What a weekend. Even for someone
who is not a fan of any of the final four teams, Conference Championship
Weekend was exhausting. After the final
snap of the NFC Championship game, I was emotionally drained, torn between empathy
towards a distraught 49ers team and the excitement of the eminent Super Bowl
matchup between the top offense and top defense in the league. I got to watch Brady and Manning battle in
another classic rivalry matchup. And I
watched an NFC Championship game that pitted the two toughest teams in football
against each other. Conference
Championship Weekend had plenty of excitement.
I went 1/2 on the weekend, and 1-1 against the spread (ATS). My playoff total is now 7/10 and 6-2-2
ATS. Good for me. Let’s take a closer look at last Sunday’s
games.
New England Patriots 16, Denver
Broncos 26
This game was slightly lower scoring than I expected; however, I predicted
this one pretty accurately. The Broncos
were dominant in a game that could have been decided by much more than 10
points. The injury to Aqib Talib was
huge, but it was the Patriots’ offense that ultimately failed them in this
game. Brady had a couple of early opportunities
to make some big plays; however, he missed a couple key throws early in the game that could have
resulted in huge gains.
The Broncos’ defense stepped up, especially considering the absence of
#1 corner back, Chris Harris. The Patriots
were lucky to score 16 points in this game.
Their offense was totally stymied for most of the game, until the
Broncos backed up into a “prevent” defense in the fourth quarter. This game was a testament to the fact that
you can’t attribute every win to the quarterback. While Manning had a great game, the Broncos
dominated the Patriots as a whole. There
was not much that Brady could have done against a team that was simply better
than his. The Broncos advanced to the
Super Bowl in convincing fashion; however, a tough opponent from the NFC awaits
them.
San Francisco 49ers 17, Seattle
Seahawks 23
For a game where my prediction was wrong, I was able to predict how the
game would go relatively accurately. The
Niners outplayed the Seahawks in the first half and were unfortunate to go into
the half only up by 7 points. The Niners’
pass rush was incredibly effective, and they were able to make Russell Wilson
very uncomfortable. Meanwhile, the Seahawks’
defensive line was unable to contain Kaepernick on the other side of the
ball. Kaepernick was comfortable in the
first half, picking out receivers and making big plays with his feet. After a first half that reminded me of how
Vince Young single-handedly won the 2006 BCS National Championship Game for
Texas over USC in the Rose Bowl, I thought Kaepernick was about to have his
iconic playoff game, possibly stamping his name in an illustrious 49ers history. However, a quick defensive stop and a dominant
running attack for the Seahawks on the first two drives of the second half
foreshadowed what was to come. The
Niners’ run defense suddenly looked atrocious, and the Seahawks’ offensive line
was getting a huge push on every running play.
Lynch was running through holes and breaking tackles with ease. The Niners were in trouble. The Seahawks were able to put more pressure
on Kaepernick in the second half, and they were able to contain him on the
ground. Until a spectacular jump pass by
Kaepernick, one of the greatest plays of the playoffs, the Niners’ offense had
been slowed down to a crawl. The Niners
had a chance to win it late, but a great play by Sherman sealed the deal for
the Seahawks, and punched their ticket to the Super Bowl.
We’re all set for a great Super Bowl match. The top offense in NFL history takes on the
top defense in the league. I am looking
forward to seeing what everyone will be saying about this great matchup. My first instinct tells me that the Broncos
will have the slight edge. They have a
great offense and have shown an unexpected resilience on the defensive side of
the ball during the playoffs. Meanwhile,
the Seahawks are far more intimidating at home, a place they will be far from
come February 2nd.
Additionally, Peyton Manning has too many reliable targets for Richard
Sherman to cover on his own. Anyways, I’ll quit
rambling here. My full Super Bowl prediction will
be coming in as the big game draws nearer.
Also, I will not be commenting on the Pro Bowl because I refuse to watch
a game where the biggest headline is, “Deion Sanders says he’s suiting up for the
Pro Bowl.” Ummm, who cares?
And finally, I’d like to make a comment on the whole Richard Sherman
incident at the end of the game. I tried to view this from as unbiased perspective as possible. I
will admit that I was rooting for the Niners, but I am a Raider fan. I didn’t have a big emotional investment in
the game. Anyways, everyone has been making a big deal about Sherman's post-game interviews (on the field and off the
field). In my opinion, Sherman has every
right to say whatever he wants during an interview; that’s why we have the
interviews, to see what the players are thinking. However, I have every right to find him to be
a classless, arrogant player. I had no
problem with him talking himself up. I
didn’t even have a problem with him proclaiming himself as the best cornerback
in the league. The fire to be the best
is what takes many great players to their maximum potential. However, calling out a specific player on the
other team is simply classless. Be a
gracious winner. That is what
respectable NFL players do.
Sherman’s interviews are not even what really annoyed me. My biggest problem with what Sherman did was on
the field, right after the interception.
Going up to an opponent, moments after a game-sealing play, and giving
him any kind of gesture (i.e. a slap on the butt) is ridiculous. It just annoys the hell out of me when some
arrogant player starts talking smack to an opponent in a situation like that,
taking advantage of an emotional moment in the game to get in a cheap shot when
a player is down. That is a classless
act. Be proud of your team’s achievement;
don’t take this opportunity to make an ass out of yourself. Richard Sherman is a polarizing player. I can see why people like him. However, there is a difference between
passion and blind arrogance. Maybe if I was
a Seahawks fan, I would see this differently.
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