Wow!
I only took in one game this weekend, and watched it when it was well underway, at that.
But what a game it was!
I tuned in just in time to watch the Vikings kick a field goal to take a 10-0 lead. And from there, until late in the third quarter, it looked like Minnesota was set to dominate, and move onto a showdown with Philly in the NFC Championship Game. But the rest of the game was incredibly exciting, and obviously will live on in football history, and the memory of many.
But more details on that below.
I only took in one game this weekend, and watched it when it was well underway, at that.
But what a game it was!
I tuned in just in time to watch the Vikings kick a field goal to take a 10-0 lead. And from there, until late in the third quarter, it looked like Minnesota was set to dominate, and move onto a showdown with Philly in the NFC Championship Game. But the rest of the game was incredibly exciting, and obviously will live on in football history, and the memory of many.
But more details on that below.
Let's take a look at the upcoming games:
Saturday Games
Atlanta Falcons
vs.
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles 15, Atlanta Falcons 10 - The Eagles used their status as underdogs for locker room inspiration, and put on an absolute clinic defensively. Atlanta has a dangerous, explosive offense, but you might never know that judging by their performance in this contest. Prior to this game, I would not have believed that 15 points would have been anywhere near enough to pull off a win against the Falcons, really, for any team. But Philly's defense was intense, and kept the Falcons in check all day long. The Eagles did not score a ton of points, but their defense made sure that they did not need to. This was an earlier than expected, and obviously disappointing end to the season for the Falcons, but they never did seem to put everything together like they had last year. That said, they seemed to be playing much better towards the end, particularly on the defensive end. But the offense lacked the explosiveness that they enjoyed last season, and that became glaringly obvious up in Philly this weekend. This season will go down as another missed opportunity for the Falcons to exercise their demons, while this win basically legitimizes the regular season success that the Eagles enjoyed, as they now look forward to hosting the Vikings in the NFC Championship Game. My pick: Inaccurate
Tennessee Titans
vs.
New England Patriots
New England Patriots 35, Tennessee Titans 14 - I know that there were apparently some controversial calls in this game, and that Patriots haters are taking this as yet another instance of the Pats being handed a game by the league. However, the Patriots executed, they got hot, and they got the job done, much like most people - if they are honest - expected them to. The Titans had opportunities, but ultimately, after taking a 7-0 lead early, they allowed 35 unanswered points, before they finally broke that and scored a garbage time touchdown in the fourth quarter, well after this one had long before been decided. 22 of 37 passes for 254 yards, with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Not a bad game statistically, although he did not provide enough to make a serious difference here. The Pats won on a typically frigid New England January day, and the Titans just ran out of opportunities, largely because of the well thought out approach to the game by Belichick, and Brady's execution. The star quarterback completed an amazing 35 passes on 53 attempts, for 337 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. Despite these huge numbers that would suggest that the Pats relied too heavily on their passing game, their running game was actually fairly strong, as well, and much more effective than was the running game for Tennessee. All in all, this was more or less what most people expected from this game, as the Pats now await the Jacksonville Jaguars coming to town for the AFC Championship Game. My pick: Accurate
Sunday Games
Jacksonville Jaguars
vs.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jacksonville Jaguars 45, Pittsburgh Steelers 42 - This was the upset of the weekend, as far as I was concerned! I had also wrongly predicted the Falcons to beat Philly, but that was not as big a surprise as this one was (at least for me)! It reminded me of the divisional playoff game between the then upstart Green Bay Packers and the defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers back in the 1995-96 season. The Niners were expected to win, everybody simply took it for granted that they would once again face the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game, because that was pretty much what always seemed to happen, and so people came to expect it. Then, the Packers hit hard and hit early and often, racing off to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, and dominating the game, ultimately knocking off the 49ers. The Jaguars also built a 21-0 lead, although it took a bit longer for them to do so. But the momentum that they built early on stayed with them enough that they won this game, probably in more convincing fashion than the score would suggest. We had just come to take it for granted that the Steelers would get by the Jaguars, and so we find ourselves shocked that they actually did not. Pittsburgh's defense was one of the better units in the league this season, so allowing 45 points at home in their most important game of the season was pretty much a shock. Some are suggesting that they overlooked Jax and were preparing for the rematch against the Patriots. Not sure if this has any truth to it or not, but I will admit that this was not what I expected. I will say that I am glad, because again, I do not want the Steelers to enjoy any serious success anymore while they have "Big Ben" playing as their quarterback. Some things are more important than football, and he should be in jail, not making millions playing a game and receiving praise for it. A huge upset for the Jaguars, though, and they deserve a lot of credit for this. This run is beginning to remind me of their 1996 playoff run, when they shocked the Bills and the Broncos on the road in the playoffs, although the lost to the New England Patriots (who else?) in the AFC title game. Is history repeating itself? Or can the Jaguars make this upset look minor by way of comparison? My pick: Inaccurate
New Orleans Saints
vs.
Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings 29, New Orleans Saints 24 - This was the one game that I actually watched this weekend, and boy, am I glad that this was the one! When I tuned in, the Vikings had a 7-0 lead, and kicked a field goal to make it 10-0. They continued to dominate through towards the end of the third quarter, but it was at that time that the Saints suddenly came alive in a big way! New Orleans saw their veteran star quarterback, Drew Brees, suddenly put on a clinic. Minnesota had been impressive defensively up to that point, but once the Saints solved that particular riddle, they seemed unstoppable. The Saints put together a furious rally that saw them go from 17 points down to a 21-20 lead in the fourth quarter. Minnesota responded, however, notching a field goal with under two minutes left for what seemed like it might be the win. But the Saints responded yet again, marching down the field in a hurry, and getting into field goal position themselves. They kicked it through to take the lead yet again at 24-23, with a mere 25 seconds left in the game. And for most of the rest of that time, it looked like the Vikings were bound for yet another of their trademark playoff letdowns. Case Keenum was getting pressured, and not really looking like a quarterback destined to make the miracle play happen. But we all know what happened next. With ten seconds left, Keenum threw a long pass to Stafon Diggs, who caught it, while Saints safety Marcus Williams went forward and mistimes, or miscalculated, the tackle. One way or the other, instead of hanging back and playing it safe, he missed the tackle, and Diggs caught the ball and kind of twisted around, and found the entire field open ahead of him. He ran into the end zone unopposed as time expired, handing the Vikings an improbable, come from behind victory, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat with an incredible play that is already being called "The Minnesota Miracle." Indeed it was. However, it is important to remember that this is a team game, and that the game was not solely decided by that one play. For example, Brees played well, completing 25 of 40 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns, but with two interceptions in the first half. The second interception proved very costly, as if ended a drive where the Saints were threatening to score, and ultimately, the Vikings were able to get a touchdown on the other end. That was a swing of possibly ten, and maybe 14 points, and clearly, in a game as tight as this, that very well might have been the difference. Keenum also completed 25 of 40 for 318 yard, with one touchdown and one interception. What a touchdown that was, though! My pick: Accurate (Barely!
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