There is only one thing that is a certainty in today’s AFC Championship Game, there will be a first-year NFL coach leading one of the team’s in Super Bowl XLIV. Either the Indianapolis Colts’ Jim Caldwell or the New York Jets’ Rex Ryan will earn the opportunity to possibly become just the third coach in NFL history to win the Super Bowl in their rookie coaching season.
Manning Focused On Another Super Bowl
After that, its anyone’s guess how this game will play out.
The AFC Championship game pits two teams with extremely contrasting styles. The Colts are a pass-happy squad that plays with finesse on both sides of the ball. The Jets are a grind-it-out running squad that plays with a smash-mouth attitude for sixty minutes.
These teams met during Week 16 of the season in an infamous game in which the Colts pulled Peyton Manning and other key starters to ensure their health for the playoffs rather than shoot for an undefeated season. Manning was relieved with the Colts up 15-10, but the Jets would run off 19 unanswered points to end the Colts perfect season.
Thanks to their decision to “forfeit” the game, the Colts catapulted the Jets into the playoffs, leading to a rematch with the top-rated defense in the NFL.
Before leaving the game, Manning was on fire, completing 66% of his passes and accumulating 192 passing yards in just a little over two quarters. His performance was the most successful of the season by an opposing quarterback against the Jets. But his removal has sparked lots of questions of whether Manning would have continued that dominance to the end of the game.
The offensive game plan of these two teams are completely predictable. The Colts will pass the ball. The Jets will run the ball. The winner will be decided by which team will deliver its game plan on defense.
What happened in Week 16 is meaningless.
The Jets defense led the NFL by allowing just 153 yards passing per game during the regular season, stunting its opponents with a solid pass rush and terrific man-to-man pass coverage led by All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis. The Colts offense rated second in the NFL in passing offense despite comfortably winning many of its games during the regular season.
While the Manning to Reggie Wayne combination still rated as tops in the NFL, it was the emergence of newcomers Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon that defined their successful season. With an expected Revis-Wayne matchup leaning to the Jets, Collie and Garcon must step up in the spotlight to ensure the Colts success on offense.
When the Jets have the ball, they will look to establish the NFL’s top-rated running attack with force. While the Colts rated 24th overall against the run, their per game 127 rushing yards against is a bit deceiving. In the two final games when the Colts rested their starters, they gave up 450 rushing yards. Subtract those two outings, they held opponents to 98 yards per game, good for 8th in the NFL. And this includes five games against AFC Pro Bowlers Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice.
The AFC Championship game will no doubt be a battle of wills. Finesse versus Toughness. Execution versus Attitude.
Expect the Colts to come out on top. The difference maker will be the seen at the quarterback position. If the Colts can get out to an early lead and push the Jets to pass the ball, expect Mark Sanchez to finally show that he is a mistake-prone rookie and the Colts will cruise to victory.
The Indianapolis Colts will be taking on the Baltimore Ravens tonight and try to win their first playoff game since 2006 when they defeated the Chicago Bears to win the Super Bowl in 2006. MVP Peyton Manning will face the Ravens tough and opportunistic defense. If the Colts do not come up big tonight, the MVP award will be little to Manning…
Manning had a great year and will lead his offense against a stout Ravens defense. I think he will manage the game and stay away from the early turnovers that gave the Ravens all the momentum lat week. Manning will manage and play far smarter than Brady did last week. On Manning’s mind is his last two playoff loses to San Diego. These loses will serve as incentive and keep Manning focused on nothing short of a victory tonight. He will not let the Colts lose tonight. This game will be very personal to him.
Peyton Manning needs a win tonight to avenge his last two playoff loses.
The Ravens are coming off a impressive 33-14 over the Patriots in New England last week. The Ravens intercepted Tom Brady three times and never looked back. This is what they will need to do tonight to beat Manning and the Colts. If the Ravens can get out to a early lead, they will have a great chance of winning. Joe Flacco only attempted 10 passes, and the Ravens got the running game going with Ray Rice. Getting turnovers, eatablishing the running is a great recipe to win a playoff game. The Ravens are also Road Warriors as they have won six games this decade. They are still lead by Ray Lewis and are not itimidated by any means tonight.
With everything considered, I have to pick the Colts. The Colts clinched everything early and have had time to get healthy and think about a playoff run. The Colts have been here before, lets see if they have learned something.Manning will be hungry to avenge his last two playoff loses–both big disappointments. A third loss would be a even bigger disappointment. Colts taste victory tonight.
