The Minnesota Vikings suffered a devastating loss yesterday at the hands of the New Orleans Saints 31-28 in overtime in the NFC Championship. It would be easy to blame some very shaky officiating in overtime, but a closer look tells the story of a team that has nobody to blame but themselves…
The Vikings outplayed the Saints everywhere but on the scoreboard. They moved the ball up and down on the field outgaining the Saints 475-257. The Vikes defense played more than well enough to get this team to the Superbowl. It was the miscues by the offense lead by Brett Favre that sealed their fate.
The Saints had more that a couple of “Home Town” calls in overtime. In particular was running back Pierre Thomas fourth and inches dive that appeared to be a certain first down. The officials went to replay. The replay showed that Thomas did not have control of the ball where the ball was spotted. It should have been spotted behind the first down marker giving the ball to the Vikings. Another big blown call was a catch by wideout Robert Meachem jut before the game winning field goal. Meachem’s catch was ruled a completion on the filed. The officials again reviewed the play that showed Meachem had trapped the ball. The Saints benefited again and Garret Hartley kicked a 40 yarder than sent them to the Super Bowl.The Vikings have reason to feel they were ripped off. If you going to rely on the instant replay, get the calls right. Everybody saw what I saw and it cost a team the right to play in the SuperBowl . WOW!
But as I said, this is only part of the story. If the Vikings protected the ball, it would of never have gotten to the point of overtime. Minnesota had five turnovers in all. Three fumbles and two interceptions. Percy Harvin fumbled deep in his own territory that lead to a Saints touchdown. Bernard Barrian also fumbled when the Vikes were on the move. But the biggest culprit was quarterback Brett Favre. Favre lost a fumble and had two picked off. The first two were drive killers and the last one sealed preventing them for ending the game at the end of regulation.
On third down and in field goal range, Favre made a decision that was reminiscent of a couple of years ago.Favre had room to run and a receiver right in front of him on the sideline that would of picked up very valuable yardage towards a game winning kick. But instead of seeing right in front of him, the gunslinger threw cross field that ended in a devastating interception. Green Bay fans will remember him doing that against the Giants a couple of years. Favre also had more viable options then but choked then as he did now. He will receive no sympathy form them. Favre ended up 28-46 for 310 yards, a touch and two picks. But it was his last pass, like Green Bay, that will be remembered by Viking fans. The Hall of Famer will have a long off season to think about a very poor decision.
The Vikings have lost five straight NFC Championship games. I have a little sympathy for them. I am a Eagles fan. They have lost four out of five. My advice for the fans of Minnesota is; Some things are not meant to be!
There is nothing worse in sports when poor officiating impacts the result of a game. It is magnified when it happens in a game that decides who plays for the championship. The NFL is dealing with just this problem tonight, as Pete Morrelli’s crew totally dropped the ball with their erroneous calls that led to a New Orleans Saints overtime victory and a spot in the Super Bowl.
Vikings Robbed By RefereesSaints Fans Rollick In Delight
During the overtime period, Morrelli’s crew had five erronous calls over a stretch of five plays where poor judgment was displayed, each time in favor of the Saints. The first error occurred on the spot of a Devery Henderson catch that gave the Saints about an extra half yard to the first down marker on third down. Despite clear evidence that it was a beneficial spot, backed up by Fox’s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, the booth review didn’t change the spot.
On the very next play, fourth down, Pierre Thomas dive-bombed over top his line at what appeared to be a clear first down with forward momentum. Hold the phone.
Replays showed that Thomas lost secure control of the ball, meaning that forward momentum no longer applied. After a booth review, and again there is clear evidence that Thomas lost secure control, no change of spot occurred on the ball.
Now with a fresh set of downs thanks to the gratuitous nature of the officials, Brees drops back to pass. First, Minnesota Vikings DE Jared Allen is tackled from behind by Saints guard Jhari Evans. A textbook hold that they teach NFL officials the first day of training. No call.
To make matters worse, the referees decided to call a pass interference on the play against Ben Leber. First, Leber never even made physical contact with the intended receiver, David Thomas. Slow motion replay shows no contact occurred and Fox’s Aikman questioned whether contact was made. Second, the ball was overthrown by seven yards. Thomas turned to make the catch at the 30 yard line, the ball landed on the 23 yard line. This is what the rule book terms uncatchable.
