A Decade (and Four Years) of NFL Playoffs: Ranking the Conference Title Games, Pt. 1

Tier 1 – You’re telling me this is the best the conference has to offer?

28.) 2014 AFC Championship - (A3) Colts 7 @ (A1) Patriots 45

Review: Well, the game was actually just 17-7 at halftime. The Colts were able to fend off a more disastrous score with an interception of Tom Brady before half, but that only kept the Patriots at bay for a while. The Patriots dominated the 2nd half with four straight TD drives to start the half making a 17-7 game into a 45-7 laugher. Tom Brady was solid, but the real story was the Patriots running game, for a 3rd time in 20 games, destroying the Colts, as LaGarrette Blount picked up 3 TDs and 148 yards. This game was never really in doubt, and the Patriots at least made it a quick death for Colts fans.

Interesting/Memorable Play: It is hard to say a 45-7 game had a turning point, but after a Colts three-and-out to start, the Patriots went three-and-out, but the Colts muffed the punt. The Patriots recovered, scored a TD six plays later, and that was all she wrote.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: Much like the Patriots dominant Week 1 game in 2007 is remembered more in infamy, this will be as well for the game that started DeflateGate, a story I don't care to really cover again.


27.) 2003 NFC Championship – (N3) Panthers 14 @ (N1) Eagles 3

Review: The Eagles played in some really boring Championship Games from 2002-2004, but the 2003 one was the worst. Muhsin Muhammad caught a TD on a pass where the Eagles DB fell down early in the 2^nd quarter, and that was basically a wrap. Donovan McNabb and Koy Detmer combined for four interceptions, three of which were thrown to Ricky Manning, Jr. The only lasting memory of this game, other than the fact that 70,000 people wanted to burn that place down, was DeShaun Foster’s great 1-yard touchdown run where he broke two tackles. Other than that, just a waste of a game on an awful day of football.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: How bad were the Eagles? Their three points equals the lowest point total ever for the home team in a Championship Game since the modern playoff format began in 1978 (before this, the 'home team' could be the team with the worse record). The 2000 Raiders also scored just three points in a loss to the Ravens. Of course, those Ravens were one of the best defenses ever.

26.) 2004 NFC Championship – (N2) Falcons 10 @ (N1) Eagles 27

Review: I told you these were bad games. This was the only Eagles’ NFC Championship win during the Reid-McNabb era, and it was a pretty boring dominant effort by the Eagles. Vick was held to 26 yard rushing and 11-24 passing by a masterful gameplan by the late, great Jim Johnson, while the Eagles received stellar play from Donovan McNabb (17-26 for 180 and 2 tds) and Westbrook (6.0 yards per carry). As you can see, it was the type of game where you know the whole story just looking by the statistics. It was a dominant effort on a cold afternoon at the Linc.

Interesting/Memorable Play: Chad Lewis caught two touchdowns in the game, and on his second TD catch to ice the game, he broke his foot. Lewis was replaced for the Super Bowl by veteran Jeff Thomasen, who was orking as a construction foreman at contracting firm Toll Brothers when he received the call.

25.) 2005 AFC Championship – (A6) Steelers 34 @ (A2) Broncos 17

Review: In what may be the best playoff game ever played by Ben Roethlisberger, he went 21-29 for 275 yards and two tds against the league’s 3^rd rated defense. The game wasn’t close to interesting as Jake Plummer was stripped and threw a pick in the 1^st half and the Steelers turned both into TDs. Hines Ward’s TD catch late in the 1^st half made it 24-3 at intermission and basically ended all hope in the game. The Broncos did cut it to 27-17, off of long touchdown toss to Ashley Lelie and a Mike Anderson run, but were never seriously in the game, turning the ball over four times while never getting a turnover. It was the most dominant road performance in a Champioship Game in this stretch, which made it extra boring since the once fired-up Mile High crowd was stunned into silence.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This is the most recent AFC Championship Game (and along with 2002 the only AFC Championship Games in this stretch) to not be played in New England, Pittsburgh or Indianapolis. The last six have been played exclusively in these places, as the Colts, Patriots and Steelers have all hosted a pair. In this span, the NFC Title Game has been played in five different cities, with San Francisco, Arizona, New Orleans and Green Bay all hosting once, and Chicago the only city to host two.

Interesting/Memorable Fact 2: In what is heavily correlated with the last fact and odd considering the rash of upsets in recent years that have defined the playoffs, this is the last time a road team won an AFC Championship Game. Since then, the AFC Champion much like the home team, has been rotated between Indy (2), Pittsburgh (2), and New England (2). In that span (’06-’11) a road team has won the NFC Title Game three times (’07, ’10 and ’11).

24.) 2002 NFC Championship – (N2) Buccaneers 27 @ (N1) Eagles 10

Review: In what would be the last game ever played in Veteran’s Stadium, the Buccaneers avenged three straight losses (two in the ’00 and ’01 postseason) to the Eagles by hammering them 27-10. The Eagles started out the game fabulously, as Brian Mitchell returned the opening kick 75 yards, and Duce Staley scored on the very first play, but that was the last touchdown the Eagles would get. The game turned on a 47 yard catch by Joe Jurevicius. The Buccaneers scored on a short toss to Keyshawn, and added another TD on an Alstott run to make it 17-7 at the break. The game was then sealed by a dramatic 90-yard interception return for a touchdown by Ronde Barber. The Philly policed station 100 officers to control possible riots in what they assumed would be an Eagles win. They were never used, and I’m guessing the Philly police let them leave the Vet in the 3^rd quarter.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was just the 2^nd game the Buccaneers won in their franchise’s history when the temperature at the opening kickoff was under 40 degrees. The 1^st such game came just four weeks earlier, as the Buccaneers went into Chicago and won 16-0.

Tier 2 – The Best team Flexes Their Muscles, and I’m oddly Intrigued.

23.) 2015 NFC Championship - (N2) Cardinals 15 @ (N1) Panthers 49

Review: Expectations were really high for this game. The Cardinals and Panthers were the clear best two teams in the league in the 2015 season, and the last four times the NFC had the Title Game in the late window, they ranked as true epics. Instead, only one team decided to be epic, in the most epic way possible. Given the level of competition they were playing, this might have been the most dominant playoff performance of all time. The Panthers scored in every way: a reverse by Ted Ginn, a QB sweep by Newton, a QB sneak by Newton, a 85-yard catch and run by Philly Brown, a quick slant to Devin Funchess and a pick-6 to cap it all off by Luke Kuechly. It was pure dominance. The defense was even better, forcing seven turnovers and never letting Carson Palmer get settled at all. By halftime, it was 27-7, and the game never got any closer. It was just a perfect performance by a team that looked, at the moment, scarier than any team in this period, just anhillating a 13-3 team with such peerless brilliance.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The one moment when the game could have turned was after the Cardinals did draw the game to 17-7, they forced a bad throw by Newton and got an interception deep in Carolina territory. Three plays later, Palmer threw his first of four interceptions stunting any chance the Cardinals had to claw back into the game.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the most points scored in a Title Game since the Bills dropped 51 on the Raiders in the 1990 AFC Championship. Of course, just like those Bills, the Panthers offense would be incredible neutralized in the Super Bowl.

