The NFL churns out more compelling games per capita than any sports
league on the planet, and Sunday's conference championships were no
exception.
It wasn't always great football. Billy Cundiff shanked the potential game-tying field goal with 11 seconds left in the Patriots' 23-20 win over the Ravens -- a few plays after Lee Evans dropped the would-be go-ahead touchdown.
And in the NFC nightcap, 49ers return man Kyle Williams outgoated Cundiff and Evans by letting one second-half punt bounce off his knee and fumbling another, in overtime, to set up Lawrence Tynes' game-winning 31-yard kick in the Giants' 20-17 victory.
Both games, though, made for dramatic TV. And while their outcomes left us two coaches short of a Har-Bowl -- probably a good thing; imagine how out of line Jim Harbaugh's handshakes would be with a Super Bowl ring on one hand -- they set up a rematch of one of the most memorable title games in recent history.
Four years ago, the Giants beat the Patriots to end New England's undefeated season in stunning fashion. David Tyree caught a ball with Velcro on his helmet, Eli Manning took his first steps toward quarterback elitedom, and the Patriots got what everyone but Gisele thought they deserved after Spygate and three championships in four years.
If you can stomach the next two weeks of buildup -- darn East Coast media -- you might just be in for a better sequel.
The Patriots were the best team the AFC had to offer all year, with Tom Brady throwing for 5,000 yards and a tight end in Rob Gronkowski who has helped revolutionized the position. The Giants had to claw their way into the playoffs, but they've been as hot as anyone the last month thanks to Manning and one of the game's best defensive lines.
For the XLVI straight time, the Lions will be home watching the Super Bowl from the comfort of their couch, the last place they want to be Feb. 5.
But if Sunday's games proved anything, it's that the Lions are building their team the right way, though they're a few roster tweaks from contention.
Brady is a superstar quarterback, his three Super Bowl rings are indisputable evidence of that. Manning doesn't get the same acclaim -- he's still at least the second-most accomplished passer in his family -- but he should. He was rightly voted to the NFC Pro Bowl this year after carrying the Giants' offense on his back the way great signal callers do.
Defensively, the Giants are ferocious up front with Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck and a seemingly endless group of linemen who harass opposing quarterbacks and make things easy on the rest of their defense. They had three sacks Sunday, and made Alex Smith a nonfactor in the second half.
The Patriots haven't been as consistently good up front, but on Sunday, with Brady having a subpar game (just 22 of 36 passing with two interceptions and no touchdowns) that's where they won. Vince Wilfork was a monster getting pressure up the middle. He had six tackles, one sack and made two huge plays at the end of the game, stuffing Ray Rice on a third-down run and grabbing hold of Joe Flacco's jersey to force a fourth-down incompletion.
The Lions have a soon-to-be 24-year-old quarterback in Matthew Stafford who's not on Brady's or Manning's level yet but he could be soon. And they built their defense up front on the same the principles that carried the Giants to a title in 2008.
The Lions still need a short-yardage running game -- with Brady struggling Sunday, the Pats scored both of their touchdowns on the ground -- but they think they found a hard-nosed back in the draft last year in Mikel Leshoure. And they need to bolster a defense that was the weak link in losses to Green Bay at the end of the season and New Orleans in the playoffs.
The Lions allowed 946 yards passing in those games; the teams playing Sunday gave up 1,057 total.
It wasn't always great football. Billy Cundiff shanked the potential game-tying field goal with 11 seconds left in the Patriots' 23-20 win over the Ravens -- a few plays after Lee Evans dropped the would-be go-ahead touchdown.
And in the NFC nightcap, 49ers return man Kyle Williams outgoated Cundiff and Evans by letting one second-half punt bounce off his knee and fumbling another, in overtime, to set up Lawrence Tynes' game-winning 31-yard kick in the Giants' 20-17 victory.
Both games, though, made for dramatic TV. And while their outcomes left us two coaches short of a Har-Bowl -- probably a good thing; imagine how out of line Jim Harbaugh's handshakes would be with a Super Bowl ring on one hand -- they set up a rematch of one of the most memorable title games in recent history.
Four years ago, the Giants beat the Patriots to end New England's undefeated season in stunning fashion. David Tyree caught a ball with Velcro on his helmet, Eli Manning took his first steps toward quarterback elitedom, and the Patriots got what everyone but Gisele thought they deserved after Spygate and three championships in four years.
If you can stomach the next two weeks of buildup -- darn East Coast media -- you might just be in for a better sequel.
The Patriots were the best team the AFC had to offer all year, with Tom Brady throwing for 5,000 yards and a tight end in Rob Gronkowski who has helped revolutionized the position. The Giants had to claw their way into the playoffs, but they've been as hot as anyone the last month thanks to Manning and one of the game's best defensive lines.
For the XLVI straight time, the Lions will be home watching the Super Bowl from the comfort of their couch, the last place they want to be Feb. 5.
But if Sunday's games proved anything, it's that the Lions are building their team the right way, though they're a few roster tweaks from contention.
Brady is a superstar quarterback, his three Super Bowl rings are indisputable evidence of that. Manning doesn't get the same acclaim -- he's still at least the second-most accomplished passer in his family -- but he should. He was rightly voted to the NFC Pro Bowl this year after carrying the Giants' offense on his back the way great signal callers do.
Defensively, the Giants are ferocious up front with Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck and a seemingly endless group of linemen who harass opposing quarterbacks and make things easy on the rest of their defense. They had three sacks Sunday, and made Alex Smith a nonfactor in the second half.
The Patriots haven't been as consistently good up front, but on Sunday, with Brady having a subpar game (just 22 of 36 passing with two interceptions and no touchdowns) that's where they won. Vince Wilfork was a monster getting pressure up the middle. He had six tackles, one sack and made two huge plays at the end of the game, stuffing Ray Rice on a third-down run and grabbing hold of Joe Flacco's jersey to force a fourth-down incompletion.
The Lions have a soon-to-be 24-year-old quarterback in Matthew Stafford who's not on Brady's or Manning's level yet but he could be soon. And they built their defense up front on the same the principles that carried the Giants to a title in 2008.
The Lions still need a short-yardage running game -- with Brady struggling Sunday, the Pats scored both of their touchdowns on the ground -- but they think they found a hard-nosed back in the draft last year in Mikel Leshoure. And they need to bolster a defense that was the weak link in losses to Green Bay at the end of the season and New Orleans in the playoffs.
The Lions allowed 946 yards passing in those games; the teams playing Sunday gave up 1,057 total.
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