NFL Playoffs Round Two Recap

What an outstanding weekend of Football. Those were some excellent games and this post-season is turning out to be one of the most exciting ones in recent memory. Before we recap the games, let's take a look at the GDB Pick'em results.

Young Knuckleballer- 3/4 correct
Young Swole- 2/4
Young Cicero- 2/4
Young Porque- 2/4

So, the only game that was picked differently (the Giants game by me) turned out to be the swing match. It's nice to get that one right after getting last in Round 1. Alright, onto the Recap.

Packers 42 vs. Seahawks 20

Game-Changing Play...When Ryan Grant decided to start hanging onto the ball and scored his first touchdown. The Seahawks jumped out to a 14-0 lead after Grant fumbled twice in the first quarter, but once Grant got used to the big stage and the snow globe at Lambeau Field, he and the Packers took over the game and scored 3 Touchdowns in a row.
It was over When...Grant got his second TD of the game and put the pack up 11 right before the half...Seattle would get no closer.
Goat of the Game...Sean Alexander. What happened to this guy. He was dominant last year and before that just two years ago had 27 TD's in 2005 (then a record). This year he had only found paydirt 4 times during the regular season and once (plus just 66 yards) in two post-season games.
Hero of the Game...Gotta give it to Grant. The Rookie RB finished with 3 TD's and 201 rushing yards! He is an even bigger out of nowhere surprise this year than MJD was last season. Brett Favre also had 3 Endzone strikes, but he only had 174 yards through the air. How often does a RB get more yards than his QB?
Final Thoughts...This was the most lop-sided game in the entire second round and a big part of that was the fact that Seattle was the worst team left. After the Pack gave them gifts early on, they just couldn't hang. The Seahawks have never allowed this many points in the postseason, but then again Green Bay is just firing on all cylinders right now and may be the second best team left.

Patriots 31 vs. Jaguars 20

Game-Changing Play...The game was tied after half-time, but the Patriots broke it when Tom Brady basically had an eternity to find Wes Welker in the end zone to put New England up 21-14. Jax wouldn't get within four points the rest of the game.
It was over when...Kicker Stephen Gostkowski nailed his only Field Goal of the game midway through the 4th from 35 out to put the Pats up 2 possessions. Jacksonville couldn't mount anything after that.
Goat of the Game...I'm torn between a couple people. I can't say Garrard, because he fought valiantly and played much better than he did against the Steelers last week. The defense wasn't great, but then again, who is against the Patriots. I'll go with the running game. Specifically, Fred Taylor. MJD wasn't great, but he didn't have enough opportunities on the ground and he was moderately effective as a receiver. For the Jags to win this game, they needed Taylor to have a Pro-Bowl like performance. It didn't happen. He rushed for just 47 yards on 13 carries with no Touchdowns. At least he gets to go to Hawaii as an alternate. I still like the guy, he just didn't step up when it mattered most.
Hero of the Game...Surprise, Surprise. Tom Brady. The Golden Boy. How can this guy not win this award. He was invincible. The man only misfired on 2 passes all night! He started the game 16/16 (a single game post-season record) and He broke Phil Simms' single game playoff record for completion percentage by finishing 26/28. The 262 yards were pedestrian for him, but I'm not complaining about the 3 TD's and no INT's. He's gotta keep this up, but I don't see how anyone can deny that this is the single greatest season for a Quarterback EVER if he wins a Super Bowl.
Final Thoughts...The Jaguars put up a valiant effort, but c'mon you can't stop these Pats. Ever see that movie "Angels in the Outfield". There was a sequel called "Angels in the Endzone". I'm pretty sure this New England team has angels working for them because I can't explain it any other way. By the way, where the hell was Randy Moss today? Smoking the green with Sticky Icky Ricky or something. 1 catch for 14 yards, now that's just pathetic. Luckily his cohorts picked up the slack. Props to Ben Watson for his 2 TD's.

