This weekend is the second round of the NFL Playoffs. There were two games yesterday and two games will be played later today. Here's a nice little recap for you of the two games yesterday.
The early game was played between Baltimore's old team (the Colts, now residing in Indianapolis) and its new team (the Ravens) in Baltimore. To most people's surprise, but not mine, the Colts beat the Ravens 15-6. All week the media was talking about how bad the Colts' defense was and how good the Ravens' defense was, but when it came to game time both defenses played well. Actually, that is not exactly true. The numbers say they both played well but when Baltimore needed a big play, like a stop or to force a turnover, they couldn't do it, but whenever Indianapolis needed a stop, turnover or something big they got it. Indy's run defense, which was the worst in the league during the regular season, held the the Ravens' running back Jamal Lewis to 53 yards, about a hundred less than what they were giving up during the regular season. The Ravens were able to keep Indy out of the end zone but they gave up five field goals to Adam Vinatieri. (Vinatieri is now the all-time leader in playoff field goals.) This game went slow and was a battle of two coaches, one known for his defense whose defense hadn't been that great and one who's not known for his defense and whose defense was playing great. In the end, the better coach won.
The late game was the Eagles against the Saints. Sports, like music, has a great effect on society and culture and it is nowhere clearer then in New Orleans right now. The city that was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina is still trying to get off of its feet and get itself to where it was. (Hopefully one day it will again be the place where the bible belt comes undone. Sorry for the side note.) This was just the second time a playoff game was held in New Orleans, and boy was it special. The crowd let the Eagles have it whenever they had the ball. The Eagles were up 21-13 with a quarter left to play when the Saints came storming back. Deuce McAllister, who was born in Mississippi, went to school on the Gulf Coast, and has worked and given money for hurricane relief work, played one of his best games as a pro. McAllister took the team on his back and brought them back to a 27-24 victory.
Today's games are between the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks and the late game is between the San Diego Chargers and the New England Patriots. Your preview:
The Bears vs the Seahawks is a game being played in Chicago where temperatures are just above freezing and there is plenty of snow on the ground. This is bad news for the Seahawks, who generally play in a dome and have not done very well on the road in the playoffs. The major points of contention that everyone else is focusing on is that the Seahawks' quarterback is a bit banged up and the Bears' quarterback is inexperienced. I have said since the start of the year that the only person who can keep the Bears out of the Superbowl is their quarterback, Rex Grossman.
The Chargers had the best record in the NFL this past year and the Patriots have been amazing in the playoffs. The coach of the Chargers, Marty Schottenheimer, is just 5-12 in the playoffs and is famous for getting beat in the playoffs. The Chargers have the best running back in the game, the current MVP, who is currently among the top 12 greatest running backs of all time and he is still playing. The coach of the Patriots, Bill Belichick, has been known to be a great defensive planner, but his plans are used on quarterbacks, not running backs. This game will come down to whether Marty decides to do something other then run football, since if he does he'll lose.