22.) 2003 AFC Championship – (A3) Colts 14 @ (A1) Patriots 24

Review: In weather that could only be described as a wintry mix so awful that it would have exceeded Bill Belichick’s most hopeful expectations (Colts' columnist Bob Kravitz called it Belichick's vision of Hell for Manning), the Patriots stopped a Colts offense that hadn’t punted in their first two playoff games. Peyton Manning had the worst day of his career. It actually didn’t start out too bad, as on their initial possession, the Colts drove the length of the field, but Manning threw an interception into the end zone. It was all downhill from there. In the 1^st half, Manning threw another pick, Marvin Harrison fumbled inside the Patriots 20, and on their 1^st punt of the playoffs, the snap flew over punter Hunter Smith’s head for a safety. Due to Brady (interception into the Colts end zone) and the Patriots’ inability to cash in these short fields for TDs, the Colts were only down 21-14 with 1:50 left when they started a drive. Four incompletions (including two obvious un-called defensive holding penalties) later it was all over, and the Patriots accomplished their finest defensive performance. Of course, like many things the Patriots have done since, there was a little wee controversy about what really was a decisive win.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The fallout from the game tends to be spinned that Jim Irsay, Bill Polian and the Colts whined and got new rules added. That is mostly hogwash. Yes, Bill Polian (and only Bill Polian) complained, but there was no new rule. The NFL just told the officials to start enforcing the illegal contact rules that had been on the books since 1978. Also, the NFL admitted that they missed six illegal contact and defensive holding calls against the Patriots, including the 3^rd and 4^th down passes on that last failed drive when the Colts were down 21-14.

Interesting/Memorable Fact 2: This is the last AFC Championship Game to really feature adverse weather. There were a few flurries in the 2008 AFC Title Game in Pittsburgh, but there was no rain or snow in any of the games since. It really is amazing that in those days, when the Patriots needed bad weather, they always seemed to get snow or wintry mixes in the playoffs (Tuck Rule, ’03 & ’04 vs the Colts).

21.) 2005 NFC Championship – (N5) Panthers 14 @ (N1) Seahawks 34

Review: Qwest Field, had ever been so damn loud, and the Seahawks made sure that it stayed that way all game long. It really started when Seahawks backup-QB Seneca Wallace caught an over-the-shoulder sliding grab from Matthew, and then Jerramy Stevens scored the next play. Two picks of Delhomme later and the Seahawks were up 17-7 and it was all over. The Seahawks laid the biggest Conference Title Game smackdown in this 10-year period, outgaining the Panthers 393-212 (quite a bit of that 212 came when it was already 34-7). They ran 81 plays to the Panthers 49. Matthew played a quintessential Matthew game going 20-28 for 218 and two scores, while Shaun Alexander for once did something in the playoffs with 132 yards and two scores. The Seahawks defense pounded the Panthers. All you need to know is the Panthers two scores came on a punt return and a garbage time TD when it was 34-7, and Steve Smith, after 22 catches in the first two playoff games, had five, and just one in the 1^st half.

Interesting/Memorable Play: On a 1^st Quarter run, in one of the most brilliantly obvious displays of blocking, Walter Jones drove 300 pound Mike Rucker 25 yards downfield on one block, paving the way for a 20 yard run by Shaun Alexander.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: In Jake Delhomme’s previous six playoff games, he went 5-1 with a line of 98/157 for 1,446 yards (9.2 y/a) 10 TDs/2 INTs for an overall QB rating of 108.3. His individual game QB ratings in that stretch were 104.5, 96.6, 109.5, 113.6, 100.6 and 120.6. So his worst playoff game to that date was a 96.6 (the 2OT win over the Rams). In this game, he was 15-35 for 196 yards with 1 td and 3 picks for a QB rating of 34.9. How bad was he in this game: His next playoff game would have a higher QB rating, and that was his 5-pick disaster against Arizona.

20.) 2004 AFC Championship – (A2) Patriots 41 @ (A1) Steelers 27

Review: How do you turn a close game into a blowout? The Patriots were leading just 3-0 with the Steelers driving at the Pats 40 with a 4^th and 1. The Bus was stuffed, Brady hit Deion Branch for a 60 yard TD the next play, the Steelers answered with a field goal, to which the Pats replied with another TD drive and then Ben was pick-sixed. And Voila! 24-3 at the half. The Steelers did make a game of it, running for 163 yards and closing within 31-20, but never had a chance to get any closer. Brady was great going 14-21 for 201 yards and two TDs (with a 101 fever, reportedly), while Ben wasn’t, throwing three picks among his 24 throws. The Patriots, just one week after limiting the league’s best scoring offense to three points finished their two-part magnus opus in style by dropping 41 (34 on offense) points against the league’s top scoring defense, the last seven of which were on a classic, eff-you end-around TD run by Deion Branch. They only won the Super Bowl by 3 (suprise), but this two game stretch cemented the 2004 Patriots legacy as one of the greatest teams of All-Time.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The game could have become something, but Bill Cowher did what he does and went conservative. Facing 4^th and Goal from the 3 down 31-17, the Steelers could have gone for it, and had they gotten the TD they would have made it a one score game. Instead, Cowher elected to take the field goal to make it 31-20 (barely any better than 31-17 and Patriots ball at the 3). The Steelers never got the ball back any closer than 14.

Interesting/Memorable Play 2: The Patriots final score (to make it 41-20) came on a sweet end-around run by Deion Branch. The most ballsy part of the play was the Patriots ran that exact same play on their first offensive snap of the game. That time, it gained 22 yards. This time, it went for a score.


19.) 2013 AFC Championship - (A2) Patriots 16 @ (A1) Broncos 26

Oh, how I would love to be a major homer and put this in the 'Good Games' category. Alas, I want to be kind of objective, so it sits here. I quite famously did not watch this game live, but have watched every play of it a few times since and you can basically boil down this game to two things. First, The Patriots had three points through three quarters against a defense that was missing five opening day starters (Miller, Vickerson, Woodyard, Moore, Harris), and that the Broncos offense averaged 60 yards a drive. Manning had his third brilliant AFC Title Game, with a beautifully controlled performance, going 30-41 for 400 yards. After Aqib Talib went out the Patriots never stopped the Broncos until the Broncos final drive of the game, which they knelt on the 12 yard line. Belichick had no real answer for Manning's offense apart from 'let Julius Thomas drop a TD and force a field goal'. Brady missed some open throws, but when you're throwing deep to guys Manning made famous a football lifetime ago (Austin Collie) you probably are out gunned.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The most infamous play from the game is Wes Welker's block on Aqib Talib. It was probably a split second too early, but to say John Fox sent Welker, who had just come back from a concussion a week prior, to intentionally slam into Talib is idiotic. And for Belichick, who's team does the exact same stuff, to call Welker out on it was pathetic.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: Through three quarters, the Broncos led 23-3 and had held the Patriots to under 200 yards of offense. Through three quarters in the divisional game, they led the Chargers 17-0, holding them under 200 yards. So, against two of the Top-6 offenses in the NFL, the Broncos cast-off defense held, in the first three quarters, to 3 total points. 

Tier III – The Good Games

18.) 2010 AFC Championship – (A6) Jets 19 @ (A2) Steelers 24

Review: I thought the Steelers would hammer the Jets in this game. I was absolutely, completely, totally right... for a half. On the first possession of the game, the Steelers drove down the field in a monster 15-play drive that featured eight Rashard Mendenhall runs. It took 8:32 off the clock. The Steelers would add 10 more points on offense with a field goal and a Ben bootleg TD run. Then, right after the 2:00 warning, the Steelers, in all their might, flexed their muscles with a Woodley sack, and then Ike Taylor sack fumble that was returned by Willie Gay for a TD to make it 24-0. I guess at this point the Steelers thought the game was over. The Jets deserve a ton of credit for making this a game, as Mark Sanchez had another good playoff game, going 20-33 for 233 yards and two tds to bring the Jets back to 24-19 with three minutes to go. Then, despite Roethlisberger to that point being 8-17 for 105 yards and two picks, Ben hit two big passes to close out the game. The MVP of the game was definitely Rashard Mendenhall, who had 121 yards on 27 carries, many of which came with a lot of yards after contact. For the 2nd straight year, the Jets couldn't beat one of the AFC's Glory Teams in the AFC Championship Game. They did get a little closer this time, though.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The game clinching pass from Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown was an eerily similar play (a roll out to the right and low throw to the crossing slot receiver) to Manning’s final pass in the Wild Card game to Blair White. Manning threw a little low, and was criticized because due to the incomplete Sanchez had time to come back. Roethlsberger had a far worse game, but because he did complete that one pass, he wasn’t criticized while Manning was.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: It is no secret that the AFC in the 2000s was dominated by the Pats, Colts, Steelers and Chargers. The Jets had the chance to do something truly special: beat all three teams consecutively. In fact, just beating two (the Colts and Pats) made them special. Only the 2004 Patriots managed to beat two of the big three in their Super Bowl run. The 2005 Broncos beat the Pats but couldn't beat the Steelers. The '06 Pats beat San Diego but lost to Indy. The '07 and '08 Chargers beat Indy but couldn't against New England or Pittsburgh. In '09, both the Ravens and Jets lost to Indy after beating the Pats and Chargers, respectively. The Jets could beat Manning and Brady, but Ben stood in their way.