San Diego 28 @ Indianapolis 24

Game-Changing Play/It was over when...Billy Fucking Volek snuck into the endzone for the game winner with under 5 minutes to play in the game. Peyton and company couldn't get back on the board in two drives after that.
Goat of the Game...Joseph Addai. He was horrible today. Part of that could be blamed on injury, but he was just boo-urns all game. Addai couldn't break tackles, and really put a strain on the passing game. The Goat Play of the game might go to Marvin Harrison who had a 30 yard catch that was ruined by a fumble lost when he tried to spin. The momentum completely shifted San Diego's way, and instead of going up 14-0, they found themselves tied.
Hero of the Game...Antonio Cromartie. He had an Interception that should have resulted in a touchdown just before the half if not for a bogus holding play that negated the run back and a fumble recovery. On top of that, Manning had to avoid his side of the field because Cromartie is such a dangerous presence. This guy has become the best Defensive player in football this year. He has 11 picks on the season and he is scary Mofo.
Final Thoughts...Talk about a shocker. My colleagues and I all thought the Colts would absolutely lay the smack down on the league bitches known as the Chargers. Unbelievably, multiple things happened to ensure a San Diego victory today. First of all, Addai didn't show up. That's already been established, but on top of that, the defense was very weak on Indy's end. The Colts D had been daunting all year, ranking near the top of the league in most categories, but today the Chargers had their way...with backups no less. That was the most unbelievable thing. No Phillip Rivers, No LT, no problem. Volek was mediocre, but Darren Sproles and Michael "The Burner" Turner both stepped up admirable in place of Tomlinson. Sproles had a wicked good run down the sidelines for a touchdown...he is the Speedy Gonzalez of San Diego. I also agree with Cicero, Rivers has no class. I'd love to see him get his ass kicked...and he will soon enough when the Pats linebackers crush him like a bug next week. He isn't going to be able to shit right for a month (i stole that from Bad Santa). One more thing, everybody was pissed that Marti Schottenheimer got fired when he lost last year in their playoff opener, and Norv Turner was getting mad shit for slacking early this year, but now he's won 2 playoff games. Maybe Chargers GM A.J. Smith made the right call. Seriously though, the Chargers have no chance of competing in that game next week.

New York Giants 21 @ Dallas 17

Game-Changing Play...Brandon Jacobs rumbled in for a TD from 1 yard out to put the Giants up by 4 at the beginning of the 4th quarter and proceeded to disrespect the home crowd by throwing the ball off the Play Clock. What an angry man. Last week he growled at Tampa Bay Fans after scoring his second TD of the game. That guy has anger management issues, but hey, if he keeps scoring, fans won't complain.
It was over When...Tony Romo threw a pick in the end-zone with 15 seconds left in the game from 25 yards out. This was a nail-biter of a game that went right down to the wire.
Goat of the Game...Romo. He has yet to prove that he can step up in big games. He's similar to A-rod. Awesome in the regular season and a bum in the post-season (although Romo has to do this consistently for many more years before he can be on R0driguez' level). He only had 1 Touchdown pass, but you gotta fault some of his receivers for key drops like Patrick Crayton's bumble midway through the 4th that could have put them into Giants territory. It doesn't matter though, Romo is a...you know what.
Hero of the Game...Eliiiiiiii. Wow, 2 weeks in a row for Manning? Who would have thought that there would be a Manning in the Conference Championship game and it wouldn't be Peyton. The younger brother threw 2 TD's (both to Amani Toomer...the first one was a spectacular run after catch by the old geezer) and once again NO INT's. In fact, until the last play of the game, there were no Turnovers at all in the contest. Eli didn't do anything spectacular, but he did limit his mistakes which is something he hasn't been able to do in the past.
Final Thoughts...Who saw this one coming?? Oh yeah, me!! If you want, you can read my "Alone on a Giant Island" article if you haven't already. I wrote it on Saturday and discussed why I thought the G-men were gonna win this game. The Fools out there are going to bring up "jessica simpson and mexico, etc.", but Romo said it himself earlier in the week. "If we lose this game, it has nothing to do with me taking a trip or any of that stuff, it will be because they played the better game." That's pretty much dead-on. They were outplayed. Both of the other contests between these two squads were close this year, with Dallas coming out on top in both regular season games. The breaks just fell right for the New York Football Giants in this one, and they move on to play the Pack which should be a highly entertaining game in Lambeau next Sunday.