We have a long list to get to in this busy 2010 (or 2011, depending on how you'd like to look at it) conference championships edition of the NFL picks column. We've got game picks, my thoughts on Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco, Al Davis leaving you with nightmares and much more. But first, before we start, behold the shocking revelation that is DEION SANDERS'S MUTATED FOOT!
Closer look...
GAHHH! Not even Rex Ryan can appreciate that! OK, maybe a little, but that's not important. (Photos courtesy of Deadspin and Boxden)
Now, let's get to the real reason why I'm writing this and why I assume you are reading this as well: this Sunday's conference championship games. After nineteen weeks of NFL action, we are finally down to our final four teams standing. In the NFC Championship game, we have the longest rivalry in NFL history (the Bears and the Packers) facing each other for only the second time ever in the postseason in what promises to be a classic NFC North matchup between two teams that are both alike in ideology and advantages. In the AFC Championship game, we have the Steelers and the Jets, two teams that are both known for their stellar defenses and their smart head coaches. The matchup for Super Bowl XLV in Jerry Jones's Palace will finally be determined, and I have a feeling that there will be two interesting hard fought matchups to decide those two slots. So, let's get to the nitty gritty, shall we? Here are my predictions and more lengthy than usual pregame analysis and reasoning along with it.
Let's begin (as usual, the games are based on the Central time zone):
Green Bay Packers (-3.5) vs. Chicago Bears: Sunday- 2:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Chicago
The date was December 14th, 1941. The United States have just declared war on Japan after the attacks on Pearl Harbor which took place seven days later, They Died With Their Boots On was the #1 hit in the box office (and would soon become the second highest grossing movie of the year) and future famous people like Stephen Hawking and Muhammad Ali were less than a month away from finally being taken out of their mother's womb. It was also the exact same date that, after 43 games played between each other since 1921, that the Bears in the Packers first played against each other in the playoffs. A sold out crowd of about 43,000 with $1.65 tickets in hand turned out to Wrigley Field (the original home of the Chicago Bears) for the NFL's Western Division Championship tiebreaker after both teams finished the season 10-1. The Bears would end up winning that game in dominating fashion (33-14, including a 24-0 2nd quarter for Chicago) with the team gaining 267 yards of offense thanks to their potent running attack of George McAfee, Norm Standlee and Hugh Gallarneau. They would then advance to play the New York Giants a week later in the year's NFL Championship game which they would eventually win 37-9 (becoming the first team ever to win back-to-back NFL titles).
(Ed. note: if you ever get the chance read the original report of the game from the Chicago Daily News, featuring some good 1940s relevant jokes such as the moment where the writer of the report stated that the Bears offensive line in the game was so good that "the Packers line was as full of holes as Japanese alibi for attacking Pearl Harbor." Does anyone by any chance know the early 1940s version of "Oh snap!" because that reporter was going full throttle on that one!)
Fast forward nearly seventy years later. After nearly 140 more meetings between these two teams, they finally are able to square off in the playoffs once again thanks to a season where each team finishes with the right record, the right playoff seedings and the right circumstances to occur in this past postseason. This time its the NFC Championship game where the winner gets a spot in the biggest single game in all of American sports while the fanbases of the loser team will never let this game slip away from the trash talking of the winning fanbase for at least another 5 years. Fans are going crazy about it, trash talking all over the area and throughout the Internet and selling out tickets to the game in less than a minute. The media on both sides of the spectrum are treating it like a Presidential election. Many are going as far as calling it the most important game in both franchise's history (a bit of a hyperbole, although it is understandable). The only thing left now is to play this damn game and have everything over with.