The NFL has been under fire this week after Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell decided to bench his starters, including Peyton Manning, during a loss to the Jets in Week 16. Caldwell followed suit again this week and the Colts got beaten even worse in a snowstorm marred game in Buffalo. Every talk show out there hammered Caldwell for the decision to abandon trying to complete an undefeated. Was his decision wrong?
Welker Likely Out For Playoffs
During the New England Patriots and Houston Texans matchup today, Caldwell’s decision was proven to be the right one. With nothing to gain, the Patriots played their starters and watched as Pro Bowl wide receiver Wes Welker went down to a major knee injury. Early reports are that Welker sustained an injury to his ACL and MCL, ending his season.
The Eagles took risks today playing its starters deep into a game that was clearly lost. At least they had something to shoot for…a first round bye. Major contributors in DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek all got shaken up during the game and had to leave the field. No doubt these guys will be on next week’s injury report and the unnecessary hits may impact their play for the playoffs. And Donovan McNabb took his worst beating of the season behind a porous line that was unable to slow down the Cowboys rush.
The fortunes of an NFL team can sway from one week to the next, with injuries being a huge factor. Every team has a few players that are irreplaceable. In Indianapolis, his name is Peyton Manning. His head coach made the right decision. The goal is to win the Super Bowl, not go undefeated in the regular season.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stuck his nose in this week, opening up debate on how to encourage teams to play their players in every game regardless of consequences. He plans to open discussion during the offseason to deter teams from taking what is a smart strategy. The regular season is about earning a spot in the playoff and jockeying for a seed. It makes no sense to meddle with this and it will only serve to hurt the game.
Lets leave well enough alone Mr. Goodell. The NFL is not broken and a rule change diminishes the hard work of players. The bellyaching comes simply from people playing fantasy football and getting upset over the fact that the Peyton Manning coattails could no longer be ridden to a “fantasy” championship.
The final week of the NFL season is upon us and the playoff scenarios are the talk of the NFL. In the AFC, seven teams are still alive for a spot in the playoffs. The New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens have the easy course…win and your in, lose and you are out.
The tiebreaker scenarios change significantly based on who wins and who loses. The Jets and Ravens lose every tiebreaker scenario, making it a free-for-all should either team lose. The following is a breakdown of all the possibilities for today’s games:
New York Jets clinch a playoff spot with:
A win over Cincinnati Bengals
Baltimore Ravens clinch a playoff spot with:
A win over the Oakland Raiders
Denver Broncos clinch a playoff spot with:
Denver win and a New York loss or tie and a Baltimore loss or tie
Denver win and a New York loss or tie and a Pittsburgh loss or tie
Denver win and a New York loss or tie and a Houston win
Denver win and a Baltimore loss or tie and a Pittsburgh loss or tie
Denver win and a Baltimore loss or tie and a Houston win
Pittsburgh loss and a Baltimore loss and a Houston loss and a Jacksonville loss
Pittsburgh loss and a Baltimore loss and a Houston loss and a New York loss
Pittsburgh loss and a Baltimore loss and a Jacksonville loss and a New York loss
Pittsburgh loss and a Houston loss and a Jacksonville loss and a New York loss
Miami loss or tie and a New York loss and a Baltimore loss and a Houston loss and a Jacksonville loss or tie
Pittsburgh Steelers clinch a playoff spot with:
Pittsburgh win and a Houston loss or tie and a New York loss or tie
Pittsburgh win and a Houston loss or tie and a Baltimore loss or tie
Pittsburgh win and a New York loss or tie and a Baltimore loss or tie and a Denver loss or tie
Houston Texans clinch a playoff spot with:
Houston win and a New York loss or tie and a Baltimore loss or tie
Houston win and a New York loss or tie and a Denver loss or tie
Houston win and a Baltimore loss or tie and a Denver loss or tie
Jacksonville Jaguars clinch a playoff spot with:
Jacksonville win and a Pittsburgh loss and a Baltimore loss and a Denver loss and a Houston loss
Jacksonville win and a Pittsburgh loss and a Baltimore loss and a Denver loss and a New York loss
Jacksonville win and a Pittsburgh loss and a Baltimore loss and a Houston loss and a New York loss
Jacksonville win and a Pittsburgh loss and a Denver loss and a Houston loss and a New York loss
Jacksonville win and a New York loss and a Denver loss and a Houston loss and a Baltimore loss
Miami Dolphins clinch a playoff spot with:
Miami win and a New York loss and a Baltimore loss and a Houston loss and a Jacksonville loss or tie
Every time an All-Star team is selected there are always bound to be undeserving guys making the squad and a bunch of bridesmaids hoping to be the bride. The 2010 Pro Bowl selections are no different this year. Unlike most years, there are fewer disagreements on the choices. Regardless, there were some glaringly bad selections and awful omissions.
