Championship Weekend Review

New York Jets at Indianapolis
The final score was not indicative of how close this game really was. Good news for Jets fans they'll be a contender for some time. The bad news- they weren't quite ready. That will come once Mark Sanchez matures as a quarterback, and can lead fourth quarter comebacks in hostile environments, which I believe he will evolve into that player in the next two-three seasons. Back to the Colts. Peyton Manning had another unbelievable game, especially following such a rocky start. He's just a Super Bowl away from adding another notch to his legacy. Now, to the game. Manning took two more sacks and one more hit than Sanchez, who was kept relatively clean. The Jets were perfect in their single chance in the red zone, but gave up three touchdowns in six opportunities- way too many chances for such a talented offense. The turnover battle was even, but the big number was the 70 more yards the Colts gained. Once Manning figured out Rex Ryan's blitz scheme, which took him the better part of the first half, Indianapolis never looked back.

Minnesota at New Orleans
This was a great game, but I need to address two crowds. To the Brett Favre haters: the pick at the end of regulation was damning, but they still had a shot to come up with a stop in overtime, had a great game prior to the throw, and he was injured, to boot. To the Brett Favre appologists: the pick was an ill-advised throw, because he had options- receiver on the sideline, run 5-10 yards to assist the kicker, or throw it away (Granted, a 57 yarder is a tough kick, but Longwell has a strong leg, and kicking in a dome- no weather complications in play.) Congrats to the Saints for making their first trip to the Super Bowl, and for taking advantage of the opportunities the Vikings gave them, since they should have lost the game. Favre took six official hits, but was pressured throughout the game, while Brees took only four. The red zone, total yards, and turnovers tell the story. The Vikings gained 220 more yards. In most cases, such a yard discrepency leads to a blowout. However, the Saints were a perfect three for three in the red zone, while the Vikings went four for six. The two non-touchdowns were turnovers around the ten yard line. Those takeaways gave New Orleans life to extend the game and their oppoturnities of winning. On the day, the Saints were +4 in the turnover department, hence their victory. Two great teams with solid coaching and great quarterbacks, I'm looking forward to the Super Bowl!