Both teams enter this game with two of the hottest quarterbacks in the playoffs. Jay Cutler is coming off a game versus the Seahawks in which he went 15-28, 318 yards combined and 4 total TDs (two passing, two rushing) while Aaron Rodgers is coming off arguably the best postseason performance by a QB since Tom Brady's 26 for 28, 3 TD performance against the Jaguars back in the 2007 playoffs (if not better) with 366 yards and 3 TDs on 31 for 36 passing against Atlanta. However, the Bears have limited Aaron Rodgers to two TDs combined in the two games that they played versus each other while Green Bay's defense have been one of the top passing defenses in the country. Add the fact that temperatures are supposed to be in the twenties and snowy and that they're playing in the 1950s nostalgia Soldier Field grass, and I think that both quarterbacks will be limited to under 25 points. So, if not because of the quarterbacks, then why am I picking the Bears then?
Well, for starters, Matt Forte is on a roll this season. After battling injuries and suffering through the traditional "sophmore slump" among running backs, Forte has improved greatly this season under the Mike Martz offense, with over 1600 yards from scrimmage. I would much rather take him over Brandon Jackson, John Kune or any other Ryan Grant placeholder that the Packers have. Second, despite the fact that both teams split one game a piece earlier this season it was clear from both those games that, head to head, the one Packers victory came in a close 10-3 week 17 matchup when the Packers were fighting for that final NFC playoff spot while the Bears had already clinched the #2 seed win or lose and didn't need to win. The Bears probably realized thanks to them that, despite the fact that they're facing a QB playing out of his mind, that they do have the team and they do have players to beat Green Bay anytime, anywhere.
The third reason is homefield advantage. The last four conference championship games since the 2008 season has been won by the home team, and expect that Soldier Field to be louder and more pumped up than any game to ever play in that stadium before (also, there's just something about a home underdog in the playoffs that has gotten nervous as a game predictor over the years). Fourth, its all about pride. The Bears and the Packers are playing in Soldier Field in front of millions of passionate fans in the game and around town waiting to get back to the Super Bowl. There is no way that they're going to want to see a Packers team hold the Halas Trophy in their turf on their way to receiving the Lombardi Trophy. Besides, every week in this postseason there has been at least one game in which the team you would expect the least to make it to the next round win and move on. It happened with the Seahawks in the wild card round, it happened with the Jets last week and, in this man's opinion, it will happen in Chicago Sunday.
Fifth, the Bears lead the special teams battle in this game. Better kick returner, better clutch kicker (though, you will probably hear that hundreds of times whenever Gould attempts a kick this Sunday), better punter (one of the greatest of all time, in fact), etc. Also, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter (one of the network's few NFL talking heads/writers that I enjoy), special teams has been one of Green Bay's biggest weaknesses with 15 players on injured reserve (causing the team to struggle to find consistent, capable players in this unit) and they have already given up a kick return for a TD to Devin Hester (who is having his best year since 2007) back in September. Now, I understand the reasons why people would keep Green Bay to win (Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, wonderful secondary, etc.). However, most of the key factors in the game point toward a third Super Bowl appearance in the history of one of the NFL's longest franchises.
But then again, Jay Cutler (who is undefeated as Bears quarterback when having a passer rating over 100 in a game, by the way) could have another one of his classic three Cutlerception game, so what do I know.
mj50's pick: Chicago
New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5): Sunday- 5:30 p.m.
mj15's pick: Pittsburgh
I think we've seen this scenario before, last season in fact. The New York Jets enter the playoffs as a wild card/underdog, complete two upsets in a row (including a big upset in the divisional playoffs) and now face a season-long favorite on the road to decide the AFC spot in the Super Bowl. It happened last year when the 2009 Jets, entering the playoffs as the AFC's fifth seed, defeated the Bengals and the Chargers only to lose to the Colts and it will happen this Sunday with the 2010 Jets entering the playoffs, defeating the Colts and the Patriots, only to lose to the Colts. This I am most confident in. Not as much confident as I was when I said that the Jets would lose to the Patriots, but I'm still pretty sure of this one.
