This past weekend was the best weekend in NFL history in my
mind as we saw a double overtime playoff game, a quarterback single handling
win a game, and a team come back after being down 20 only to lose it on a last
second field goal.
The first
game of this divisional weekend saw the #4 seed AFC North Champion Baltimore
Ravens travel to Denver to take on the #1 seed, the Denver Broncos. There was a
lot of talk around the league that this was going to be the end of Ravens LB
Ray Lewis who announced that this season would be his last. The Broncos entered
the game on an 11 game winning streak and the favorite to win the Super Bowl.
The game was going back and forth the whole time and the game really got
interesting when the Broncos decided to run it on 3rd and 7 with
2:07 left and didn’t get the 1st down meaning that the Ravens were
going to get the ball back. Baltimore had the ball back with 1:09 left and on 3rd
and 3 QB Joe Flacco threw a Hail Mary 70 yards down the right sideline. Broncos
S Rahim Moore played the ball horribly and jumped to knock it down but missed
it allowing WR Jacoby Jones to catch the easiest pass of his career and walk
into the end zone to save the Ravens season. The game went to double overtime
as both offenses struggled to move the ball in the first overtime. On their own
38 and feeling the pressure of the defense, Broncos QB Peyton Manning threw a
ball that he will regret for a couple months as he threw it right to CB Corey
Graham who caught his second interception on the day. Six plays later, Ravens K
Justin Tucker drilled a 47-yard field goal giving the Ravens the 38-35 victory
over the Broncos.
The first
game of the weekend was just the beginning and if that game was an example of
what was ahead then fans were in for a great weekend. The second game on saw
the NFC North Champion Green Bay Packers travel to San Francisco to take on the
NFC West Champion San Francisco 49ers. This game was all about 49ers QB Colin
Kaepernick. Kaepernick opened the game with a pick six by Packers S Sam
Shields. After the early game mistake, the 2nd year quarterback out
of Nevada was flawless. Kaepernick out performed Packers QB Aaron Rodgers as he
threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns but did most of damage on the ground as
he ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns. His 181 yards were the most by a
quarterback in playoff history. The 49ers advanced to the NFC Championship with
a 45-31 victory over the Packers.
Yesterday
morning, the #1 seed Atlanta Falcons hosted the red-hot #5 seed Seattle
Seahawks. As it entered halftime, it looked as if Falcons QB Matt Ryan and TE
Tony Gonzalez would finally get their first playoff victories. That all changed
in the fourth quarter when the Seahawks scored 14 unanswered and were driving
with under a minute left. Seahawks rookie phoenom QB Russell Wilson decided to
leave the ball in the hands of RB Marshawn Lynch as he completed a pass to
Lynch for 24 yards to set up a first down at ATL 3 yard line with :33 seconds
left. Lynch powered the ball into the end zone on the next play giving the
Seahawks their first led with :31 seconds left, 28-27. Ryan needed a perfect
drive to win the game and he got as he completed two passes for 41 yards to set
up a Matt Bryant 49 yard field goal with 13 seconds left. Seahawks coach Pete
Carroll called a timeout to ice the kicker but Bryant got a practice kick as
the refs called the timeout and missed the field goal. Bryant then lined up for
the biggest play in Falcons history and ended a thriller as he nailed the field
goal to give the Falcons the 30-28 victory.
The final
game of the weekend wasn’t as exciting as QB Tom Brady and the New England
Patriots beat the Houston Texans, 41-28. With the victory, Brady passed former
NFL great Joe Montana for most playoff victories with 17.
This weekend
was a great weekend for the NFL and with three games left until we crown a
Super Bowl Champion, fans have to wonder, what else can we expect? I wish I
knew but it means I get to be glued to the TV as four teams duel it out to win
Super Bowl XLVII.
images were used from google.com
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