yards and 2TDs.
The NYG defense harrassed Aaron Rodgers and controlled the tempo for much of the game. Nothing the Pack did seemed to click. Now, I will say that Rodgers missed a few throws that he doesn’t usually miss. Rust could have been an issue, but you can’t blame the whole game on rust. They looked just as bad late in the game as they did early on, and there is no excuse for that from a 15-1 team. They got outplayed. Period.
New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers
Winner: 49ers 36 – 32
Only 38.9% of you were correct in picking the Niners’ upset of the Saints. Congrats. I was wrong about this one.
The Saints’ offense came out and proved that they could play outdoors. Drew Brees threw for 462 yards and 4 TDs. Sproles was hell in the receiving game as he piled up 119 yards and a TD. Colston and Graham both hauled in more than 100 receiving yards, and combined for 3 TDs. What the hell happened?
Well, the San Fran D forced 3 fumbles and recovered all of them, intercepted Brees twice, they harrassed poor Drew in the pocket all game long, and they absolutely shut down the New Orleans running game. The Saints were good for just 37 yards on the ground.
This time, though, the D wasn’t the only story. This game turned into a shoot out late, and Alex Smith proved to be up for the challenge. Remember Drew’s two INTs? Alex Smith had 0 to go along with his 3 TD passes. He and Vernon Davis teamed up for 180 yards and 2 TDs through the air.
On that note I’d like to point out that the emotion that poured out of Vernon Davis as he was heading for the sidelines after making what would be the game winning catch reminded me of WHY I love sports. The moment was pure, it was heartfelt, and it was fitting. He deserved to be the hero. I chose the Saints to win the game, but after seeing the Vernon Davis and Coach Harbaugh embrace on the sideline… I’ve never been happier to be wrong.
- JM
Related articles
- Tom Brady regains playoff form in blowout of Broncos (aol.sportingnews.com)
- Broncos Get Abused In New England Like A Playboy Magazine At Boys Town (thedaleygator.wordpress.com)
- NFL Divisional Round 49ers-Saints Patriots-Broncos (faniq.com)
fantasyfurnace
01/16/2012
The Vernon Davis display of emotion WAS genuine & heartfelt and it takes someone that’s passionate about sports to recognize how touching a moment it really was.
Nice observation!
Joseph Munley
01/16/2012
It was incredible to watch, and the fact that Davis made a beeline for Harbaugh tells you everything you need to know about how the players on that team feel about the man.
Remember, this was a locker room divided before Harbaugh arrived. Many analysts speculated that he took the Niners job in the hopes that they’d be bad enough in 2011 to have a shot at drafting Andrew Luck in 2012.
So, to see the trust & loyalty being shown to him by a veteran like Davis is a testament to what he’s brought to that team.
sportsattitudes
01/16/2012
That Davis-Harbaugh hug was priceless. It was so eerie seeing Davis catch that pass at the goal line and get whacked while doing so. A mirror image to the Young-Owens TD playoff pass on the same field not that many years before. What a tremendous game. Could not believe the Saints were able to overcome all those turnovers and still have a lead with a couple of minutes remaining. Tribute to them not packing it in. Niners will be a tough out at home, even if the Giants revel in the “Road Warriors” thing. New York is a quirky team with a lot of talent, which they definitely brought yesterday…but they also have shown a most-of-the- season-long lack of focus. The Packers helped them out a bit yesterday. I don’t think San Fran will be as generous. Should be great theatre.
Joseph Munley
01/16/2012
Personally, I can’t wait for this game. For the Giants, the load will be almost entirely on Eli’s shoulders. I don’t think Bradshaw & Jacobs will be the double-headed monster they’ve been over the last 3 to 4 weeks as the Niners D is just too tough against the run. As a result, Eli will have to throw into much tighter coverage than he’s seen as of late.
On the flip side of that, the Giants have a pretty good pass rush, and it will be interesting to see how Alex Smith handles the pressure. He surprised the hell out of me – and a lot of other people – when he orchestrated the clutch drive to win the game against the Saints, but let’s see how he does when JPP, Osi &Tuck are closing in on him.
sportsglutton
01/16/2012
The Giants came to play and with the exception of Rodgers and a few other players the Packers seem to forget that they were in an elimination game. Even Mike McCarthy didn’t seem to be all there for that game. I’m with Bruce though, I don’t think the Niners will be as kind.
cheers!
Joseph Munley
01/16/2012
You’re right… there was an emotional disconnect of sorts with the Packers. I know they’d never say so – because they’re professionals all around – but I believe the tragedy surrounding Packers’ OC Joe Philbin’s son weighed heavily on the hearts of the players as well as the rest of the coaching staff. It’s not an excuse, just a possible explanation for the unexcitable tone that we’re not used to seeing from the Pack.
The Assailed Teacher
01/16/2012
The Giants now have the same feel they did when they beat the Pats in the Superbowl. I wonder if there will be any more talk of Bill Cowher coaching the Giants if Big Blue wins it all this year.
Joseph Munley
01/16/2012
You know how the New York media is… Even if Coughlin leads the G-Men to the Superbowl and wins it all again this year he’ll get the hot seat treatment the moment the Giants lose 2 or 3 games in a row.
“If I can… make it there. I’ll make it… anywhere…”
ChrisHumpherys (@SportsChump)
01/17/2012
I was way off on the Saints game.
I guess eventually, I’ll have to become a believer in the Niners.
If they beat the Giants, I think I’ll have been converted.
Joseph Munley
01/17/2012
I’m right there with you. I didn’t think the Niners would be able to score enough to keep up.
Who knew that Alex Smith had it in him to execute the hell out of the 2 minute drill like that?