One reason for my decision goes back to last week's Jets/Patriots matchup. The Jets are kind of like the Seahawks last week in that they are coming off a game which they treated like it was a Super Bowl with the excessive celebrations, the trash talk, Bart Scott's fantastic postgame interview (more on this later) and excessive celebration. Now, a week later and the Jets backing off on the trash talk, expect to see this New York experience a bit of a hangover as they take on Pittsburgh. The second reason is Ben Roethlisberger, arguably one of the clutchest playoff quarterbacks of all time. He's a winner of two Super Bowls, two AFC championships (both by nine points or more) and only two losses total (2004 AFC Championship, 2007 Wild Card) in eleven postseason games. Plus, he just seems to step up the most in moments that matter the most, as evidenced by his game winning drive in Super Bowl XLIII and on 3rd and 19 late in the 4th quarter last week against Baltimore. I know that Mark Sanchez is coming off two straight weeks of beating Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but I still don't trust him over Roethlisberger at this point.
The next reason is also the most overlooked this week, and that is that Pittsburgh's defense are much more better and more effective at stopping offenses than New England and Indianapolis this season. They're first in points allowed, first in rushing yards per game (so expect Shonn Green to have less of an impact) and second in total yards per game. Maybe ever Rex Ryan realized this and that's why he and his team decided on not trash talking this week, so as they don't try to piss off James Harrison and Troy Polamalu. Defenses win championship, and the Steelers have the slight edge over the Jets in this category.
And..that's all I have to say about this game. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take the Tom Jackson route and write up a draft for a future post sometime this week stating that I purposely picked Pittsburgh so as to give New York motivation for this game.
mj50's pick: New York
Playoff Records:
mj15: 4-4 (3-1 last week)
mj50: 3-5 (1-3 last week)
Overall Records:
mj15: 173-107
mj50:153-127
And now, because there are only two games this week, here are some random thoughts to fill this remaining space left by the lack of games:
-When football scholars look back at these past three years in the NFL, one of the main discussions have to be about the question of just how the hell was Joe Flacco able to play in seven playoff games during this time period. Seriously, the Ravens QB just might be the worst quarterback in postseason history and one that makes Jake Plummer look like the better option. When he entered this postseason, he went in with a 46.5 QB rating in the postseason with a 47 percent completion (including one game versus New England in the 2010 wild card round in which he went 4 for 10 for 34 yards, 1 INT and a QB rating of 10 while the Ravens still won the game). Then, after his first stellar playoff game ever against Kansas City when he threw for 265 yards and 2 TDs, Flacco followed that up with a below mediocre game against the Steelers, going 16 for 30 with 125 yards and 1 INT (to be fair, he did score one touchdown). He was so bad in that game that, once Pittsburgh scored the go-ahead touchdown to lead the game 31-24 late in the 4th quarter, you just knew that the game was over because there was no way that Unibrown at QB for Baltimore was going to lead them to a game tying drive. Either Baltimore's opponents in the playoffs were not as good as advertised over the past three years (except for Indy and Pittsburgh) or every other part of the Ravens game was spot on.
- Move over Ron Artest, because you may have just received company on top of the list of the greatest post-game interviews of all-time with Jets LB Bart Scott. Either he's making his best Ollie Williams impression, or he really wants Vince McMahon to hire him as the next special guest general manager on Raw. Either way, it is fantastic.
-As a Bears fan, the one player that I fear the most heading into Sunday's game (besides Aaron Rodgers) has to be cornerback Tramond Williams. Three interceptions in two playoff games, including one last week against Atlanta that ended up as a touchdown during the same play. With a defensive player that hot, I'm worried about Jay Cutler trying to beat him on throws.
-Speaking of Aaron Rodgers, if he does end up winning Sunday's game and advancing the Packers into the Super Bowl, then I have no choice but to catapult him as the top quarterback in the entire NFL. As of now, I have him in my top three along with Brady and Manning. However, he's already been one of the three or four best regular season quarterbacks in the last three years, but he's also one of the two remaining great quarterbacks standing, has been incredible in the three playoff games of which he has played in and may have replaced Brett Favre as "the guy" in Green Bay, something unthinkable two or three years ago.
