The Championship games went pretty much as expected, I reckon. Patriots were run a bit closer by Ravens than I and most had thought they would be, but they still came out on top.
Patriots vs Ravens
It was a poor offensive start to the game, with the first 6 non-punting plays of the game combining for 11 yards. It took another 3-and-out, with no yards gained, before anyone established any real momentum. Brady managed to settle down and get down the field into the Red Zone, but Ravens defence held strong to restrict Patriots to a field goal.
Baltimore punted again after losing 15 yards on their 3-play drive. Brady then threw his first interception of the game, and then Flacco managed to get some yardage as he marched his team down the field in just over 4 minutes and got to the Patriots 3. However, much like Baltimore, New England held firm to restrict Flacco and co. to a field goal. Patriots then took a 10-3 lead through a 7-yard rush from Green-Ellis, who was holding the offense together. Brady only passed 4 times on the 10-play drive, including a 20 yarder to Tight End extraordinaire Rob Gronkowski.
Just a few plays later however, Ravens were back on level terms when a 37-yarder from Flacco to Boldin put them in the Red Zone on Patriots 18. 4 consecutive rushes for 12 total yards from Ray Rice edged them even closer to even things up, and then Pitta was found in the end zone to level the game at 10.
Brady was beginning to find some rhythm and made 5 consecutive passes to get New England into Field Goal range, but 3 incompletions in a row meant they had to settle for 3. This ensured they had a 13-10 lead going into half time.
Patriots went downfield on the opening drive of the 2nd half, but once again had to settle for 3 more after they could not find a way past Ravens superb defence. Ravens then took the lead for the first time 6 minutes later thanks to some steady play, which was topped off by Torrey Smith getting into the end zone for a TD.
Ravens steady offense and fantastic defence had given them belief that they could cause an upset. The pressure got to Patriots kick off returner Danny Woodhead, who fumbled the ball on his own 28 to set up Ravens in an excellent position. A touchdown here would have made it an 8 point game, but defence once again came out on top and Ravens kicked a field goal to go ahead by 4.
Just one drive later, Ravens were made to pay for that missed chance when Brady decided he'd had enough of field goals and dived in himself on 4th & 1 at the Ravens 1 yard line.
Defence once again prevailed for the rest of the quarter when first Flacco was intercepted by Spikes, and then on the next play Smith returned the favour to intercept Brady. Flacco was on the Patriots 33 on the resulting drive, and he went for it on 4th & 6. The pass was broken up by some more good defence, but Patriots could not take advantage of this and went 3-and-out to give Ravens the ball back on their own 17.
Step up Joe Flacco. Starting on his own 21, he had the chance to do an Alex Smith and win the game. Patriots defence forced a couple of 3rd downs, but Flac held his nerve to convert them, and with 22 seconds left, Ravens were on Patriots 14. Flacco did not convert the 3rd & 1, so the Field Goal unit came on for a routine 32 yarder and 3 points that would have taken the game into OT. Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff stepped up and everyone was expecting OT. But the set wasn't great and Cundiff shanked it horribly wide left to give Patriots the game and a trip to the Lucas Oil stadium.
49ers vs Giants
A cautious start by both teams resulted in neither team getting a big play for the opening couple of drives, with the longest passing play being 12 yards. But then on the second play of 49ers 2nd drive, Alex Smith hit Vernon Davis, the hero of the Divisional win vs Saints, for a 73 yard touchdown play that gave 49ers the first points of the game.
Manning looked more settled, making some big plays, but neither team could establish some rhythm. A turnover on downs from New York gave the ball back to San Francisco, but they had to punt after some good defencive work. Eli then built a good drive, combining long and short passes to get to the 49ers 6 yard line. There Manning found Pascoe for the tying touchdown. The final 11 minutes of the quarter passed by, with most of the drives resulting in a punt. However Eli managed to string some more passes together and got down the field in 90 seconds to set up a field goal, which was duly converted by Tynes.
Defence dominated the start of the 2nd half, with 3 punts being forced in the opening 9 minutes. The final punt, from Giants punter Steve Weatherford, was returned for 24 yards by Williams to give 49ers good position on their own 46. Here, Alex Smith took just 3 plays to get the ball into the end zone, with Davis once again on the receiving end of his pass to make it 14-10.
