NFC Championship: GB 44, NO 12

After dominating the Cowboys in the Divisional round the Pack headed down to the Big Easy with hopes of unseating the Saints.  Green Bay scored early and often as the Saints could get nothing right.  Coach Keller called some great plays, but alas the results fall squarely on the shoulders of the talent, and New Orleans was not up to the task of executing today.  The normally dynamic Drew Brees threw 4 picks, while Aaron Rodgers was busy throwing 3 TD's.  Once again Rodgers spread the ball around to 9 different receivers as he kept the Saint defense off balance all afternoon.  Statistically the one bright spot for the Saints came from Devery Henderson, who caught 8 passes for 100 yards and 1 TD.  The rest of his teammates decided to take the day off.  Green Bay heads to the CFL's Super Bowl X vs the winner of Denver/New England.

Divisional Playoff: DEN 36, IND 33

Indy carried a 27-21 lead into the 4th quarter, but could not hold off the hard charging Broncos.  Robert Smith caught a 9 yard TD pass from Jake Plummer to give the Broncs a 1 point lead with 10:22 left to play.  Matt Stover nailed a 42 yarder at the 5:37 mark and a 39 yarder at the 3:48 mark to give the Colts a 33-28 edge.  Denver was not done and Plummer led his on a 9 play / 72 yard drive that took just over 2 minutes to culminate in a Ashley Lelie 17 yard TD grab.  On that drive the usually enigmatic Plummer looked like his counterpart Peyton Manning.  Speaking of Manning, he still had 1:32 left on the clock and the ball on his 36.  On the first play from scrimmage he hit Reggie Wayne for 15 to cross midfield.  On the following play he hit Pierre Garcon for 17 yards to get to Denver's 32 with 1:14 left to play.  Garcon caught a short dump off for 2 yards, but wound up injured on the play, thus robbing Manning of a valuable and reliable target.  On third down Manning overshot a flare pass to Joseph Addai.  That setup a 47 yard game tying FG attempt for Matt Stover who came up a few yards short.  Plummer took 3 knees and the Broncs were headed to the Conference championship in Foxboro.

Divisional Playoff: NO 38, MIN 31

It doesn't matter if it's MIN vs NO or CLE vs PIT, as it was in the first CFL Season...a Keller vs Geller matchup is always going to be a classic.  Once again these two veteran CFL rivals hook up in a game that ends in a 1 score differential.  New Orleans carried a 31-17 lead into the fourth quarter, but true to form in this rivalry Stu Geller rallied his troops for a comeback.  This time it happened on the defensive side of the ball when Cedric Griffin picked up a fumble and returned it 36 yards.  Keller answered back with 4:28 left on the clock when Mike Bell ran one in from 3 yards out.  Brett Favre hit Visanthe Shaiancoe for a 2 yard toss with :35 left to go on the clock to draw it to within 7, but that would be it as the Saints held on to go to the NFC Championship.

Div Playoff: GB 44, DAL 14

Dallas struck first when Tony Romo hit his favorite target Jason Witten for a 1 yard toss with 9:54 left to go in the first.  After that it was all Green Bay.  With the thermometer hovering around 16 degrees fans began to reminisce about the fabled Ice Bowl of the late 60's.  The temperature would be the only connection to that game since Green Bay dominated this contest.  Mr. October, Tony Romo, once again had his January woes by throwing 2 pick and just looking out of sync.  Contrast that to his counterpart, Aaron Rodgers, who tossed 4 TD passes and spread the ball around to 9 different receivers.  Ryan Grant had 107 yards on the ground on 21 carries for 2 TD's and a 5.1 ypc average.

Pats win on last second miracle Kick Return TD

It’s Playoff time, as the 2007 NE Patriots host the 2006 SD Chargers. It is 28-degrees and cold outside, but the skies are clear. SD wins the coin toss and elects to Receive.

First Quarter

Things started slowly, as the teams could not drive and traded punts. NE took SD’s second punt at the 6:34 mark and began the drive at their own 37-yard line. Tom Brady hit on 3 short passes to Kyle Brady, Kevin Faulk, and Wes Walker. Then, NE hit the ground running with Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris. Sitting on the SD 23-yard line, Brady then hit Benjamin Watson for 10 yards. SD was soon facing 1st & Goal, but the SD Defense tightened up and held NE to a FG with 0:55 left in the First Quarter. The Quarter ended with a slight 3-0 NE lead.