17.) 2010 NFC Championship – (N6) Packers 21 @ (N2) Bears 14

Review: The Packers came in fresh off their 48-21 win in Atlanta, and drove down the field on their first position, with Rodgers going 4-4 for 76 yards and running for the touchdown. Rodgers completed his next pass as well, for ten more, but after that moment and it looked like the Packers would blow the door off the NFC's 2nd seed. However, with the Packers around midfield leading 7-0, the Packers fell, and it became a tight game. Rodgers went just 12-25 for 156 yards and two picks in the rest of the game. The Bears defense made this a game by playing inspired football, and good on them for doing it, as the offense sputtered for 3 quarters under Cutler and Todd Collins before a brief, '15 minutes of fame' type renaissance under Caleb Hanie. The most memorable part of the game is probably either BJ Raji’s crucial TD to put the Packers up 21-7 and clinch it, or the Jay Cutler injury situation, where after he seemed to get hurt, Cutler brooded on the sideline without displaying any notable affliction. The Bears all insisted he was hurt, but the Media didn’t have it, crucifying Cutler for having the gall to leave a game where, we would find out, he tore his PCL. In the end, Caleb Hanie brought the Bears to the Packers 27 yard line down 21-14, before Sam Shields ended it with a pick. Somehow, despite the fact that the Bears were on their 3^rd QB, they really almost could have sent this game to OT, and that is a truly special achievement by the Bears players and defense.

Interesting/Memorable Play: This game had the 2^nd most notable QB tackle of the decade, with Aaron Rodgers just clipping the feet of Brian Urlacher after Brian intercepted a Rodgers pass at the two yard line. Again, everyone seems to forget the red zone interception to credit Rodgers for the tackle, showing his clutch play. Maybe it would be more clutch to, you know, not throw a pick inside the 10 yard line?

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This game started a weird coincidence where three consecutive Title Game winning QBs (Rodgers, Roethlisberger later that night, Brady in the 2011 AFC game) won despite throwing no TDs and two INTs. The even stranger part is the losing QBs in those title games threw for five TDs and four INTs (and this game had only one of the TDs and three of the INTs).

16.) 2002 AFC Championship – (A2) Titans 24 @ (A1) Raiders 41

Review: In the last playoff home game the Raiders have played, Oakland won a mini-shootout over Tennessee in a game that was quite entertaining, despite the seemingly comfortable Raiders win by the score. Despite the Raiders playing well in the beginning with scores by Garner and Jerry Porter, the Titans led 17-14 nearing halftime after a 33-yard TD pass to Drew Bennett and a gutsy 9-yard TD run by McNair (one of two rushing scores for him). Then, with 1:38 left, Robert Holcombe of the Titans fumbled, at his own 16. The Raiders recovered, scored a TD two plays later, forced another fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and added another field goal to take a shock 24-17 lead into the half. The Titans hung around with some great play from McNair and trailed just 27-24 entering the final quarter, the Raiders hung back-to-back TDs on them with runs by Rich Gannon and TD-Vulture extraordinaire Zack Crockett. In the end, Rich Gannon was nearly flawless, going 29-41 for 286 yards and three TDs with no picks, and while McNair was solid passing and he and Eddie George combined for 120 yard rushing, they couldn’t match the NFL’s best offense in 2002 playing at its best.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: Not counting scrambles runs by Rich Gannon, the Raiders called ONE rushing play in the first three quarters. They were known as a truly pass-heavy team for much of the season, but this was the zenith of that particular strategy. Literally, just one rushing play. Of course, on their game-clinching drive that made it 34-24, they ran it five times in seven plays for 32 yards.

Interesting/Memorable Fact 2: This game marked a whole lot of lasts. It was the last time the AFC was won by a team other than the Patriots, Colts or Steelers, and the last game with Jim Nantz as the CBS NFL Today studio show host and Greg Gumbel as the lead play-by-play guy (they switched roles the following year), as well as the last game featuring the old NFL on CBS theme music. Other than the fact that Manning became PEYTON F. MANNING starting in 2003, I prefer the old days in every way (Nantz not WASP-ing it up with Nantz, the old theme music, the Raiders being good).

15.) 2006 NFC Championship – (N2) Saints 14 @ (N1) Bears 39

Review: Despite the 25 point margin, this was a close, fun game. The Bears did everything you would expect from the 2006 Bears other than Devin Hester returning one to the house. They got a little ‘Good Rex’ (4-4 for 68 yards on the key TD drive to make it 25-14) but mostly bad Rex (7-22 otherwise). They got great running (196 yards on 46 rushes, helped control the ball for 37 minutes) and great, fumble-causing defense (The Bears forced four turnovers, including three fumbles). The Bears used fumbles and great Tampa-2 coverage to go up 16-0, but then the Saints got extremely pass-happy, to admittedly mostly good results. They got a score right before the half, and added another on a sweet 88-yard swing pass TD to Reggie Bush. But, after a missed field goal to potentially take a 17-16 lead, and a Drew Brees intentional grounding in the end zone, the Bears, as the snow got harder, got better. They sacked Brees and picked him off, and turned both failed drives into TDs of their own with runs by Cedric Benson and that pass to Berrian. They ended the game with an emphatic last TD by Thomas Jones, who scored on a Bush-esque cutback. It was beautiful, ol’ school, Chicago football.

Interesting/Memorable Plays: On the Bears TD drive in the 2^nd quarter to make it 16-0, they ran eight plays. All of the plays were rums by Thomas Jones, The drive went: Jones for 14, Jones for 2, Jones for 33, Jones for 7, Jones for 2, Jones for 2, Jones for 7 and Jones for 2.

Interesting/Memorable Play 2: On the Saints attempted field goal to make it 17-16, they used Billy Cundiff as their kicker (of missed 32-yard field goal against New England fame). The weird part about that is the Saints carried two kickers, John Carney was the normal kicker, while Cundiff was the long-field-goal and kick-off specialist. Because it was a 45-yard try, they used Cundiff, who, of course, missed it short.

14.) 2007 AFC Championship – (A3) Chargers 12 @ (A1) Patriots 21

Review: In a frustrating game for Patriots haters (and Mercury Morris), the Chargers played exceedingly determined on both sides of the ball except when they got inside the 20 yard line of the Patriots. Playing with a torn ACL, Phil Rivers gimped his way around the field, but threw for 211 yards on 19-37 throwing, including fitting some tight passes to V-Jack and Chris Chambers. On the other side, Brady was human (after his 26-28 inhuman performance against the Jags) throwing three interceptions, including one into the end zone when it was a 14-12 game. But the key to the game was the Chargers four times having to kick field goals in the red zone (amazingly, Kaeding was 4-4 in the game), while the Patriots had three TDs in their four Red Zone trips (the other being the Cromartie interception). The Chargers really did everything they could, especially on defense, to keep their offense in the game, but that offense just could not bang one home, a fittingly ironic way for the Chargers to lose their best shot to get to a Super Bowl in the Norv/Rivers era.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The Patriots ended this game in style, After Norv Turner stupidly punted on 4^th and 10 at the Patriots 36 with 9:21 left, the Patriots ran the last 9:13 off the clock in an epic 15 play drive that featured four straight 3^rd down conversions, including a 3^rd and 11 to start the drive. As ridiculous as the punt was, it is more ridiculous to think that the Chargers never even got the ball back.

