Wrapping Up the Conference Championships
We’re officially teetering on the verge of Super Bowl week, with the Conference Championship games slipping into our wake as though they never happened. Always looking forward in this league. It moves so fast. But let’s dwell on these two games for a bit. Who the heck could have predicted two blowouts of this size? I certainly didn’t. After making some solid predictions for the Divisional Round, I’m not going to lie: I fell flat on my face last week. The Patriots and Falcons dominated. Made mincemeat of the spreads. Made the Steelers and Packers look like… well… like they didn’t deserve to play in the Super Bowl. So here we are, a week out from the World’s Biggest Stage. Let’s adjust our rear views for a moment and examine where the winners went right and the losers went wrong.
Betting books had the Falcons winning in a tight, high-scoring game. And over/under of 61 to be exact. They did come out on top, but the line wasn’t even close. Final score: 44-20. Matt Ryan had one of his best games of the season, completing 27 of 38 passing attempts for 392 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Eight different receivers caught passes, providing him an array of solid targets. Star wideout Julio Jones grabbed nine catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns, including a 73-yarder that went the distance. Mohamed Sanu also snagged five catches for 52 yards and a TD. Then there was Devonta Freeman who caught passes for 42 yards and a TD, and ran for 42 yards and a score on 14 carries. His backup, Tevin Coleman, also had a nice day offensively, running for a touchdown on the ground and 35 yards through the air. This team really was firing on every single cylinder.
As for the Packers, they struggled to get things going all game long. It was honestly sad to see, considering the momentum they were bringing into this game. You had to know things were going to go badly when they sputtered on their first drive and missed the ensuing field goal attempt. Meanwhile the Falcons ate up clock and marched down the field with sharp efficiency. Not to mention the Falcons pass rush was pressing Aaron Rodgers all game long, making him antsy early and recording two sacks in the first half.
The score was 10-0 when Packers back Aaron Ripkowski fumbled on the tail end of a 12 yard run. On the following drive, Matt Ryan tucked it in for a 14-yard touchdown run. Minutes later, the Falcons struck again. They went into halftime leading a shutout 24-0. What could be said of this Packers team? They missed opportunity after opportunity. Multiple near-interceptions and a fumble that all came up empty for the green and yellow. Fast forward to game’s end, Rodgers finished 27 of 45 with three touchdowns and a pick. He also ran for 46 yards on four rushes. Not even the return of Jordy Nelson could salvage this game for Green Bay. They were simply outplayed, and outmatched against a team built on the same premise–good quarterback, lots of pass options, etc. But in the end, the Falcons took it home with a huge win.
Then later in the day, Big Ben and the Steelers traveled to New England to face Tom Brady’s juggernaut Patriots. And juggernauts they were. Final score: 36-17. I mean this team just looks infallible. They don’t have a single weakness that you can easily point out. Beating them requires hard-nosed defense and a bit of luck, like maybe a condor swooping in and snatching Brady’s throwing arm from its socket. But that’s highly unlikely. So it makes sense that they won this game. Without the arm-ripping condor, the Steelers had no chance. Actually it was probably due to the fact that Tom Brady was ten completions short of absolute QB perfection. He completed 32 of 42 passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns, and a QB rating of 127.5. He hit nine different receivers in the process. Chris Hogan went berserk, matching Julio Jones’ nine catch/180 yard/two TD performance. Julian Edelman grabbed eight catches for 118 yards and a TD; not to mention his yards after the catch was ridiculous. Oh and then there was the bulldozer LaGarrette Blount. He ran for 47 yards and a score on 16 carries–one of which he dragged eight different Steelers players for an extra ten yards. The Pats just looked unbeatable in every facet of the game.
Meanwhile the Steelers just struggled all game long. They dropped passes. They missed defensive opportunities. They couldn’t score. They failed to exert any real pressure on Brady. And it didn’t help that Le’Veon Bell entered the game with a groin injury, and left early after aggravating it. He finished with six carries and twenty yards. Not exactly a solid followup to his 170 yard game against Kansas City. Big Ben completed 31 of 47 yards, a TD, and a pick. He hooked up with three different receivers seven times each. But in the end, the Patriots rolled Pittsburgh like pizza dough.
So there you have it. Falcons and Patriots. Patriots and Falcons. Saddling up at Houston’s NRG Stadium. And I can’t think of two teams that deserve it more than they do (except maybe the Cowboys but that’s a sad story for another time). Anyways, February 5 at 6:30 pm EST. Be there or don’t be there. Either way, the world will be watching.
Also stay tuned for my Super Bowl preview article, in which I may or may not come close to predicting the final score. Of course, that’s how things usually go with predictions. You either get it right or you don’t. In the mean time, enjoy the Pro Bowl festivities. Enjoy way too much press coverage for Super Bowl week. And make sure you get a healthy overdose of meat and cheese next Sunday. I know I won’t.
