Football is a game of adjustments. The team that wins is usually the one that can re-craft their game plan to the new conditions. That was on full display in Indianapolis during the AFC Championship game. After a lackluster first half the Colts rattled off 24 unanswered points to tame the upstart New York Jets 30-17 and earn a spot in Super Bowl XLIV.
Peyton Manning was terrific, completing 26 of 39 passes for 377 yards and 3 TD, lighting up the top-ranked defense in the NFL which surrendered just 153 passing yards per game during the regular season. Manning entered the game knowing that he’d have to utilize all of his receiving threats with Darrelle Revis lining up across his top threat Reggie Wayne all day long. Revis did his job, but the rest of the Jets defense fizzled.
Colts receivers Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie saved their best performances of the season for the big game. Garcon caught 11 passes for 151 yards, while Collie tallied 7 receptions for 123 yards. Both scored a touchdown each. Their effectiveness nullified a shutdown performance by Revis that took away half the football field for Manning to work with.
The unheralded Colts defense came up big as well. Overlooked by the media all week, the Colts solid rushing defense won the battle on the line of scrimmage, bottling up the top-rated running attack by holding Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene to just 86 yards. A far cry from their average of 172 rushing yards per game during the regular season. Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden sealed the victory with a late 4th quarter interception of Mark Sanchez.
Momentum in the game shifted just before halftime as the Colts blew down the field on 4 plays for 80 yards in just 58 seconds. That drive ended with a blown defensive assignment that left Collie alone in the end zone for a touchdown catch. The Colts kept it going on the first possession of the second half, going down the field with relative ease again, ending with a Garcon touchdown catch.
The Jets defense, particularly the defensive backfield, often times appeared clueless. There were multiple blown assignments that proved costly. With Revis shutting down Wayne with man-to-man coverage, the defensive lapses were inexplicable and squandered an early lead the Jets offense spotted them.
The Colts were taken by surprise in the first half as they stacked the box to challenge the Jets to pass. Sanchez took advantage of a great play action fake, nailing Braylon Edwards in stride for an 80-yard touchdown pass. The Jets followed that up, shocking the overly aggressive Colts with a wildcat formation pass from Brad Smith to Jerricho Cotchery for 45 yards that setup a 9-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to Dustin Keller.
Peyton Manning and the Colts now look forward to a matchup in two weeks against the NFC champion. Manning will look to become the first NFL regular season MVP to win the Super Bowl since Kurt Warner completed the trick during the 1999 season. Coach Jim Caldwell will attempt to become just the 3rd rookie coach to win the Super Bowl.
No matter who they play, either the Vikings or Saints, it will be an exciting Super Bowl.
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.
Give Rex Ryan a hand, the guy has moxie. He turned around a Jets squad overnight that lacked identity and an attitude to win. He took a middle of the pack defense in 2008 and turned them into the most feared defensive unit in the NFL. The coach deserves the credit, even if he has a bigger mouth than his old man, former NFL head coach and inventor of the 46 defense, Buddy Ryan.
But at some point, moxie isn’t enough to get you over the hill, and Rex Ryan’s Jets squad might run into the insurmountable mountain today in San Diego.
Ryan Looks To Maintain Jets Swagger As The Meet Up With Chargers
The San Diego Chargers closed the season on an 11-game win streak and laid claim to the title of hottest team in football. During that span, they claimed road victories at the New York Giants, Dallas and Denver as well as home wins against Cincinnati, Tennessee and Philadelphia. This body of work stamped them as the team to beat in the AFC.
The Chargers bring forward a very balanced offensive attack complemented with solid defensive play. Philip Rivers delivered a dazzling season, rivaling the work of Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning. His presence under center is a calming influence for an offense that spreads the ball out to every one and if needed, can grind it out on the ground if called upon.
