Covenant of the Gridiron 01.21.08: NFL Conference Championship Breakdown

Posted by Derek Robbins on 01.21.2008

Will we have the Super Bowl between a legend and a future legend? Or will it be between the league's current hottest player and perhaps the future? Or will it be a game between two teams nobody expected to be in it? Well, we finally know who is in the big game now. All this and more in this week's conference championship breakdown.

Hello and welcome to this week's covenant of the gridiron! This week I'll break down the conference championship games, but first…there are a couple of things I'd like to hit on.

-As I had mentioned in my video game post, Super Smash Brothers Brawl has been delayed yet again. Til' March 9th. This is sad, because originally the game was supposed to come out on All-Star weekend. I mean, what am I supposed to do on All-Star weekend? Actually WATCH the game? Surely you jest.

-Apparently Peter Angelos nixed a deal that involved the Cubs trading for Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts. This would have probably ended up with us losing most of our farm system. What's the matter, Angelos? Rich Hill and Sean Gallagher not good enough for you? Bah.

-Lucario, Ness, and Jigglypuff confirmed for Brawl? (click here for the video)go to about 4:20 in and look for the following screenshots.

- Since I am a Ness fan, this is the first one I'm posting. It looks like a picture of Ness and Lucas. Circled so you can ee what I am talking about

- Lucario is pictured here. Arrow for ease of read.

If this IS in fact legit, awesome. The video confirms the photos at least. It is from Nintendo's Japanese site, so…I am led to believe it. However, I could be wrong. That said, thanks Anonymous!

Anyhow, now that I'm off of that…let's break down the games that determined who would be playing in the 42nd Super Bowl.

NFL: Conference Championships

San Diego Chargers 12 at New England Patriots 21

Boy, the Chargers sure can talk a lot, can't they? Going into the game, you would have figured that THEY were the ones that have yet to lose a game this season. Don't get me wrong, it's cool SOMETIMES…but there comes a time when you need to shut up and respect your opponents, and I feel that this was the case here. Would the outcome of this game be the same if the Chargers had just kept their mouths shut? More than likely, yes…but does it REALLY help your chances when you talk shit constantly? No. What I felt was particularly interesting is that neither team played as well as you would think, given that they are the two hottest teams in the league. Tom Brady was not the prototypical "Joe Cool" today as he threw 2 TDs to 3 INTs, and that hot-headed Phillip Rivers finished with no touchdowns and 2 INTs. Look at Rivers's stat real quick. No TDs. That was the Chargers problem today. They were able to score, sure…but they weren't able to FINISH drives. I'm sure it doesn't help San Diego's cause that Tomlinson and Rivers were banged up to start the game, but…if they had been able to complete a couple of drives, this game could have easily been different. As I said in my prediction…this game ended up coming down to the quarterback position, and even though Brady turned the ball over three times…he FINISHED his drives. To compliment his passing attack, the Patriots running game, for the second week in a row, was pretty stellar. They outpaced a San Diego running game that is usually pretty proficient. Then again, in San Diego's defense…Tomlinson was injured – he only saw two carries – and their running game suffered without him. The combination of a superior passing and rushing game won it for the Patriots today, as I felt both defenses played practically equal. I realize the Patriots had more turnovers, but they also had more yards…so you could make a case as to why they equaled out. You HAVE to give credit to Norv Turner though. At the start of the season, everyone questioned his coaching ability, especially when the Chargers bumbled out of the gate. He has now taken the Chargers farther than Marty EVER did, which is pretty impressive given the fact that Marty is actually a pretty good head coach. So kudos to him. It appears as though the Patriots' impressive run is going to continue for one more game. Can they complete the season sweep and…have one of the greatest accomplishments in North American sports history? We'll see. The Super Bowl match-up is VERY intriguing, so never say never. So Charger fan, you're in a good position right now. Hopefully Rivers and Tomlinson can get healthy next year…and you guys can get back to the promise land. Even though I think you guys talk too much, I do think you deserved to be there. The fact the Chargers bounced back from being the laughing stock of the NFL gives me hope in the 49ers one day making a similar turn-around. So. Go Chargers!

