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!
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.
I have to weigh in on Jerry Jones decision to give head coach Wade Phillips a two year contract extension.Jones bypassed the option and signed him thru the 2011 season. The deal became official yesterday and should leave Dallas fans scratching their head if Phillips has what it takes as a head coach to get the Cowboys to the promise land. The question is whether Phillips makes it thru this contract. He better hope Dallas makes the Super Bowl in order to fill out this contract. . This will put a lot more added pressure on him to produce in a already pressure situation. How will he handle it?
Jerry Jones gave Wade Phillips a 2 year deal.
Phillips has lead the Cowboys to win two out of three NFC East division titles.He has a 34-17 career record. That is pretty good regular season success ,but Dallas failed miserably in the playoffs last week in Minnesota. With high expectations after their first round playoff win over the Eagles, Dallas looked listless in their 34-3 defeat to the Vikings. I will not blame Wade totally but his call on a fourth and one to go for a field goal early in the game did not show the confidence in the offense to win a playoff football game on the road. Dallas missed the field goal from a kicker they only had for a few weeks, and the Vikings never looked back. A head coach with a handle on his offense goes for it everytime.
This leads me to the thinking that Phillips would be better suited to concentrate on being the Defensive Coordinator. I think he is better in a support role instead of being the head coach. Dallas did give up the fewest points in the NFC and Philips was a intrical factor in achieving that.You can’t take that away from him but offensively I think someone else should call the plays. I think if Jones looked elsewhere for a head coach and kept Wade on as DEF coordinator they would be better off. Phillips is 62 and he has only won one playoff game in is career as head coach. I do not see Dallas winning a Super Bowl title as long as he is head coach. That is just the way I see it.
By all indications it looks like Wade Phillips will be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys next season. Owner Jerry Jones has hinted to the players that same sentiment. I have to wonder how this decision will sit with Dallas fans..
Phillips has a career record of 34-17 and has won the NFC East division in two of the last three seasons. That is pretty decent success but not to the expectations of both Jones and the Dallas fans.
Wade Phiilips will be back next season.
Dallas fans expect to win the Super Bowl every year. Those are unreal expectations, but it has been a while since a they have won a Bowl. Phillips is not totally to blame ,but he definitely is a factor in the way Dallas has ended their season the last two years.
Dallas season ended Sunday with a embarrassing playoff lost to the Vikings 34-3. Dallas seemed unresponsive to early mistakes and got steam rolled as the game went on. Quarterback Tony Romo’s play did not help as he lost two critical fumbles early in the contest.
Phillips decision to go for a field goal instead of going for it on fourth down and one showed no confidence in the offensive and Romo.Dallas missed the field goal, Minnesota grabbed the momentum and the ball. Minnesota went down the field and scored a touchdown to make it 14-0.
For all intensive purposes, the game was over.
I am not saying that is the total reason they lost, but it was a factor. Romo seemed irritated and it did not help his play the rest of the day.You have to have the confidence to go for it. Phiilips made the wrong decision, any Dallas fan will tell you that.
Last year the Eagles ended Dallas chances of a playoff birth with a even more embarrassing 44-6 loss to the Eagles. Two loses like this to end your season does not reelect well on your head coach.
My conclusion on this possible decsision is that it would be a mistake. I just do no think that Dallas players both respond well or have confidence in Wade Phillips. I have to think the majority of Dallas fans would have to conquer. I would like to know how the often opinionated Dallas fans think.
The playoff matchup between the Cowboys and the Vikings will come down to what quarterback plays better and wants it more. Will it be the young and upcoming Tony Romo or the grizzled veteran Brett Favre who grabs the spoils of victory? That intriguing question will be answered on a Sunday afternoon in Minnesota.
Tony Romo is playing with confidence and a swagger.
Dallas could not be on a better high than they are now. They have won four in a row including last weeks domination of the Philadelphia Eagles 34-14. Romo has played brilliantly during the streak and seems hungry and composed to take the Boys to the promise land.
He has used the plethora of offensive weapons to move the chains that has ended up in touchdowns. Dallas fans have been waiting for Romo to come up big, and he may just deliver this time.
Dallas uses a three attack backfield that is both talented and versatile. Marion Barber can get the tough yards while Felix Jones and Tashard Choice have speed to burn. Dallas also has a trio of receivers that include deep threat Miles Austin. Austin has come into his own this year and is flanked by fellow speedster Patrick Crayton. Tight End Jason Witten is a possession receiver that can also move the chains.
As you can see, Dallas has a number of options on offense.
To add to this recent offensive success, Dallas defense is also on a roll only giving up 31 points during this streak. Dallas is a confident team that is on a roll.
Minnesota has had a good season also that gave them a first round bye ,and the second seed in the NFC. Brett Favre was brillant most of the season and is motivated by the chance that this might be his last real shot at a Super Bowl title. He still has what it takes to get the job done and will have the Vikings ready.
Minnesota has a great running back in Adrian Peterson. Peterson will have to have a big rushing day in order for the Vikings to get the victory. This will make the passing game more effective and set it up for their emerging playmaker Sydney Rice to come up with the big pass play. The Vikings will need to move the chains and keep Romo and the Boys offense off the field.
When I analyze this game, I see the young gun out slinging the veteran. Romo has that certain confidence and swagger right now. He is also motivated by his recent disappointments in recent years. Dallas is playing well on all cylinders and just will be too much for the Vikings to handle. Favre will play his heart out, but it will not be enough. This could be his last playoff game ever, I think it will be.Dallas moves on to the NFC Championship.
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 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.
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.