Interesting/Memorable Play 2: On 3^rd and 1 from the Patriots 7 down 14-9, the Chargers were their closest ever to scoring a TD and taking a lead, but on a hand-off to Michael Turner, the late, great Junior Seau shot the gap and stoned Turner for a two yard loss. The Chargers kicked their 4^th field goal and never scored (or came that close to scoring) again.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The game is infamous for LaDainian Tomlinson sitting on the bench with his dark-visored helmet on for much of the game after he had to leave the game early. Despite being universally respected (unlike Cutler who is very much hated), Tomlinson was hammered for the decision to sport this look, as many, I would assume, felt he was brooding his life away under the helmet and cloak.

13.) 2012 AFC Championship - (A4) Ravens 28 @ (A2) Patriots 13

Review: In the first Championship Game rematch since the 49ers and Cowboys met three straight times from '92-'94, the Ravens came back to Foxboro and after weathering some good early play by the Patriots, they laid the smack down. The first half was full of strange Patriots decisions, like punting twice inside the Ravens 45 (including once at the 35), and Tom Brady failing to run a play with 17 seconds left and not calling timeout. The Ravens, in the second half, decided to stop dicking around and they let Flacco loose. His back-to-back back shoulder TDs to Boldin put them up 28-13, and those sandwhiched around a Ridley fumble. Then, in pure Ravens style, they ended three straight Patriots drives with a turnover on downs, and back-to-back interceptions of Tom Brady. For the game, the Ravens forced Tom Brady into one of his least accurate games of his playoff career, going just 29-54. The best stat for the game: the Patriots were inside the Ravens 25 six times, and got just one TD and two field goals. Three other drives ended in Ravens territory with punts. On the other side, Flacco outplayed Brady madly for a 2nd straight AFC Championship Game, but this time his receivers caught the tough balls, and they never forced Justin Tucker to attempt one field goal. It was the most dominant performance of the Harbaugh/Flacco era, just dominating the Patriots in Gillette in a way no one but the Ravens have.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The real game-changing play was Stevan Ridley's fumble near midfield with the Patriots driving down 21-13. Who forced the fumble? Bernard Pollard, knocking out Ridley from the game. Then, unearthed months later, the last man to tackle Aaron Hernandez in an NFL game? Pollard again.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Patriots were 66-0 in the Brady/Belichick era with a lead at halftime at home. Well, after this they were 66-1 at home. In fact, only five times have the Patriots had a home halftime lead and even lost the lead at any point of the second half ('12 Jets, '11 Cowboys, '07 Eagles, '06 Lions, and the only playoff one, last year's AFC Championship Game).



12.) 2009 AFC Championship – (A5) Jets 17 @ (A1) Colts 30

Review: In truth, this was Peyton Manning’s best game ever as a Colts QB. Against the league’s best pass-defense, a team that had shut down the Chargers, holding them to 14 points the previous week, and held the Saints to 10 offensive points in the Super Dome, and had been incredible all year, Manning went 26-39 for 377 yards and three TDs (on three straight drives). The big producers were Pierre Garcon (11 catches for 151 yards and a TD) and Austin Collie (7 catches for 123 yards and a score). This all happened despite the Jets starting out the game really well. The Jets answered the Colts first field goal with a 1-play 80-yard TD to Braylon Edwards, and answered the Colts next field goal with another TD set up with a WildCat throw by Brad Smith to Cotchery. After recovering a fumble, the whole stadium might have been nervous, but Manning and Co. had been in this spot before, trailing 21-3 to the Pats in 2006. The hidden secret behind the 17-6 deficit was the fact that the Jets hadn't really stopped the Colts, but the Colts were forced into two field goals. That stopped happening, and that lead quickly disappeared. Right before half, Manning turned the switch and hit Austin Collie with three straight passes for 80 yards, including an absolutely perfectly thrown 46 yard pass. In the 2^nd half, the big plays stopped coming for the Jets, and Manning just got hotter, repeatedly hitting tiny windows and running up and down against the Jets. In the end, the Colts scored 30 points on a team that averaged giving up 15, threw for 377 yards against a team that averaged giving up 154, and gained 461 yards against a team that averaged giving up 252. They dominated the best defense in the NFL in the last real vintage Manning Colts Offense performance.

Interesting/Memorable Play: After having their opponents miss five out of six field goal attempts in the 1^st two rounds of the playoffs (including four of those misses from under 45 yards and three from under 40), the Jets saw Jay Feely go 1-3, missing from 44 when the score was 0-0, and a crucial miss from 52 on their opening drive of the 2^nd half. Karma's a bitch.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: Coming into the game, the Jets touted their ground & pound gameplan, where the ground was in reference to their NFL-best running attack. The Colts came into the game with their NFL-worst running game. So of course, the Jets run for just 86 yards on 29 carries (2.9 ypc) while the Colts go for 101 on 24 carries (4.2 ypc).

Inteesting/Memorable Fact 2: From the 1:19 mark of the 1^st half of this game to the 1:23 mark of the 1^st half of the 2010 AFC Championship Game (so encompassing 59:56 of the 120 minutes in the two games), the Colts and Steelers outscored the Jets 48-0 (24-0 for the Colts in the remaining 31:19, and 24-0 Steelers in the first 28:37). In the other 60:04 in those two games, the Jets outscored the Steelers and Colts 36-6.

Up next, seven great games, four of which are among the best sporting events I have ever seen.

How Serena Williams Did It

After winning her Open-Era record-tying 22nd Grand Slam Title in an entertaining, closer-than-it-seemed 7-5 6-3 win over Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams has firmly ensconced herself as the Greatest Women's Tennis Player of All Time. Chrissie Evert said it best on the ESPN Broadcast, "She was always the greatest player of all time. Now she has the results to match." This is very true. SErena Williams pure talent, physicality and brilliance was always at a different level than any other player who has ever played women's tennis. Now she does have the results commensurate of the Greatest of All Time.

Serena Williams has all the skills needed. She has the best serve probably ever in women's tennis, able to run through service games against 90% of all opponents without nearly a worry. She has the hardest groundstrokes and an underrated ability to place and move the ball, a hidden nuance behind her brilliant brutality. She moves better than she should given her physicality. She is emotionally stronger than basically all players. All of this easily adds up to the best of all time, but her real secret has been her longevity.

Nearly as amazing as her 22 Slam Titles, is that they have come across 17 years (starting with her win in the '99 US Open, she has gone 17 full slam years - 68 titles - between her 22 wins). Beyond the 17 years is the fact that she has won 9 of those titles after turning 30 in 2011. Her longevity was necessary to accomplish these incredible feats, and a sign of her true dominance. She started her career as Steffi Graf ended hers, and is now winning against players who were barely 5-10 years old when it started.

Women's tennis has long been burdened with burnouts of talented players. So many players of Serena's career came and went quickly, reaching highs that could come close to matching Serena, but never lasting. Looking back over her 17 years, the reams of players that came close to the sun, from true greats like Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, to flavor of the weeks like Elena Dementieva or Petra Kvitova, or Amalie Mauresmo. Serena has outlasted them all, and what is the biggest credit might be the fact that she did seem to waver away from the game for a while.

Early Serena, the player who won the Serena Slam - winning 4 straight majors from the '02 French through the '03 Australian Open - was so much better than the field it was almost unfair. Then, suddenly, it seemed to go away. The mid-00's for Serena Williams was an incredibly interesting period in retrospect. She battled injuries, illness, and a host of outside interests from modeling to fashion to business, going the way of a global star instead of a global star athlete.