What can be drawn from this? - Barring something really weird happening, the Chargers should be set up to compete for the years to come. They have a good head coach, no matter what anyone says, and their core of players is one of the most talented in the National Football League. The Patriots, on the other hand, have a chance to make history. I find it really hard to root against them as it's getting closer and closer to the end. I'm not sure we'll ever see something like this again (though never say never), so…I'm enjoying the ride.

- Can the Patriots go perfect? We'll see.

New York Giants 23 at Green Bay Packers 20

Going into this game, you would have figured it was a sure-fire bet from the way the media was portraying it. After the 15 millionth mushy Brett Favre story, I was honestly rooting for the Giants to win. Don't get me wrong, I love Brett Favre, I think he is one of the best players to ever play the game…but a part of me REALLY wanted to see Eli prove everyone wrong and take the Giants to the Super Bowl. And that is what I got. As I said back in Week 17, their loss to the Patriots REALLY fired them up. They have been playing so well in the playoffs, you'd almost think an entirely different team suited up and played on the field on week 1 of the regular season. Unlike last week, this game didn't have shoddy officiating. No, the Giants won on their own merits, and…by God, they deserve to be here. Eli Manning proved that he can be a leader today by orchestrating good drive after good drive and making good throw after good throw. Maybe people won't talk as lowly of him anymore? Who knows. Each quarterback played quite admirably, in all honesty. Old Brett WAS Brett fucking Favre for most of the day. Things only turned sour towards the end when I felt he was trying too hard to win the game on his own. Dude played well, the stats say he played well, and he has nothing to hang his hat on about this game. If this was his last game, he can go out proud as he put on one hell of a show. Ahh, but I would be mis-leading you if I told you the quarterbacking is what won the game for New York. No-no. The Giants ability to stop the run and run the ball was a HUGE reason as to why New York won. Ryan Grant, after an impressive week last week only carried the ball for 29 yards. The Packers, as a team, only had TWENTY EIGHT yards on the ground. That is pretty sad, in all honesty…one could make the argument that if the Packers had a competent running game, Favre would be playing in the Super Bowl, but…that's not the case and we have a Brady versus Manning showdown. Honestly, I'm really excited for this. Can Tom slay younger brother Eli? Can the Giants DESTROY all doubters and beat the Patriots in the rematch? Hell, will the rematch be as epic as their week 17 showdown? I don't know, but I can't wait to find out.

What can be drawn from this - If this is indeed Brett Favre's final game in the NFL, he can go out proud. If not, his team will be in competition again next year, so I expect to see them back around this time. No worries, Packer fan. As for the Giants? God love ‘em, I wish them the best of luck in the Super Bowl. Part of me really wants to see them pull off the upset, but the other part of me really wants to see history made. Ahh, I feel so conflicted right now.

Playoff Power Ranking

We're down to TWO. Let's see how they fare.

1-) New England Patriots (18-0)(1) – They seem like the obvious choice to rank at number one. They have yet to lose a game this year and are the deserving favorites going into next week's game. If they manage to go 19-0 it will be the greatest accomplishment in NFL history, and Brady will be one step closer to surpassing my boy Joe Montana. In all honesty…a lot of people dislike this team, but I kinda like them. I don't know what it is, but the Patriots are just likable to me.

2-) New York Giants (13-6)(4) – You always have that team that is full of BS and says: "Nobody thought we would be here". Well, quite literally, NO ONE thought that the Giants would be here. Nobody at all. I mean, of course, outside of local radio hosts more than likely. They absolutely deserve to be here after beating the two highest seeded teams in the NFC. I am VERY interested to see how they take on the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Will they play them as well as they played them on Week 17? I mean, the Giants ALMOST won that game. We'll have to see. Whatever the case, this is the most excited I've been for a Super Bowl in a long time.