- There are many reasons why high definition and his resolution in general is a good thing. Using it to take high quality photos of 81 year old Raiders owner Al Davis is not one of them. PREPARE TO RECEIVE NIGHT TERRORS!
I only showed the picture because I care. And 'cause I'm secretly a jerk who hates all of you.
-I'm a bit disappointed that Rex Ryan and the rest of the Jets haven't gone ahead and continued the string of postseason trash talking that we saw leading up to the game against the Colts when Ryan called his matchup against Peyton Manning "personal," and especially last week against the Patriots. After all, why stop just before the most important game of your season? Because you have respect for the other team? Come on!
Speaking of the Jets, I suppose I'm in the minority of people who thought that their excessive celebration penalty during a late TD last week against the Patriots in which Coach Ryan actually went to the endzone to celebrate with them was just okay. After all, this was a team that had just won their second biggest game in franchise history behind Super Bowl III after a week of being told that they are heavy underdogs and that their trash talking would pay them dearly in the game. This may the been the first time this decade in a sport outside of boxing that the team that talked the talk walked the walk, and why not finish the week with one more cocky moment? Personally, I thought that there was too little celebrating in this game if you'd believe it.
-Tom Brady: New Peyton Manning?
-Bill Simmons is an ass. Here was Simmons in response to a question by Mike in Indianapolis during his mega-Friday chat asking whether or not the Packers and the Bears rivalry is actually a rivalry:
Glad someone brought this up. I feel like I'm in the top 1% of diehard football fans and can't remember a single meaningful Bears-Packers game. I'm sure there have been a couple, I just can't remember any. Am I wrong on this?
Opening brag aside, the fact that Simmons, the self-proclaimed "top 1% of diehard sports fans" not calling it a rivalry because he can't remember at least three good games from this rivalry out of 180 or so is ludicrous. I could name three meaningful games to happen in the last three years alone: in December of '08 when the Bears defeated the Packers on Monday Night Football in a thrilling overtime game to keep their playoff hopes alive, this September when the two teams fought again during Monday Night Football for the NFC's only 3-0 and first place in the NFC North and the game three weeks ago (three weeks ago!) when the Packers won against Chicago to gain the NFC's final playoff spot.
Later on in the chat, Simmons continued to try to defend his remark to someone named Nick:
That's a separate issue - that makes it more of a feud. A rivalry means that it's a feud crossed with some sort of significant ongoing battle for the upper hand. If the fan bases are carrying this thing, then it's a feud.
Because of the definition of the term "rivalry" of which I made up, I cannot classify the Chicago-Green Bay rivalry as anything but a simple feud. Never mind the fact that these are the two most winningest franchises of all-time or that they're constantly fighting for first place in the NFC North or that they're only seperated by one highway. Anything short of, say, Patriots/Colts or Lakers/Celtics is not a rivalry. I repeat, not a rivalry. NO ONE DENIES THIS!
But wait, there's more! Later on, after giving a much more clearer definition of "rivalry" (the gist of it I just described) Simmons ends up posting three more cases for his argument, all of which are either nonsense or awful. The first one is him once again asking him to name three great Bears/Packers game. The second one comes from an Adam in Cleveland:
Calling the Bears-Packers a rivalry right now is like me (23 years old) still considering the Steelers the Browns' rivals- I've only seen 1 meaningful Cle-Pit game in my lifetime, meaning they haven't played a meaninful game in over 20 years. Fans hating each other is everlasting- Pittsburgh is a God awful city in a God awful state.. but the Steelers don't concern themselves with the Browns, they're too busy winning the division every year.....one day, the Browns will scare the Steelers.... one day.
