Conference Championship Sunday
We’re down to four: New England at Indianapolis, and New Orleans at Chicago. This week, I’m not good prognosticating the outcome of the Conference Championships with any degree of certainty. Anything can happen in the playoffs, as was demonstrated last week in the AFC when the top two seeds were eliminated.
Last week’s NFC divisional playoff games weren’t terribly dramatic. But don’t underestimate the winner of Sunday’s game in the Super Bowl. For that matter, the Indy-Ravens game was a bit of a disappointment. The Indy defense came up big again, and the Ravens simply didn’t seem to have a Plan B offensively. It was a disappointing end for McNair. But it’s the New England-San Diego game that I wish to speak about in detail. The Chargers were overwhelming favorites and they outplayed the Patriots in every phase of the game. With one exception: overall team discipline.
The game was a heart-stoppin’ classic long to be remembered, not because it was a crisply played affair, it was a train wreck. It was a great game because it showed how a team can defeat a collection of highly talented individuals. San Diego had everything going in the favor, home field advantage and a loud throng cheering them on. Tomlinson is genuinely unstoppable and no doubt a worthy recipient as Most Valuable Player in the NFL this season. However, the Patriots did an outstanding job, neutralizing Shawne Merriman, and the Patriots offense in line for the most part had a particularly good day.
Shortly before the end of the half San Diego was up 14-3; Brady then methodically marched the Patriots down field and pushed through a touchdown to pull the team within three. In the second half, San Diego self destructed, plain and simple.
So when it comes to Sunday in Indianapolis, I’m not drinking the hometown Kool-Aid (unlike most New Englanders). Perhaps I’m pessimist (or a realist) by nature, but I see Indianapolis as a far better team than the Patriots. Around these parts, Coach Belichick is portrayed as some kind of infallible defensive mastermind. And certainly, he’s had more than his share of success in the last five years. But it wasn’t so much as a case of the Patriots winning the game against the Chargers on Sunday, but more a matter of San Diego defeating themselves. Somehow, if they stuck to their original game plan, the Chargers would have rolled over the Patriots with little problem. But stupid penalties, including two personal foul calls and critical moments of the game and a number of turnovers spelled doom for San Diego.
Over the last two playoff games the Indianapolis defense has been particularly stingy. They’ve allowed only one touchdown and a pair of field goals in two games. That’s a not bad for a team who had a porous run defense during the regular season, and a credit to coach Dungy’s defensive capabilities. On offense, there is no question as to who is the better team. In the last two years, Indianapolis has come into Foxboro and had little difficulty beating the Patriots. Dwight Freeney is sure to cause the Patriots’ offensive line major headaches. Against Kansas City and the Ravens, Manning didn’t have to carry the team on his shoulders, as was the case in years past.
Analyzing the matchups yields no area where the Patriots have a clear-cut advantage. The one thing that I find particularly troubling is the fact that over the last two playoff games, the Indianapolis defense has gone from a gigantic piece of Swiss cheese to the 1985 Chicago Bears. I don’t understand how the league’s #32-rated defense over the course of 16 games can morph into the Seven Blocks of Granite in two weeks.
The only area of the game in which I feel confident about the Patriots’ chances, is game preparation and strategy. No one will “out prepare” New England. These teams know each other very well, between playoffs in regular-season they’ve seen each other about six or seven times over the last five years. So there should be no surprises from either team. I know New England will enter the game as prepared as possible to win. I’m just not certain that it’s good enough.
Projected Final Score: Indianapolis 31, New England 23.
In the NFC, the Saints had a magical year. For a team that has had such a sorry history and for a town that is rebuilding from a horrific tragedy, it has been a heartwarming and wonderful for City of New Orleans and the people of the Gulf. They have a nice team, and the better quarterback, but the clock is about to hit midnight at Soldier Field for Cinderella. But the magic coach won’t turn into a pumpkin without a fight. Rex Grossman still hasn’t hit the Big Time. The Bears’ defense will be waiting and ready for Brees, Deuce and Reggie Bush.
Projected Final Score: Chicago 20, New Orleans 17.
