With the AFC and NFC title games looming around the corner, the top four teams left in the NFL playoffs all pose interesting superbowl scenerios. First off, lets start with the match up that most fans are anticipating, the New England Patriots versus the Green Bay Packers. A match up made in heaven. The Packers, the most improved team of the NFL this year anchored by record setting quarterback Brett Favre and an emerging star in running back Ryan Grant. Who can say more about Ryan Grant and Brett Favre this season. People have been urging Favre to retire the last few years, to hang up the cleats and call it a career as the 38 year old quarterback looked finished especially surrounded by what looked to be a team trying to rebuild itself. But yet he comes back for one more season and continues to break records, leading his team to a 13-3 season and earning themselves the second seed in the NFC playoffs. Much of the success of the Green Bay Packers can also be attributed to running back Ryan Grant, who was not even the starter in the beginning of the season. Acquired by the Packers off the New York Giants practice squad through a trade, Grant made his way into the starting line up through a number of starters ahead of him becoming injured by nonetheless, he has proven to be one of the best. Grant has given the Packers the stable running game to attribute their passing game that the team has been looking for, as during the second half of the season, no running back except for LaDainian Tomlinson had more rushing yards than Grant.
Now lets talk about the Patriots. Coach Bill Belichick has his team playing perfect ball, and yes perfect ball being 17-0. The Patriots started the season rampaging there way through opponents, led by the tandem of Tom Brady and Randy Moss. Tom Brady had a phenomenal season, breaking the single season touchdown record set by Peyton Manning, throwing for 50 touchdowns, Randy Moss being on the receiving end of 23 of those touchdowns. The last few games the Patriots have played were not blowouts however, showing the league that the Patriots are beatable, yet no team has taken advantage of it yet. The Ravens, Eagles, and Giants were all so close but thats what makes this year’s Patriots great, their ability to blow teams out or come out with the clutch win in tight games. If the Patriots and Packers met in the Superbowl, it surely would be one of the most watched Superbowls in history. A match up of two amazing quarterbacks in Brett Favre and Tom Brady, who can ask for more? An undefeated team with its streak on the line against one of the only teams who made the playoffs that did not play the Pats during the regular season. Can Tom Brady lead his team to an infamous 19-0 or can the wild Brett Favre be the person to stop them? What a great match up.
The second match up, is one that fans do not really anticipate happening but it would possess it’s own quarterback story line just as well. The New York Giants versus the San Diego Chargers. Who saw these two teams making it this far in the playoffs? The chargers started the season horribly but have won their last 8 games with the team being carried on the back of LaDainian Tomlinson. The Giants are a wild card playoff team playing in the NFC championship game this weekend. The Giants could barely beat anyone at home but have won an NFL record 9 straight road games, including a playoff game in Dallas against the number one NFC seeded Cowboys, who beat the Giants twice already during the regular season. It would be a story of Phillip Rivers versus Eli Manning, the two quarterbacks that will forever be linked to the 2004 NFL draft. Eli, originally drafted by the Chargers, refused to play for them so then he was traded to the Giants who had drafted Phillip Rivers. These two quarterbacks will be tied together forever and if both teams made the Superbowl, the league would then see who made out better from the infamous trade. Regardless, each quarterback has made substantial growth and each has matured greatly this season so its obvious neither team regrets their trade now looking back on it.
The two conference championship games should be very exciting, regardless of any upsets I’m picking the Packers and the Patriots to win their games and to face each other in the Superbowl in an exciting quarterback match up.
1 Comment
January 21, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Why Pats will win it all.
The Patriots and Giants have met eight times in the regular season, with New England holding a 5-3 advantage. And, the Patriots have won the past four, all of them tight games.
History 101
1970 Giants 18, Patriots 0
1974 Patriots 24, Giants 20
1987 Giants 17, Patriots 10
1990 Giants 13, Patriots 10
1996 Patriots 23, Giants 22
1999 Patriots 16, Giants 14
2003 Patriots 17, Giants 6
2007 Patriots 38, Giants 35
Sources: boston.about.com, pro-football-reference.com, gonyc.about.com
History 102 …
Both the Patriots and Giants have a history filled with great moments, but who is the face of the franchise? While it would probably get a lot of arguments, we’re saying that for the Giants, it’s Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor. Although he had off-field problems, on the field he redefined the position. As for the Patriots, Tom Brady has become Mr. Patriot. New England obviously doesn’t have as great a history as the Giants, but Brady has taken the franchise to a new level, and the team might never look back.
… and 103
Curious about those histories? The Patriots have put together a 366-349-9 record in the regular season and are 21-12 in the postseason with three Super Bowl titles. Their all-time passing leader is (deep breath) Drew Bledsoe with almost 30,000 yards, leading rusher is Sam Cunningham (5,453 yards) and their leading receiver was Stanley Morgan (10,352 yards). The Giants are 606-506-33 in the regular season and are 19-23 record in the postseason, including two Super Bowl titles. Phil Simms is their all-time passing leader (33,462 yards), Tiki Barber their leading rusher (10,449 yards) and Amani Toomer, who is still catching passes, their leading receiver with 8,917 yards
New England Patriots will win by 17.
Mike.
Pats Fan since 1985