49ers-36 Saints-32
1-Give all the credit to the Niners for this win, but you can't discount the fact that the Saints just killed themselves with five turnovers. They trailed 17-0 early in the second quarter, and once they settled in, they were able to get back into the game.
2-The last four minutes of this game were about as exciting as you can get in any NFL game. The Saints took the lead on a Darren Sproles touchdown reception to make it 24-23. San Francisco answered with an Alex Smith 28 yard run on a beautifully executed QB sweep to take a 29-24 lead. After a two-point conversion failed, the Saints and Drew Brees answered with a 66 yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham with 1:37 left to take a 32-29 lead. From there it was all Alex Smith and Vernon Davis. Smith hit Davis with the game-winning 14 yard touchdown pass with nine seconds left to seal the win 36-32. What a frantic and wild last few minutes.
3-You have to feel good for Alex Smith and Vernon Davis. Both have been in San Francisco for many years, and they have been apart of some really bad seasons, but Saturday was their day. Smith finished 24-42 for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns and a touchdown run. Davis finished with 7 receptions for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Their last second touchdown hookup will go down in Niner history alongside "The Catch" and "The Catch II."
4- The 49ers defense has been great all year long, but they were so physical in this game it was scary. They also picked off Drew Brees twice, and they seemed to be all over the field and they were flying around.
5-For the second straight year the Saints defense crumbled in a playoff game. They let Smith and Davis absolutely slice and dice them on those last two drives. It is no wonder that Gregg Williams left New Orleans to become St.Louis' new defensive coordinator.
6-The crowd was great and it felt like old times watching a big playoff game at Candlestick. Great setting, great crowd, and a great game. The Niners advance to their first NFC Championship Game since the 1997 season, while the Saints will have to spend the offseason listening to questions about them winning big games on the road in the future.
Baltimore-20 Houston-13
1) Give the Texans credit because their defense played lights out. They limited Ray Rice to only 60 yards rushing, held the Ravens offense to only 227 yards of total offense, and they completely harassed Joe Flacco. It is a shame they weren't able to get the win because their defense deserved to win that game for them.
2) If the Texans had Matt Schaub, then they win this game hands down. T.J. Yates looked like a rookie 5th round pick. He was awful (17-35 for 184 yards and 3 interceptions). His picks were absolute killers, and if Schaub plays in this game, then the Texans are in the AFC Championship.
3) Joe Flacco talks about how he gets no respect all the time, but why would you respect him? He is an average QB on a team with a stout defense and a great running back. He was terrible in this game, and looked just as skittish as Yates. Flacco's numbers (14-27 176 yards and 2 touchdowns) don't justify how bad he was. Flacco needs to just shut up and play like a franchise quarterback before he anoints himself as one.
4) This game changed when Jacoby Jones fumbled the punt deep in his own end in the first quarter. The Texans were up 3-0 at the time, and the fumble led to a Kris Wilson 1 yard touchdown reception from Joe Flacco.
5) This game had the least appeal of the four heading into the weekend, but it was a competitive game with solid defensive play and great hitting. The Ravens pulled it out like they normally do, and they now head to their second AFC Championship Game in four years. Since John Harbaugh took over as head coach in 2008, they have made the playoff all four seasons. They have won five playoff games, but the one thing that has alluded them was a Super Bowl appearance. They get another chance this Sunday in Foxboro.
New York Giants-37 Green Bay-20
1) There is so much to talk about in this game, but the Packers picked a bad day to have a bad day. Aaron Rodgers played his worst game of the season (26-46 264 yards 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 1 fumble lost and a bunch of bad throws), and the Packers were off the mark in the passing game all day. He missed a wide open Greg Jennings for a touchdown in the first quarter, and the Packers had to settle for a field goal and a 3-3 tie. That was the beginning of a bad day for Rodgers.
2) You could just feel that the Giants were playing fast and loose and the Packers were playing tight. After Hakeem Nicks broke a 66 yard catch and run for a touchdown to make it 10-3, you could feel the Packers get tighter and tighter.
3) The fumble call that wasn't overturned in the second quarter by referee Bill Leavy was one of the worst replay decisions in the history of the NFL. I don't know what Leavy was looking at. The Packers made the Giants pay with that call, and Rodgers hit John Kuhn for a short touchdown pass to tie the game at 10 in the second quarter as a result of that call.
4) The ensuing kickoff was an onside kick that was recovered by the Giants. Although the Packers blocked the Giants field goal attempt on that drive, you could just feel the desperation in the air on that call by Mike McCarthy.
5) The biggest sequence of the game for me was when Eli Manning was picked off deep in Green Bay territory late in the second quarter with the scored tied at 10. The Packers were moving the ball, but John Kuhn fumbled, and that led to a Giants field goal with 1:51 left in the half. The Giants got the ball back, and on a third down, the Giants decided to run the ball with Ahmad Bradshaw with no timeouts left. Bradshaw broke the run and got out of bounds to give the Giants one more play before the half ended. Eli Manning lofted a hail mary into the end zone and Nicks inexplicably came down with the ball, and the Giants led 20-10 going into halftime. At that point, I knew the Giants were winning this game.
6) After one drive was stalled by a strip sack by Osi Umenyora on Rodgers, their last big moment came early in the fourth quarter. Down 20-10 and facing a 3rd and 5, Rodgers missed a wide open Jermichael Finley for an easy first down. On 4th and 5, Rodgers was sacked, and that really killed the Packers momentum.
7) A Ryan Grant fumble gave the Giants the ball deep in Green Bay territory and Manning made them pay. He hit Mario Mannigham with a 4 yard touchdown pass with 6:48 left to make it 30-10 and that effectively ended the game.
8) Speaking of Eli, he was sensational once again. He finished 21-33 for 330 yards 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. He picked up key third downs all game long. Victor Cruz was great with 5 receptions for 74 yards and Hakeem Nicks was fantastic as he added 7 catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
9) The Giants advance to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2007, and they beat the Packers in Lambeau Field for the second time in four years. The Packers are the first team in NFL history to go 15-1 and lose their first playoff game. This will be a very bitter pill to swallow for the Packers, and it taints an amazing two year run that they have had.
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