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.
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.
The Minnesota Vikings have more than another loss to be concerned about after taking a solid beating last night to the Carolina Panthers 26-7. They have a quarterback that is placing his ego ahead of the betterment of the team and a long playoff run. Surprise, Surprise. Brett Favre is playing awful football in December and losing self awareness of his abilities.
During the defeat, head coach Brad Childress and Favre got into an animated and heated argument on the sidelines during the third quarter. Childress had decided he’d seen his quarterback take enough of a beating and was ready to replace him with Tarvaris Jackson. Favre refused the benching and stormed back onto the field. Shortly thereafter, the team imploded, giving up 20 unanswered points as Carolina flattened the Vikings in the fourth quarter.
Favre is no longer the QB he used to be when he was younger. The long NFL season is taking a toll on his old, creaking body. The numbers don’t lie.
Month
G
QBRat
Comp
Att
Pct
Yards
Y/G
Y/A
TD
Int
September
11
100.9
260
388
67.0%
2,706
246.0
7.0
25
7
October
10
87.5
239
349
68.5%
2,632
263.2
7.5
13
13
November
14
108.2
313
450
69.6%
3,656
261.1
8.1
28
7
December
10
69.7
199
330
60.3%
2,198
199.8
6.7
11
17
The once unvincible Favre’s numbers in December have resembled that of a Cleveland Browns starting QB…you take your pick on which one. His QB rating is sub-70, his completion rate drops more than 15% and his interceptions go through the roof.
For once, Brad Childress was making the right call. The Minnesota offense was going nowhere and Favre was taking an unnecessary beating from Julius Peppers. But just like Eric Mangini, Childress was spineless and didn’t have the courage to bench the future Hall of Famer.
Last year when Favre imploded with the Jets only one person had the courage to speak out, running back Thomas Jones. On talk radio shows after the season, Jones chastised Favre for playing through serious injuries and costing the team a playoff berth. The Jets and former coach Eric Mangini were each fined $125,000 for concealing the injury, a violation of NFL policy. Favre later required surgery to repair the injury in the offseason before he joined the Vikings.
Favre’s behavior last night not only cost his team a victory, but it could possible cause unnecessary distractions as the Vikings try to seal a first-round bye for the playoffs. The Vikings didn’t bring in Favre to just get to the playoffs, they could have done that with Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels. Favre was brought in to win a Super Bowl and this will only happen if he is healthy heading into January.
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.