The Steelers-Browns rivalry is NOTHING like the Bears-Packers rivalry. There has never been one team over the last fifty or so years that have had the upper hand in this rivalry. In the 1960s, the Vince Lombardi Packers controlled the rivalry (15-5). Then, in the 70s and 80s, the Bears had the upper hand (22-16). Then, from 1992-2003 the Brett Favre led Packers were the top dogs in this rivalry. However, since Lovie Smith became a head coach, the Bears have won the majority of the games including a 7-3 record from 2004-2008. In the Steelers-Browns rivalry, it has been all Pittsburgh in the last forty years with the exception of the 1980s. Also, last time I checked Art Rooney never helped keep the original Browns in Cleveland by going to Cleveland's city council and asking the city to build a new stadium for the Browns like George Halas did with the Packers in the 1950s. Just sayin'
The last case for his argument came from a Colts fan:
Couldn't agree more on the Bear/Packers feud. I'm originally from Indy and some of my friends up here were trying to convince me that the Bears/Packers rivalry was bigger than the Colts/Patriots. I had two responses ... 1) It's all about timing. Even though the Bears and Packers have been playing each other forever, when was the last time both teams had a long stretch of great teams where they were considered to be the NFL's elite? The Colts and Pats on the other hand were basically a mirror image of the Red Sox and Yankees. The Pats owned us so badly that we couldn't even really call it a rivalry up until the Colts finally broke through in 2006. Since then, every game they have played has been close no matter who's healthy or which team is better at that given time. Both teams want to win that game as much as the fans do which makes it a legite rivalry .... and 2) Up until they asked me the question, I didn't even know the Bears and Packers were rivals .... and I've lived here 5 years.
Well, there you go! Someone didn't know that it was a rivalry, so he has to be correct! You know, sometimes there are instances where I just end up wondering why I'm even bothering to continue reading his stuff. Today was one of those instances.
-My vote for the ten greatest NFL conference championship games of all-time:
10. 2008: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals (25-32)
One of the most unlikeliest teams to ever play in the Super Bowl was the 2008 Arizona Cardinals. Entering the postseason after winning the NFC West with a 9-7 record, the Cardinals went on a surprising run that included outstanding performances from future Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner and WR Larry Fitzgerald who had a postseason record tally of 546 receiving yards, 30 receptions and 7 TDs. The Cardinals finally stop into Tampa (the location of the Super Bowl in which they played) was at home in University of Phoenix Stadium against NFC's #6 seed Philadelphia Eagles, another team to have a surprising run during the '08 playoffs. The game started off as all-Cardinals, leading 24-6 at halftime with Warner throwing three TD passes, all of them to Fitzgerald. But then the game quickly shifted into the second half, with the Eagles putting up 19 unanswered points (capped off by a Donovan McNabb 62 yard TD pass to DeSean Jackson in the 4th quarter) to take a 25-24 lead with 10:45 remaining in regulation (it would have been 27-24 but the 2 point conversion in the ply after the Jackson TD failed). But despite the late second half comeback, the Cardinals did not give up all hope, responding on the very next possession following the Eagles game leading score with a 14 play, 74 yard drive that concluded with a Kurt Warner TD pass to running back time Hightower (who earlier in the drive rand for a Cardinals first down on a critical 4th and inches play) with 2:53 to go, and a two point coversion to take the 32-25 lead. The Eagles would not respond with another scoring drive, and the Cardinals would go on to with the game, and advance to Super Bowl XLIII (a game in which they would eventually lose in dramatic fashion to Pittsburgh).
