Water Cooler Recap: Divisional Playoffs Edition
Packers 42, Seahawks 20
I don’t care whether you like the Packers or not – Brett Favre (how sweet was that underhanded toss to Donald Lee?) in the snow at Lambeau Field is what the playoffs are all about. Anyone else find it ironic that the Packers mounted their comeback right as the snow began to fall? Call me crazy, but with how young the Packers are, they needed a win like this. They needed their character tested after falling behind, because in most of their regular season wins, they cruised after taking early leads. Now this team knows that if they get down early after making mistakes, they can still come back. Ryan Grant was amazing and rushing for over 200 yards and three touchdowns after fumbling early on was remarkable…I don’t want to take away anything from Green Bay, but the weather really affected the Seahawks. It seemed to neutralize Seattle’s aggressive defense, their receivers couldn’t hang onto the ball and they had zero running game. Although, the weather had nothing to do with the Seahawks getting completely gashed by Grant.
Patriots 31, Jaguars 20
This game unfolded how many thought it would. Jacksonville was good enough to give New England a game, but if they fell behind by multiple scores in the second half, they were going to have trouble mounting a comeback. Phil Simms hit the nail on the head when he talked about the Jagaurs’ receivers not being able to create separation because of lack of speed. David Garrard had enough time to throw – he just didn’t have anyone open and started forcing passes into coverage late in the fourth…It never ceases to amaze me how calm and collected the Patriots are when trailing. They just never get rattled and despite Jacksonville’s best efforts, New England was in complete control after tying the game 7-7. Tom Brady was a bit of a crybaby throughout the game, but man, was he good or what? Twenty-six of 28 for 262 yards and three touchdowns? Twenty-six of 28 and Randy Moss only caught one pass for 14 yards?! That’s unbelievable. Amazing how efficient the Patriots offense is with Laurence Maroney (122 yards, 1 TD) gaining 5.6 yards a carry, too.
Chargers 28, Colts 24
What an incredible upset. The Chargers had a hobbled Antonio Gates, lost LaDainian Tomlinson in the first half, lost Philip Rivers early in the second half, and were on the road in a hostile environment. The Colts were finally healthy and were flying under the radar; how did they blow this? What a sloppy, error-filled game for the usually disciplined Colts. It’s almost inexcusable for Indy to lose this game and it’s a bit of a disappointment for football fans that we won’t see a Colts-Patriots rematch. Oh well, San Diego played one hell of a game and lets pray that LT, Gates and Rivers get healthy throughout the week, because they’ll need to be against the New England Juggernauts.
Giants 24, Cowboys 17
Who would have thought that at the end of this day, one Manning will play for a championship next week and his name isn’t Peyton. Things are starting to click (I mean, really click) for Eli and after taking a beating for the past few years he deserves this moment. He played a sound game, didn’t make any mistakes and took what the Cowboys’ defense gave him. Michael Strahan was also an absolute beast Sunday…Obviously this is a massive disappointment for the Cowboys, but this game reaffirms how hard it is for one team to beat another three times in one season. When a team wins, there are fewer corrections to be made. When a team loses, it can make adjustments and learn from mistakes. This loss was less about what Tony Romo and Wade Phillips didn’t do, and more about one team making adjustments and executing a solid game plan.
That Green Bay game had me worried early on, but the 42-6 blitzkrieg made me feel a lot better. It was great to see Grant bounce back with a huge game after a horrible start, and like you said, coming from behind like that should be a good confidence builder for this young team.
The Pats game, though close for most of the way, had a certain air of inevitability about it. I just never got the feeling that the Jags had a real chance to win that game. I wonder what percentage of NFL fans are rooting against the Pats right now. The number has to be high.
Mark me down for:
1. Being bummed about the lost Colts/Pats rematch.
2. Rooting my ASS off against New England.
Jeff – good luck on your job interview.
I’m not optimistic about a Chargers upset unless LT, Rivers and Gates can get healthy fast. They’ll need to run the ball effectively and get a score or two on defense/special teams to get the win.
It will be interesting to see how the Giants play at Green Bay after the Packers blew them out earlier in the season in New York. When I did my fantasy defense article, the Giants were one of the few teams that played better D on the road, so maybe they do better away from the constant pressure of New York.
We don’t get to see the Pats/Colts and Packers/Cowboys rematches, but a Pats/Packers Super Bowl is much more likely. The anticipation of that game would be HUGE. America’s QB vs. Belicheat and his band of annoying All-Stars.
I just hope GB can get by the Giants.
A Green Bay/New England Super Bowl would be one of the most anticipated games in NFL history.
Green Bay and the Giants are peaking at the right time so this should be a good football game. The weather may be a factor since it’s cold in NY but not Green Bay cold!! Favre is something like 42-5 when the kickoff temp is below 34 but they’re running into a team that thrives on playing on the road. The biggest question for the Packers will be if Favre can avoid sacks and not turn the ball over against the Giants pass rush. The Giants aren’t the same team today that they were in week 2 without Jacobs and not having a defensive identity at the time, but I still believe the Packers are the better team. The question for the Giants, as always, will be which Eli shows up…the pre-NE game Eli or the post-NE game Eli.
Should be interesting.
Actually, the Packers are a different team too with the way Grant has been running. And we gave him up for a 6th rounder…
The Packers match up so well with the Giants it is sick. The pack have a great defensive front to stop the run and they can also put the pressure on the QB. The Giants can throw the ball at times, but they dont run into corners like the pack have week in and week out (Bigby, Harris, Woodson, Collins). Which leads me to my strongest argument and that is the secondary of the Giants. We will come out in five wide and throw to Jennings deep, Jones and Driver short, and the dont forget about Brandon Jackson and the screen pass. I think Jackson will have another TD this next week on a reception. GOOD LUCK PACK – even though I don’t think you need it”!!!!
Will some team please Smack Down Brady ………… it’s too easy.
I’m taking back what I said about Green Bay & the Giants a week ago.
What the hell do I know, I like the Buc’s