And the Vikings with their four-man rush were a popular upset pick as well. But as they have all season, the Saints forced turnovers. And as he has all season, Adrian Peterson coughed them up. And in the end, Brees was simply too much for the Vikings defense to handle, and we have what we all wished for - the slugfest of the century.
Rocky and Apollo Creed, eat your heart out - we've got Manning versus Brees.
Here's how we got here:
Colts 30, Jets 15
Things didn't look good at the beginning. But then again, they didn't in 2006 either. Or during week 10 against the Patriots. But as we've come to expect in recent history, Peyton Manning turned the switch on.
And as us Pats fans know full well, when that happens, it usually doesn't work out for the other team. The victim this time? Mark Sanchez, that vaunted Jets defense, and Rex Ryan (finally).
To be honest, I expected the Colts to win. But I didn't expect them to put up 30 points like they did. What's even more surprising is how they did it - at times, they actually attacked Darrelle Revis, the 'best cornerback the NFL has ever seen,' according the Rex Ryan. But then again, nothing Peyton Manning does should surprise me, ever. Not after i've seen him bend the Patriots defense over time and time again.
As for the rest of the game, here's what went down…
Player of the Game:
It's unreal.
Even against the league's number one defense, Manning did it again. This time, the NFL's MVP torched New York's secondary for an amazing 377 yards and a trio of touchdowns, completing 26 of his 39 passes.
He was flawless in his delivery, flawless in his game-management, and flawless in his Oreo commercials with Eli and the Trump(s). There's really not much else you can say about the guy anymore, except that the NFL world should learn a very valuable lesson from this game.
Don't bet against Manning in that dome. It's almost like betting against the kid who uses Mario in MarioKart64. You only get burned every time, because he's usually the one who owns the game and plays every day. Because that's what Manning has become - the kid at the party who plays that one game way to much, and kicks everyone's ass at it.
And mark my words, pretty soon the NFL just won't want to play against him anymore.
Goat of the Game:
We learned Isaac Newton's law in sixth grade - for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. And Sunday afternoon, we saw it in real-time.
Meet Dwight Lowry, the rookie cornerback who was the equal and opposite reaction to Pierre Garcon's 11 catch, 151 yard action.
Lowry, a rookie cornerback who was a back-to-back All-American in 2006 and 2007, looked like exactly that out on the field - a rookie cornerback. Garcon (with a little help from Peyton Manning) ran circles around Lowry all game, who turned 24 one day before the Jets got massacred at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Happy birthday?
Key Play:
With time winding down in the first half, the Colts found themselves actually trailing New York by a fairly large margin, 17-6. But then Peyton Manning got the ball with just over two minutes remaining, and he did what he usually does - score.
Manning proved once again there is nobody better in the two-minute offense than his highness, as he pulled yet another marvelous purely-shotgun drive out of his golden behind, keyed by a 46-yard completion to Austin Collie, bringing the Colts down to the Jets 16-yard line and still over a minute left.
The pass was a beautifully threaded needle right over the head of Drew Coleman, right into the hands of Austin Collie, and right under the coverage of safety Kerry Rhodes. If Manning throws that ball one yard further, that baby's incomplete. If he throws it one yard shorter, Coleman undoubtedly picks it off. And if he unleashes it just one second later, Austin Collie is looking at a world of pain courtesy of Kerry Rhodes and his left shoulder.
But Peyton Manning has become somewhat of a perfectionist on the football field, and that throw showed it. A tightly woven spiral that painted his career in one simple arc - amazing. One play later Manning hit Collie once again, this time for 6. The result? Colts go into the half down 17-13, and not 17-6. And thats when the momentum shifted.
It Couldn't Have Been Different If…
Shonne Green didn't get knocked out of the game on the second play of the third quarter. Greene had been knocking the Colts D around pretty good in the first half, posting 41 yards on 10 carries. The yardage isn't necessarily jaw dropping, but he'd posted a 4.1 average and the Jets were able to chew up clock and keep Peyton Manning off the field.
Once Thomas Jones entered the game, he only held a 2.6 yard/carry average the rest of the half.
All post-season long, Green had been the knockout punch for the Jets, including the Divisional game where he singlehandedly ended the Chargers season (with a little help from Nate Kaeding). Unfortunately, his injury did exactly that for the Jets, who found themselves spiraling downward once Green hit the sidelines, never to return for the rest of the game.