9. 1967: Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers (17-21)
Technically, this game wasn't called the "NFC Championship Game" as the league was only three years away from merging with the AFL. But it was a game to decide a spot in the Super Bowl, so it technically counts. In a game forever encrypted in NFL lore as "the Ice Bowl, the Cowboys and the Packers played a game to decide who will forever be known as the '67 NFL champion at the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field (literally) in a game that, to date, is still the coldest game in NFL history in terms of actual air temperature (-15 degrees Fahrenheit, with windchill at -36 degrees Fahrenheit). The Packers jumped out into a 14-0 lead, but Dallas would come back to take a 17-14 game early in the 4th quarter thanks to two Green Bay turnovers in the second quarter (leading to two scores by the Cowboys) and a TD pass by running back Dan Reeves to wide receiver Lance Rentzel. Then, with 4:50 remaining in the game, the Packers would start a possession in Dallas's 32 yard line. The offense, led by QB Bart Starr, drove down the field to a point in the game in which the Packers had a 3rd and goal at the 1 yard line with :16 to go. Then, in a play which is still remembered as one of the most famous play in NFL history as well as the most gutsiest (depending on your thoughts on Sean Payton's third quarter onside kick in last year's Super Bowl), the Packers would score the go-ahead touchdown on a Bart Starr QB sneak led by a sensational block by right guard Jerry Kramer to go up 21-17 and, ten second later, go on to win the game. Green Bay would become winners of Super Bowl II two weeks later.
8. 2007: New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers (23-20 OT)
Before January of 2008, only one wild card team (the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers) had ever won three consecutive road games in the postseason to advance in the Super Bowl. During the playoffs of the 2007 season, the New York Giants would end up joining that Steelers team on the list, and in dramatic fashion. With temperature at Lambeau Field during the game around zero, the heavily favored Packers led by QB Brett Favre (his last season in a Green Bay uniform) faced the underdog Giants, who were coming off a surprising victory over the NFC's #1 seeded Dallas Cowboys. Entering the fourth quarter, the Giants were up 20-17, with Green Bay eventually tying the game at 20 apiece. Later in the game, with the two teams still tied, Giants QB Eli Manning would lead New York's offense to Green Bay's 24 yard line, setting up a potential game winning field goal for kicker Lawrence Tynes (who had already missed a potential go-ahead field goal earlier in the 4th quarter).
Tynes would miss the 36 yard attempt wide left (the same way that he missed the earlier field goal) and the game would move into overtime. Green Bay won the opening coin toss, but Favre would have one of his passes intercepted by Corey Webster on the second play of the period (his last pass in the green and gold), leaving New York with good field position to try to win this game. Later on, after the Giants offense were once again unable to score a game winning TD, coach Tom Coughlin once again sent in Tynes to try to win the game for New York, this time a 47 yarder. Only this time, Tynes was finally able to kick the go-ahead field goal, which won the game for the Giants. Despite the fact that it was a pretty big upset, the Giants weren't yet dog with their stunning victories as their next game, Super Bowl XLII against the 18-0 New England Patriots, would end up being their biggest upset of the lot.
7. 1990: New York Giants vs. San Fransisco 49ers (15-13)
In one of the most brutal and most hard-fought defensive battles in NFL conference championship history, one that injured Giants QB Jeff Hostetler and forever ruined the career of legendary 49ers QB Joe Montana thanks to a powerful hit on him by Leonard Marshall that gave him crushed ribs, a bruised stomach, a bruised sternum and a broken hand, the 49ers led the game 13-12 late in the 4th quarter and looked poised to make it to a third straight Super Bowl. That was until 49ers Hall of Famer running back Roger Craig made one of the biggest mistakes of his playing career, fumbling the football with 2:36 remaining in the game. The Giants would take advantage of it, with the offense leading a drive that ended with a game winning field goal by kicker Matt Bahr (his fifth of the game) as time expired. It would be only the second time that the Giants ever won the NFC Championship, and one that advanced them into Super Bowl XXV.