Defence soon took over again, with 4 more punts being forced in the 11 minutes or so that sandwiched the 3rd and 4th quarters. The final punt however, was so crucial. It was a routine catch, but Williams fumbled the ball and it was recovered by new York to give them an excellent chance to take the lead on the 49ers 29. They did just that when a few plays and a 10-yard penalty later, Manningham caught the ball in the end zone to give the advantage back to the visitors.
A superb 40-yard kickoff return from Williams meant that Smith and co. started the drive on their own 45, and a couple of big rushes later, first from Smith himself, and then from Hunter, 49ers found themselves on the Giants 10. A touchdown here would have made it a 4-point game, but San Francisco could not find a way past the excellent New York defence and they had to settle for 3.
The game looked destined for overtime as neither defence looked like crumbling under the pressure. More punts were forced, and before we knew it, overtime was upon us.
More punts followed, and another fumbled return by Williams (again), gave the Giants a fantastic chance to get to the Superbowl when they lined up on the 49ers 24. In the next 5 plays, Giants made 11 yards to make it slightly easier for Tynes. He did not replicate what Billy Cundiff had done just a few hours earlier, and Giants were going to Indianapolis.
Friday 3 February 2012
Wednesday 1 February 2012
NFL Divisional Games
Could anyone have predicted what would happen in the NFC? It was all pretty smooth to start with, seeds 3 (Saints) and 4 (Giants) winning in the Wildcard rounds. Then came the Divisional championships, and one of the greatest playoff games of all time.
After destroying Detroit Lions at home, Saints had to to travel to Candlestick Park to face San Francisco 49ers for a place in the Conference championship game. It was a pretty average game initially; 49ers scored a pair of touchdowns and a field goal before Saints were on the board, but New Orleans hit back with 2 touchdowns of their own to cut the gap to 3 halftime at 17-14. The 3rd quarter consisted of interceptions, punts and fumbles, with a 41 yard field goal from David Akers being the only score in the quarter.
Then the game came alive.
The teams traded field goals to make the score 23-17, and then Saints took the lead for the first time in the game after a good run-and-catch from Darren Sproles. 49ers soon hit back after a gutsy play call on 3rd and 8 resulted in Alex Smith running the ball into the end zone for a 29-24 lead after the 2-point conversion failed.
Saints had 2:11 to score a touchdown, and score they did. A 4-play drive resulted in a 66-yard Jimmy Graham touchdown, and then Sproles held on to Brees' pass for a successful 2-point conversion to make it 32-29 Saints with 92 seconds left on the clock. All Saints had to do was stop Smith marching downfield from their own 15 after a poor return from Williams, but Smith and Davis had other ideas. After a 47 yard catch from Davis set up some good field position on the Saints 20, Gore made 6 yards and Smith spiked the ball with 14 seconds left. Smith then proved his doubters wrong by hitting Vernon Davis with an inch-perfect pass, as he was getting smashed by Saints Safety Roman Harper, and into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. Saints tried to comeback with a touchdown with a lateral play on the final play on their own 16, but Meachem was tackled 1 yard ahead of the line of scrimmage after Sproles lateraled the ball to him via Brees. Just like that, Saints' record-breaking season had come to an abrupt end.
There was another great game the day after, this time the New York Giants travelled to 15-1 Green Bay Packers, who beat Giants 38-35 earlier on in the season. Giants were the brighter of the 2 teams, taking a 10-3 advantage in to the 2nd quarter. Giants added a field goal and Packers got their first touchdown of the game, but then with time expiring in the first half, Eli Hail Mary-ed it into the end zone. Hakeem Nicks then proceeded to make a fantastic catch with defenders draped around him to make it 20-10.
Based on that play and that play alone, Giants deserved to win this game. How many teams would have either taken a knee to run out the clock? Obviously a 56 yard FG is a bit far, but barely any teams would have done what Eli did. Only Packers themselves or Saints probably would have attempted it. It's that type of balls you need to win in the playoffs. Anyway, back to the game.
A slow 3rd quarter meant the only points were a Packers field goal with 3:55 left, and then the game picked up once more in the 4th quarter with the score at 20-13 Giants. Rodgers went for it on 4th down on the Giants 45, but was sacked, meaning New York got the ball back on the Packers 49, setting themselves up for a potential play that could all but eliminate the reigning champs. Giants strolled down the field in 5 minutes and hit a field goal to give them a 10 point lead.