Second Quarter

SD had the ball again to start the Second Quarter, but was forced to punt yet again. Both Defenses were rather stingy in this cold weather. NE drove again to the SD 39-yard line – only to have Brady fumble the snap. This was a big break for SD, as Philip Rivers began the drive by first hitting Antonio Gates for 44 yards. Now at the NE 14-yard line, LaDainian Tomlinson (LT) took the ball into the Endzone at the 11:46 mark and gave SD a 7-3 lead. Starting at the 20, NE came roaring back. Brady hit Heath Evans on a 7 yard flare and then hit Randy Moss for 17 yards. Brady also hit Dante Stallworth for 10 yards before Maroney ran the ball another 12 yards. Sitting on the SD 23-yard line, Brady ended the drive with a laser strike to Walker in the back of the Endzone. With 6:49 left in the Half, NE now led 10-7. Special Teams for SD were on fire most of the game, as SD once again had great field position and started the drive a the 50. Michael Turner  ran for 13 yards, but the real story here was LT running for another 42-yard TD burst – giving SD the 14-10 lead with 5:22 left in the Half. Both teams were feeling good about their Offense, maybe too good, as they traded punts again. NE got the ball back with 2:06 left, and went into their 2-minute Offense. Brady first hit Moss for 35 yards before the 2-minute warning. Morris edged them closer with 4 yards, but the pass to Jabar Gaffney for 8 yards got NE to the SD 17-yard line. With 0:19 left to play in the Half and facing 4th & 3, Stephen Gostkowski hits the 34-yard FG to basically end the Half. NE went into the locker room still down 14-13, but they get the ball back to start the Second Half.

Third Quarter

NE took the opening kickoff and Brady drove down to the SD 1 with the help of 3 short passes to Walker and a nice run by Maroney. But, the SD Defense was brutal at the Goal Line and held. NE could bend the SD Defense, but NE could not break it. Now 4th & Goal at the 1, NE rolled the dice…but Brady was sacked by Jacques Cesaire and SD took over. The SD Defense played an outstanding game. Pinned deep, SD could only manage to punt, going 3-and-out. With good field position, Brady hit Stallworth for 18 yards and Watson for 10 yards. Another big 12-yard run from Maroney put NE right back at the SD 5-yard line. Here, Brady hit Ben Watson for the TD – grabbing a 20-14 lead with 6:02 left in the Quarter. The teams then traded punts to end the Third Quarter.

Fourth Quarter

Down 20-14, SD started the final Quarter on the NE 42-yard line. It was now the “LT Show”, as he ran for 12 yards here and 6 yards there – and then another 8 yards. The SD Offense rode LT down to the NE 9-yard line, where the drive was eventually capped off by a 7-yard LT TD run. He now had 3 TD’s in the game and gave SD the 21-20 lead with 10:57 left to play in the game. Both Defenses got stingy again and the teams traded punts. NE eventually got the ball back on their own 35-yard line with 7:13 left in the game. In order to eat some clock, the NE Offense went to the ground and Maroney and Morris traded carries. To keep the SD Defense honest, Brady did hit Maroney for a 17-yard pass and also hit Walker for another 9 yards. Feeling  left out, Moss caught a couple of short slants for 3 and 4 yards, which forced SD to burn its final 2 timeouts with 2:41 left in the game. Sitting on the SD 15-yard line and facing 3rd & 7, NE went with Maroney for 5 yards – leaving 4th & 2 on the SD 10-yard line, right at the 2-minute warning. Gostkowski came in to nail the 27-yard FG and give NE a 23-21 lead, while leaving 1:56 on the clock. Special Teams took the kickoff to the SD 37-yard line. With only 1:49 left to play and no timeouts, SD was only 25 yards away from a winning FG. LT quickly scampered OB for 8 yards, but Rivers missed on 2 short passes. This left SD with 4th & 2 and 1:28 to play, but Phillip Rivers then hit Gates for another 11 yards to again stop the clock. With 1st & 10 on the NE 44 and 1:18 on the clock, Eric Parker struck a crushing blow to the mighty NE Defense with a 14-yard End Around. With the clock still running and the Defense confused, LT ran for another 13 yards down to the NE 17-yard line – leaving only 0:24 on the clock. With the wind at his back, Nate Kaeding kicks the 34-yard FG for the 24-23 SD lead – and only 0:20 remain on the clock. The SD bench was going wild, the NE  crowd was stunned into silence. As the SD players were gathering around the Gatorade for their victory dance, the kickoff sailed high and deep to the NE 3-yard line. There, little known Willie Andrews fielded the kick. First, he ran to the left, then he ran all the way back to the right – and he ran past the SD bench on the way to a 97-yard Kickoff Return TD. There were no flags on the ground. The crowd went nuts, as they just witnessed a miracle. With 0:04 still on the clock, Gostkowski hit the Squib kick to end the game, giving NE a 30-24 victory.

There are no real words to describe this game. NE had beat SD on paper, yet they had no business winning this game. The SD Defense and Special Teams played outstanding, and the coach called a terrific game to keep NE off-balance. With no timeouts and less than 2 minutes, SD marched down the field to hit the potential game-winning FG. They could not ask for anything more. Unfortunately, the SD players got caught up in the moment and allowed the small ray of light – and NE capitalized on it.

The Game MVP went to LT, deservingly so, as he rushed for 159 yards on 23 carries and 3 TD’s. No player for NE really stood out, but Brady was impressive with 319 passing yards and 2 TD’s. His focus kept them driving and in this game – until the end.

