The NFC went as planned. The AFC didn't.
Still, the AFC probably has the the matchup many wanted when the New England Patriots take on the Indianapolis Colts for a Super Bowl berth.
The Colts were the AFC's top team for the first half of the season, rocketing out to a 9-0 start and beating would-be playoff teams the Giants, Jets and Patriots as well as a good Broncos team. Oh, and all those games were away from the RCA Dome. Since then, the Colts have gone 3-4 with only one of those losses coming to a playoff team [Cowboys]. The defense was getting ripped to shreds; Peyton Manning wasn't as sharp; the Colts running game had slowed down.
When the playoff came around, we all felt that Manning and Co. would be run all over by the Chiefs. That didn't happen. But that Ravens defense would shut down the Colts offense enough that Steve McNair and Jamal Lewis will spank that bad defense and make Manning come up short again. That didn't happen.
The Patriots recent playoff turns have been well documented. Over the last six years, the Patriots are 12-1 in the postseason. That one loss was a controversial one against the Broncos last year. The odd thing is that there is no team that made the playoffs as under the radar as the Pats. They finished 12-4. But it was a season that saw the Patriots lose three times at home and were shut out at struggling Miami. New England beat only two teams who qualified for the playoffs: the Jets and Bears. The AFC East was bad and their schedule was easy. That's why they are here.
But beating a tough Jets team wasn't easy. Neither was going to San Diego and beating a team that hadn't lost a game since October 22.
The AFC title game will pit the Patriots and Colts in the first AFC Championship game held in a dome. And don't count out the road Patriots at all: they won the 2002 and 2005 AFC Championship games on the road.
In the NFC, it went somewhat to plan. The #1 seeded Chicago Bears and #2 seeded New Orleans Saints will battle for the NFC title. Amazing. Between the two teams, they've been to one Super Bowl.....the unreal 1985 Bears team. Heck, this is the first NFC title game in Saints history. In fact, their divisional round win over the Philadelphia Eagles was only their second postseason win in history. By comparison, the 12-year old Carolina Panthers [who are NFC South division rivals] have played in three NFC Championship games.
Amazing. This was a team that played home games in East Rutherford, San Antonio and Baton Rouge last year as the Superdome was unfit for about anything after the horror of Hurricane Katrina. This team was supposed to be San Antonio's right now. Or Los Angeles' team. Or Toronto's. Or anywhere but N'Awlins.
The team came back...but who would want to come there? Perennial hot coaching prospect Sean Payton decided that was the gig he wanted. Drew Brees made a huge leap of faith to sign as a free agent. And the team lucked out with the #2 pick in the draft, they could select Reggie Bush. The draft also gave them a huge surprise in Marques Colston who was Mr Everything for the Saints over the first half of the season.
Don't think the Bears are vets at this either. Their overtime win over the Seahawks today was their first playoff win since 1995. This will be their first NFC Championship game since 1989 when they lost to the 49ers. This is a team who is quarterbacked by a guy that no one seems to think could start for anyone in the NFL. Rex Grossman is as maligned as they come. It's just that we've never, ever, ever, ever seen a team play great defense and great special teams, use a two back system and have a lower tier QB lead them to a Super Bowl title.
Oh, yeah. We saw that in Super Bowl XXXV with Trent Dilfer and the Baltimore Ravens.
Neither of these teams were supposed to be here. The Cowboys, Panthers or Giants were supposed to wake up and realize they were supposed to fire up the ladder and take this title. None did.
So, this time next week we will start to break down Super Bowl XLI and have a nice 7 or 10 point line favoring the AFC champion and have puff and substance stories about the teams and cities vying for the title.
God....I can't wait.
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