NFL FINAL FOUR SET
Pittsburgh 31 Baltimore 24
Green Bay 48 Atlanta 21
Chicago 35 Seattle 24
NY Jets 28 New England 21
Football season is down to just 3 meaningful games, the conference championships next Sunday & the Super Bowl. The four games we witnessed over this weekend had a weird coincidence. Check this out, during the regular season Baltimore beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh, Atlanta had defeated Green Bay in Atlanta, Seattle upset the Bears in Chicago & New England had beaten the Jets at Foxboro. Those results from the regular season were reversed in the divisional round of the playoffs. So if that trend continues, Pittsburgh & Green Bay should win next Sunday. The Jets beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh & the Bears defeated the Packers in Chicago during the regular season. Strange huh?
Couple of stats to remember from the Baltimore-Pittsburgh game, Joe Flacco has never beaten the Steelers when Ben Roethlisberger started, regardless of where the game is played. Roethlisberger has beaten the Ravens 7-straight now. Baltimore, for all their off-season moves to bolster their passing game, managed a pitiful 126-total yards in the game. Two touchdowns were directly tied to turnovers, they did little to win the game on their own. For a team that prides itself on it's dominating defense with 4 Pro Bowl starters, how on earth does rookie receiver Antonio Brown get behind the Raven defense on 3rd & 19? The Ravens are getting older, the time has come for them to get younger. They looked great for about 20-minutes of the first half, but showed almost zip after that. Pittsburgh has a roster full of playmakers at wide receiver & one of the most dependable tight ends around. If their shaky offensive line can keep Roethlisberger on his feet, they'll be tough to beat.
If there were any doubters out there regarding the overall talent of the Packers, I would hope their last four games would change your mind. This is an excellent team with a well-coached, dominating defense, an elite quarterback & a bevy or wide receivers who can get open & catch the ball. Atlanta took an old fashioned ass-whippin' didn't they? How about 442 total yards to 194? Green Bay was 8 of 12 on 3rd down. Aaron Rodgers was white-hot, completing 31 of 36 passes for 366-yards & three touchdowns. Plus he ran for a score. Atlanta was still in the game with 9-seconds left in the 1st half, down 21-14. In field goal range, Matt Ryan wanted 5-6 more yards to make that FG attempt a little more makeable & as he rolled to his left, he threw an out pattern toward the sideline & Green Bay cornerback Tramon Williams picked off his second pass of the evening, this one he ran back 70-yards for a touchdown making the score 28-14 at half. The Pack took the second half kickoff & drove 80-yards in 12 plays to effectively put the game away, 35-14. Oh, it got even worse, but the game was over at that point. Sadly, Tony Gonzalez was only targeted once in the game, he caught a 7-yard pass in the 4th quarter, was that his last in the NFL? It marked the third time he was part of a #1 seed that got beat at home in their 1st game. I have to say this, Green Bay lost 6 starters for the season before October 1st & I believe they are the best team in the league right now. Think of how great they would've been if they had stayed healthy?
For three quarters, the Seattle Seahawks looked like, well they looked like the Seattle Seahawks that finished the regular season 7-9. Like a team that was beaten by 15 or more points in every one of their 9 losses. They couldn't run the ball, their receivers couldn't catch the ball & their defense made the Bears offense look like the Boise State or something. They finally started clicking in the 4th quarter & scored 3 touchdowns, but by then it was too late, the outcome was already decided. The job Mike Tice has done with the Bears' offensive line is the key to their success. They did give up 3 sacks on Sunday, but from the 1st half of the season to the 2nd half, Chicago cut their sack total in half & their rushing offense increased by almost 25%. Now Chicago will face their arch rival, the Green Bay Packers, for the NFC Championship, outdoors, like God intended it. The Bears will be a tough out, but I think Green Bay is playing better than anyone is right now.