It Was Over When...
Manning got the ball back in his hands with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Honestly, the third-and-five from the New York 25 right before that may be the most underrated third-and-five in playoff history. Had the Jets converted and possibly drove down the field to score either a field goal or a touchdown, we're talking a one score game here.
Except they didn't. Instead, they punted away, and Peyton Manning ran off five and a half minutes of clock, with Stover kicking the game icing field goal.
The Jets wouldn't get the ball back until there were just over two minutes left on the clock and trailing 30-17. Game.
This Game In a Movie:
Every Final Destination movie ever made.
Cast:
All those annoying kids - The Jets
The Death they avoided in the beginning - Cincinnati and San Diego
The Death that got them in the end - Peyton Manning
The kid who dies first - Rex Ryan
This annoying girl - Nate Kaeding
The Jets screwed up the master plan by beating the Bengals and Chargers in round one. But in the end, Fate winds up handling every single one of those Jets, just as Peyton Manning always gets what is his in due time.
Because honestly - did you really think the Jets would win? Really? Nah, and just like all those annoying teenagers in every Final Destination movie, they might think they'll live in the end - but they're dead, you know it, and you can't wait to see it happen. Sorry, Rex. You can only keep up the charades for so long...
Saints 31, Vikings 28 - OT
I'm a believer.
I've never been the kind of guy who listens to all that "destiny" talk. I've always thought that players are players and games are games - and there wasn't much else to it. But that all changed Sunday night.
Everything Saints fans dreamt of came true. Every part of the hopeful-fan's prediction book came absolutely true. Peterson fumbled. Favre threw a crucial interception. Brees got his touchdowns. The Saints runningbacks exposed the Vikings aggressive front four. And in the end, New Orleans wound up heading to the Super Bowl.
In a game where Brett Favre alone outgunned the entire Saints offense (310-257), somehow New Orleans still found a way to win. It was the perfect combination of heart, luck and the Vikings seemingly having no interest in winning at all that paved the way for the Saints.
But as they say - sometimes it's better to be lucky then good. But as the Saints have found out time and time again - it's undoubtedly better to be both.
Player of the Game:
Terrence Porter.
The man was an absolute beast all night. Not only did his interception prevent what appeared to be an imminent Saints loss on the leg of Ryan Longwell, he also caused one of the seven forced fumbles on the day.
His particular fumble came after a Bernard Berrian catch and run that brought the ball all the way to the New Orleans 18-yard line. But like the rest of the Saints defense, Porter went in punching the ball and knocked it loose, and the Saints recovered. New Orleans had a 7-point lead a the time, but in a game that eventually went into overtime, taking away a possible 3-7 points from the Vikings offense meant the world in the end.
Goat of the Game:
Brett Favre.
I don't like him, but Brad Childress coached well enough to win, his team just fumbled it away. Peterson may have fumbled three times, but he didn't lose any of them - and hit over 100 yards and three scores. Even the defense did a great job controlling the Saints, and again, this team played well enough to win. But they didn't. Why?
Because when the chips were down on the table, Favre ruined it all again. Yes, he took a beating that game, and I feel for him. He even limped off the field during the game, and some thought that was all we would hear from number four.
But by god, he came back, and you have to respect him for that. But sometimes, just toughing it out isn't enough to win - just ask Boromir from Lord of the Rings. It doesn't matter how many huge arrows you take to the chest, sometimes you're just going to die, regardless of how tough you are.
In the end, three turnovers, including one that iced the game and another that was committed inside the 10-yard line, are enough to hand you Goat of the Game honors. Congrats Favre. Can't wait to hear all about your (not-so) retirement this offseason.
Key Play:
We all knew it was coming - we just didn't know when.
With time running out in the 4th quarter, Brett Favre committed his Odysseus-like tragic flaw once again, throwing an interception to Terrance Porter inside Saints territory. Only a few yards more, and the Vikings would have trotted out Ryan Longwell, one of the NFL's premier kickers, for a decisive kick.
Instead, they went to overtime - and well, we all know how that worked out.
It Could Have Been Different If…
Favre and Peterson didn't fumble inside the Saints 10-yard line towards the end of the second half.
This game was a back-and-forth slugfest. You know going in that every point was going to matter. Both offenses can score at will, and it was going to be a very close finish.