Remarkably, during this time, she managed to win only 2 of 20 majors from the '03 US Open through the '08 Wimbledon title. 2 of 20! In ostensibly what would be her prime, from 22 through 27, she missed five slams, lost before the QFs six times, and won only twice. Her wins were seen as complete flukes in a way, both in Australia coming in as an underranked player who blasted her way to titles. Then, something seemed to change.

She won 8 of her next 20 slams, going 8-1 in Finals in that time. Against a new set of players, a new set of challengers, she was better than ever as she approached, reached and crossed 30. Serena Williams incredible comeback is truly remarkable, but you have to wonder whether her dalliance outside of the game, and the injuries that took away months of mileage on her body in her mid-20's helped her keep the passion and intensity through her 30s.

Serena Williams 22 majors has firmly cemented her place as the Greatest of All Time, a title she rightfully earned by fighting off the challenges of most women's tennis players, and continuing to use her god-given skills with her peerless work ethic to accomplish more than any player ever. n a way, it is surprising she ever loses, but the variety and generations of players that were able to beat her show again why Serena was so good. At various times, people could take her on and beat her, but those periods, those windows were incredibly brief. Before long, they would go away, and Serena would go on winning and winning her way to 22 and beyond.

A Decade (and Four Years) of NFL Playoffs: Ranking the Divisional Games, Pr. 3

Tier VI – The Great Games

13.) 2007 NFC Divisional – (N5) Giants 21 @ (N1) Cowboys 17

Review: It was a long time ago when Tony Romo was universally more accepted as a better quarterback than Eli Manning.This is where it all turned around. After a 13-3 season, the Cowboys were riding high as prohibitive favorites. They looked the part on offense, scoring TDs on back-to-back 90+ yard drives in the 1st half, including a 20 play, 12 minute monster to make it 14-7. What the Giants lacked in haste, they made up with brevity, scoring in 1:10 to tie it up. Then came an epic Greek Play of a 2nd half. After not making a dent on Romo, the Giants unleashed a furious pass rush just as the Cowboys o-line lost its edge. Romo ran for his life in the 4th quarter. The Giants put up just 85 yards of offense in the 2nd half, but capitalized on every little mistake the Cowboys made. In the end, the Giants picked off Romo in the end zone as the game ended, a fitting way to end to "critically acclaimed" portion of Romo's career, and start the "maddeningly inconsistent" era. For the Giants, they claimed their first '#1 seed' scalp of this run. Their d-line built off that momentum and hasn't really stopped since.

Interesting/Memorable Play: On both of Romo's sacks, he had ample time to throw the ball away, rolling  out to escape the initial burst of pressure, but he held onto the ball which allowed the Giants defense to reach him. Of course, later in the 4th quarter, Romo finally did throw the ball away when pressured, but he didn't leave the pocket, and it was flagged as intentional grounding.

 
Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the first time that the NFC's #1 seed lost its opening playoff game since 1987, when the Vikings upset the 49ers. For 19 straight years, the #1 seed won. Of course, starting with this game, four of the last five top seeds in the NFC lost their opening playoff game, with only the 2009 Saints avoiding that infamy.

12.) 2003 NFC Divisional – (N3) Panthers 29 @ (N2) Rams 23(2OT)

Review: In a game that was a battle of attrition than anything else, the NFL had a double-OT game for the second time in NFL history. The game was marked by Marc Bulger's erratic play for the first 45 minutes, during which Mike Martz reportedly asked Warner to come in, which he declined. In that time, Bulger threw three interceptions, and despite losing the turnover battle and yardage battle, the Rams were able to muster out three four field goals and force three from Carolina to enter the 4th quarter at 16-12. Then, after a Carolina TD by DeShaun Foster (who replaced an injured Stephen Davis after a 50-yard run), the Rams finally awoke. Using mainly Marshall Faulk out of the backfield, the Rams scored a TD and added a 2-point conversion. Then, they recovered one of the few (non-surprise) onside kicks in recent memory. The Rams were in great position to steal the game, down just 23-20 with over two minutes left, when the notoriously aggressive Martz decided to not risk Bulger throwing another interception and run out the clock and kick a 5th field goal. And that was just regulation. Both teams missed field goals in the first OT, and then on the first play of the 2nd OT, Jake Delhomme hit Steve Smith in stride for a 66-yard TD to end the 2nd longest game in NFL history.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The Panthers first TD came when Jake Delhomme was sack-fimbled by Leonard Little at the 6-yard line. The fumble rolled all the way into the End Zone, where it was recovered by Muhsin Muhammad.

11.) 2007 AFC Divisional – (A3) Chargers 28 @ (A2) Colts 24

Review: This game was maybe the most immediately painful Colts loss. As time goes on, I’ve come to accept that the Patriots would have beaten the Colts 34-20, but I would have wanted them. With Dwight Freeney injured and out, and Robert Mathis limited, the Colts had absolutely no pass rush, and the Chargers just lit up the Colts defense. The game is notable for Rivers tearing his ACL and being replaced by Volek, but prior to the tear, Rivers was having an awesome game, going 14-19 for 264 yards and 3 TDs with 1 INT. Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers abused the Colts smaller corners, and the hammer was Darren Sproles 56 yard screen pass for a TD as the 3^rd quarter expired. That said, Manning was basically as good. After seeing Brady’s 26-28 performance the night before, Manning started completing his first 16 throws. The game turned on Marvin Harrison's fumble, an obvious sign of rust after missing the last eight regular season games. The Colts were inside the red zone up 7-0 after picking off Rivers. From that moment, the game was as tight as could be. Phil Riveres had to leave, and Billy Volek led a game-winning drive, led in large part by Legedu Naanee. As for the Colts, Manning threw for 402 yards, but threw two key interceptions on passes that first touched the hands of Colts player. It was that kind of day. The Colts did everything but win, but considering the people who weren't on the field by the end for the Chargers, they absolutely deserved it.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The first sign that this was an odd game was right before the half, with the Colts driving near midfield up 10-7, Manning was intercepted near the 10 when his pass deflected off of Reggie Wayne's hands. Antonio Cromartie returned it 90 yards, but a highly debatable holding call was made on the return.

Interesting/Memorable Play 2: The 2nd interception was even unluckier, as driving at the Chargers 5, facing 3rd-and-goal, Manning threw a screen pass to Kenton Keith. It bounced off his hands, right into the hands of Eric Weddle, who was engaged in a block at the time. It was that kind of day.

10.) 2006 NFC Divisional – (N4) Seahawks 24 @ (N1) Bears 27(OT)

Review: Before the game, all the talk was about Rex Grossman, the embattled QB of the Bears. He had finished the regular season, in a game that admittedly meant nothing for the Bears, with a tidy 0.0 passer rating. Grossman wasn't perfect in this game, but was about as good as he could have been, going 21-38 for 272 yards and a TD, with just one interception. The game itself was a battle between a resourceful Seahawks team trying to keep their crown, and a Bears team adjusting to life without Tommie Harris. The Seahawks played about as gutty as they could have. Shaun Alexander had a rare great playoff game, going for 108 yards on 26 carries and two scores against a great defense. Mike Holmgren was risky, going for it twice on 4th down, including one where Alexander ran a draw in for a TD. As for the Bears, their offense was dynamite for a half, as they too scored a rushing TD on 4th down, and Rex hit Bernard Berrian with a perfect rainbow for a 68-yard score. The Bears defense then took over late in the 2nd half, holding the Seahawks out of field goal range with a great Lance Briggs stop. In OT, Grossman had another pretty pass to Rashied Davis, and Robbie Gould ended it, kicking a ultra-clutch 49-yard field goal on a 10 degree day. It was a battle between two flawed teams that at their best were probably the two best in the NFC in 2006, and they made it count with a special game in great January Football conditions at Soldier Feild.

Interesting/Memorable Play: Devin Hester had an interesting day. He muffed three punts, but recovered them all himself, and on the 3rd, he took the recoverd muff 66 yards for a TD, but it was called back on a penalty.

