NFL Divisional NFC/AFC Games 2010

The 2010 NFL Divisional Playoffs are complete. The stage is now set for the AFC and NFC Championship games. With four teams left, we are one week away from knowing who will play in Superbowl XLIV. The question on everyone's mind now is who will usurp the Pittsburgh Steelers as champions? Super Bowl XLIV is Feb. 7 in Miami.

Drew Brees is in control. Peyton Manning the master of making adjustments. Mark Sanchez the rookie who has come a long way. And Brett Farve became the first quarterback to win a playoff game in his 40s.

One thing is certain the upcoming Championship games should be another great weekend before the big one.

But all i can think . . is how sad I am that the NFL football season is coming to an end!

Baltimore Ravens 3

Indianapolis Colts 20

Lucas Oil Stadium was were the Colts were able to stop running backs Ray Rice and Willis McGahee, as the two combined for just 74 yards on 15 carries. Rice had the bigger numbers, running 13 times for 67 yards.

It was the second time these two teams met this season and in both of these games the Ravens offense was not able to score any touchdowns against the Colts.

Too many turnovers on offense and one too many defensive penalties added to the Ravens loss. The Ravens committed four turnovers , including two interceptions and two lost fumbles.

“We’re disappointed at the fact we didn’t win this game,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We didn’t play well enough to win this game, on this day, against this team. That’s our disappointment.

Peyton Manning completed 30 of 44 passes for 246 yards with two touchdowns coming in less than two minutes near the end of the first half.

Said Manning of the Colts snapping their post-bye losing streak, "I know there was a myth that we can't win at home after a bye week. I didn't believe in it."


For Reggie Wayne, he took a while to get going, but finished with eight catches for 63 yards and became the 11th player to gain 1,000 career playoff receiving yards. Add a touchdown to his day.

Before the Colts left the locker room after this win, the players huddled in the locker room to deliver one final message to their head coach Jim Caldwell . . .they wished him a Very Happy Birthday.

The Colts set a club record Saturday with an attendance of 67,535 inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

Sanchez vs Rivers

12    Comp      27
23    Att           40
100  Yards    298
4.3   Avg.       7.5
1      TD             1
1      INT's         2
1      Sacks       2
60.1 Rating  76.9

New York Jets 17

San Diego Chargers 14

Norv Turner called for an onside kick after cutting the lead t 17-14 when he probably would have been better served kicking it off deep therefore forcing the Jets offense to move the ball. Rex Ryan did not hesitate to go for it on fourth and 1 in the last minutes of the game.

Rookie running back Shonn Greene continued to be a difference-maker for the Jets, giving them just enough offense with 128 rushing yards, that makes 263 yards rushing in the playoffs.

Interceptions by by Jim Leonhard and Darrelle Revis gave the Jets the edge in turnovers and Mike Devito sacked Philip Rivers.

A change back to man-to-man defense keyed New York's pass defense in the second half. The Chargers had only 7 first downs in the second half and were held to 139 passing yards in the final minutes and didnt get any more big plays.

Philip Rivers' playoff record fell to 3-4 after the upset loss to the Jets.

"We'll see what happens in the match-up that probably nobody wanted, but too bad," Rex Ryan said after the game. "Here we come."

Vincent Jackson's kick of a red challenge flag was one of ten penalties by the Chargers. (It was also the straightest kick the Chargers had all day.) Nate Kaeding had made 69 field goal attempst in a row inside 40 yards before missing from 36 and 40 yards in this game.

Not many people had faith in that the Jets cpould get this far. But here they are one win away from making Super Bowl preparations. New York get ready!

Arizona Cardinals 14

New Orleans Saints 45

The Cardinals set a record for most points allowed in consecutive playoff games in their 45-14 loss to the Saints.

Said Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, "We played with a depleted secondary today. That hurt us. The Saints exploited those matchups. That was pretty obvious."

Cardinals RB Tim Hightower's 70-yard touchdown on the first play of the game was the longest run of his career.

Cardinals QB Kurt Warner said the hit that briefly knocked him out of the game won't impact his retirement decision.

The Saints defense allowed only 31 yards rushing and seven points following Hightower's game-opening touchdown.

"These are games where your stars need to show up and make plays and be a difference-maker," Reggie Bush said. "That's what I try to do."
 Bush ran five times for 84 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown. He caught four passes for 24 yards. And he returned three punts for 109 yards, including an 83-yard touchdown that was the third-longest in NFL postseason history. It was his first punt return for a touchdown since the Vikings game in 2008.

Saints QB Drew Brees completed 23 of 32 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns.

DT Sedrick Ellis recorded the only sack, but the Saints pass rush had a bigger impact on the game than the stat sheet implies.

Second Half Gonna Need Some Magic

Dallas Cowboys 3

Minnesota Vikings 34

After lighting up the Cowboys for four touchdowns and 234 yards in Sunday's 34-3 division-round blowout, Vikings QB Brett Favre needs just 228 yards passing in the NFC title game to surpass Joe Montana's all-time record for career postseason passing yards. And with the Vikings win today he gets another stab at that record.

In addition to DE Ray Edwards, Vikings LB Ben Leber turned in a monster statistical line Sunday, racking up nine tackles, an interception, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

Vikings NT Pat Williams believes that his team's win over the previously red-hot Cowboys "surprised everybody" and said the Vikings "weren't worrying about what nobody was saying, what NFL Network was saying, [or] Inside the NFL."

Can someone explain why the Vikings mascot Ragnar attempted to console Dallas' players as they made their way off the field, patting RB Felix Jones and WR Kevin Ogletree on the back?

On the bright side for Dallas, the team advanced as far as it's been in the playoffs in 13 years this postseason. Next year I believe we will see the Cowboys in full force with an even more mature Tony Romo.

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips called Vikings WR Sidney Rice's first-quarter, 47-yard touchdown, which came against incognizant Cowboys SS Gerald Sensabaugh, "unbelievable" and "the strangest play I've seen in a long time."

Jean-Jacques Taylor, of the Dallas Morning News, singled out Cowboys RT Marc Colombo as a goat for the season-ending defeat, and absolves QB Tony Romo of blame.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he wasn't discouraged after the loss.