[MYPLAYLIST=1]It’s the second week of the NFL Playoffs. This week we see the Division favorites matched up against the winner of last week’s wildcard match-ups. Will the Patriots continue their remarkable run in the league or will the Jaguars put a stop to it? Will the Giants be able to continue their fine momentum and take advantage of the Cowboys lackluster performance during their last few matches?
The Green Bay Packers played host to the Seattle Seahawks. The first 2 minutes of the game would seem to signify that the match was Seattle’s to win. The Packers simply could not hold the ball as Ryan Grant fumbled in both their early possessions. Seahawks recovered both those fumbles and returned them for scores. Thus, after just 2 minutes of play, the Packers are down 14-0. That was all they could muster, however, as Bret Favre regained control and turned the momentum their way.
Bret Favre, the 38 year old QB, displayed his true championship form to bring the Packers out of their early slump. In the end he had one of the game of his career. He completed 18 of 23 passes with 3 TDs. The 3 TD passes tied his career high for Playoff TDs. Ryan Grant, after his first two fumbles, turned over the tide his way. He completed the game with 201 rushing yards and 3 TDs.
The Packers scored on all six drives after the two turnovers. They raked in 400+ total yard along the way. While the Packers’ offense rolled over the Seahawk defense, their defense stood their ground (a very slippery one too) as they prevented the Seahawks from scoring any more TDs after the initial two.
Jacksonville Jaguars had a tough match on their hands. They went up against the currently unbeaten NFL team – The 16-0 New England Patriots. Coming into the game as the under dogs, the Jaguars took the game to the Patriots. They matched the Patriots blow for blow in the first half. Both teams scoring a TD each in each quarter of the half. At the end of the half, the score was tied at 14-14.
The Patriots’ defense tightened things up in the second half. They limited the Jaguars to merely two field goals, through out the half. While the defense stood their ground, the Patriot’s offense, continued where they left off. Tom Brady doing what he does best this season. In the end, he completed 26 of 28 passes for 262 yards. He finished the game with an NFL record for passing efficiency – just another record breaking outing for him.
On the ground, the Patriots’ L. Maroney combed the grass for 122 yards and a touchdown. His number are even more impressive than Jacksonville’s NFL second most productive running backs. The much touted Jaguar’s duo could only muster 66 yards between them.
The NFL’s Defending Champions – Indianapolis Colts bowed out of the playoffs at the hands of the San Diego Chargers. The Colts simply could not reproduce the kind of performance that won them the title last year. The Chargers, playing with their second string offense due to injuries, brought the game to the champions.
At half time, the Chargers were trailing by 3 points. It was a 7 – 10 game at the half. It was a see-saw kind of a game, in the second half as both teams traded touchdowns. The Chargers took the lead at 14-10 early in Q3. The Colts answered with their very own TD later on to make it 14 – 17. In the dying seconds of Q3, the Chargers went ahead once again with a score, making it a 21-17 game
Both teams went on to score a TD each in Q4, with the Colts scoring first. The Chargers scored their winning TD late in the fourth, with about 4 minutes left on the play clock. The Colts tried to make a late comeback. However, the Chargers’ defense stood their ground and made the big plays when it really mattered the most.
The win sets up the Chargers for a match against the NFL favorites New England Patriots in the AFC Championship match. Will they be the team to break down the Patriots?
The Dallas Cowboys had a torrid time hosting the New York Giants. The Giants, who have a superb on the road record, showed once more why they like playing away from home. The Cowboys (13-3) had the best head to head record during the regular season. They won both their regular season matches against the Giants. However, they could not reproduce the same kind of performance that won them the regular season matchups.
It was a pretty close match. Both teams traded scoring chances and TDs. The score was level at 14-14 at the half. The Giants scoring first. The Cowboys leveled and gained the lead which was then leveled again by the Giants.
It was in the second half when the Giants really put their foot down on the Cowboys offense. The Giants defense managed to hold the Cowboys to only a field goal through out the entire second half. The Cowboys’ M.Barber, had 101 yards in thefirst half. He, however was limited to a mere 28 yards in the second half. Their secondary dealt the final blow to the Cowboys. In the dying seconds of the match, Giants’ Cornerback R.W. McQuarters pulled of an interception in the end zone foiling Dallas’ final attempt at scoring their winning TD.
This 21-17 win over the Cowboys sets them up against the Green Bay Packers in the upcoming NFC Divisional Championship match. Will the Giants continue their fairy tale run on the road? They won 9 straight road games thus far. The Cowboys got themselves into the record books with the loss. They became the first NFC #1 seed to lose in the Divisional Playoff since 1990.