After planting Reggie Bush into the ground for a 5 yard loss, the final nail was placed into the coffin by the referees. Brees delivers a pass over the middle to Robert Meachem. The pass was ruled a catch on the field. Clear replay evidence shows that Meachem never caught the ball, only trapped it against his leg before the ball touched the ground. Again textbook rule says no catch and once again, Fox’s Aikman says the pass should be ruled an incomplete pass.
Not today folks. Booth review rules that it was a catch, setting up the Saints for the game winning field goal that Garrett Hartley would knock down the middle.
Nothing disappoints fans more than watch athletes that give their all be robbed by officials. Even worse when it happens and decides who plays in the Super Bowl.
Obviously, Roger Goodell will be mum on this and support his officials. It would just be so politically incorrect to be mean to the people of New Orleans. They’ve suffered enough.
Congrats to the folks in the Big Easy on winning your first NFC Championship…asterisks and all.
The Big Easy will host the NFC Championship game today in a game that should produce offensive fireworks all night long. Both teams are lead by their quarterbacks that can make big plays with the wealth of offensive arsenal at their disposal.
Drew Brees Will Have The Big Easy Rockin'
The Vikings are coming of a 34-3 domination of the Dallas Cowboys last week. Brett Favre was more than stellar throwing for four playoff touchdowns, a career best. Favre tossed three of those scores to emerging wide receiver Sidney Rice.
Rice caught six passes for 141 yards to go along with the three scores. Along with Rice, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe also caught a touchdown pass. Shiancoe caught eleven touchdowns in the regular season. Favre threw for 33 touchdowns this year.
You can see that Favre has a couple of imposing threats in the receiving core. Adding to the offensive threat is Adrian Peterson. Peterson rushed for eighteen touchdowns and is a homerun threat every time he touches the ball. As you can see, the Vikings have more than enough offensive weapons to light up the scoreboard.
With all this said, it might come down to the Vikings defense to get stops. Minnesota is lead by sack leader Jared Allen who had 14 1/2 this season. Minnesota pressured Tony Romo all day long and will need that same pressure on Drew Brees or else he will pick them apart all night long.
The Saints are coming off their own impressive 31 point victory last week. They totally dominated the defending NFC Champions Arizona Cardinals 45-14.
Drew Brees threw for three touchdowns and 247 yards. Brees threw for 34 touchdowns this year and like Favre has a number of weapons at his disposal. Brees hooked up with Robert Meachem and Marques Colston for nine touchdowns each. The Saints have a couple of running backs to add to these receivers.
Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush are versatile and have the speed to hit the endzone form anywhere on the field. Bush is healthy now ,and he showed it last week. Bush had a 46 yard touchdown run and a 83 yard punt return for another score. A healthy Bush will mean more trouble for the Minnesota defense.
Speaking of defense, New Orleans only ranked 25th in the league this year. They will need to step up like last week, when they held the vaunted Arizona Cardinals to only 14 points. They must use that momentum.
This game will come down to you wants it more. Favre will use his experience an leadership to have the Vikes ready. The defense can use the great play of last week as momentum against the Saints great offense. The Saints started out 13-0 and had the city of New Orleans in a state of jubilation all year long.
Brees was tremendous all year long and with a healthy Reggie Bush will be hard to stop for even one possession. I think with the home field rocking, and the fact thst the Saints have never made the Super Bowl, it will be their day.
Let’s take the time machine back to April 29, 2009. There stood the Houston Texans with the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. They didn’t have a top-tier running back, not much of an offensive attack. They decided to pass on USC’s Heisman Trophy winning runnung back Reggie Bush and select DE Mario Williams out of North Carolina State.
Reggie Bush Is Bringing His Game
The football analysts were outraged. How could they? Reggie Bush was the single-greatest talent they’d laid their eyes on in years. He was a surefire no doubter for NFL greatness. The Houston Texans would rue the day they passed on Reggie Bush.
Fast forward 4 years later.
Williams is a Pro-Bowl defensive end anchoring the Houston Texans defense. Bush for all accounts is a bust. Four straight years of declining stats, ongoing injuries and too many off field distractions between NCAA investigations and a camera-hungry reality show girlfriend. Adding insult to injury, the Saints passed on Joseph Addai, Maurice Jones-Drew and DeAngelo Williams.
Bush was a bummer…until the Saints got into the playoffs.
Bush looked like the pure-talent the Saints thought they were drafting four years ago the past Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals. Bush rattled off 217 all-purpose yards, with two highlight reel touchdowns on a 46 yard rush and 83 yard punt return.
It was the Reggie Bush from the USC Trojans days that showed up. Bush had clearly turned the clock back to his college football heyday.