I was very surprised by the Jets victory, not so much that they won, they're certainly capable, it was how out-coached Bill Belichick was. I guess what shocked me the most was the lack of successful adjustments from the Pats at half. They looked as punchless in their first two drives as they did for most of the first half. Jeez, they looked like the Chiefs at times. Did I go too far there? The botched fake punt, the dropped touchdown pass, the inability for the Patriot receivers to gain any separation & watching Tom Brady get sacked five times & hit another seven. It was apparent early on the Jets had a near perfect defensive game plan to thwart the Pats. Oh New England would get a couple of first downs, but then they'd stall out & punt. Mark Sanchez went untouched all afternoon. The Jets did just enough on offense to win, it was their defense that made the difference. With the Steelers banged up offensive line, I have to believe the Jets will come after Big Ben with a lot more blitzes than they showed today. I don't see New York letting the Steeler receivers run around for 6 or 7 seconds like they did against New England, the Black & Gold have guys who can get separation or run right by you. Just ask the Ravens.
As far as the Patriots lackluster showing, there's a reason they sent only Wes Welker & Brady to the Pro Bowl, the rest of their WR's & RB's don't make much impact, they aren't difference makers. When you can give a quarterback as great as Tom Brady all the time in the world to throw the ball & he can't find anyone open, you have a problem. Lucky for Bill Belichick, he has extra premium draft picks. He better use some of them to get a couple of game-changers & increase the overall team speed. This is the second year in a row they have lost a playoff game at home & frankly they were outplayed & out-coached in both contests.
Two other NFL-related stories to bring you, the Dallas Cowboys signed Rob Ryan, Rex's twin brother, to be their defensive coordinator. He was cast adrift after Eric Mangini lost his gig with the Browns. Tom Cable, formerly the head coach in Oakland, filed a grievance with the NFL charging his former employer had held $120,000 out of his paychecks over this past season & now refuse to pay him. The team said they were fines, to which Cable said he'd never heard of these fines or been informed such fines existed. That Al Davis, he's a beauty isn't he?
Part 2 of "What's the Future Hold for Chiefs' Fans" later this afternoon.
Green Bay 48 Atlanta 21
Chicago 35 Seattle 24
NY Jets 28 New England 21
Football season is down to just 3 meaningful games, the conference championships next Sunday & the Super Bowl. The four games we witnessed over this weekend had a weird coincidence. Check this out, during the regular season Baltimore beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh, Atlanta had defeated Green Bay in Atlanta, Seattle upset the Bears in Chicago & New England had beaten the Jets at Foxboro. Those results from the regular season were reversed in the divisional round of the playoffs. So if that trend continues, Pittsburgh & Green Bay should win next Sunday. The Jets beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh & the Bears defeated the Packers in Chicago during the regular season. Strange huh?
Couple of stats to remember from the Baltimore-Pittsburgh game, Joe Flacco has never beaten the Steelers when Ben Roethlisberger started, regardless of where the game is played. Roethlisberger has beaten the Ravens 7-straight now. Baltimore, for all their off-season moves to bolster their passing game, managed a pitiful 126-total yards in the game. Two touchdowns were directly tied to turnovers, they did little to win the game on their own. For a team that prides itself on it's dominating defense with 4 Pro Bowl starters, how on earth does rookie receiver Antonio Brown get behind the Raven defense on 3rd & 19? The Ravens are getting older, the time has come for them to get younger. They looked great for about 20-minutes of the first half, but showed almost zip after that. Pittsburgh has a roster full of playmakers at wide receiver & one of the most dependable tight ends around. If their shaky offensive line can keep Roethlisberger on his feet, they'll be tough to beat.