Here’s my take:
Who Was Undeserving
1. Jason Witten
Here’s a guy that had an awful season. Who cares if he has a lot catches, they’ve been meaningless dump offs and mop up play. He rates at the bottom for YPC, TDs and catches for first downs. Not to mention he is no longer Romo’s go to guy.
2. Bryant McKinnie
Benched two weeks ago as Julius Peppers brutalized Brett Favre, leading to the sideline meltdown between Favre and Childress. His reward…a starting spot on the Pro Bowl offensive line. At least Pepper is on his team this time.
3. David Akers
A beneficiary of playing on a team that can’t put the ball in the end zone. Kicking is about more than just chipshot field goals. Akers has never shown himself to be a pressure guy and his kickoffs rate in the back half of the league. A little known fact: Shaun Suisham and Nick Folk had better averages for 40+ field goals and they both got cut.
4. Wes Welker
Put the numbers aside, this guy has no right in the Pro Bowl. He is not even their top receiver. His numbers are bloated because of the slot passes which are more wildcat formation runs than actual catches. He’s the only top WR where less than 10% of his catches are over 10 yards.
5. DeAngelo Williams
Williams had a somewhat down year on a bad team that he contributed losses to and he gets in the Pro Bowl? He deserved it last year, but not based on his performance this year. After Jonathan Stewart’s performance against the Giants, Williams might not even start next year.
6. Asante Samuel
While he gets lots of interceptions, he gets beaten too often. This is not to mention that the guy likes less tackling contact than Deion Sanders. Its almost impossible to play every down of every game and only have 40 tackles, but Samuels did it.
Who Got Shafted
1. Cedric Benson
How did this guy not make the team? He leads the NFL in carries per game and has made an unbelievable comeback against all the odds. his performance against the Bears should get him in alone. Probably the biggest shaft of them all.
2. Brent Celek
This guy has been a rock in the Philly offense. Unlike Witten and Tony Gonzalez who feed as dump off receivers, Celek goes down the field for his catches because dumps to its running backs. Not to mention taking hit better than anyone in the NFL. Celek is a major reason why the Eagles offense has clicked despite all the injuries. I guess he lost out so undeserving Eagles like Akers and Samuels could attend in his place.
3. Ryan Grant
This guy has been a workhorse. When he is running the ball well, Green Bay wins games. He is perhaps the most important player to their success because he takes pressure off the offensive line that can’t pass block.
4. D.J. Williams
Victim of the ongoing love affair with Ray Lewis that will never end. Williams had a breakout year that should have gotten the recognition it deserved. Williams is a tackling machine but won’t see the Pro Bowl until Lewis retires.
5. Antoine Bethea
94 tackles, 9 passes defended and 4 INTs. This rates you a bystander for the pro bowl. But if you get 45 tackles, 8 passes defended and 3 INTs at the same position, you are in like flint. Congrats to Ed Reed for stealing Bethea’s spot.
The Saints could not get things started until it was too late and ended up with their first defeat to the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. The Saints lost 24-17 that stopped their winning streak at 13. That leaves the only unbeaten team in the NFL the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts survived Thursday night’s game at Jacksonville winning 35-31 and going to 14-0.
Tony Romo is all laughs after handling the Saints their first loss.
The Cowboys jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The scoring started with a 49 yard scoring strike to Miles Austin. Austin had a great game with 7 catches for 139 yards and that first touchdown to set the momentum for the Boys. Dallas was in command from the start and held a 24-3 lead after three quarters. In the battle of two big name quarterbacks it was Tony Romo who outplayed Drew Brees.
Romo threw for 312 yards and one touchdown and zero interceptions. He was a efficient 22-34 and Dallas as a team had no turnovers. If you do not turn over the ball, you have a great chance to win any game in the NFL. Dallas ended up with 439 total yards and controlled the time of possession with 36:26. If you want to beat the Saints, keep Brees and the Saints off the field. Dallas had a good game plan and executed it to perfection. This victory leaves Dallas within a half game of Philadelphia in the NFC east and greatly increases their chances of playing playoff football.