Whatever it was, Bush appeared focused and determined to win. He lowered his shoulder, ran people over and just when you were blinking your eyes, he pulled a juke that took the defender out of his shoes. Bush’s demeanor was different on the field and his attitude was the difference that helped the Saints pull away from the Arizona Cardinals and then finally seal the win.
If Bush brings the same mentality to the field the next two games, the Saints will be bringing home the Lombardi Trophy to the Big Easy. The Saints have been missing the tenacity in the running game and with that added component, Drew Brees will be even more deadly to opposing defenses.
Here’s looking forward to see if Reggie Bush can keep it motoring. He is a pure delight to watch.
Brett Favre showed yesterday that he still has some air in his forty year old tires. He outplayed fellow counterpart Tony Romo in the Vikings total domination over the Cowboys 34-3. What a story book finish it would be if Favre could win next week in the Big Easy and bring the Vikes to the Super Bowl. Don’t bet against him…
Favre showed poise and confidence all day long. He stepped up form any Dallas pressure, made adjustments,and most importantly made no mistakes. Favre was 15-24 for 234 yards and had four touchdowns. He found his favorite target and emerging star Sidney Rice with three of these scores.. This combination has been in synce all year long. This makes the Vikings a dangerous team offensively. Tony Romo came into the game with confidence and a swagger, Favre left with it. Favre played with a youthful exuberance that became infectious to both his teammates and the Vikings crowd.He became the first forty year old to win a playoff game.This was also the first time in his illustrious career that he passed for four touchdowns in a playoff game.
Bret Favre was all smiles after his play yesterday against the Cowboys.
He has had one of the best years of his career and this game followed that to a tee.
Favre will bring his act to New Orleans next week. He will have another chance to out play another young quarterback Drew Brees. He can use the motivation as the elder to his advantage.The Saints also won in domination fashion over the defending NFC champions Arizona Cardinals. This time Favre will be in enemy territory, and this will be a bigger task because of that. It will be very interesting to see how well he handles and plays in hostile grounds. Doe Favre have one more trick to pull out of his hat?Next week in New Orleans will answer that more than intriguing question.
Kurt Warner always seems to rise when it counts most. Holding most of the single-game records in playoff and Super Bowl history, he gave us another one for the ages last week. His stat line read 29 for 33, 379 passing yards and five touchdowns. Not bad for a guy that prior to the game against Green Bay was contemplating retirement.
Warner Looks For A Repeat Performance
Warner brings his Cardinals squad to New Orleans today, in a familiar underdog role trying to take down the top seed in the playoffs. Facing a New Orleans defense which withered down the stretch, its likely that the words “Warner to Fitzgerald” will be heard time and again during this afternoon’s matchup.
If you are going to defeat Warner, putting pressure on him is the key. New Orleans’ defense this year was defined by solid middle of the defense play by Jonathon Vilma, Darren Sharper and Roman Harper. Pressuring the quarterback in not their fortay, as only Will Smith can consistently get at the quarterback. If Warner is not pressured, he is going to feast on a New Orleans defense that makes big play, but does so inconsistently.
On the other side of the ball, the Arizona defense matches up nicely with the New Orleans offense. Drew Brees had a phenomenal season, playing very consistently all year long. Brees had just two blips on the season, Miami and Dallas. In both games, Brees was harassed by get-to-the-quarterback defenses.
New Orleans benefited greatly all season from matchups against defenses that didn’t put pressure on a pass happy offense. 12 of New Orleans’ 16 games this season came against pass rushes that ranked in the bottom half of the league. Minus the Philadelphia Eagles meltdown in Week 2, the Saints looked awful against the top pass rush teams that they played in Washington, Dallas and Miami.
For New Orleans to come out with a victory, they will need to establish the run to slow down a strong Arizona pass rush that ranked sixth in the NFL in sacks. The negatives look to be outweighing the postives entering today’s game. Toss in Tom Benson’s slobbering salute to Deuce McAllister that is nothing more than a distraction to their game plan preparation…Saints fans show get ready for Warner to pin a loss on them.
The Dallas Cowboys are on a roll and seem to be gaining confidence each and every week. The Boys are winners of four in a row including last weeks domination of their fierce division rival the Eagles. This streak started with a signature victory over previously unbeaten New Orleans. This is the kind of victory that makes teams look back and say that this was the win the catapulted them to a Super Bowl win.
Tony Romo has the Cowboys on a roll.