We’re down to four: New England at Indianapolis, and New Orleans at Chicago. This week, I’m not good prognosticating the outcome of the Conference Championships with any degree of certainty. Anything can happen in the playoffs, as was demonstrated last week in the AFC when the top two seeds were eliminated.
Last week’s NFC divisional playoff games weren’t terribly dramatic. But don’t underestimate the winner of Sunday’s game in the Super Bowl. For that matter, the Indy-Ravens game was a bit of a disappointment. The Indy defense came up big again, and the Ravens simply didn’t seem to have a Plan B offensively. It was a disappointing end for McNair. But it’s the New England-San Diego game that I wish to speak about in detail. The Chargers were overwhelming favorites and they outplayed the Patriots in every phase of the game. With one exception: overall team discipline.
The game was a heart-stoppin’ classic long to be remembered, not because it was a crisply played affair, it was a train wreck. It was a great game because it showed how a team can defeat a collection of highly talented individuals. San Diego had everything going in the favor, home field advantage and a loud throng cheering them on. Tomlinson is genuinely unstoppable and no doubt a worthy recipient as Most Valuable Player in the NFL this season. However, the Patriots did an outstanding job, neutralizing Shawne Merriman, and the Patriots offense in line for the most part had a particularly good day.
Shortly before the end of the half San Diego was up 14-3; Brady then methodically marched the Patriots down field and pushed through a touchdown to pull the team within three. In the second half, San Diego self destructed, plain and simple.
So when it comes to Sunday in Indianapolis, I’m not drinking the hometown Kool-Aid (unlike most New Englanders). Perhaps I’m pessimist (or a realist) by nature, but I see Indianapolis as a far better team than the Patriots. Around these parts, Coach Belichick is portrayed as some kind of infallible defensive mastermind. And certainly, he’s had more than his share of success in the last five years. But it wasn’t so much as a case of the Patriots winning the game against the Chargers on Sunday, but more a matter of San Diego defeating themselves. Somehow, if they stuck to their original game plan, the Chargers would have rolled over the Patriots with little problem. But stupid penalties, including two personal foul calls and critical moments of the game and a number of turnovers spelled doom for San Diego.
Over the last two playoff games the Indianapolis defense has been particularly stingy. They’ve allowed only one touchdown and a pair of field goals in two games. That’s a not bad for a team who had a porous run defense during the regular season, and a credit to coach Dungy’s defensive capabilities. On offense, there is no question as to who is the better team. In the last two years, Indianapolis has come into Foxboro and had little difficulty beating the Patriots. Dwight Freeney is sure to cause the Patriots’ offensive line major headaches. Against Kansas City and the Ravens, Manning didn’t have to carry the team on his shoulders, as was the case in years past.
Analyzing the matchups yields no area where the Patriots have a clear-cut advantage. The one thing that I find particularly troubling is the fact that over the last two playoff games, the Indianapolis defense has gone from a gigantic piece of Swiss cheese to the 1985 Chicago Bears. I don’t understand how the league’s #32-rated defense over the course of 16 games can morph into the Seven Blocks of Granite in two weeks.
The only area of the game in which I feel confident about the Patriots’ chances, is game preparation and strategy. No one will “out prepare” New England. These teams know each other very well, between playoffs in regular-season they’ve seen each other about six or seven times over the last five years. So there should be no surprises from either team. I know New England will enter the game as prepared as possible to win. I’m just not certain that it’s good enough.
Projected Final Score: Indianapolis 31, New England 23.
In the NFC, the Saints had a magical year. For a team that has had such a sorry history and for a town that is rebuilding from a horrific tragedy, it has been a heartwarming and wonderful for City of New Orleans and the people of the Gulf. They have a nice team, and the better quarterback, but the clock is about to hit midnight at Soldier Field for Cinderella. But the magic coach won’t turn into a pumpkin without a fight. Rex Grossman still hasn’t hit the Big Time. The Bears’ defense will be waiting and ready for Brees, Deuce and Reggie Bush.
Projected Final Score: Chicago 20, New Orleans 17.
Labels: Football
posted by Richard | 9:29 PM
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