It was, and the Vikings wound up on the wrong side of it. But had they punched in from a 2nd-and-goal at the Saints four-yard-line, this game could have been very different. Especially when you consider that the Vikings were really clamping down on the Saints offense for much of the entire game. They got the ball on the Saints ten after a Reggie Bush muffed punt, and we all know what happens when you give a team like the Saints second chances.
Just ask Tampa Bay. Or Atlanta. Or the rest of the NFL.
It Was Over When…
Garrett Hartley booted a 40-yard field goal that thanks to Roger Goodell, ended the overtime, and one of the greatest NFC Championships in history.
It was everything it was built up to be - a phenomenal game that can only be described as Avatar.
But for as great as this collision of NFC titans was, I'm sure the Super Bowl will be just as good if not better.
And it better be - because thanks again to Roger Goodell, we no longer have the Pro Bowl as a buffer incase the Super Bowl sucks. Because historically, the Pro Bowl has been the ugly chick of the NFL. And as fans, we used to be able to bank on that date with the ugly chick just incase the Super Bowl, or the dinner with the really hot one, is either really awkward or ends prematurely. Because hey - at least if she stands up, throws her napkin in your face, and the Steelers win the Super Bowl - you get to look forward with your date with Cherry, that really ugly chick across the street, but at least she loves sports so you can kill time, a few beers, and some nachos (and your pride.)
But no longer. For one year, we'll have to put all our eggs in that one Super Bowl basket. And if this date with the incredibly hot chick goes incredibly wrong - well, that's all she wrote, and you leave empty handed.
Because not all of us can be like Tiger Woods.
This Game in a Movie:
Avatar.
Cast:
The Na'vi - The Saints
The Humans - The Vikings
Jake Sully - Drew Brees
Neytiri - Darren Sharper
Colonel Miles - Brett Favre
Animals of Pandora - Saints Defense
James Cameron - God
This actually works so perfectly, you begin to think that maybe James Cameron/God made this knowing it would happen for real in the NFC Championship Game.
Early in his career, Drew Brees was literally crippled by the Chargers, their play calling, and their coaching staff. It was so bad, when he was a free-agent, not even the Miami Dolphins wanted him. They actually chose Daunte Culpepper instead.
Enter, Saints - or that weird time machine thing that gives Sully his legs back. Once in Pandora, Jake Sully is immediately badass, sort of like Drew Brees was once he started throwing for 6,000 yards a year in New Orleans. But things weren't always good in New Orleans - much like in Pandora.
Both lost their home. Disaster struck New Orleans much like the Na'vi lost their Home Tree. Jake Sully looked lost in Pandora. The Saints even struggled big-time in the NFL, finishing above .500 only once in Brees' four years the Saints. Until they got some help.
Sully's help came in the form of Neytiri, a local Na'vi, and the Saints' help came in the form of Darren Sharper. Equipped with Sharper and Neytiri's agility, quickness and knowledge of the game, both the Saints and Jake Sully were able to become a complete NFL team - a complete Na'vi citizen - and win.
Together, Brees and Sharper brought the Saints all the way to the NFC Championship game, much like Sully and Neytiri brought prosperity to the Na'vi people. Both of their stories were inspiring.
So inspiring, Sully was able to travel across Pandora to unite a previously isolated Na'vi people - recruiting thousands. Similarly, the Saints' story spread across America like wildfire, their bandwagon growing with every victory. Even now, they are backed by the greater body of the United States, pulling for the underdog that has risen from the ashes of a hurricane-shattered city.
Then the final battle came.
Colonel Favre and the Vikings fought evenly with the Saints, despite New Orleans' home field advantage. Minnesota even appeared the better prepared team, running up and down the field against the Saints all game long, much like how the Humans began to over-take the Na'vi in the battle.
But the turnovers.
Even when Colonel Miles had Jake Sully pinned at the end of the movie - just like even when Brett Favre drove his team for a winning field-goal at the end of the game - that fatal turnover came like a giant Black Panther out of the corner of the screen.
Because in the end, no matter how many different hi-tech robot suits Colonel Favre puts on - Packers colored ones, Jets colored ones or Vikings colored ones - he's still the same Brett Favre. And an interception is still an interception.
Destiny would win the day in a game so epic, it also deserves to win a Golden Globe (or two).
Creepy isn't it?
great job man. very funny too, i gotta hand it to you - that pro bowl bit, and avatar, good stuff as always. keep it up.
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