That was a wild NFL weekend. We had the New England Patriots versus the San Diego Chargers for the AFC championship and the Green Bay Packers going against the New York Giants for the NFC championship. The Patriots continue their pursuit to perfection with a win over the Chargers while the Giants upset the Packers big time.
The Chargers had injuries to key members of their offense: Philip Rivers - starting quarterback, LaDainian Tomlinson - starting running back, and Antonio Gates - leading receiver. Throughout the week, there had been reports that LT would play, but Rivers and Gates were doubtful. When the game began, all three would be active and started for the Chargers. LT, however, would only last 3 plays, being taken out due to "coach's decision".
The Chargers offense had a decent day, picking up about 300 total yards for the game. Their biggest problem came from red zone efficiency. The Chargers was in the red zone three times, and ended up kicking field goals three times. The Chargers ended the day with four field goals and zero touchdowns. That is just not enough to win a championship.
The Patriots did not have their best game, scoring only 21 points. Tom Brady's quarterback rating for the game is 66.35. But the Patriots came through when it counted: in the red zone. The Patriots scored three touchdowns in the red zone. Randy Moss was not a factor in the game, having only one run and one catch, no touchdowns. Emerging from the shadows, Kevin Faulk became a valuable asset of the Patriots offense, grabbing key passes on third downs to seal their win.
The ageless Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers were the favorite to win against the New York Giants. But the Packers could not deliver. Besides a single 90 yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter, the Green Bay offense did not look good all day. The Packers could not get their running game going, turning them one dimensional. Ryan Grant had 13 rushes for a total of 29 yards. Its a wonder how the game even got to overtime.
Plaxico Burress ran wild all day, with 11 receptions for 154 yards. Al Harris could not defend Burress one-on-one. Eli Manning was able to get the ball exactly where Burress needed the ball to be, similar to a Peyton / Harrison connection. Even though Eli Manning does not have a touchdown, his quarterback rating of 72.29 was good enough to get the job done, especially since Eli has not thrown an interception the entire post-season.
Due to the poor play of the Packers, the Giants had a couple of chances to win the game in regulation. Lawrence Tynes, a guy who is sure to receive media attention this week, missed two field goals in the 4th quarter in a tied game. Tynes missed a 43 yard attempt with about seven minutes left and missed a 36 yard attempt as time ran out. The Giants did not manage the game well on the last drive in regulation. Sure, the snap was high, but if the Giants had another timeout or if they had tried the kick on 3rd down, the Giants could have given themselves another chance to kick the field goal.
SuperBowl XLII in Glendale, Arizona will be between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. Patriots all the way.
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