An exciting Week Seventeen ends another fantastic NFL season, and now we enter the always fantastic NFL playoffs. I tried to set the “schedule” from how I think the NFL/TV networks would set it up.
WILD CARD WEEKEND
Saturday, January 9:
4:15 – #6 Baltimore 13 – #3 Indianapolis 23
A bruising Ravens defense led them to another 10-win season and another playoff appearance. But, they run into the Colts in Indy on this Wild Card weekend and fall just short. Tied at 13 in the 4th quarter, Manning is able to engineer a couple big second-half drives, including a late touchdown to ice it. The Colts move to another playoff duel with the Patriots.
8:30 – #5 Dallas 31 – #4 San Francisco 16
The Cowboys defense bends, but doesn’t break in the first half, and the offense puts together three touchdown drives in the second half to win going away on the road. The Niners have a nice season, but the Cowboys end it today. This is the first playoff win for this storied franchise since 1996.
Sunday, January 10:
1:00 – #6 New York Giants 7 – #3 Green Bay 20
A cold Green Bay day. A rematch of the NFC Championship Game of two years ago. A different result. Eli Manning has a ton of trouble doing anything in this weather, while the Packers stack the line of scrimmage against the Giants running game. Aaron Rodgers and the rejuvenated Packers, who are probably still upset that they even have to play this weekend after blowing a chance at the top seed in Arizona last week, solve the Giants defense just enough to get them through this opening round and headed for a date with the Saints in the Divisional Round.
4:15 – #5 Houston 10 – #4 San Diego 33
The Texans accomplished a lot this season and are just happy to be here. In San Diego, with the Chargers figuring out the early-season struggles and are now hitting full stride. At home, they should dominate the inexperienced Texans and not give Norv Turner a chance to blow it at the end.
DIVISIONAL ROUND (aka “The Best Sports Weekend of the Year that Doesn’t Include 48 NCAA Tournament Games”)
Saturday, January 16:
4:15 – #4 San Diego 23 – #1 Pittsburgh 24
Norv Turner is able to blow this one at the end. Both teams come out fired up and play right with each other for two and a half quarters. Then, the Chargers take a 23-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Champs respond with a couple defensive stops, a field goal to cut it to 6, and then a game-winning scoring drive to win it. The AFC Championship Game is heading back to Heinz Field for the second consecutive season.
8:30 – #3 Green Bay 28 – #2 New Orleans 26
The Saints outgain the Packers by well over 100 yards of total offense, but a couple turnovers and an opportunistic Packers offense that converts all four red zone trips into touchdowns send the Pack to the NFC Championship Game for the second time in three years. The Saints are left to wonder what could have been in a game they won in every facet except the final score.
Sunday, January 17:
1:00 – #5 Dallas 21 – #1 Philadelphia 34
Two hated arch-rivals meet with a trip to the NFC Championship Game on the line. The Cowboys, who beat the Eagles in Week Seventeen just to make the playoffs are feeling confident, until the opening drive, when the Eagles streak down the field and go up 7-0 less than 3 minutes into the game. The Cowboys answered right back, but the Eagles kept on the pressure and took a 24-14 lead into locker room at halftime. They added another touchdown in their first drive of the second half to go up 31-14 and never looked back. The Birds will go to their 6th NFC Championship Game in the 11 years under Coach Reid.
4:15 – #3 Indianapolis 41 – #2 New England 48
Old familiar foes in the AFC Playoffs go at it one more time this year. A wild, high-scoring game, despite the nasty weather in Foxborough ends with another Patriots victory. Both teams enjoyed double-digits leads at some point in this game, but it just seemed like the last team with the ball would win. Unfortunately, for the Colts, Manning throws a fourth-quarter interception on the drive that should have tied the game. The Patriots will move on to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers for a trip to the Super Bowl.
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Sunday, January 24:
1:00 – #3 Green Bay 16 – #1 Philadelphia 30
The Eagles are going back to the Super Bowl! The Packers run falls just short of an NFC Championship, while the Eagles are catching the stride and playing their best football at just the right time. Another big day for Donovan McNabb, as the Eagles win the game with relative ease. Now, they await to see whether it will be a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX or whether it will be an All-Pennsylvania affair down in Miami.
4:15 – #2 New England 22 – #1 Pittsburgh 25
The Steelers defense steps up with vigor on this day, forcing four New England turnovers; the Steelers special teams show up with a blocked punt for a safety; and, the Steelers offense is good enough, given the field position they enjoy. The six-time Super Bowl champs are going back to try and defend their title. It is an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl. Ed Rendell’s reelection hopes may be in trouble…
SUPER BOWL XLIV
Sunday, February 7:
6:37 (approximately) – Pittsburgh 34 – Philadelphia 31
Back-to-back champs and seven Super Bowls for the Steel City. The McNabb-led Eagles fall just short again, though this time no one can possibly blame the quarterback. Against the league’s best defense, McNabb has a stellar game, throwing 4 TDs and 0 INTs. But, the Steelers offense emerges under the bright lights and puts up big numbers. McNabb led a late touchdown drive to tie it with just under two minutes to go, but Roethlisberger, yet again, leads his teams down the field with a couple big screen plays to Willie Parker. With just :35 seconds left, the Eagles stuff Parker on a 3rd and 1 at the Eagles’ 31-yard line, but with no timeouts left for the Birds, the Steelers are able to wind the clock down to just :03 seconds left and call their final timeout. With overtime looming, Jeff Reed boots a 48-yard field goal as time expires and the Steelers are Super Bowl champs again. A devastating finish to a very successful Eagles season.