--submitted by Georges Bseraini--

Indianapolis 45, Miami 10

In a matchup not unlike Hannibal's victory at Cannae, Miami was throttled by Indianapolis.  9 Indy possessions resulted in 7 scores, six of them touchdowns.  Two drives lasted less than ten seconds, and only two drives were shorter than 40 yards and one of those resulted in a touchdown.  Miami had the ball first and failed on long field goal attempt.  Peyton Manning (21-33, 364 yards, 5 tds) opened up with a bomb to Reggie Wayne (4-97, 1 td) -- result: 56 yards, touchdown, and a seven second drive.  Indy's next possession after another missed field goal lasted a little longer, 1:39 seconds, but the rsult was the same, a touchdown pass to Austin Collie (3-42, 1 td).  After an interception, Indy's next drive consumed a little more three minutes, with Joseph Addai (6-47, 1 td) getting his licks in with a five yard run.  On their next possession, Indy was held to only 13 yards and punted for the only time in the game.  Indy got the ball back and covered 84 yards in 2:17 with Dallas Clark (5-80, 1 td) going the last 21 on a pass from Manning.  On the opening drive of the second half, Indy had their longest drive of the game, consuming nearly 6 minutes before settling for a field goal.  But the Colts made up for that on their next drive.  After a Miami fumble, Manning took 8 seconds to hit Pierre Garcon (3-46, 1 td) for a 22 yard td pass.  Indy's final score came on a short dump to Donald Brown.  It was his only reception of the game and he made the most of it by outrunning the Miami defense for 62 yards and the score.  Brown would later have a 56 yard run only to fumble at the end of it.  Miami held the ball for over 42 minutes but could only manage 10 points.

--submitted by Tom “Crash” Davis--

Colts 34, Steelers 17

Two so far disappointing teams meet up in Indianapolis.  The Super Bowl champ 2008 Steelers come in with a 2-4 record and the nearly perfect 2009 Colts are 3-3.  Thus far in the season, Peyton Manning had thrown 15 interceptions in 6 games, just one less than he had in the entire 2009 campaign

Indianapolis was happy to get through the first quarter with Manning having only thrown one pick, to Troy Polamalu.  In fact Indy was outrageously happy to leave the first quarter with a 3-0 lead on a Matt Stover 23 yard field goal.  However, the second quarter was not the happy fest the first was.  Manning was picked twice, once by Ike Taylor and a second interception for Polamalu.  In between, the Steelers mounted a scoring drive of their own with Ben Roethislsberger hitting Willie Parker  on a one yard flare pass for a touchdown.  After the second Polamalu interception, the Steelers were unable to gain any headway and had to punt.  But Manning came back and threw his fourth interception of the game, this time to Lawrence Timmons.  Timmons nearly took it to the house, being pushed out on the 2 after a 43 yard return.  On the next play Parker (16-52, 1 td) carried the ball over and the Steelers had a 14-3 lead.  Manning got the ball back on his own 32 with 2:10 left in the half.  Perhaps having had a dad who was not unfamiliar with interceptions helped his psyche as Manning called nine straight pass plays, missing two times, being sacked once and hitting five, including the last one to Dallas Clark for a 27 yard touchdown.  The extra point made it 14-10 at halftime.

On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, the Steelers lost Michigan alum Lamar Woodley for the game.  This seemed to take a little steam out of the Steelers and gave the Colts added zest.  The two teams traded punts and then Manning went to work again.  A 68 yard drive consisting of 4 passes and a draw to Joseph Addai put the Colts on the Steelers 3.  With three wideouts in the game, the Steelers expected pass, but Addai took the ball instead, scooted around end and the Colts were back in font 17-14.  The teams traded punts the remainder of the third quarter and the fourth quarter opened with Jeff Reed hitting a 39 yard field goal to tie the game.

With the Steelers looking to defend the pass, Addai had one of his better series of the season, carrying the ball 3 times for 18 yards (this is the Colts, remember) and helping his team down to the Steeler 6.  There Manning found Dallas Clark for a touchdown and a 7 point lead. Now Roethisberger (14-31, 167 yds, 1 td, 1 int, 5 sacks)did a Manning impersonation, the bad Manning, not the good.  Antoine Bethea intercepted an errant throw and returned it to the Pittsburgh 29.  A pass to Austin Collie (3-22).  Another to Dallas Clark (11-169, 2 tds) and the Colts were on the one.  After Addai (18-61, 1 td) failed to punch the ball over, Manning went play action and flipped the ball to Addai (4-18, 1 yd) in the end zone and the Colts were up 14. The Steelers were unable to make a first down and punted.  With 7:06 remaining, Manning (28-41, 377 yards, 4 ints, 3 tds, 2 sacks) went to work on the clock.  A 7 play drive featured only two passes and the Stover added another field goal to make the final score 34-17.

--submitted by Tom “Crash” Davis--