Interesting/Memorable Play 2: This game is notable for two NFL on FOX infamous memories. First, was a beautifully timed promo for '24' with 0:24 left in the 4th quarter with the game tied 24-24. The other was Joe Buck, who was describing Charles Tillman wearing cleats with 5/8" spikes, and asking, seemingly honestly, if 5/8" spikes were longer or shorter than 1/2".

9.) 2006 NFC Divisional – (N3) Eagles 24 @ (N2) Saints 27

Review: This game was the really the playoff game that helped rebuild New Orleans. The 2006 Saints were a miracle team, with Sean Payton and Drew Brees combining to lift a 3-13 team to 10-6. The Eagles themselves were something of a Cinderella Story as well, with the team at 5-5 when Donovan McNabb got hurt. Jeff Garcia replaced him and led the team to a a 5-1 record down the stretch to steal the NFC East. The game itself was extremely well played. Brian Westbrook was a monster, running for 116 yards on 13 carries, including a 62-yarder to make it 21-13 early in the 3rd. The real star, though, was Duece McAlister. After a long Saints career, Reggie Bush was brought in as the new star, and although Reggie had a nice game, Duece had the most memorable game of his career. McAlister had 143 yards on 21 carries, and caught a TD to make it 27-21 in the 4th. The Eagles had a good chance to take the lead back with about 5 minutes to go, but their drive stalled at the Saints 6. Then, needing just to run clock to win the game, Sean Payton called for a pitchback to Bush, which never reached Bush. The Eagles recovered in great shape to kick a game-tying field goal, but when a holding call turned a converted 4th and 5 into a 4th and 15, Andy Reid decided to punt. This time, the Saints got their requisite 1st down and ran out the clock, bringing forth one of the best celebratory crowds in NFL history.

Interesting/Memorable Play: Reggie Bush had a good game overall (52 yards on 12 carries with a TD), but had a great "Welcome to the NFL" moment, when Sheldon Brown absolutely hammered him on a Brees swing pass.

8.) 2014 AFC Divisional - (A6) Ravens 31 @ (A1) Patriots 35

Review: I had to convince myself to give this game the ranking it deserved, ahead of those two games that I really love from 2006. In the end, though, as much as I hated the outcome, and as much as the Patriots eligible-receiver shenanigans marred some of the game, it truly was a fantastic contest. The Patriots started out slow, giving up back-to-back TDs to the Ravens, and then nearly losing the ball on teh ensuing kick-off. Had that fumble been recovered by Baltimore, this may have been a repeat of the 33-14 thrashing they laid on the Patriots in 2009. Instead, that fumble turned into a TD and the game turned into a classic. Joe Flacco was on fire for much of the game, firing four TDs that were all on well designed plays, but two costly interceptions helped to blow two different 14-point leads. That said, the Patriots earned those comebacks, with some great play by Brady, and a fantastic swing-to-WR-pass from Edelman to Amendola. It shows just how much the Patriots respected and feared the Ravens that they had to play awfully tricky to win this game. In the end, a Flacco interception on a needlessly silly deep ball ended what could have been a game-winning TD drive, and the Patriots moved on to ring #4. Still, we were very close to this being a laugher. While I would have loved that outcome, the world got the benefit of this outcome.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The first fumble could have widened the gap to a deficit of too much, but the real turning point of the game was a completion by Brady and 3rd and 8 following the Baltimore score to make it 14-0; that completion gained a first down that ended up being a TD that brought the Patriots back to life.

Interesting/Memorable Play 2: The real fumble though was one recovered by Baltimore at the New England 40 with 9:00 to go up 31-28. The play was then overturned as Shane Vereen's knee was just down in time. Still, that may not have ended the game, but the Ravens came that close to pulling it off.



7.) 2015 NFC Divisional - (N5) Packers 20 @ (N2) Cardinals 26 (OT)

Review: Much like the game about to come, what was an slightly above average 50 minutes was redeemed by an absolute bananas last 10 + OT, as the Packers and Cardinals staged a classic with one of the great endings ever. For those first 50 minutes, the undermanned Packers, who lost Randall Cobb midway, were somehow beating the Cardinals. The Packers gave up the first score, but put up 13 straight points by the guile of Rodgers, a resurgent Eddie Lacy, and timely, great coverage against the Cardinals great passing attack. A slightly off Palmer didn't help matters, but somewhere around the 3rd quarter, Palmer started clicking. The Cardinals took the lead 17-13 with 3:50 to go after a nice 80-yard drive, and that is when the madness started. First, it was a turnover on downs, and a controversial decision by throw on 2nd down stopping the clock. Still, the Packers needed a 4th and 20 roll-out and bomb to Jeff Janis from the 4-yard line for 60 yards, and a Hail Mary for 41 yards just to send the game to OT. The 4h and 20 throw may have been the greatest play by Rodgers in his long career of absolutely brilliance. However, the game would end quickly, with the Cardinals needing just two plays in OT to get a TD, both as good as the next. The first was Palmer doing his own Houdini act to avoid a sack and throw back against his body to Fitz for a catch and run for 76 yards. And then two plays later, a perfectly called shovel pass to Fitz for the game ender. It was a perfect designed play for teh Cardinals to finally put away a game Packers squad in an instant, and completely unexpected classic in the desert.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The game only needed OT because of the Hail Mary, where teh Cardinal did the interesting and blitzed Rodgers with 7 guys, leaving 4 back in coverage. They nearly got to Rodgers, but he escaped and launched his heave. Still, the Cardinals had two men on Janis and couldn't pull the ball away.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The coin toss will always be memorable for referee Clete Blakeman rightfuly being called out for not actually flipping the coin. It was shocking how quickly the Packers noticed this as it is something I have ever seen before. Had the Packers won the re-toss, it would have been a huge controversy.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the 4th time the Packers were beaten in OT in the playoffs in 9 years (''07, '09, '14, '15), and they were all ridiculously quick executions. They lasted just 2:26 (L, NYG), 1:10 (L, ARZ), 3:11 (L, SEA), and 1:00 (L, ARZ).

6.) 2003 NFC Divisional – (N4) Packers 17 @ (N1) Eagles 20(OT)

Review: One play from this game will live in the NFL lore. 4th and 26 will never be forgotten. Other than a certain play that is in the #1 game, 4th and 26 was probably the most famous play in the Divisional Round during this time period. Donovan McNabb's laser pass to Freddie Mitchell (who, amazingly caught the pass) who beat the Cover-2 picked up 27 yards. It was an insane play, a last desperate attempt to salvage what had been an interesting, but still successful season for the Eagles. The game that preceded it, though, harkened back to football in the 1990's. The QBs weren't deadly accurate. The run games were incredible. Ahman Green ran for 156 yards on 25 carries. McNabb ran for a QB-playoff-record 107 yards on 11 carries. The Packers pass rush was dominant, sacking McNabb eight times. The Game itself was a microcosm of the Eagles season, which started with back-to-back home losses with a combined score of 48-10, and ended with an 11-game win streak. The Packers scored two TDs on long passes from Favre to Robert Ferguson. The Eagles slowly chipped their way back in. They controlled Favre and the offense, and McNabb started his game in earnest. Running his way through the Packers pass rush, McNabb capped the comeback with a brilliant scramble-and-throw to Todd Pinkston. They traded Field Goals, and on the first pass of overtime, Favre threw the first of many duck interceptions in OT in the first play. The Eagles ran a solid drive, allowing Akers to kick an easy 31-yard field goal to end it. Overall, it was the best game of a great weekend of football (the other games were decided by 6, 3 and 7), and the Eagles ended the magic-carpet ride of Favre, who had lost his father four weeks earlier, and the Packers.

Interesting/Memorable Plays: The Packers had eight sacks made by seven players. They represent a mix  of good players and absolute nobodies. Just look at this list of names: Aaron Kampman (2), Marques Anderson(?), Nai'l Diggs, Bahwoe Jue(?), Mike McKenzie, Chukie Nwokorie(?), and Darren Sharper.

