Divisional Round Ends With a Bang as Giants Roll Over Packers

Final Four are set to clash this weekend in San Fran and New England.

Well the final four are set in this years NFL season and who woulda thunk it, the mighty Packers are nowhere to be found.  The Divisional Round started and ended in fine fashion as both teams playing for the NFC Championship came in as dogs at the beginning of the weekend.  Most poolies had the Saints and Packers clashing at Lambeau this weekend in a rematch of week 1's 42 - 34 shootout.  Clearly with other ideas, the 49ers and Giants threw a monkey wrench into the plans and came away with victory's in both games.

The 49ers and Saints started the weekend with a real barn burner that proved to be my only loss of the weekend.  Saints fans had to be excited with the fact that Drew Brees threw for over 450 yards, 4 touchdowns and that vaunted offense hung 32 points on Patrick Willis and the Niners defense.  What they hadn't accounted for was the the 5 turnovers the Saints had which gave Alex Smith and Vernon Davis the life they needed to score the game winning touchdown with 9 seconds remaining to defeat the Saints 36 - 32.

With Pierre Thomas being knocked out on the first drive of the game after fumbling inside the Niners 5 yard line, you could sense something might be amiss.  After San Fran took a commanding 17 - 0 lead early in the second quarter, that sensation was definitely heightened.  But as Darren Sproles jogged unabated into the end zone to complete the 2-point conversion and put the Saints up 32 - 29 with a minute and a half left, I think people felt like order was restored.  Not so fast.

Davis with coach Harbaugh after game winning catch.

Alex Smith, the grand facilitator, led an 80 yard drive in under a minute and a half that culminated with a 14 yard touchdown pass to Vernon Davis and sent the Saints home for the second straight year in devastating fashion.  Davis, with tears in his eyes as he came to the sidelines after the catch, finished the game with 7 catches for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Smith, not known for his big play ability, threw for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns, while also adding a 28 yard touchdown run late in the 4th quarter. 

The weekend was off and running and we hadn't even seen Mr. Tebow yet.  Before we get to that, the last game of the weekend featured the 15 - 1 Green Bay Packers against the resurgent NY Giants.  With San Fran watching and openly cheering for the Giants, so they would claim another home game this weekend, New York walked into Lambeau with the same intensity and swagger they have shown for the better part of 6 weeks.  The Packers, not so much.

Nicks fights off defenders and catches a prayer.

The play that basically summed up the Packers night came with no time on the clock in the 2nd quarter when NY elected not to kick a 54 yard field goal and instead threw up a prayer into the endzone.  Hakeem Nicks answered that prayer and came down with the ball giving the Giants a 10 point lead going into half, one they would never relinquish.

The Packers looked completely out of sorts all game long with 8 dropped passes and 4 turnovers, including Aaron Rodgers first fumble this season.  Last week in the preview for this game I asked "how will Aaron Rodgers be affected not having played a meaningful snap in several weeks and not having taken a snap in a game at all in 3 weeks".  I guess we can understand now the importance of continuing to play meaningful games in December and keeping your game sharp.  The Giants were playoff ready, the Packers simply were not.

The NFC Championship game is set and it will go through San Francisco.  Two ferocious defenses will take center stage at Candlestick Park this Sunday when the Giants and 49ers meet for the right to go to Indianapolis.  Over in the AFC there was a much less impressive showing from the two games with more predictable endings.

For those of you who are sick to their stomachs watching highlight reels of Tim Tebow singing hymns on the sidelines and kneeling every time he has a good bowel movement, feel sick no more.  Tom Brady took care of business and put an exclamation mark on it for good measure. Brady gashed the Denver defense for 6 touchdowns, 3 to big tight end Rob Gronkowski, and put up 45 points in routing Denver and ending Tebowmania.

Tebow, meanwhile, was left with rib, lung and chest injuries suffered after getting hit in the 3rd quarter of Saturday's game.  The Pats usually suspect defense shutdown Tebow and company giving up only 10 points in the victory.  It was a defensive effort by the offense of sorts because by putting up points early and often Brady took Tebow out of his comfort zone and forced him to throw the ball, something he is not comfortable with.  The final was embarrassing for Denver and has to leave John Elway wondering if Tebow is truly the man long term.

In the other AFC matchup the Houston Texans visited Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens.  Despite a gutsy 132 yard effort from Arian Foster the Texans couldn't muster any late game magic after falling behind 17 - 3 early.  The Ravens looked a little shaky in the first half on defense but came out flying in the second half and shut the Texans out in the 3rd and 4th quarters. 

Baltimore beat New England 33 - 14 in '09 playoffs.

Rookie quarterback TJ Yates was picked off 3 times by Baltimore including twice by Ledarius Webb.  The Texans must be wondering what could have been had veteran Matt Schaub not been hurt in the middle of the season.  The Texans defense proved it could  handle the playoff intensity and we should see this team back here next season.  But for now, the Ravens will head to Foxborough in a rematch of the 2009 Wild Card Round where Baltimore ran all over New England for a 33 - 14 victory.

So with the Steelers and Packers both making plans for next season we are guaranteed to see a new face in both the AFC and NFC in this years Super Bowl.  The question remains, who will those faces be?  I'll have my previews and predictions for both Championship games tomorrow and Friday so stay tuned sports fans.