6. 1986: Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns (23-20 OT)
John Elway is a name that is spoken in vain in the city of Cleveland and from all Browns fans, and it was in this game that made the Elway hatred by Clevelandites happen. By now, many of you know what happened in this game. The Browns were leading 20-13 with 5:32 to go in the 4th quarter after a Bernie Kosar 48 yard TD pass to Brian Brennan. If that wasn't worse for Broncos fans, their offense would end up starting their new possession at their own two yard line following a good job by Cleveland's special teams. For most teams this would be an awful sight. However, most teams didn't have John Elway, Captain Comeback himself. Elway would lead Denver on a 15 play, 98 yard long drive that ended with him throwing a 5 yard TD pass to Mark Jackson with :37 seconds left, tying the game at 20 apiece in a moment that will forever be known as "The Drive." The Broncos would then go on to win the game in overtime (the first OT game ever in conference championship history) thanks to a Rich Karlis field goal.
5. 1987: Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos (33-38)
While the '86 AFC Championship game was a classic, it still wasn't the best Browns-Broncos matchup in NFL history (at least in my opinion). The best one took place a year later, again in the AFC championship game, only this time it was at Mile High in Denver instead of the Municipal Stadium in Cleveland and one that ended with a totally different heartbreaking moment in Cleveland sports history. The game started with Denver taking a comanding 21-3 at the half thanks to a great performance by Elway. But then in the 3rd quarter, Browns QB Bernie Kosar would throw three TD passes to cut the Browns' deficit to 31-24 heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, Cleveland was finally able to tie with Denver after a Kosar TD pass to Webster Slaughter, only to lose it with four minutes to go in the quarter thanks to an Elway 20 yard TD pass to Sammy Winder.
Cleveland was then down 38-31 with their offense giving the football with less than four minutes to go in regulation. However, thanks to a sixteen yard run by RB Ernest Byner (who had a very productive game with 187 yards from scrimmage), two Kosar passes to Brian Brennan for 33 yards and an offsides penalty by Denver LB Karl Mecklenburg, the Browns had the football at the Denver 8 yard line with 1:12 remaining. But then, in a play that has forever been known as simply "The Fumble" (one of several awful moments in Cleveland sports lore with "the" in it, including "The Catch," "The Decision" and, recently mentioned, "The Drive"), Byner lost the football at the 2 yard line during a running play, and it was soon recovered by the Broncos. It was the closest that Cleveland would ever be to tying or taking the lead over Denver, and the Browns blew it, along with a second straight shot at the Super Bowl (although they did end up scoring a safety after the fumble).
4. 1998: Atlanta Falcons vs. Minnesota Vikings (30-27 OT)
The '98 Minnesota Vikings were one of the most exciting teams and had one of the best offenses in NFL history (led by QB Randall Cunningham and the WR duo Cris Carter and then rookie Randy Moss), entering the NFC Championship game with a 16-1 and poised to defeat Atlanta and advance to Super Bowl XXXIII. And with 2:07 to play, it looked more likely that this was going to be the case with the team up 27-20 and kicker Gary Anderson (who had yet to miss a field goal during the season) prepared to kick a 38 yard field goal that would have been the dagger in Atlanta's postseason hopes. But then, in a twist of fate, Anderson ends up missing the field goal, thus giving the Falcons new life. Atlanta would end up taking advantage of that miss, with QB Chris Chandler leading the team to a game tying drive that wrapped up with a TD pass to Terance Mathis, sending this game to overtime (the first in NFC Championship history). In overtime, Chandler once again performed some unlikely heroics at the Metrodome, leading a 70 yard drive that ended with Falcons kicker Morten Anderson (Gary's brother) ironically kicking a game winning 38 yard field goal that would give a Falcons a ticket to the Super Bowl that should have probably been Minnesotas'.
