Championship Games: Brief Recap

Well Championship weekend has come and gone so we now know who will be facing each other in thirteen days for the Super Bowl.

So to get there the Bears beat the Saints pretty soundly, 39-14, but they weren't nearly as dominant as the score makes it seems. It wasn't until the 4th quarter that the Bears really pulled away after the safety and Berrian's touchdown catch which put them up 11 and the Saints simply never recovered. I said Good Rex would have to show up for the Bears to win and he didn't really show up until the 4th quarter and that was when they began to really pull away. He made some crucial money despite his flat-lining earlier. Of course the defense really stepped up too forcing three turnovers and Thomas Jones played a huge role with his 123 yards and a touchdown. I still do not feel comfortable with the Bears. No, not at all.

The Colts shocked everyone, not really by winning, but instead Peyton shocked everyone by completing a clutch, game-winning drive. In all honesty, what shocked me even more was Tom Brady failing in the clutch with the interception that sealed the ending of the game. Reche Caldwell's dropped passes were crucial, and although they were not the reason the Patriots lost the game I can't help but wonder how different the game would've been with Deion Branch. They've been playing with very little depth at the receiver position all year and it really cost them here. All in all, this was a great game and although Tom Brady and Peyton Manning switched roles, it's nice to see the Patriot's not win the Super Bowl again and to see Peyton Manning finally win a big game.

Super Bowl preview coming later...

NFL Championship Weekend Preview

I am so late in previewing these games it's insane. I really wanted to do this earlier, but just never did and now the games start in less than 12 hours. Now, all the games have been analyzed from every possible viewpoint so these previews are going to be very brief, but anyways here we go....

NFC: Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints

As with every single game the Bears have played this year, it all comes down to Rex Grossman. Although the team has still won a few games where he's done horrific, I don't think they could pull it out this week with him playing as poorly as he did against Arizona or Green Bay. Another main concern for the Bears this weekend will be their run defense. They did poorly against Shaun Alexander last week so seeing how they do against Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush will be interesting. The Saints are obviously who the non-partial observer will want to win and they have a very good chance with that offense, but I don't see them getting it done. The Bears have been the NFC's best all year and I think they'll pull it out tomorrow.
Bears: 24 Saints: 17

AFC: Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots
Dreamboat vs. Manning. The matchup we've kind of secretly wanted, but are hesitant to embrace. Despite the fact that this game has been incredibly overhyped, it still figures to be a heck of a game. We get to see if Manning will finally overcome his tendency to fail in the clutch and overtake Brady who has been anything but imperfect in clutch games. I don't think that this Colts team is as incredibly good as it was last year and that they blew their best chance last year against the Steelers. I find it very hard to pick against Brady and Belichick in a game of this magnitude and jsut as hard to pick Manning so I'm picking the Patriots. Things just seem more right that way.
Patriots: 28 Colts: 20