Surely this would be where Packers showed why they're the best? It was perfectly set up: 10 points down, 7:40 on the clock. The stage was set.
But! Green Bay had not banked on Giants ruthless defence. Grant fumbled the ball on his own 44, and the fumble was subsequently returned just short of a TD for 40 yards. But it didn't matter as one play later, Manning hit Manningham to extend their lead to 30-13 and surely put the game out of reach. Never rule out a team that's gone 15-1 though. Just 2 minutes later, Rodgers found Driver to bring the deficit back to 10. Packers obviously had to go for the onside kick with just 4:46 left, but Victor Cruz recovered it. Another touchdown a couple of minutes later ensured Giants were heading to the Championship game. Rodgers had a chance to add another TD to his collection, but his pass was intercepted, thus ending the game.
Packers didn't lose this game. Giants didn't win this game. Giants defence won this game. They worked like Trojans to ensure passes didn't get to their intended receivers, and their linemen were brilliant at getting to Rodgers and putting the pressure on him.
To the AFC!
After the heroics of Tim Tebow last week (how many times did we hear that this season?), could he do it again against #1 seed New England Patriots? The answer to that question, was no. Not by a long shot. (This review will be a lot shorter than the previous 2. Sorry).
The opening quarter was dominated by Patriots, with the score being at 14-0 at the end of it. McGahee scored the Broncos only TD on a 5-yard run to half the deficit, but Brady took over once again. He dominated the rest of the quarter, throwing 3 touchdowns to pretty much end the game as a contest at 35-7.
The scoreline looked even worse for Denver when Hernandez was found by Brady early on in the 3rd, but a field goal from Splitter gave Broncos a morsel of hope. I know I said that I would never rule Tebow out, but surely even he could not come back from a 32 point deficit? Of course he couldn't. The 4th quarter passed by with barely a whimper, the only score coming from a New England field goal.
And so ended Tebowmania.
The final conference game came in Baltimore, between Ravens and Texans. This was the dullest of the games, with the game being dominated by defence and the score ending up 20-13 in the hosts' favour.
It was a promising start to the game, with Ravens taking a 17-3 lead to demoralise Texans. But Houston clawed their way back into the game with a touchdown and a field goal to get back within 4.
A dull 3rd quarter ended in 0-0, and the 4th quarter was a lot of Arian Foster running the ball and the Ravens defence playing superbly to keep him out. Yates was intercepted by Reed on the Baltimore 29 to set up Ravens for a score to put the game out of reach. But they had to settle for a field goal when Cundiff scored to make the lead a touchdown.
This gave Texans some hope, but Yates was intercepted Reed again with 2 minutes left to all but end the game. Ravens had to punt with 53 seconds left, but Yates got little-to-nowhere and Ravens advanced to the AFC Championship game.
Look out for my NFL Championship post coming very soon. Definitely before the Superbowl. There may also be a Superbowl preview and review in the next few days
After destroying Detroit Lions at home, Saints had to to travel to Candlestick Park to face San Francisco 49ers for a place in the Conference championship game. It was a pretty average game initially; 49ers scored a pair of touchdowns and a field goal before Saints were on the board, but New Orleans hit back with 2 touchdowns of their own to cut the gap to 3 halftime at 17-14. The 3rd quarter consisted of interceptions, punts and fumbles, with a 41 yard field goal from David Akers being the only score in the quarter.
Then the game came alive.
The teams traded field goals to make the score 23-17, and then Saints took the lead for the first time in the game after a good run-and-catch from Darren Sproles. 49ers soon hit back after a gutsy play call on 3rd and 8 resulted in Alex Smith running the ball into the end zone for a 29-24 lead after the 2-point conversion failed.
Saints had 2:11 to score a touchdown, and score they did. A 4-play drive resulted in a 66-yard Jimmy Graham touchdown, and then Sproles held on to Brees' pass for a successful 2-point conversion to make it 32-29 Saints with 92 seconds left on the clock. All Saints had to do was stop Smith marching downfield from their own 15 after a poor return from Williams, but Smith and Davis had other ideas. After a 47 yard catch from Davis set up some good field position on the Saints 20, Gore made 6 yards and Smith spiked the ball with 14 seconds left. Smith then proved his doubters wrong by hitting Vernon Davis with an inch-perfect pass, as he was getting smashed by Saints Safety Roman Harper, and into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. Saints tried to comeback with a touchdown with a lateral play on the final play on their own 16, but Meachem was tackled 1 yard ahead of the line of scrimmage after Sproles lateraled the ball to him via Brees. Just like that, Saints' record-breaking season had come to an abrupt end.