Conference Championship Awards

Team that proved the most - For the third week in a row, I'm giving this one to the New York Giants. Again they went into a situation in which they were heavily favored to lose, where nobody gave them a chance…and they prevailed. Unlike last week, the officials weren't the reason they won the game. They went out there and BEAT the Packers. Remember last week how I said I wasn't sure if beating "The Man" (The Cowboys) made the Giants "The Man"? Well, I think it's official. As far as the NFC goes, the New York Giants are "THE MAN". I cannot say enough good things about your post-season performance.

Worst Performance By a Team San Diego Chargers - NO, the Chargers did not play a bad game, but I had to give this award to somebody. Given the fact that San Diego failed to score a touchdown against New England, they qualify for this one. Other than that, I have to give them a lot of credit for playing so well with a lot of injuries to their important players.

Best Play of the Week Donald Driver, 90 yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre - There were a lot of impressive plays this week, but I'm going to give it to this one. It's FREEZING in Green Bay and Driver pulls off a 90 yard touchdown? That's gotta be noteworthy. An honorable mention goes to Lawrence Tynes for kicking the game winner. The last couple of fieldgoals had been missed from CLOSER…so I thought it was awesome he hit the first 40+ yard fieldgoal in Lambeau history.

MVP of the Conference Championships Eli Manning - Say what you will about Eli, but…he's looked darn fine this post-season and he has earned that "C" that is posted on his chest. In my eyes, he should have shaken off a lot of those people who have doubted him. Though his stats weren't the most impressive, he put together a plethora of impressive drives and was a huge reason for the Giants success. I know I am probably going a bit over-board when I talk about these New York Giants, but…they deserve all the praise they can get at this point.

- The Giants keep proving us wrong. Glad they could make it to the dance.

Wrap up

NO PICKS YET. I am going to do a special Super Bowl Preview Covenant of the Gridiron next week. So. Nothing until then. Sorry! But to tide you over, I do have some reader feedback!

This first one is from Brad.

Keeping with my wrestling analogy, Philip Rivers is playing the role of Teddy Hart - Thinking he's better than he is, when the hell did he think he could bag the Colts? In a word - Wanker. Favre vs Brady, everyone against Brady... and he wins. HOPEFULLY this happens

Hahaha, I couldn't agree with you more. Honestly, I'm glad Rivers is out of the postseason. Don't get me wrong, I like SOME trash talk…but the dude goes over board, and in all honesty…he isn't even that good. Brady versus Manning will be a FUN game.

Here is one from Marc
Well, fist off f**k the Patriots. I can not wait to see Cromartie intecept the hell out of Brady. I see at least three. This is all I hear, the Patriots will destroy the Chargers. The Patriots are not the greatest team ever. Brady is nothing compared to Montana. The Chargers have a chance. Did ya thing theyd be beat the colts? Nah. The Chargers have a chance, so f**k the Patriots. The New York Giants. Eli Manning makes Ryan Leaf look like a hall of famer. leave it to romo the homo to play horrible. And look at bret favre, he still has it.

Well, you were right on the number of interceptions. There were exactly three, so good call there. I did think they would beat the Colts, honestly…and I figured they would lose to the Patriots. I was right in both circumstances. As for Eli? Looks like you were wrong again. Looking at your picks that'd make you 0-2, right? Haha, who are you going to root for Super Bowl Sunday?

One more from David R.

I think this season is fixed. Just like the 2001/2002 season, the Patriots are getting the favor by the refs. It seems like the "Man" wants to keep positive light on the War in Iraq. That explains the winning record of a team called the Patriots.

Honestly David, I always love reading your comments. They always make me smile. I can tell this is sarcastic, so good job.

Well, that's it for this week. I'll be back next week for a detailed look at Super Bowl XLII.

Til' the crossroads