The Cowboys are lead by their quarterback Tony Romo. Romo has been playing great during this streak with a 100% passer rating. Romo got the monkey off his back last week and has tasted what a playoff wins feels like. Romo and Dallas fans expect to go all the way and anything other than that would be a disappointment.Romo has a bunch of viable options at his disposal. It is these weapons in combination that make his job easier and defensive jobs a lot harder.
Dallas has three running backs that are capable of beating you on any play. Marion Barber has been hampered in recent weeks. Dallas just plugged in Felix Jones and Tashard Choice and did not miss a beat. They also have three receivers in the stable. Their main threat is Miles Austin, but when he is double covered Patrick Crayton or Tight End Jason Witten can come up big with a reception. During this four game win steak, Dallas has scored 12 touchdowns, five by receivers and three by runningbacks. This is the type of offensive sharing that is the definition of team work. Oh ya, don’t just rest your hat on the offense, the defense has been coming up big as well. Dallas has outscored their opponents 99-31 during this streak. Dallas is a complete football team right know.
Dallas will face Brett Favre and the Vikings on Sunday. This could be Favre’s las shot at a Super Bowl ,and he will play motivated football. But I think the hungrier quarterback, Romo, will play with more incentive and drive to get the victory in this NFC Divisional Playoff and move on. From there, Dallas would meet the winner of the Cardinals and Saints. The Boys match up well with both of these teams and have already knocked off the Saints. I think Dallas is just a more complete team of the four left in the NFC. If Dallas is fortunate to get the Bowl, they will be a tough team to beat. It has been a while since they won one, and if they get there watch out.
As a Eagle fan this hurts me to say, but I have to be objective. Dallas rates a pretty good shot to win the Super Bowl.
The Minnesota Viking find themselves still with a shot at the #1 seed in the NFC playoff picture. This possibility is due to the big upset of the New Orleans Saints yesterday to the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Big Easy. We will see how the Vikings respond to this opportunity tonight in Chicago as they take on their fierce division rival “The Bears”. Chicago would love nothing better than to spoil this opportunity and keep the Vikings from any shot at securing that #1 spot.
Brett Favre and the Vikings still in the hunt for NFC's #1 Seed.
The Saints loss their opportunity to clinch the #1 seed with their overtime loss yesterday. They jumped out to a 17-0 lead three possessions into the game but never scored again. They missed a field goal at the end of regulation. The Saints have lost two in a row and appear to be playing flat football which makes this opportunity even more of a possibility. The Saints can still clinch the seed with a victory next week in Carolina. That is no gimme as Carolina is coming off two impressive victories over the Vikings and the Giants. The Vikings have a real shot.
The Vikings must look better tonight in Chicago. Last week they were listless in their 26-7 defeat to the Carolina Panthers. Brett Favre has not played well in recent weeks and needs to get the Viking ship headed in the right direction. With this game being in Chicago and still having a chance for the #1 seed, this could be the motivation the Vikings need to get out of their funk. The Vikings will need a victory tonight and a win next week at home against a demoralized Giants team along with a loss by the Saints in Carolina. Motivation is everything in team sports, the Vikings have it in front of them, lets see how they use it.
The Dallas Cowboys take on the Washington Redskins tonight in Washington. To me, this is a must win game due to what is on the line ,and the momentum they are carrying off of their big win at the hands of the unbeaten New Orleans Saints 24-17 last Saturday. A loss would be devastating to both their playoff hopes and their psyche.
Tony Romo and the Cowboys hope to be smiling after tonight in Washington.
Dallas is 9-5 and right in the thick of both a wildcard spot and they even have a good shot at winning the NFC East. But they need to beat their division rival tonight in Washington. If the Boys win and the Giants lose to Carolina, Dallas would be in the playoffs. Dallas can pull off the NFC East if they win out and beat the Eagles in the final week. So there is a lot on the line for the Dallas Cowboys tonight.
Dallas looked great in their victory over the Saints and got great play from their quarterback Tony Romo. They add no turnovers and held the vaunted New Orleans Saints offense to their lowest output of the season. This is the momentum that you want to carry into the final weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs if you are fortunate to be there. Add this to the fact that their opponent the Redskins looked about as awful as you could look last Monday in their defeat at the hands of the Giants 45-12. The boys must win and carry their momentum.
I think the Cowboys will take out the Redskins and put themselves in a great position for the playoffs and set up a potential big game next week at home against the Eagles for the NFC East. Momentum will be carried tonight in Washington.
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.
n on the field outgaining the Saints 475-257. The Vikes defense played more than well enough to get this team to the Superbowl. It was the miscues by the offense lead by Brett Favre that sealed their fate.