3. 2009: Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints (28-31 OT)
Nearly a full decade after Anderson's miss, another close yet heartbreaking loss in the Minnesota Vikings would take place at the New Orleans Superdome. The Saints, led by QB Drew Brees, and the Vikings, led by Brett Favre, entered the game as the NFC's #1 and #2 seed respectively and with two of the best offenses in the NFL at the time. And in this game, both teams competed in a game that would play into the pregame hype. Overall, it was an epic back and forth affair, with both teams' offenses scoring four touchdowns in regulation and each defense hitting with all their might (especially the Saints defensive line, which abused and injured Favre countless times) while also featuring some mistakes or two (especially in the Vikings camp, with the team's offense fumbling the ball four times). Both teams played so evenly amongst each other that the score was tied 28-28 with five minutes to go in the 4th quarter after an Adrian Peterson game tying TD run. After the Saints offense weren't able to convert a 3rd and 18 in their own territory, the team was forced to punt to Minnesota, whose offense received the ball at their twenty with less than three minutes to go. However, after two great passes by Favre to both Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice respectively and a first down run by Adrian Peterson, it was Vikings football at the Saints 33 yard line with Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell just waiting to kick a potential go-ahead field goal.
Unfortunately for Longwell, he was unable to kick the field goal. That was because, with 19 ticks left on the clock, the referees in this game called a 12 men on the field penalty, causing the clock to stop and the Vikings to move back five yards. Then, on the very next play, Brett Favre forever becomes the goat of this football game, throwing a critical interception to New Orleans's Tracy Porter (his third consecutive season ending interception), which would send this game into overtime. The rest I'm sure you all remember. New Orleans wins the coin toss in overtime (the last playoff game to be played under the old sudden death system before the new ones were set up this past offseason), Drew Brees leads the Saints to a productive offensive drive, and kicker Garett Hartley kicks a game winning field goal to give the Saints the victory a trip to Super Bowl XLIV of which they would win 31-17 over the Colts two weeks later. The unexpected "miracle" season of Favre and the Vikings finally came to an end.
2. 2006: New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts (34-38)
In the aughts, there was no better or more exciting rivalry as Colts-Patriots. On January 21st, 2007, the rivalry started to hit its peak in one of the most exciting NFL games of all-time. Heading into the game, QB Peyton Manning had yet to beat Tom Brady and Bill Belichick of the Colts in his entire career and was still in that "never wins the big game" portion of his career. Early on in the game, it looked as if it was going to be "same old, same old" in this rivalry with the Patriots leading 21-7 at halftime. But this was a much different game than previous Patriots-Colts matchup would have you believe. In the third quarter, Manning led New England to two TD drives, tying the game at 21. The Patriots would take back the lead later on in the 3rd with a Tom Brady TD pass to Jabar Gaffney but the Colts would respond right back, with Manning leading another TD drive that ended with a crazy touchdown recovered by center Jeff Saturday.
The end up would end up being tied at 31 apiece early in the 4th quarter until, later on, Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 43 yard field goal to give New England the 34-31 lead with 3:49 left in the game. Manning ended up having one last chance late in the game to lead the Colts offense in a drive that would either tie the game or give Indy the lead. Six plays and a defensive penalty by New England later, Manning handed the ball off to running back Joseph Addai, who ran it in for the score to give Indianapolis a 38-34 late in the game. The Patriots offense had one last opportunity to score, but Tom Brady's pass was intercepted by Marlin Jackson with :17 left on the clock, and the Colts would finally win their first AFC Championship in nearly thirty five years. They would go onto win Super Bowl XLI four years later, and Manning's sceptics were finally hushed (at least for another year three years or so when he failed to win Super Bowl XLIV).
1. 1981: Dallas Cowboys vs. San Fransisco 49ers (27-28)
The Catch, a.k.a. Joe Montana to Dwight Clark in the game's final seconds to win the game for San Fransisco that began an '80s dynasty. Need I say more?
The Super Bowl bye week starts right after this week's games, which means that I have no idea what to write about in next week's column. But rest assured, whatever it is it will consist of random football related opinions and nothing else. OK, maybe a Pro Bowl pick, but that's about it. Either way, make sure to come back next week and read it when I have that posted. Until then, have a fabulous weekend, and for God sakes enjoy the f%#^@* games!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or
tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
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