Tier VII – The Epics

5.) 2002 AFC Divisional – (A3) Steelers 31 @ (A2) Titans 34 (OT)

Review: A long forgotten classic played by two extremely competitive, even teams, the Steelers and Titans gave an exercise in the fluidity of momentum. The Titans scored the first 14 points, with McNair and George runs sandwiching a pick by Tommy Maddox. The Steelers then scored the next 20, capitalizing on a McNair interception and Eddie George fumble (on a play he got concussed on), with a TD pass to Hines Ward and a run by Amos Zereoue. The Titans then scored the next 14, to take a 28-20 lead, on two TD passes to Frank Wychek (who had a monster 10 catch, 123 yard day) and Aaron Kinney. The Steelers then put up the next 11, with a Hines Ward TD and 2-pt conversion, and Field Goal, to take a late 31-28 lead. Then, despite getting picked twice earlier, Steve McNair came up big, with a late field goal drive to win the game, and a long pass to Justin McCareins to set up Joe Nedney's OT game winner. The Steelers and Titans both had volatile seasons, with Tommy Maddox replacing Kordell Stewart, and Steve McNair and the Titans rebounding from a 1-4 start to go 11-5, and this ending was just as volatile. First, Nedney hit a field goal, but Cowher called timeout right before. Then, Nedney missed a 31 yarder, but the Steelers were called for running into the kicker. Finally, on his third try, Nedney hit his field goal. The gamebook reads out of an era that is so forgotten now in the NFL. Steve McNair and Tommy Maddox started. Drew Bennett was the breakout receiver. The Steelers relied on Amos Zereoue. Albert Haynesworth was just a rookie. 2002 in total was a strange season, the bridge between the Warner/Favre/Gannon era to the Manning/Brady era that would start in earnest in 2003. There's a reason why this game is forgotten, as neither of these two were that memorable teams, and the Titans lost their next game (of course that didn't stop the next game), but it deserves to be known as one of the top games to rewatch of the past 10 years.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: One of the most oddly memorable part of the game was Bill Cowher and Jeff Fisher's competing manli-ness. Both were badass black leather jackets on an oddly cold night in Nashville. The tiebreaker, though, goes to Fisher, who had a giant man-beard, while Cowher just had his usual mus-tache.

Interesting/Memorable Play: Right before Nedney's final attempt, Dick Enberg, in one of his great impromptu calls, said the great line, now Nedney and Steelers rush will go 'best two out of three.'

4.) 2012 AFC Divisional - (A4) Ravens 38 @ (A1) Broncos 35 (OT)

Review: Where to begin? The last game that had this many 'wow' moments was probably Super Bowl XLIII. There are so many plays that could have defined this game. First was Trindon Holliday's punt return to give the Broncos a 7-0 lead with Manning not touching the ball. Then came a shady pass interference call on the Ravens next drive. Two plays later Flacco hid Torrey Smith and it was game on. Lost in the madness of the 2nd half was Manning playing a damn good first half, with two great fade TDs to Stokley and Knowshon Moreno of all people. In the second half, the weather got even more ridiculous (the only game on the Divisional Round in this era that was colder was the Titans Patriots game in 2003), and the game itself got choppier. There were fumbles (Flacco and Manning each), there was the pressure Manning had to face, but it all should have ended with a Manning screen pass to Thomas that worked brilliantly for an 18 yard TD to give the Broncos a 35-28 lead. They even stopped the Ravens on the next drive, but then everything went to hell for the Broncos. They had 1st and 10, with 2:23 to go and the Ravens had 1 timeout. One first down and it is over. The Broncos paid all that money to get a top flight QB, and what do they do? run it three times and punt. We all know what happened next, with Rahim Moore failing to do the main job of a safety. The ball to Jones hung in the air forever, and any competent safety at least gets a hand on it, but Moore took a terrible route to that incredibly high arcing ball. Moore didn't have a chance, and the frigid, but loud crowd got as silent as quickly as any crowd ever. What followed was a slog in OT, ending with a truly bad throw by Peyton Manning. The game ended soon after, a tiring watch, let alone a tiring game for the players. Ray Lewis' career carried on, and the Ravens won arguably their biggest game since Super Bowl XXXV. In previous postseasons the QBs that knocked them our were: Manning, Roethlisberger, Manning, Roethlisberger, Brady. They finally beat one of those big-three in the playoffs, and it took every ounce of resourcefullness, good play (Torrey Smith, especially) and, let's be honest, luck.

Interesting/Memorable Plays: The Ravens OT performance had two critical plays outside the Manning interception. The first was maybe the best throw of Flacco's career to that point, a 24 yard strike to Pitta on 3rd and 13 backed up at their own three yard line. An incomplete there and they punt from that position, and the Broncos have excellent field position. The other was Tucker's game winning field goal. By that time, the temperature was below zero wind chill, and Tucker nailed a 47-yarder. Sure it was in altitude, but that was a damn good kick.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: Sure, Manning lost another playoff game, but it was the 5th(!) time in a row his team had a lead in the 4th quarter and eventually lost the game. In those five games, three times he led a scoring drive to take the lead in the 4th quarter only to see his defense blow it (2007 Divisional, 2010 Wild Card being the others).

Interesting/Memorable Fact 2: This was the first time the Ravens had beaten a Peyton Manning team since 2001. In that time, they lost in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009 and earlier in 2012, with also losing in the 2006 Playoffs and 2009 Playoffs.



3.) 2011 NFC Divisional – (N3) Saints 32 @ (N2) 49ers 36

Review: This game had the best 6-minutes in NFL history, as the lead changed hands four times in that span. The 49ers had led the whole game on the back of four Saints turnovers in the 1st half, which led to the 49ers building a quick 17-0 lead. For much of the game, the narrative of the league's best offense and the league's best defense held true, and defense was winning. Drew Brees was being held under 10 ypc, and the 49ers bullied the Saints, forcing a fumble on a great hit by Donte Whitner, then Aldon Smith sacking Brees at the 2 on the next drive, and picking Brees off on the next. The Saints got in the party, repeatedly big-blitzing Alex Smith to mostly great success, sacking Smith 4 times. The game started in earnest when the Saints, down 20-17, took over at their 12 with 11:27 to go at their own 18. Brees was sacked by Ahmad Brooks on 2nd down, and threw the ball away when Justin Smith grabbed him in the bull-est of bull rushes. After the punt, the 49ers added a field goal to make it 23-17. The Saints then took over when 7:29 left, and the magic began. First, was Darren Sproles taking a short dumpoff right down the field for a 44-yard TD with 4:11 left to give the Saints their first lead at 24-23. Then, after a long completion to Vernon Davis, teh 49ers faced a 3rd and 8 with 2:18 left, when Harbaugh called a naked bootleg, which Alex Smith took for a 28-yard TD to take the lead back at 29-24. In 41 seconds, the Saints took the lead back, as Brees hit Jimmy Graham for a catch-and-run TD for 66 yards to take the lead back at 32-29. Then, for the final act, on 2nd and 10 from the 49ers 33 yard line, with just 0:40 left, Alex Smith his Vernon Davis on a crossing route for 47 yards. Then, in field goal range, facing a 3rd and 4, the 49ers went for the win, and Smith hit Davis again for the game winning TD, capping off the greatest half-quarter of football ever. The ridiculous nature of the ending did screw the narrative of the 49ers defense controlling the Saints offense. But screw the narrative; here's another one. In a year when the 49ers announced finally that they will be building a new stadium, the magic of Candlestick was revived in earnest.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The 49ers won in dramatic fashion anyway, but there is a real argument made that Alex Smith should've gone down at the 1 yard line on his naked bootleg run. At that point, the Saints had one timeout left. Assuming they call it then before the 2:00 warning, the 49ers would reach the 2:00 on 2nd down. They could run about 45 seconds off the clock per play, bringing it down to about 30 seconds left when they kick the field goal. This leaves ~25 seconds for the Saints to drive for a field goal without a time out. By any calculation, that is better than giving them 2:11 and a timeout to get a TD.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: A lot of records were set here. Drew Brees had his third straight 400-yard passing playoff game (this after never reaching 300 yards in his Super Bowl XLIV run). Twice, he needed 60+ passes to get there, though. Darren Sproles set a record for most receptions (15), and Vernon Davis set a record for most yards by a TD (180).