In contrast, Brees and the Saints seemed to never get off the snide to start the game. Falling behind by three touchdowns after three quarters was to insurmountable to overcome. The Saint got it to 24-17 and had the ball but got held on downs to end the game. Brees was 29-45 with a touchdown and one interception. He also lost two fumbles and the Saints were held to their lowest output of the season. It was a credit to the Saints to make it this close considering they played so poorly the first three quarters.
This loss leaves the Saints at 13-1 and they are still the #1 seed in the NFC. Brees is very disappointed tha the could not bring the deserving fans of New Orleans a perfect season. This loss could only motivate the Saints and Brees to stay focused and not be complacent. It could be Blessing in Disguise.
The Colts and Peyton Manning pulled off another victory in the fourth quarter as they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 35-31 in a back and forth game Thursday night. The Colts fell behind four times before Manning worked his magic on a 65 yard touchdown strike to Reggie Wayne with 5:23 left in the game that turned out to be the game winner, and the only scoring of the fourth quarter. This has become a habit for this team and this quarterback. The Colts have won seven games this year when trailing at one point in the fourth quarter. This team just knows how to get the job done with the game on the line.
How much will Jim Caldwell play Peyton and Co to stay perfect?
Manning completed his first thirteen passes and ended up 23-30 with 308 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. The Colts were playing for pride and a perfect regular season. This team just has a infectious way of winning a football game. Jacksonville was playing for a chance for a Wild Card playoff position, so the Colts beat a opponent that has something on the line.
The Colts have two more opponents left on their schedule. They have the Jets at home and finish up in Buffalo. It will be interesting how much Jim Caldwell will play his starters in these last two games being they already have the home field advantage clinched in the AFC. I hope he gives it a real shot and makes the Colts a perfect 16-0. Maybe he will not want to finish perfect and get a loss out of the way and not end up like the New England Patriots did a few years ago. The next few weeks will tell the story.
The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Denver Broncos 28-16 yesterday and in doing so set two records and kept them rolling towards a perfect regular season this year. The first and current record they set is a impressive 22nd straight regular season victory eclipsing the 21 stright set by the New England Patriots just last year. You have to be both lucky and good to achieve a streak like this. The second and even more impressive record is the Colts have won 114 games this decade breaking the 113 wins in the 90’s set by the mighty San Francisco 49ers. The Colts are making history each week and are steam rolling towards a improbable 16-0 regular season finish. I would not bet against them achieving that goal and achieving that history.
In yesterday’s victory, they jumped out to a 21-0 lead. Denver closed to 21-16 before their great leader Peyton Manning lead them to a 80 yard drive to salt away the victory. It seems that Manning and the Colts can come up with that kind of scoring drive whenever they need to.
Their next three games are Thursday at Jacksonville, then the Jets at home and then finally at Buffalo. They should pull off that triple and will never be forgotten in the annals of the NFL.
I am truly hoping that they pull this off as I love a team and player like Peyton Manning to make sport memories that will last a lifetime. It makes watching the NFL very enjoyable for me and to any NFL fan that enjoys history in the making. Keep the decade of excellence going, Colts.
Along with the Saints, there is another 12-0 team n the NFL and that is the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have been another team that has been very good at times but have been very fortunate to be undefeated. They have done it with the great play from their superstar quarterback, Peyton Manning. They have been suspect on the ground this year as Joseph Addai is their top runner only have amassing 662 yards but has twelve touchdowns. The Colts have a upcoming four game stretch that is win manageable on their quest to perfection.
The Colts next game is home to the Denver Broncos. The Broncos are coming off two impressive victories over the Giants and Chiefs. The Colts are in a different league than those two, add the home field advantage, and the Colts should be 13-0. Their next game is at Jacksonville. This could be a tough road game as Jacksonville as looked good at times. Which Jacksonville team will show up is the question. From their it is the Jets at home. The Colts should roll to a victory over them and possibly be within one game of a undefeated season. Their last game would be in the cold at Buffalo. The C0lts usually don’t fair well in the cold but if they are still undefeated that should warm them up wth the motivation to play well and get the victory.
As you see from their upcoming schedule, the Colts have a decent shot for a perfect season. I would love to see them match the 1972 Miami Dolphins and make this a memorable season for NFL fans. Peyton Manning is one of the best quarterbacks ever and deserves a season like this. Colts+Peyton could very well equal perfection.
Every time an All-Star team is selected there are always bound to be undeserving guys making the squad and a bunch of bridesmaids hoping to be the bride. The 2010 Pro Bowl selections are no different this year. Unlike most years, there are fewer disagreements on the choices. Regardless, there were some glaringly bad selections and awful omissions.