There was another great game the day after, this time the New York Giants travelled to 15-1 Green Bay Packers, who beat Giants 38-35 earlier on in the season. Giants were the brighter of the 2 teams, taking a 10-3 advantage in to the 2nd quarter. Giants added a field goal and Packers got their first touchdown of the game, but then with time expiring in the first half, Eli Hail Mary-ed it into the end zone. Hakeem Nicks then proceeded to make a fantastic catch with defenders draped around him to make it 20-10.
Based on that play and that play alone, Giants deserved to win this game. How many teams would have either taken a knee to run out the clock? Obviously a 56 yard FG is a bit far, but barely any teams would have done what Eli did. Only Packers themselves or Saints probably would have attempted it. It's that type of balls you need to win in the playoffs. Anyway, back to the game.
A slow 3rd quarter meant the only points were a Packers field goal with 3:55 left, and then the game picked up once more in the 4th quarter with the score at 20-13 Giants. Rodgers went for it on 4th down on the Giants 45, but was sacked, meaning New York got the ball back on the Packers 49, setting themselves up for a potential play that could all but eliminate the reigning champs. Giants strolled down the field in 5 minutes and hit a field goal to give them a 10 point lead.
Surely this would be where Packers showed why they're the best? It was perfectly set up: 10 points down, 7:40 on the clock. The stage was set.
But! Green Bay had not banked on Giants ruthless defence. Grant fumbled the ball on his own 44, and the fumble was subsequently returned just short of a TD for 40 yards. But it didn't matter as one play later, Manning hit Manningham to extend their lead to 30-13 and surely put the game out of reach. Never rule out a team that's gone 15-1 though. Just 2 minutes later, Rodgers found Driver to bring the deficit back to 10. Packers obviously had to go for the onside kick with just 4:46 left, but Victor Cruz recovered it. Another touchdown a couple of minutes later ensured Giants were heading to the Championship game. Rodgers had a chance to add another TD to his collection, but his pass was intercepted, thus ending the game.
Packers didn't lose this game. Giants didn't win this game. Giants defence won this game. They worked like Trojans to ensure passes didn't get to their intended receivers, and their linemen were brilliant at getting to Rodgers and putting the pressure on him.
To the AFC!
After the heroics of Tim Tebow last week (how many times did we hear that this season?), could he do it again against #1 seed New England Patriots? The answer to that question, was no. Not by a long shot. (This review will be a lot shorter than the previous 2. Sorry).
The opening quarter was dominated by Patriots, with the score being at 14-0 at the end of it. McGahee scored the Broncos only TD on a 5-yard run to half the deficit, but Brady took over once again. He dominated the rest of the quarter, throwing 3 touchdowns to pretty much end the game as a contest at 35-7.
The scoreline looked even worse for Denver when Hernandez was found by Brady early on in the 3rd, but a field goal from Splitter gave Broncos a morsel of hope. I know I said that I would never rule Tebow out, but surely even he could not come back from a 32 point deficit? Of course he couldn't. The 4th quarter passed by with barely a whimper, the only score coming from a New England field goal.
And so ended Tebowmania.
The final conference game came in Baltimore, between Ravens and Texans. This was the dullest of the games, with the game being dominated by defence and the score ending up 20-13 in the hosts' favour.
It was a promising start to the game, with Ravens taking a 17-3 lead to demoralise Texans. But Houston clawed their way back into the game with a touchdown and a field goal to get back within 4.
A dull 3rd quarter ended in 0-0, and the 4th quarter was a lot of Arian Foster running the ball and the Ravens defence playing superbly to keep him out. Yates was intercepted by Reed on the Baltimore 29 to set up Ravens for a score to put the game out of reach. But they had to settle for a field goal when Cundiff scored to make the lead a touchdown.
This gave Texans some hope, but Yates was intercepted Reed again with 2 minutes left to all but end the game. Ravens had to punt with 53 seconds left, but Yates got little-to-nowhere and Ravens advanced to the AFC Championship game.
Look out for my NFL Championship post coming very soon. Definitely before the Superbowl. There may also be a Superbowl preview and review in the next few days
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