2.) 2006 AFC Divisional – (A4) Patriots 24 @ (A1) Chargers21

Review: In a game that perfectly defined the unluckiness of Marty Schottenheimer's playoff career, and the luckiness of Bill Belichick's the Patriots, in the last great moment of their true dynasty, beat the 14-2 Chargers despite seemingly getting madly outplayed. That said, the Patriots made the Chargers earn every yard. They flummoxed first-year starter Philip Rivers, limiting him to 14-32 for 230 yards and an interception. The Chargers defense harrassed Brady, picking him off three times overall. The only players that really had standout days were Jabar Gaffney, who had 103 yards on 10 catches and a key score right before the half to make it 14-10, and LaDainian Tomlinson who had 123 yards on 23 carries. The game itself was truly defined by one team making every mistake, and the other making none. It started on the Patriots first pass, when a batted Brady pass should have been easily intercepted by Clinton Hart was dropped. The Chargers made the following mistakes: Vincent Jackson couldn't drag his second foot in, when he caught what should have been an easy TD. Rivers was sack-fumbled, which led to the first Patriots field goal. Eric Parker muffed a punt after the Chargers forced a punt leading 14-10, and then Drayton Florence furthered that drive by headbutting Matt Light on a play that would have been a 4th and 17 leading to a 51-yard field goal attempt by Gostkowski. Then came the capper, leading 21-13, Marlon McCree picked off Tom Brady on 4th Down with 6:25 to go. Instead of knocking it down (remember, it was 4th down), McCree tried to be a hero, and Troy Brown stripped him of the ball. The Patriots got a 1st down and new life, leading to a game tying TD. Finally, after a quick Chargers 3-and-out (where they ran Tomlinson once, despite a near 6 ypc), the Patriots ended this epic with Brady throwing a beautiful pass deep to ex-Charger Reche Caldwell, and Gostkowski nailing a game-winning field goal, which was followed by Nate Kaeding, doing what he always does, missing a 54-yard field goal at the gun. The game was over, and in reality, it took a lot out of the Patriots. Bill Belichick called it the toughest game he's ever won, and it showed.

Interesting/Memorable Play: Right after the game-tying field goal was missed by Kaeding, a few Patriots players stomped on the Chargers logo at midfield and did Shawne Merriman's "Light's Out" sack dance. LaDainian Tomlinson got upset and got into a scuffle, and after the game let out that classic line that "the Patriots showed no class, no class at all. And maybe it starts with their head coach."

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the last game of Marty Schottenheimer's epic coaching career and it was arguably his most painful defeat. During the game, Schottenheimer rarely wore his headset, instead letting Cam Cameron and Wade Phillips do most of the work. Of course, near the end of the game, when the Chargers were collapsing, Schottenheimer had that headset back on, in what was, I'm sure, a great sight for Chargers fans.

Interesting/Memorable Fact 2: In what was the Patriots last playoff win away from Gillette Stadium (they lost the next week in Indy and Super Bowl XLII and XLVI), the Patriots continued one of the weirder streaks in memory. Including the Panthers win in Chicago the previous year, the 4:30 pm Sunday Playoff game featured an upset all but one year since 2005. The one exception was the 2008 Steelers beating the Chargers, but since we've seen the Giants upset the Cowboys in 2007 and the Packers in 2011, and the Jets beat the Chargers in 2009 and Patriots in 2010.

1.) 2005 AFC Divisional – (A6) Steelers 21 @ (A1) Colts 18

Review: In what is the most painful loss for most Colts fans, the 6-seed Steelers beat the dominant 14-2 Colts by starting off red-hot and holding off what would have been Manning's most audacious comeback. The Steelers surprised the Colts by coming out throwing and throwing, leading to two first-quarter TD passes to Hines Ward and Heath Miller. After resting the last two weeks of the regular season, the Colts offense came out rusty, and woefully unprepared for the Steelers blitz scheme, which was odd since they thoroughly dominated the Steelers 26-7 in November, scoring an 80-yard TD on the first play and limiting the Steelers to under 200 yards. The Colts finally hit their rhythm, with a monster drive that took up 9:33 from their own 2 to the Steelers 2, but they couldn't punch it into the end zone, leading to only cutting the lead to 14-3 at the half. The Steelers added another touchdown in the 3rd quarter after a 30-yard drive (like many playoff losses for the Colts, field position was huge in this game) capped with a Jerome Bettis plunge. Little did Bettis know that another carry on 1st and Goal from the one would be far more memorable. The Colts took over with a little over 16 minutes left in the game, down 21-3. On the last play of the 4th Quarter, on 4th and 2 at the Colts 36, Peyton Manning waved the punt team off the field, and completed a 13-yard pass to Brandon Stokley for a 1st down. Then, on the 2nd play of the 4th Quarter, Manning found Clark for a 50-yard catch and run TD to cut it to 21-10. The Steelers would bang nearly eight minutes off the clock before they were forced to punt, twice converting 4th and 1s, giving the Colts 6 minutes to shave 11 points off the lead. Manning led another quick TD drive in 1:30, whittling through 80 yards in five plays. Of course, this wasn't without controversy, as Troy Polamalu's interception near midfield was bizarrely called incomplete, as he lost control of the ball after rolling once, and did so before his knees left the ground. The Colts took advantage, scored their TD and forced another Steelers punt. Then, the real drama began. First, Manning was sacked twice in three plays be totally free rushers that got to him within 2 seconds, and this turned the ball over on downs with 1:20 to go. The Steelers, facing 4th and Goal at the 2, couldn't simply run out the clock because the Colts had all three timeouts, so they ran a play hoping for a game icing score, but Gary Brackett put his hat perfectly on the ball in Bettis's hands, forcing a fumble, that was recovered by Nick Harper, who raced to what would seem a dramatic, infamous game-winning touchdown, but Ben Roethlisberger somehow tripped him up. This gave way to the classic's final act, a comically bad missed field goal by Mike Vanderjagt, leaving the Colts in shambles and the 'One for the Thumb' dream alive.

Interesting/Memorable Play: There was so much to examine about the Bettis fumble play. First, it was incredible that the Colts were able to get that close to a comeback without even using one timeout, which forced the Steelers to not kneel. Then, this would have been the last play of Bettis's career, which would have been a shame. Roethlisberger's part was huge, but it was odd that seemingly even before the fumble occured, he started running backwards. Finally, we get to Harper, who was slowed because he was attacked and cut by his wife in a knife attack in the previous week. Still, if he just cut to the sideline he probably escapes Ben. Just bizarre.

Interesting/Memorable Play 2: Right after the missed field goal, CBS showed four images that encapsulated the game. The reactions of four key men in Dungy, Cowher, Bettis and Manning all saying the same thing "He Missed It", but in violently different ways. Dungy was dismayed, Manning was almost angry. Cowher was in complete jubilation, and Bettis was just relieved. Just a great job by the video crew.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This game started the whole idea that the Colts would get rusty after resting, and while they actually seemed rusty early, there was another factor possibly more important. This was the first game back for Tony Dungy after the suicide of his son, James. The team just didn't play right, and their flaccid play was eerily similar to the 2011 Packers, who played their divisional game right after the death of their Offensive Coordinator Joe Philbin's son tragic death.

 

Up next, the best of the Super Bowls (I'm skipping the conference titles games for now, because the best of those were better).