If there were any doubters out there regarding the overall talent of the Packers, I would hope their last four games would change your mind. This is an excellent team with a well-coached, dominating defense, an elite quarterback & a bevy or wide receivers who can get open & catch the ball. Atlanta took an old fashioned ass-whippin' didn't they? How about 442 total yards to 194? Green Bay was 8 of 12 on 3rd down. Aaron Rodgers was white-hot, completing 31 of 36 passes for 366-yards & three touchdowns. Plus he ran for a score. Atlanta was still in the game with 9-seconds left in the 1st half, down 21-14. In field goal range, Matt Ryan wanted 5-6 more yards to make that FG attempt a little more makeable & as he rolled to his left, he threw an out pattern toward the sideline & Green Bay cornerback Tramon Williams picked off his second pass of the evening, this one he ran back 70-yards for a touchdown making the score 28-14 at half. The Pack took the second half kickoff & drove 80-yards in 12 plays to effectively put the game away, 35-14. Oh, it got even worse, but the game was over at that point. Sadly, Tony Gonzalez was only targeted once in the game, he caught a 7-yard pass in the 4th quarter, was that his last in the NFL? It marked the third time he was part of a #1 seed that got beat at home in their 1st game. I have to say this, Green Bay lost 6 starters for the season before October 1st & I believe they are the best team in the league right now. Think of how great they would've been if they had stayed healthy?
For three quarters, the Seattle Seahawks looked like, well they looked like the Seattle Seahawks that finished the regular season 7-9. Like a team that was beaten by 15 or more points in every one of their 9 losses. They couldn't run the ball, their receivers couldn't catch the ball & their defense made the Bears offense look like the Boise State or something. They finally started clicking in the 4th quarter & scored 3 touchdowns, but by then it was too late, the outcome was already decided. The job Mike Tice has done with the Bears' offensive line is the key to their success. They did give up 3 sacks on Sunday, but from the 1st half of the season to the 2nd half, Chicago cut their sack total in half & their rushing offense increased by almost 25%. Now Chicago will face their arch rival, the Green Bay Packers, for the NFC Championship, outdoors, like God intended it. The Bears will be a tough out, but I think Green Bay is playing better than anyone is right now.
I was very surprised by the Jets victory, not so much that they won, they're certainly capable, it was how out-coached Bill Belichick was. I guess what shocked me the most was the lack of successful adjustments from the Pats at half. They looked as punchless in their first two drives as they did for most of the first half. Jeez, they looked like the Chiefs at times. Did I go too far there? The botched fake punt, the dropped touchdown pass, the inability for the Patriot receivers to gain any separation & watching Tom Brady get sacked five times & hit another seven. It was apparent early on the Jets had a near perfect defensive game plan to thwart the Pats. Oh New England would get a couple of first downs, but then they'd stall out & punt. Mark Sanchez went untouched all afternoon. The Jets did just enough on offense to win, it was their defense that made the difference. With the Steelers banged up offensive line, I have to believe the Jets will come after Big Ben with a lot more blitzes than they showed today. I don't see New York letting the Steeler receivers run around for 6 or 7 seconds like they did against New England, the Black & Gold have guys who can get separation or run right by you. Just ask the Ravens.
As far as the Patriots lackluster showing, there's a reason they sent only Wes Welker & Brady to the Pro Bowl, the rest of their WR's & RB's don't make much impact, they aren't difference makers. When you can give a quarterback as great as Tom Brady all the time in the world to throw the ball & he can't find anyone open, you have a problem. Lucky for Bill Belichick, he has extra premium draft picks. He better use some of them to get a couple of game-changers & increase the overall team speed. This is the second year in a row they have lost a playoff game at home & frankly they were outplayed & out-coached in both contests.
Two other NFL-related stories to bring you, the Dallas Cowboys signed Rob Ryan, Rex's twin brother, to be their defensive coordinator. He was cast adrift after Eric Mangini lost his gig with the Browns. Tom Cable, formerly the head coach in Oakland, filed a grievance with the NFL charging his former employer had held $120,000 out of his paychecks over this past season & now refuse to pay him. The team said they were fines, to which Cable said he'd never heard of these fines or been informed such fines existed. That Al Davis, he's a beauty isn't he?
Part 2 of "What's the Future Hold for Chiefs' Fans" later this afternoon.
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