The key to a San Diego victory will be Antonio Gates and LaDanian Tomlinson making waves in the passing game. The Jets defense has been defined by the play of cornerback Darrelle Revis. The Jets place him on the other team’s top receiver and take away half of the field. Against the Chargers, this tactic will have less success as the Chargers passing attack has multiple options and can pass underneath effectively. Gates and Tomlinson will set the tone of the game, as Revis will likely matchup with Vincent Jackson on every play and ground him. With the additional passing outlets, Revis’ impact will not be as significant.
Defensively, the Chargers will look to get at Mark Sanchez and force him into mistakes. If San Diego can shut down the Jets running game and put Sanchez into 3rd and long positions, the chance for turnovers will increase dramatically. The Jets don’t have the type of passing attack that scares NFL defenses and you can expect to see the Chargers stuff the box all game long.
The Jets will be in this game, and a victory would not be a shocker if they can impose their will. San Diego has not shown a good defense against the run all season. If the Jets can grind the ball out, control the clock and keep Philip Rivers off the field, they have a shot. It is easier for a team to transition to stopping the run when they have to, which makes the Chargers prospects good.
Turnovers are likely to decide this game. Rivers ranked 4th in the NFL in Interception Ratio while Sanchez rated 30th out of 32 quarterbacks. Expect a Sanchez interception to be the backbreaker for the Jets and end a great first season under Rex Ryan.
The NFL playoffs kickoff today with three repeat matchups from last week, beginning with the most interesting matchup of the weekend between the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals. The Jets won last week’s matchup in a 37-0 blowout as the Bengals rested their starters and choose to not give the Jets a glimpse into their playoff gameplan.
Can Revis Shutdown Ochocinco
The Jets enter the game with momentum on their side. Left for dead after losing six of seven games during the middle of the season, the Jets closed the season strong, winning five of their last six games to earn their spot in the playoffs.
In contrast, the Bengals are limping into the playoffs after a fast start to the season. Opening the season with a 7-2 start, the Bengals have been pestered with the injury bug and closed the season with three losses in its final four games.
Last week’s result is meaningless, but should not be completely dismissed. The Bengals had sewn up their playoff spot and used the game as an exhibition outing to scout the Jets. Carson Palmer’s 1-11 stink bomb was more than just a rollover showing. Today’s game will defined by who wins the key matchups, makes the proper adjustments from last week and enforces their gameplan successfully on the other team.
For the Bengals, the keys to victory will be establishing a running game on offense and stuffing the Jets running attack. On the offensive side of the ball, the matchup between Chad Ochocinco and Darrelle Revis is all but determined. Revis has shut down every top receiver with relative ease and made his mark as the best cornerback in the NFL. Cincinnati’s depth at receiver is light, so the Bengals success will ride on the legs of Cedric Benson.
On the defensive side, the Bengals needs to control the line of scrimmage and keep the Jets top-ranked running attack grounded. With rookie QB Mark Sanchez leading the charge, it is imperative for the Bengals to make Sanchez beat them with his arm. With a penchant for poor decision making and interceptions in bunches, the Bengals defense can feed off Sanchez if they can keep the Jets consistently in third-and-long situations.
The key to the Jets success is the exact opposite. They need to get the running game motoring with Thomas Jones and limit Sanchez’s potential errors. On defense, they need to keep Benson in check. With LB David Harris ailing from a cheap shot chop block last week by Cincinati’s Brian Leonard, this will be a significant challenge for the Jets defense with him not 100 percent. The Jets need to make Revis the game decider as they have done numerous times this season, and if they can impose their defensive scheme, they will likely come out on top given Palmer’s lack of receiving options outside of Ochocinco.
The Jets pose a difficult matchup for the Bengals, matching stride for stride where they are strong. Expect a close game with Revis making the difference in shutting down and hopefully shutting up Ochocinco.
Peyton Manning was terrific, completing 26 of 39 passes for 377 yards and 3 TD, lighting up the top-ranked defense in the NFL which surrendered just 153 passing yards per game during the regular season. Manning entered the game knowing that he’d have to utilize all of his receiving threats with Darrelle Revis lining up across his top threat Reggie Wayne all day long. Revis did his job, but the rest of the Jets defense fizzled.
